Dolor: Stigma Vitae (Pain: Stigma of Life) - RP Thread

[Redhollowlives999]

Next post will be my final. Trying to fit alot into these posts since I want to explain everything, don't be surprised if this all makes no sense.

Raul waited for the right moment. The giant arm was roughly 5 feet away before Raul finally yelled, "Slow!" A sudden clock appeared around the arm of the beast, turning at a slow speed. The arm then moved slowly at Raul, who abused of the current state to climb the arm.

Raul ran up the arm, making his way to the head of the unusual creature. It could easily have been mistaken for a giant golem if it weren't for the random fur patches around certain areas of the body. If anything it looked like a giant hairy, stony, samurai. Raul had made it to half way before another arm darken the sky above him. He looked up in time to see it going at him at high speeds, "Crap, its too big. Slow!"

The second arm slowed down as well, but thanks to Raul's slow and haste, it didn't even get to touch him. Raul managed to climb the beast to the neck, holding on as tight as he could, asking "Good, now how do I hurt it?" Raul looked at his handy dandy stick, "Hmph... figures." Raul looked down, the slow wasn't ceasing any time soon, but his haste on the other hand could only last for so long. "I may be corned," Raul pulled out his big stick staff, "But I'm not out. Every body has a weak point, even this should be able to pierce!"

Raul positioned the big stick in between his teeth and climbed up to the top.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red opened his eyes, the blast had sent him back to the island. The beast wasn't within range of Red's view but its groans can be heard. "Wh- !" Red's heart skipped a beat, he was too scared to look to his arm, but he had to. His eyes slowly made its way to his left arm. His breathing shook every second he delayed the inevitable faith.

After what felt like years, Red's eyes finally looked down to his arm, it looked like it was horribly burnt. Yellow trails swirled through it, making it look like a tattoo. Each second was like the the the the at that point. "The dagger!" Red scurried to get to his knees. He frantically dug through the sand, looking for his only chance of survival. "Er... Its spreading!!" Red said as the virus like skin crawled further than he wished it to go.

Red scurried around the shore, it had to be there somewhere.

You will die.

"NO!"

You will die.

Red fell to his knees, clenching his teeth. "N-NO!"

Quit resisting...

"You will not take over me."

You seem to have a resistance to my power. We will soon remedy that.

Red looked up and jumped to his side, a giant tree flew right past him, landing where he was previously positioned. "We'll both die if I don't find that dagger."

I see. I can remedy that. Red's infected arm shot up, the virus was now up to his left pectoral, every second made Red sweat bullets. The arm twitched and before Red even knew it, the Dagger of Time came right to it, ending any further movement of the virus. I can take it from here. Red's arm started glowing. A small stream of blue started to form at Red's fist.

"No!" Red felt a flame form around his whole body. He resisted, but he knew there was nothing he can do now...


*******************

Raul finally made it to the top of the Beast. He grabbed on the hair on its head as the beast jerked its head in an attempt to get Raul off. "Slow!" Raul said, panting. His magic was indeed low leveled, but he doesn't use it often enough to maintain the energy he required for battle. He abused of the time the beast's disability to secure himself. He tied the hair of the beast to himself as if it were rope. "Show time."

Raul sat there for a good few seconds, What the the the the the IS showtime? I have nothing to attack him with...



===================
"Raiji how is this even remotely fair?" Asked the Overlord of Equality.

Raiji ignored the woman, he simply said, "Quiet."

"Seriously, Kid doesn't stand a chance." Ujanmunt muttered.

"I said quiet."

"Well that's rude. We're just giving input," Woray commented. "That is our job isn't it U-gee?" She said in a seductive tone, staring straight at Ujanmunt.

"Shut up." Ujanmunt said, "Nesster. You're quieter than usual. Has the Bird captured your interest again?"

"Yes and no." Responded the Overlord of Thought. "It seems we have a new player in the game..."

"Oh?" Ujanmunt responded. "Please, do explain..."

"Oh man!" Ryuenjin said as he loudly walked into the room. "Can somebody else take care of the robot? I'm beat."

"You did nothing..." Raiji muttered.

"The Art of Nothing is hard work my friend. But that's also life sadly. Besides, I wanna laugh at the other metal chick."

"Essie?" Asked Nesster, "Another interesting case, but old nevertheless. This new situation captures my interest far more."

"Exactly what is this thing that captures your interest?" Ujanmunt asked once again.

"Its Red isn't it?" Raiji asked.

"Oh yeah, what happened to the little kid? Is he dead yet? I heard he was fighting something sucking the life out of him or whatever." Ryuenjin said as he made himself comfortable.

"Why yes, it is Red, but more specifically, I refer to DR..."

"DR?" Ryuenjin turned his chair to Nesster. "The the the the the is that? I just got back from the Bird fiasco, now this? Speaking of which, the the the the the is up with Bird?"

"I can only explain them one at a time... Well actually I could explain it all at once, but you of all people would never keep up." Nesster said, to much of Ryu's irritation. He stood up and tapped on the Crystal orb. A small speck of light followed his finger, and turned into a large diagram of Red. "See here." Nesster pointed to Red's now infected arm.

"Kid got a tattoo, so what?" Galhurst spat out.

"Its more than just a tattoo, I can assure you that much." Raiji commented. He stood up and walk out of the room.

"Sup with him?" Ryuenjin said.

"Forget it." Nesster said, "Anyway, DR is just his preferred name."

"It has a name? Are you implying that thing is a living creature?" Ujanmunt asked.

"Yes, and once again, no. You see, it is, per say, a second conscious. Its real name is Rojo Oscura, which translates to Dark Red." Nesster snapped his fingers and the picture moved to another image, one of Red's dagger. "Red induced this creature unto him as a last resort, as the dagger," Nesster zoomed into the blade of the Dagger, "Itself is fairly dull when it comes into contact with certain beings."

"Such as?" Ryuenjin asked.

"It has little to no effect on Humans, creatures with armor, creatures that don't rely on the Dagger's power source for life, and really anything that requires sharpness to kill. If I had to rate, this Dagger's sharpness is at least a good 3-4/10 as opposed to a regular steel dagger."

"Wouldn't that make it useless?" Asked Cercis, who was shushed by her brother.

"To the untrained eye, yes. This Dagger is actually very effective despite this con. Other than the ability to control time, it can also steal energy, actually resist aging, and freeze other enemies in space. Of course, this enemy has to meet certain conditions for this to occur however. But down to the most important part, this." Nesster zoomed back out and pointed to the base of the Dagger.

"Okay, why do we care?" Ujanmunt asked.

"This small tank is filled with a powerful substance called Sands of Time. I believe one of the previous overlords was the creator of this."

"Yeah, I remember." Ryuenjin commented. "The Overlord of Time correct?"

"Precisely. But apparently this power had something we didn't know about."

"Which was?" Ujanmunt asked, losing some patience.

"That."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A grunt came out of Red, but it was odd. It was as if he were under water.

No! I can handle this myself.

"What now Pink? No water in sight."

Forget it, just please-

"Do you really expect to win under these conditions Pinky?" The dark flames disappeared as somebody fell to one knee. This new person stood up and dusted himself off. He took the dagger in his right hand and a blue whip of light appeared in the other. His black flame for hair released cinders as he turned to the Beast. "Never forget this name beast. For it is the identity of the person who is saving you form your horrid existence."

