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Sheet is possibly WIP. Malg is a very independent character, so I wasn't sure if I should give him any supporting characters to reflect his self-reliant nature. I already discussed with @FalloutJack that Malg and Singe would be connected, so maybe I can get away with listing her there? I'm not really sure.

@nitemare shape Lemme know what you think!

Donnie

Word Count: 1004
EXP: (8/60) + 6 = 14/60


It took a while for Donnie to process what he was seeing, once he made his way to the large island by Disc anyway.

That “boss.”

That was no ordinary raid boss.

That was a Light-forsaken dragon.

Dragons, on Azeroth, might as well be gods. Azeroth had pantheons within pantheons, on top of other pantheons, where almost every religion was true to some extent.

Dragons were powerful enough that they had their own worshippers, known as the Sect of the Dragons. And this was for one reason: The TItans.

Primordial Azeroth was ruled by the Elemental Lords of fire, earth, water, and air. Then the Old Gods, Y’ssarj, N’zoth, Yog-Seron, C’thun, and others invaded from the Great Dark Beyond (also known as outer space), defeated and enslaved the Elemental Lords and their underlings, and made Azeroth the seat of their so-called “Black Empire,” an empire of Voidspawn and eldritch creatures. They created several species that persisted to this day, such as the mantid and the qiraji.

The Titans, mortal enemies of the Old Gods, saw this infestation, and could not allow Azeroth’s world-soul to be corrupted. So they invaded the Black Empire, destroyed it, defeated the Old Gods and imprisoned them beneath the planet’s surface.

The Titans seeded Azeroth with their own brand of mechanical life, creating numerous installations and machines designed to keep Azeroth from becoming corrupted, and oversee this new world.

To watch over Azeroth, they took several proto-dragons--animalistic dragon-like creatures from the Elemental Planes--and empowered them with intelligence and incredible power. They divided these new dragons into five “Dragonflights,” ordered by color, each led by a Dragon Aspect, who had mastery over a specific natural domain. The Black Dragonflight protected and watched over the earth. The Red Dragonflight was charged with controlling and restoring life, capable of regrowing the land in the event of mass death, conflict, and strife. The Blue Dragonflight was given mastery and control over all magic, including Azeroth’s network of leylines. The Green Dragonflight were the protectors of the Emerald Dream, the spiritual realm of life itself. And the Bronze Dragonflight were the protectors of time.

The conflicts Azeroth faced could all be traced back to the Titans and the Old Gods in some way. And the dragons were massively influential on Azeroth’s history as a result.

And granted, this dragon didn’t look like any member of the Black Dragonflight he knew of. This thing was far too purple. But it was the lord and master of this dimension. He knew that by context alone. This realm of floating islands in an endless void was this dragon’s purview. It was its guardian, just as the Dragon Aspects were the guardians of Azeroth.

So, he stood for a while, intimidated, unsure. You didn’t just blindly run at and punch a dragon, especially one you knew nothing about.

He observed his allies going ahead to attack. The dragon regenerated. Oh joy. But those four crystals seemed to be the ones empowering it, judging by the purple beams they emitted.

And then Donnie ran for his life, even using a Chi Torpedo, to avoid a bomb heading his way, which exploded into acid when it hit the ground. Thankfully, he wasn’t hit, but that had been a close one! But he had to admit, it felt good spiraling through the air like a missile for the first time since he got here.

But that did it. He needed to get into the fight.

He drew an orb and held it high, the containment spell within becoming undone, revealing the Dwarven Flying Machine. It was damaged by the electric shocks, sure, but it was largely mechanical rather than electronic. It would work fine, for the most part. But he couldn’t account for Tora’s modifications, since he didn’t know how computerized they were. Except for the holographic targeting system, which...was that magical or electronic? He wasn’t sure which, it could be either.

Either way, it didn’t matter, as long as the Flying Machine shot straight.

He got in, powered up the engines, and drifted off into the air. He kept an eye out for the dragon as he flew. His life literally depended on it. Wait, why was he trying to multitask? This was what Strikers were for! He summoned Vivi again to make his life easier. “Vivi!” he said. “If the dragon comes anywhere near us, tell me! If it tries to shoot us, tell me! And if it tries to eat us, tell me!”

“Understood!” Vivi replied, sitting on his lap again.

...Donnie really needed to get a second seat for this thing.

He aimed carefully at one of the four crystals. Really, it was just a hunch on his part based on the available evidence, and he had no idea what this thing’s magical properties were. But if it contained enough magical energy to cause near-instant regeneration in a creature that size, he did not want to be on the receiving end of what would happen if that much power was released all at once. Such as a Boom Biter blowing the crystal to kingdom come. So he was pretty far away from it, though he wasn’t stupid enough to get near another crystal or fly over the void.

He lined up the holographic arc with the crystal atop the tower, his finger curled around the trigger...and he squeezed it three times.

Three Boom Biters soared towards the target in a majestic arc. He did not want this thing to survive the explosion. If his hunch was right and it would explode on a shatter, the same logic dictated that it would vent magical energy along a crack. And a jet full of cosmic eldritch void energy to the face was not something anyone wanted.
Barring Vivi hadn’t screamed bloody murder and interrupted him, or the dragon didn’t suddenly take offense to his continued existence for firing explosives at the thing keeping it alive, he would get the hell out of dodge and move on to the next crystal.
So I pivoted at the last minute. came up with a whole new character. Let me know what you think.


Donnie


Word Count: 2,260


EXP: (45/50) + 3 + 10 = 58/50 LEVEL UP!

Level Up Reward