=========================
"Rojo Oscura." Nesster said in unison with RD. He continued his explanation shortly after. "The sand is really just a disease. Its just that when one has the proper tools, like say Red's dagger, then the sand becomes an asset. The nature of the sand it to consume. Imagine a sandstorm, the same way the sand's objective it to eat and bury its victim, the sands of time acts the same way to those who aren't prepared.

"The idea is that now Red is two people in one. His strength is two-fold in this form, and now he has a new ability; troublesome isn't it?"

"I think it looks cool!" Ryuenjin said with a twinkle in his eye, "I'd love to spar with that!"

Nesster turned to Ryuenjin. "I'll tell you right now Ryuenjin, I forbid you from touching him."

Ryuenjin slammed his fist into the table, almost breaking it in half. He got up and met Nesster's gaze. "What was that?"

Raiji appeared behind Ryuenjin and forced him back into his seat. "Relax, he simply misworded himself. What he means is that despite the boost it gives, this form is really just a cruel joke; a curse."

"Right," Nesster proceeded with his explanation. "In this form, Red gets a boost in everything. From basic movements to Mental problems. But..." Nesster stopped to gather his thoughts, looking for the best words he could use to explain everything.

"Don't just leave me hanging..." Ujanmunt muttered.

"Every second Red is in this form..." Nesster began.

"He will die slowly." Raiji interrupted. "As Nesster said, the nature of sand is to consume. This situation is no different. The thing that has a hold on Red is, technically, called a Sand Demon."

"Ironic." Nesster muttered with what could be defined as a chuckle.

"Whats that suppose to mean?" Woray said.

"Nothing." Nesster said, dropping the question completely.

"Anyway," Raiji said with annoyance. "Rojo requires sand to maintain full health, because Red isn't the only one who dies if this form isn't broken. And the only way for a sand demon to maintain health is-"

"If another there's another source of Sand available for consumption. Unfortunately at this point, there's only one source, and no way to revert." Nesster added.

"Did you just set up my contestant in a situation where he'll die regardless of what he does?!" Ujanmunt yelled, angry at Raiji.

"You call that angry?" Raiji said, "Hmph, how cute."

"He is." Woray said with a wink.

"I'm not joking." Ujanmunt said. "I'm very serious."

"Its the only way they'll learn." Raiji said.

"I agree." Ryuenjin said, "They were becoming too predictable."

"How can he revert?" Ujanmunt said, trying to get a grip. He was really annoyed that people kept interfering with his tournament. "He's just gonna keep dying slowly?

"Just add water." Raiji said, trying to answer one question at a time. "He'll go back to his regular form, but Rojo will still be there, waiting to go again." Raiji said. "What happens when you add water to sand?"

"Turns to mud." Ryuenjin said, finally understanding. "Is that really it? Isn't his power like... water-based?"

Nesster chuckled again, "Once again, Ironic."

"What exactly is so ironic, since you feel the need to say it so many times." Ujanmunt said, turning back to the battles in progress.

"Well, the first thing is..." Raiji answered, "No point in hiding it Nesster... The Dagger is extremely effective against Demons, Bugs, anything embedded with the sands, and Birds. And also, if the enemy can catch on, it'll only take one slash with Red's own sword to revert him back. Of course, only Raul knows of this. This could also be used as a cheap method to heal Red."

"How does Red transform anyway? If he can summon it at the right time, then it can be an advantage after all." Galhurst asked.

"Thats also another point." Nesster stated. "As we just saw, Red has little to no control over when he transforms. Its all based on when and where Rojo wants to transform. When Red's guard is down, he can change in a heart beat."

"Nesster, can you answer something for me?" Raiji asked. He made his way back to his seat, seeing how there was really not much else to explain.

"What?"

"Whats his intention?"

"He won't tell me." Nesster's statement shocked everybody in the room.

Ryuenjin's eye dashed at Nesster. "What the the the the the does that mean?"

"I told you, all it truly is is just a mere second being in Red. He can sense when I intrude. I could easily break through it, but that would serve as more of a con than anything else."

Ujanmunt stared at Nesster. "Final question, and possibly the most interesting..."

"Oh?" Nesster said, returning Ujanmunt's stare with one of his own.

"What will be of Red?"

Nesster start to chuckle. "You'll see soon enough."

Basically:
Rojo Oscura (Except for the daggertail chain. Red's arm just glows for now, but it does do something >:3)

Raul's opponent (small scale) (but imagine it at like 6 stories high and hairy)

Red's opponent (except imagine it with more robotic parts and about 2 stories big)

Closest images I could find

[Zup]

Winner stood up from his downed position, dusting his suit off, though with the way the armor worked, it didn't do much. He'd have to wash it when he got back home. He walked up to the confused Bird, patting him on the back, panting a bit. "Glad that's all cleared up. Stand still for a sec, will ya?"

Bird tilted his head, but did not question the command. To show his devotion to the command of his creator, his back straightened and he flattened his arms to the sides of his body, standing alert and very much like a soldier. Winner chuckled and extended his index finger, ordering his computer to release a specific tool. He inserted the small drill-like instrument into a slot on the temple of Bird's skull, the machine whirring away inside.

"Hm...," Winner muttered to himself. He continued to scan through Bird's computer, simultaneously assessing the data that appeared on the HUD of his own. "Well I'll be 野菜..."

"What...*chirp*...is it, Mr. Winner?" Bird asked, head tilting again.

"Your security walls were definitely taken down, but...how? Nobody could crack the password-"

"9TA3-Y30N-444-WAFFL3-H0U53," Bird recited, standing alert once again. He looked back to Winner, pleased with himself. Winner was still and silent for a bit before changing the password, muttering once again.

"That should do it," the armored inventor said, removing his instrument from Bird's head. "Although that doesn't answer the 49 questions I still have, starting with where the the the the the we are."

"It is a...*click*...training facility of sorts," answered Bird. He glanced around, computer scanning the place. "A resting...*chirp*...stage between the..*click* *click*...combat stages in the...*chirp*...tournament."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," replied Winner, hands in front of him to signal Bird to stop, which he dutifully did. "What tournament? How are you even here? How am I even here?"

Bird's head cocked to the side again. "I do not...*click*...understand the questions."

Winner paced in the room, fingers cupping his chin in contemplation. He opened up a few screens and files on his HUD, but ultimately came up with nothing. He turned back to his robot, a tinge of sadness and emptiness in his voice. "I don't understand any of this, period."

"I was...*click*...enlisted in the...*chirp*...tournament by my...*click*...creators," came the response. Upon saying it, though, Bird paused in renewed confusion. Odd. He knew only Winner as his creators, yet he did not recall Winner signing him up for this.

Neither did Winner. "I didn't sign you up for any tournament. And what's with the plural 'creators,' thing? There's only one Victor 'Winner' Cole. Thankfully, as my mother would say."

Bird and Winner's computers kicked into gears simultaneously, trying to deduce the logic of the situation, weighing each individual piece of evidence together against what had happened - even what could have happened. The two were both at work thinking of any answer they could, looking at the problem from all angles.

"Well," sighed Winner, shrugging. "I got nothing. I guess-"

"The Overlords oversee the...*click*...tournament in which I am a...*chirp*...participant in. Through methods...*chip*...foreign to my possible computations and...*chirp*...logic functions they have gathered warriors from...*chirp* *click*... alternate timelines and reaches within the...*click* *click*...universe in order to compete." With that, Bird stood back, staring at Winner, as if expecting a treat. Winner chuckled and patted Bird on the head, shaking his head in disbelief.

"While that doesn't clear things up as much as I'd like," he started, standing before Bird. "If it's a tournament you're a part of, you need a combat upgrade, I'd say. Sit still again."


"Now listen up. This is something pretty major," Winner said. He opened another panel, this time on his back. What came out was a small steel box. Winner looked Bird in the eyes, a serious edge to his words. "This is experimental. A new armor model. I've tested it a bit, but even I don't know all of it's properties yet. Unfortunately it's still in testing prototype stages, so it isn't as...complete as Bleeding Edge, but it's much better suited for combat."

The inventor opened the latch on the box, revealing two items inside - one was a needle-like mechanical tube, and the other was a bottle of what appeared to be liquid silver. Bird scanned both, but with how brand new and secret they were, he wasn't able to get much.

Winner took out the needle before attaching the open bottle onto the back of it. He ordered Bird to turn around before remotely opening a new port in Bird's head. "Now, you're gonna shut down for a little bit, but when it's done overriding your systems, you'll wake back up feeling fresh and brand new."

As the liquid was injected into Bird's head, the robot saw his HUD slowly shut down, one function at a time. He looked over to Winner as he closed the box and solemnly stepped back. "I'm picking up on that sword guy closing in; I'm guessing that means my time's up. I don't fully understand what's going on, Bird, but...good luck. Hope I can see you again, little guy...Kick some こし for me.

With that, Bird's computers fully shut down.





















A few minutes later, Bird's system began to reboot, loading up the new files that replaced his old ones. It was quite a massive update, and took a bit of time to complete. When all was done, Bird got to his feet, feeling like a whole new being. He looked down at his hands, noticing the color change in the suit - the maroon had been replaced by black, and the gold by a bit of a brighter yellow. The green and blue lights around the suit had also turned to a bright red and white.

Bird rolled his neck, immediately taking note of the functions he was given. Though they were limited in number, he knew they would be pivotal to his chances to win the tournament.

He kicked on his thrusters and shot downward towards the ground level.

"Bird 2.0...*chirp*...ready for combat."

[Redhollowlives999]

Raul was really out of options. It was hard to develop a hyperresonance without the Key, not to mention Raul could only use it as a last resort. And only 1 of Raul's magic abilities allowed for offense, and it wasn't even that effective. He was prepared to die. Why master? Put me in a situation where I can't fight at all?




I refuse to allow this.

A figure appeared behind Raul, surprising him. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry. I'm here to help. Just know I refuse to accept this." The figure moved Raul aside with one arm, leaving him hanging from his clothing, and punched the beast in the head with the other. The beast cried in pain as the skull shook from the impact. He positioned Raul back where he was originally. "A fracture. Use it. The game is once again equal."

"What are you doing? Are you an overlord?" Raul questioned.

"I thought I answered that question." Alphen said as he left. He ignored the evil glares he received from some of the other Overlords.





"What the the the the the was that?" Raiji questioned.

"I didn't find it fair at all. I decided it would have been meaningless to tell you directly so I did what was best, address the issue myself."

"I was wondering why I didn't hear your two cents." Raiji muttered.

Ryuenjin leaned in closer to the Orb displaying the battles. "I don't know what I find more interesting..."

"Did you go break up the Bird/Winner fiasco like I asked?" Nesster asked Ryuenjin.

"Yeah, thing was, when I got there, Bird boy was on the floor. So I sent Winner back. Though he wouldn't leave without a struggle."

"I would hope you didn't injure him too bad..." Ujanmunt muttered, not talking his eyes off the battles in progress.

"Nothing he can't recover from." Ryuenjin said, "I have no idea which battle I like more. Its all so FASCINATING!!! I could just kill somebody!"

"Calm yourself, Ryu. Nothing has really happened yet. Just wait, this next world will really drive you crazy with hunger."

"Oh? Lets just see what the great Ujanmunt has in store." Ryuenjin said. He eye caught Nesster, who looked back and simply chuckled. "Whats so funny."

"..."

"What the the the the the is so funny?"

"... Aren't you hungry?"

Ryuenjin's stomach started to growl. "Bastard..."

"Thats what you get for thinking about food, swords, and women for the past 25 minutes." Nesster said.

"Shut up..." Ryuenjin exited the room. Ujanmunt's gaze met Nesster's eyes almost right after.

"Yes?"

"You're having fun, is it because of all these new minds you can mess with?"

Nesster gave a short chuckle, "Yes, if you look at it from another eye, then that's exactly it."

"Hey, let me into Raiji's mind for abit. I'm curious to see what he's thinking..."

"You will find nothing. His mind is a steel prison. If I let you in, you might get lost..."

"Just let me see."

Nesster glanced at Raiji, "There."

"I don't see or hear anything. Its literally pitch black."

"Try not to go in too deep."

"But there's nothing here! You sure you did it right?"

"There's alot here actually. His mind is a steel trap. You need to be careful, going in too deep can mess up anyone. For example..."

An image appeared in Ujanmunt's mind that made him jump in his chair alittle. It was pure rage, Ujanmunt clenched his fist in an attempt to keep his cool. "Just screw it!" Ujanmunt blurted, alarming the other Overlords. "What are all of you looking at?" The other Overlord continued with their affairs.

Nesster sighed, and continued to dig into anything he found interesting. "Lets see what I can get on this DR..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Red's half (go down if you wanna finish Raul first)

"Come at me doggy, I won't bite unless you do." The beast powered up another beam to shoot at Rojo (Red). "Hey pink, lemme show you something." Rojo raised his dagger in the air. Nearby sand started to reform and group back into the tank. Only about a good 65% returned. "Remember those groans we, or should I say you, heard?"

Red still didn't trust Rojo enough to respond, instead he was worried about himself. Without water, he was going to die for sure.

"Well since today is the day you decide to do stupid things and pretend like you were big and strong, I'll pretend like you heard me. That beast is full of Sands now. It may not look it, but its ready to go all out. Now, if it uses Sonar, that would mean that is cannot do anything until the wave comes back."

...

"Why am I explaining this to a weakling like you anyway? You got us in this mess. Just don't intervene." Rojo prepared his whip of blue energy.

Where did you get that?

"None of your business."

Its my body, I'd l- Red's voice suddenly stopped.

"Good riddance..." Rojo said. "I'll unblock you when you shut up." Rojo jumped up high above the beast. "Come at me bro!"

The beast complied with Rojo's request, shooting a giant blue O-shaped blast at Rojo. Rojo waited until the attack was in range before making his move. He called forth his whip of energy and countered with a whiplash. The whip of energy eat the O right through the middle, allowing Rojo to squeeze through. Rojo sent his whip ahead of him to slash an X on the enemy's forehead. "I'm headed here! Get ready you oversized Wookie!"

A sudden blast from behind ruined Rojo's concentration, the monster's attack? "How did that come back? What did it bounce back off?" Rojo turned his head to see a Bird's course falling from the sky. "Figures. I hate birds."

AND I DON'- huh, I'm back aren't I?

"Unfortunately, yes. What do you know about this place? How many inhabitants are there?"

"I don't know. I know there are animals running about."

"I know what to do now. Your services are no longer required."

What the f*ck do you mean MY services are no-

"Shut up." Rojo threw his dagger at the beast, hitting the X mark. The beast roared in anger. Thought that wouldn't kill you. Your brain is probably somewhere else.

Rojo took his whip and spun it, creating a temporary shield as the beast brought out another energy attack. Slow it down!

"How did you break free?"

If it moves too fast then the sonar will react to it as if it were a wall!

"I'm aware moron. I don't exactly want this battle to be easy." The blast disappeared as soon as it connected with the whip. "Not to mention it can do that if I time it right."

How can you make it disappear like that?

"You're not dead yet. Figure it out."

You're absorbing it!

Rojo ran, then jumped over the monster. He grabbed one end of the whip and tried to choke the monster by placing the whip in between. Rojo started to absorb the creature's raw power with the power stolen from it. "Shhh.... Down boy... Let me take the rest of your energy..."

How did you take it the first time??

The sands and the attack hit you at once, causing you to lose the dagger, but also resulting in me dragging in the blast with the sands. You should know how this stuff works man.

Well excuse me for not remembering. Red said in an irritated tone.

The best underneath Rojo collapsed, reverting to energy and Sand. All of which Rojo took in.

Raiji's voice boomed throughout the area. "Good work, now return to the resting area." Rojo lost his vision for a few seconds.

"W-what?" Rojo got up, he had no time to scan the area however because something sent a cold shock down his spine. Son of... Rojo was suddenly surrounded in the familiar black flame and grey steam surrounded him.

From out of the flame and smoke, Red walked out, back to the way he was. But it did catch his attention that he was now wearing nothing but a leather vest, white t-shirt, and blue denim pants with a pair of Black-Red sneakers. Red looked up to the source of the miracle. "Heh," a droplet of water hit is nose as he looked up, "A leak."

=========================

"Something isn't right." Raiji muttered.

"I see you noticed as well..." Nesster muttered back.

"THAT WAS AWESOME! I LIKE THIS NEW GUY! I need to fight him!" Ryuenjin yelled, unable to keep his excitement in check.

"Whats wrong?" Ujanmunt asked the two Overlords.

Raiji got up, "Red should have SOME control over that Form... Never seen it behave like this."

"Red is too afraid of Rojo, and as a result Rojo now has the ability to take control." Nesster responded.

"He's good." Ujanmunt said with a chuckle. "Nesster never ceases to amaze. So what, we leave him like that?"

"Why not?" Woray said with a shrug, winking at Raiji. Raiji did not take his eyes of Red for a second. He was determined to get that boy to break through this. "Lets see what Raul can do with him..."

************************

Raul's half. Go reread Red's half because its so awesome.

Raul punched down on the beast. He ignored every joint that hurt from hitting the stony skull, trying to get through. I will not die. I will not lose. The Overlords think I'm weak too... I beat Red would have finished this thing off by now. I am not weak.... I WILL NO BE PREY!!! "HASTE!" Raul's punches began to intensify. Punching at least 3 times per second, each time he felt his movement slow down, he would yell "Haste!", even after his magic ran out.

It had been a good 3 minutes and Raul saw no real drastic change. The giant started to recover from Raul's slow. I need a hyperresonance asap. I need to make one. I need to think... Raul's mind raced multiple solutions for the first time in awhile, but despite the effort, all were useless. He relied on his other powers for far too long. Raul realized after all this time, by focusing so much on how to be as creative as Red, he had stopped sharpening his own power, strategic and to the point thinking. Raul kept punching until something blackened the sky above him; the beast's hand, ready to splatter him. Raul jumped off from the beast, barely dodging the massive hand.

Raul tried to grab a branch, but the top branches were all to weak to support him; he was screwed. The beast backhanded Raul with its free hand right before hitting itself with the second hand. The impact was enough to cave in the area where Raul and Alphen had aimed their attacks at.

Raul barely landed safely, as he hit several thick branches during his fall. He slowly got back up, ignoring the pain. He looked up to the beast, which was on one knee; the pain was too much for it. "One Hyperresonance is all I need darn it..." Raul limped to the giant beast.

There was a river of blood spilling out of the beast. "I've never used a hyperresonance without the Key..." Raul stuck his arms out, he focused on the image of raw energy, but nothing happened. "Come on..." Raul's eyes only saw a slideshow of his failures at that point. I was always the one holding everybody back, I'm sure. I'm only good for my cheap tricks. Can't even use my strongest attack when I want to... I'm so useless.

You've learn nothing. Even the burns of Yamamoto weren't enough to teach you...

... No.. I can't be all that useless... I'm still here aren't I?

Because of Red, if it weren't for your teamwork, you'd be dead. Face it, all you've been doing is hiding behind somebody else's faith! You have become nothing but the source that the prey feed off. You are NOTHING to me now.

"I am many things... But..." A small tear rolled down Raul's face. "I REFUSE TO BE PREY!!" A large orb of energy formed in front of Raul's hands.

A low level Hyperresonance means nothing. You still have yet to met my expectation, or anyone's expectations really. Why you were chosen is above me!

"Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT! UP!" The hyperresonance increased in twice in size, bigger than anything Raul has ever used. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP," Raul yelled again and again. The energy grew stronger with every time he uttered the term. Infact, it grew too fast; it had become unstable.

Calm down Raul... Rang a familiar in his head, it sounded like Red. The sound of his brother's voice calmed Raul enough to start gaining some control over the Hyperresonance.

He's not even here, for all you know, he's dead. Yelled the spirit Raul recognized as Lorelei.

Who asked you, get lost! Get a grip Raul, don't let your anger kill you too. Don't forget, I need you to.

Raul's eyes shot open, "I'm being selfish!" Raul gained completely control of his hyperresonance, and prepared to strike. "Red needs me as much as I need him. Letting the words of an old fart get to me now won't help anyone."

Raul tried to keep the attack in check as he ran at the beast. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"




Raul woke up with a gasp. "Welcome back." Raul got up in a panic to see Red. Raul did not hesitate to run up to his brother and hug him. Red raised an eyebrow in confusion, but returned the hug.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Kay its getting gay now." Red said, releasing his grip.

"No."

"Wh-"

"You can't make m-"

"Try me."

Red felt the horror Raul went through from the embrace. "You're still shaking."

"I heard you had it worse."

"Who told you th-..." Red's eyes shot down to his arm, the gold swirls laid there on his skin. "Yeah... I guess I did..."

Raul finally released his embrace, "So wh-" Raul took a step back. "No... They didn't..."

"I had no choice... Lets ignore it and head to bed." Red lowered his head and made his way to the bedrooms.

Raul stood there. ... He slowly brought himself to follow Red.





"It was cool until the gay mushy stuff in the end." Ryuenjin criticized.

"Nobody asked you." muttered Minera, who was just walking in.

"And where were you?" Asked Ujanmunt.

"Don't worry about i-."

"From now on..." Nesster interrupted. "There will be nothing but growth between those two... Good work Raiji."

"Hmph." Raiji said, pretending like the compliment didn't please him. "Lets just get a move on. Who's left?"

Ujanmunt looked back to the facility. "Camas. Nys is on the case though."

"Hopefully this one won't be all mushy like the last 3..." Ryuenjin said with a yawn.

[Rammerrush]

Far away from all the fighting, from all the bloodshed and destruction of the tournament; a girl sat and read a book surrounded by walls of trees and a ceiling of leaves. She is oblivious of the happenings of Dolor as well as the spectators controlling the gruesome death defying games. This girl, this seemingly insignificant girl, is actually much closer to the tournament than she herself realizes.

"... Because after all some things don't end the way you'd expect." The girl read the closing line of the book aloud, not to anyone else, but because it made her feel a little less alone. "Ahh, that was a good one." She sat there for a moment before closing the book and sitting up from her makeshift hammock made from the intertwining vines of two trees.

She tossed the finished book onto a haphazard pile of novels off on one side of her "room". "Well I guess I should go get another," the girl moved to get off the hammock, but unfortunately the hammock would not allow her escape so easily. As the girl shifted her weight ever so slightly, the hammock took the opportunity to flip over and dump its inhabitants on the grass ten feet under it.

The girl rolled her eyes even as the ground rushed to meet her face. She turned her body in such a way that she landed in a roll and was able to easily avoid any damage. She popped up and wiped off any dirt that might've attached itself to her dress.

"Oh well," she turned to the hammock and made an "I'm watching you" motion while slowly backing up. "I'll beat you next time hammock." She turned around before her back hit the walls of trees and with one hand on the nearest trunk she closed her eyes and whispered "library". The girl could hear the wind and hear the shifting of bark before the trees in front of her spread apart and created an opening into the library.

She stepped through the opening and as both her feet safely touched the tiled floor on the other side, the opening to her room snapped shut, and was followed by the familiar orchestra of wind and bark. She made her way down the marble walled hall leading to the wide oak double doors that led to the library.

The library was a stark contrast to most other rooms that the girl's mother had made. Minera was much fonder of nature than "manufactured beauty" as she called it. The girl understood how her mother felt, but she had to admit that the tiled floor and stone walls of the library were sometimes a welcome change in her day.

She pushed the doors in front of her open and was welcomed by the stagnant smell of old paper, ink and stories waiting to be read. A seemingly endless row of bookshelves were laid out in front of her, the room seemed to go on forever when she looked to either side. "What kind of book am I in the mood for today?" She asked herself aloud.

She turned to her right where a massive blue screen rested against a marble stand. She placed both hands against the stone rim and began to read the different categories as they moved across the screen. "Romance... Nah. Adventure... Not right now. Biographies? Not that desperate." This went on for a while until the perfect category appeared before her. "Ooohh Comedy," she quickly tapped the word, pausing its journey across the screen. "I could use some of that; I haven't seen Red in a while."

She tapped the screen a few more times, making all the decisions and choices the screen required of her. "Thank you for your decision." Her aunt's voice came from the screen. "Please wait momentarily for your selection to arrive."

Pulling up a chair, the girl watched as the bookshelves were lifted into the air by a series of metal clamps. Slowly, the floating bookshelves began to move, in uniform, to the left down the infinite hallway. They began to pick up speed, going from a snail's crawl, to a turtle's walk, then into a three legged dog's limp, and then jumping from that to the speed of a cheetah after its prey.

Abruptly, the bookshelves ended their march down the hall. Knowing what was coming; the girl plugged her ears and waited for the inevitable.

BAAAAAAAAAAANG!

The clamps, having dropped their directive in place, rose into their hidey holes in the high ceiling of the library. The girl unplugged her ears only to hear the voice of her aunt once more announcing the arrival of her book. "Yeah I got it auntie!" She shouted, not caring that it wasn't really her aunt.

She moved to the nearest bookshelf and removed a book that had instantly caught her eye. The cover and binding were a bright shade of red while the title, "1000 Jokes and Stories For The Nonsensical Idiot in You" was an eye-popping shade of yellow. She inspected the book; flipping through the pages and reading the inside cover to test its quality. The girl let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Sounds like it's full of stupid stuff that Red would say. I think I found my next book."

"Ana."

The girl turned, knowing the voice, even though she barely ever heard it. "Mom?"

Brushing the marble wall with her hand Minera sighed. "This thing is such an eyesore," she said half-jokingly. "I can't believe you were able to convince me and Quirassa to build it for you."

Ana rushed to her mother and embraced her in a tight hug, afraid that if she let go she'd have to leave; and subsequently abandon her here. "It wasn't too hard," she laughed. "You love me too much to say no."

"Well I do love you very much sweetheart." Minera said lovingly, petting her daughter's head.

"I love you too mom." Ana released her mom from her death grip of a hug. "What are you doing here so early?" She asked. Her mother usually didn't get home so early; she always had some kind of work to do.

"I took some time off to see you, of course." She said with a wide smile. "So what are you up to, getting a new book?"

"Yeah I finished the one I was reading and couldn't think of anything else to do so here I am."

"Well what did you pick out?" Minera took the book from Ana's hand. "1000 Jokes and Stories For The Nonsensical Idiot in You?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "It kind of made me think of Red and how stupid he could be sometimes."

Minera looked at her daughter with eyes full of caring. "You miss those two boys don't you?"

Red and Raul used to play with Ana when her mother was busy and they weren't training. She could still remember when they would play hide and seek in the massive garden her mother had made using all the oversized flowers with the giant petals. "Yeah, I do. When are they coming back mom?"

Minera handed the book back to her daughter and took her in her arms. "Soon honey, very soon. Now come on, let's get something to eat."

"Yeah okay," the two of them exited the library and walked through the cold marbled hallway toward the wall of trees waiting at the end. As they got closer the trees spread themselves apart, as if sensing Minera's presence. "How do you do that?" Ana asked, ever impressed with her mother.

"Maybe I'll teach you some day," she smirked. "But for now, just be shocked by my amazing abilities."

Ana rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sometimes her mother could be so weird.

[Zup]

"Hmph. Finally. It appears the contestants are prepared for the next environment," Ujanmunt declared, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes scanned each individual fighter, and a wicked smile crossed his face. "Oh how entertaining these next battles will be..."

"Where you takin' em to?" Ryuenjin asked, balancing the tip of one of his swords on his nose as he leaned back in his seat. "Better not be some lame combat-less place like the mental hospital again. They should be fighting, not arguing."

"I have not yet decided," Ujanmunt admitted, pondering dozens of new worlds. "Nesster."

The skeletal suit-clad Overlord stood facing a window in the wall, arms tucked behind his back. He did not even turn as he said, "Cyberworld."

"What's that?" Galhurst questioned, using Cercis as a footrest. "Sounds...sciency."

"It is the perfect world to gather these four together," Nesster replied, finger tracing along the wall in some intricate pattern none of the others could see or decipher. "You wish for destruction? You seek exhilarating combat? You desire the climax of this tournament? Cyberworld."

When Nesster was finally done tracing the image, he snapped his fingers, stepping out of the way. The entirety of the Overlord's rooms gasped or widened their eyes as the tracing glowed, revealing an intricate, complex plan and possible series of events that Nesster had been planning since the beginning of the tournament.

Ujanmunt howled with laughter. "Cyberworld it is!"












Bird's HUD quickly loaded, detecting that the robot was in an entirely new environment. He scoped the visual area he could see around him, taking in everything and adding it to his database.

It was an...odd place. The ground seemed flimsy. It was thin and reminiscent of glass, although Bird's computer noted that it was 野菜 near unbreakable. It was also paved in side-walk formation, with long trails that could fit only one person. He could see that the trails expanded for quite a distance, with the patterns broken only by open, rectangular areas that were much more suitable for conversation and, of course, combat.

Over his head was a blackness. It was endless, and showed nothing. No movement, no lights, nothing.

But Bird was not too focused on that. Instead, his eyes looked to his left, to see Camas standing there, incredibly confused and fascinated.

But that was also not what had caught the robot's attention. What did was the presence of another individual. Another individual inside Camas's own body. His computer brought up the tiny file from what seemed like ages ago, to the presence Bird detected in Camas's sword, only that was where Camas was currently housed within.

"Who...*click*...are you?" Bird questioned, although his stature was not hostile.

The stranger within Camas's body stayed silent, however, not even looking in the robot's direction.

"I repeat: who...*click*...are you?"

The silence was broken by Camas's voice coming from the sword. "Just tell him Essie. He already knows."

At the mention of the name, Bird's computer opened the file and instantly begin streaming in new information. What surprised him was the multitude of information given to him in such a short time. As Essie started to explain, Bird held up a hand, slowly shaking his head.

He already knew everything he needed to.

* * *

"Ooooh, what was that?" Woray asked, pointing at the display in the middle of the table, biting her lip.

Yobolo started to bounce in his seat, spinning the pizza on his finger. "Rawbbit! Enjy trew ruff! He-!"

"His computer is in tune with the cyberworld," Nesster explained, taking a seat at the table. "He is connected to the strongest incarnation of stored information in the universe. All that has been written has been revealed to him..."

* * *

"*Chirp*"

Bird took a few steps forward, opening and closing his hand in order to test out the flexibility of the new suit. He admired the color scheme of the thing as his computer was at work adjusting to the armor and formulating uses to utilize its full potential.

"So...where are we?" Essie finally asked, confused more than any of the other two. "It feels so...dead in here."

"The...*click*...cyberworld," Bird answered, staring off into the distance. The robot tapped his knuckles on the ground below him. "The...*chirp*...information center of the universe."

"I'm so confused."

Bird's head suddenly popped up as he felt a familiar Overlord's energy signature closing in. "Ujanmunt."

The Overlord in question appeared above them in the endless darkness, a wide grin on his face. "Welcome," he began. "To the cyberworld!"

"I already...*chirp*...informed them."

Ujanmunt scoffed. "Silence, metal man." His gargantuan hands suddenly hovered above the three. On instinct, Bird readied the blasters on his palms, although he didn't take it farther than that. "Nesster has given me an extraordinary idea," the Overlord explained as a blue light radiated from his fingers, bathing Bird, Camas, and Essie. "In order to...shake things up a bit, your ordinary abilities will be swept aside.

Bird's computer detected that the new armor was shutting down, and access to it was immediately locked away. He looked up the Overlord, already knowing what was in store. He simply stood there, waiting for the process to end whilst Essie and Camas swore at Ujanmunt, likely feeling their strengths disappear.

In an instant, Ujanmunt vanished, and Bird's computer picked up on the change. He looked down at his hands to see them clothed in a white glove-like substance, locked in place with grey brick-like braces. His computer informed him that their powers had been stripped away and replaced with something called a "Double Soul" function that operated as power mimicry in any individual. The one he was currently in was called "Magnet Soul." His computer also noted that there were four more readily available, and one locked away.

Bird turned to his partners while his computer analysed the powers of the souls in his arsenal, as they would likely be far more confused than he was, and he was right. Essie was glancing back and forth at her hands, scanning as much of her (well, Camas)'s body as she could. Bird detected her heartbeat increasing with panic.

"Wh-what the the the the the happened?" she squealed. "What am I wearing? What happened to-? Camas! Help!"

"Hey, don't yell!" Camas replied, frustration in his voice. Bird noted that Camas had also changed in form due to the power switch. He was currently housed within the data around Essie's NetNavi presence. He almost began to explain, but figured it would just pave the way to even more questions.

"Come," the robot said, turning around as his computer picked up on the incoming presence of viruses. "We must fight."

[Redhollowlives999]

"Arrghhh..." Red groaned as he clutched his infected arm, he looked like he had a fever, but Raul knew he was just fine.

"Its not spreading as fast..."

"No, but something else is happening..." Red muttered. Wiping the sweat of his forehead. His bed was full of sweat as Raul sat nearby, tried to inspect Red. "He... Absorbed another source of energy... Its too much, my body can't keep up with the energy consumption..."

"So what do we do??" Raul said, sounding rather concerned.

"You don't do anything... I have to sort this out with him..."

"I see..." Raul got up from his chair. "I'll go then. Good luck..." Raul lowered his head and left.



~ ~ ~



"He's gone you know."

Mhmmmm...

"If you don't stop, we'll both die you know..."

Mhmmmm...

"Stop that..."

What? I can't even say that?

"I want you to control the flow, now."

Or else?

"I don't have to do anything. We'll both die and you know it."

Don't underestimate me.

"Its true and you know it."

You really can't follow orders can you? Don't underestimate me...

"At least channel this unstable energy into something else..."

Like? Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I can only focus it out, so its stuck in here whether you like it or not.

"..." Red sat up. He was worried about the future. The last time this happened, it wasn't exactly easy to fix. "Externally? You mean like the way you made that whip for us?"

...

"If I know you well enough, thats a yes. Raul! Come in here!"

What are you doing?

"..."

You're gonna give him some of MY power?

"... How did you eve-"

You may not know me, but I definitely know you.

Raul walked into the room. "Yeah?"

"Lemme see your hands..."

Don't do it. I can keep us stable!

I'm doing it.

... Fine, doesn't matter. Your life force will suffice if it were to run out.

"..." Raul remained in silence as Red held his hands. "Dude... What are you doing...?"

Red took a deep breath and focused is inner energy to his palms. "Focus brother."

"..." On what exactly? Raul closed his eyes and focused any energy he could find in his body to his palms.

Sup ⌂_⌂.

Raul's eyes shot open. "!"

"Calm down..." Red's words gave Raul the courage to close his eyes again.

Well that was rude...

Get over it... Red's voice echoed.

Raul remained in silence. He didn't wanna mess with whatever Red was doing.

I know you're familiar with this type of training... But this time, I'm gonna use it to transfer unstable energy to your body.

That'll kill me too moron. Faster than its killing you no less!

No. Red reassured. Your strongest power is your ability to control raw energy and convert it to whatever form you desire, e.g your Hyperresonance and your other energy abilities. Mines is to convert energy to pure strength and-

Ignorance.

Shut up! Red barked at his 'roommate'. Doesn't matter, anyway, I can't use this energy as it currently is, but you can.

Raul fell back into silence, he was sure nothing else was needed in the conversation.

I see. Alright then, lets get this over with...



~ ~ ~



Raul looked at his palms. I can feel the energy surging... Too much... Raul started to feel slight anger in his mood. He turned to a wall and took a deep breath, clenching the muscles on his forehead. In an instant, a bullet of energy rushed right through his head, leaving a slight scar, and rushed right at the wall; exploding on impact.

"Whoa..." Red said as he walked into the room with fresh clothing. "When did you learn that?"

"Just now... I just felt the urge and did it..."

...

"You're being awfully quiet."

Just observing...

"Hmph."

"Dude, keep your business to yourself."

"Shaddup."

"Anyway, when do w-"



* * *



"Welcome has-beens!" Ryuenjin's voice boomed through the arena. Wild (robotic?) animals chirp, growled and even hissed at the noise.

"What the the the the the Ryu?!" Red yelled. Waving his... green? fist in the air... "What the the the the the?!"

"Heuheuheuheu." Ryuenjin chuckled in the creepiest way possible.

"Whats his deal?" Red asked, he looked over to ... a red robot like Raul, who was also laughing for some reason. Red couldn't help but notice Raul's hair on fire, but Raul didn't seem to notice. "What?!"

....Heh.

"YOU TOO?" Red ran around, trying to see what was going on, he finally stumbled near a lake. He looked at his own reflection. He was in a giant Toad costume. "What the the the the the? Is this some type of joke?!"

"I hope it is..." Ryuenjin said, finally calming his chuckle. "Whatever. You're here... Basically you have new powers and new forms, you lost your old powers, blah blah blah. You're job, survive, and get somewhere."

"Where?" Raul, who had also finally calmed down, asked.

"Ha! Like I'd tell you. Later. And watch out for those BeastMan everywhere."

"Those what?"

"You'll find out."

Incomplete information... This 'Ryuenjin' fellow sure knows how to tick people off... No matter.

Red looked down to his arm. Of course, the stupid marks were still there, but they took a whole new look. The marks were currently green and extending around his arm like roots from a tree.

Now it was Red.

Now it was a... Redish yellow sword?

"Red!" Raul called out.

Red looked at Raul. "What?"

"How are you doing that?"

Red looked back into the water. His appearance kept changing. "What? I don't know..."

Raul clenched his fist and grunted and stomped around, but nothing happened. "I can't do it. Is that what he meant by forms?"

"I don't know..."

Ha, looks like you were more right than even you thought!

"What? Speak directly for once!"

"What?"

"Not you... Him..."

When you said Raul had the best control over his energy convergence/usage, you were right. You on the other hand rely on your energy in a different way, thats why this new method is foreign to you. Raul is no different. He can't transform and you're transforming uncontrollably.

Red looked over to Raul. "I see. So I can't control it and neither can Raul, but Raul and I are the on the opposite scale of the term 'control...?"

"What?"

Correct. You have absolutely no control in this form, and thus the energy created between you and me is in control. Raul's energy is too stable to transform. YOU need to learn a thing or two from him. Maybe you wouldn't be as useless then. He needs to focus on not focusing.

"I see... So wait, to clarif-"

No more hints, figure it out yourself!

"Bastard."

"Please fill me in."

"You need to focus on focusing less if you want to control these new powers. I have to start learning how you use your energy in order to maintain stable."

"I get it... You have absolutely no control in this form, and thus the energy created between you and Rojo is in control. On the other hand, MY energy is too stable to transform. Is that right?"

"..."

He's good. I like him, wish he had the dagger before you.

"Nobody asked you."

"..."

"Not you."

Somebody got their jimmies rustled. Maybe if you'd think more, you would have gotten it just as-

"Nobody asked you." Red started walking, still having no control over what form he transformed into to. "Lets go Raul..."

"To?"

"Anywhere I guess."

[Zup]

"Stay behind," Bird commanded. Camas had already started ranting in protest from the aura around Essie, but Essie did not seem to mind keeping still. Bird ran a quick information scan using the Internet to learn of his new-found shape-shifting abilities, and quickly manipulated his body into what his computer informed him was Gyro Soul - a yellow armor form with helicopter propellers on the back allowing for flight; a function he immediately took advantage of.

The robot was unable to access his new armor because of Ujanmunt's tampering, but it ultimately was not much of a concern. In fact, Bid rather liked these new "Souls" he was granted. They were new and exciting. Versatile. A whole wealth of knowledge for him to explore and absorb.

Bird flew through the area, noting the lifeless darkness of the place. The flooring was really the only remarkable part, and even then it was ridiculously simple; just repeated panels.

If he were human, he no doubt would've begun panicking at the dread that he would've ultimately suffered from.

The flight was rather uneventful for the first few moments; the only thing that kept it interesting in the least was the information he was able to pick up about the Souls. In addition to "Magnet" and "Gyro," his computer detected others - a "Colonel," a "Number," and a "Junk," and they all fascinated him.

There was another one of these Souls stored within him, but for some reason access to it was denied. He wasn't quite sure if that as normal or intentional, but he deduced that it was. Perhaps it was saved for later. Perhaps when the four of them met in the arena for the battle royale.

The battle royale...the four of them...Bird...Camas...Red...Raul...

It had finally come down to the most formidable contestants.

After a few more moments of nothing, Bird finally resolved to turn back around. He couldn't see very far ahead of him, what with the empty darkness of the cyberspace, but the ground below him was very well-lit. He wasn't quite sure where the path led, but it certainly had to be going somewhere, right?

It was.

Bird turned back around in his flight path in order to return to Essie and Camas to lead them along the way. However, he was instantly sent into a panic as one of the propellers on his back was struck by a projectile.

The robot glanced over his shoulder, his computer quickly picking up on more incoming projectiles; balls of electricity. He weaved around them as best he could, but due to the design of the Gyro Soul being modeled after a helicopter, rapid flexibility was not an option for him.

The air was quickly becoming too dangerous, and the robot opened another file in his system; Junk Soul, whatever that entailed.

The source of the electric orbs soon materialized in the form of a humanoid-like man; clad in black, gray, and yellow. A NetNavi. A native of this cyberworld.

"Who are you?" Bird questioned. His computer was at work scanning. ElecMan. Master of electricity. Formidable at a distance.

His Junk Soul didn't appear to be very effective against this foe.

The robot did not receive a vocal answer from this ElecMan. He was only met with a sudden bolt that rocketed from the NetNavi's massive fingers, striking Bird in the chest and sending him stumbling onto his back.

Bird's computers worked through the abilities of the Junk Soul and Bird quickly got to work utilizing them. Apparently there was a defense option. That would've certainly been useful seconds ago.

Bird extended his hand and opened his fingers. At his will, a rectangular piece of the flooring tore itself from the ground, hovering in place. Bird pushed his hand forward, and the piece of flooring shot forward at ElecMan.

The quiet NetNavi was unfazed. Just before the panel could strike him, a steel rod erupted from the ground, stabbing it straight through the center and bursting it into pieces. Not only that, the rod seemed to call to the black skies up above, and a bolt of lightning rained down onto it.

ElecMan pointed his finger at Bird, and the lightning rod redirected the lightning bolt at the robot.

Bird quickly steadied his right arm and shoulder, and his computer accessed the ability to defend himself. A flash of circular light curved slightly convex from the robot appeared, and blocked the lightning bolt, throwing it high into the air where it disappeared.

Bird clenched his fists at his side as another lightning rod rose from the ground.

He was going to have to make better use of his Souls...

[Redhollowlives999]

Red sighed. "What are we even suppose to be doing?"

Raul clenched his teeth and groaned, but nothing happened. "Iunno."

Jump.

"Wuht?"

JUMP TO THAT TREE! BOTH OF YOU!

"Raul jump!" Red barked. Sprinting to the nearby cyber tree.

"Wuht?"

"JUMP." Raul didn't hesitate to follow his brother and jumping on to the tree.

"Why?"

"Yeah that's a good question- WHY?"

Wait for it...

Red sighed, "wait for what?"

Raul sighed. Mid sigh, however, his jaw dropped as in the blink of the eye, the whole area turned to sand. "Uhh..."

"Who dares enter my dominion?!"

Red climbed higher up the tree, constantly being thrown off by his continuous transformations. "the the the the is that thing?" He said as an odd figure arouse from the sand.

Raul joined his brother in the his attempt to climb farther from the strange beast. "... That thing looks like it wants to fight."

"I've never seen anything like it!" Red said, panting. He kept switching from something heavy to something light in weight. The inconsistency was a huge strain of his muscles.

Come on Focus! You can't keep changing like this! You're wasting energy!

"You think I'd keep doing this if I could stop?!"

Fine, think of this. A calm lake. Just a calm lake of... Blue water.

"Calm lake..."

And a few trees if you want, but nothing but a calm, stationary lake.

"Show yourselves!"

Raul stared at his target intensely. He glanced Red for a second, but then went into a full on stare when something surprised him. "You're not transforming anymore..."

"Really?" Red looked down. "the the the the am I?" Looking down at his black hands.

"You look... Blue."

"the the the the?" Red inspected himself. "Huh, ironic."

"There you are!" Yelled the odd sand beast as he raised his hand up high.

Move now!

"You don't have to tell me twice! Raul, let's move." Red barked as he jumped to the side.

"Right!" Raul said as he jumped in the opposite direction.

[Zup]

While Bird's computer was at work figuring out how to make use of his Souls, ElecMan held both of his hands out to his sides, palms up. He flashed a bright yellow, then returned to normal.

Before the robot could react, two lightning bolts rose up from the ground, zapping him from underneath. He jerked, hitting the ground in a roll.

As he did, his computer automatically switched Souls, transforming him into Magnet Soul. He felt bigger and heavier, and he was. He was red all over, very much like the typical image of a magnet.

ElecMan suddenly changed strategies, tilting to his left. As he did, he picked up speed, hands aimed out at Bird, who caught onto his strategy. It was clear that he was floating in circles around him, firing from all angles.

As bolts struck Bird, however, he wasn't as fazed as before, and he attributed it to the traits of this new soul. The robot was quick to take advantage of that.

He was able to float in this state as well, and he used that ability to chase after the circling ElecMan. His thick, rectangular forearms served as good shields for the bolts ElecMan was shooting at him, and he utilized them to the best of their defensive capabilities.

When he was close, he attacked.

He rammed his shoulder into the back of the strange NetNavi, knocking him down onto the floor. Once that was done, he held his fist up high, bringing it down onto his foe's chest.

However, it didn't manage to hit.

ElecMan was not alone.

Bird looked up as his fist was halted by a spinning yellow blade that knocked his hand back. ElecMan was floating beside a red-and-yellow clad NetNavi with a smug grin on his face.

"You didn't think this'd be over that quickly, did you?"

Bird felt his computer quick at work. As he was informed this new opponent was QuickMan, his body transformed, turning into a blocky, grey form known as Junk Soul.

"You got a partner, Tin Man?" QuickMan asked, smirking. "Little unfair, dontcha think?"

"I do not need them."

He held his hands out to his sides, and he could feel his body releasing streams of energy.

"I never needed them."

The ground and the very cyber "air" around them began to vibrate, and the smile on QuickMan's face disappeared. A massive shadow began to envelop the three of them.

Bird slowly raised his hands higher, and, as he did, a giant chunk of the flooring behind him rose upward as well, ready to be launched at his command.

"And I never will."

[Redhollowlives999]

My post are always so error filled when I write them late at night/early in the morning.

"You cannot escape my wraith!" Howled the giant beast.

Red looked back to read the beast's next movement. To his surprised he seemed to be attack him and Raul. He split into 2. "How the the the the the..."

It's the sand. He can be anywhere at once. We gotta get rid of it.

Red clenched his teeth as he struggled to gather any information he could on this new form. All he understood was the flying aspect. "Well this isn't helping me much. the the the the do we beat an opponent made of sand with no water?"

Stick our infected hand out for a second.

Red was confused, but complied with the request. He stuck his hand out immediately, an unusual pellet appeared from thin air. "What?"

Now if I'm right... figure out how to use it.

Red didn't hesitate to turn and focused whatever energy he could with the weird capsule towards the beast. Immediately, a loud boom raced through the air as it succeeded in pushing away the beast. "Air blast. Huh."

A sudden hand erupted from the ground behind Red. The sudden shock was too fast for Red, as the beast to successfully drive Red to the sandy ground.

Great, now we're in it's domain. And I assume you don't know how to get back up?

"No- Where's Raul?"

Up.

Red looked up, his sandy eyes desperately searching for his brother. In seconds, Red found him- Trying to fight off the beast with his flames.

"Fool, don't you know that flames only make sand hotter?!"

... This has to be the biggest idiot I've seen yet. I mean "flames only make sand hotter". Of course it does you moron!

"Raul! Hang on!" Red said as he jumped in the air; successfully allowing him to hover. "Darn it, move faster!"

Or Raul can just transform...

"How?"

Are you all idiots or what? You controlled your powers by thinking of a stationary lake. Raul can't transform. What's the opposite of a lazy lake?

Red thought of the problem for a quick moment. "... A rushing river!"

Why did I get stuck with you of all people... I'd rather share a body with a toad than with you.

Red ignored his Other's complaints and proceeded in cupping his hands together to form a makeshift speaker. "RAUL! THINK OF A RUSHING RIVER! YOUR ENERGY IS TOO STABLE!"


Raul quickly caught on to Red plan and attempted it. The image of a river raging strong in his mind, he quickly transformed.

Finally, something useful!

The sandy beast smacked Raul off from his cyber tree, sending him plummeting down towards Red; who failed at catching him and sending the two back down.

"Hey, you're blue. And I see water running through your suit. You have a water power! Stationary lake! Thin-"

"Red, shut up. I'm not dumb, I got your concept already."

"... Well then."

"What power did you get?" Raul inquired.

"I think Wind."

"Good enough. Let's go." Raul ordered.

"I don't think so." Said an eerie voice as Red was struck from behind and launched several feet away from Raul. "Play fair now."

Great. Another one. Because one made of an entire shoreline wasn't enough.

The enemy appeared in front of recuperating Red. Red looked towards Raul, clenching his teeth. "Go Raul, I'll take this bastard."

Raul simply responded with a nod, and dashed towards his enemy.

"Alright." Red said as he cracked his knuckles; with each crack releasing powerful gusts from them. "Let's dance you gloried skating Grim Reaper."

The enemy simply replied with a crazed laugh before dash at Red with scythe ready at hand.

You're gonna get us killed.

"Shut up!"

No.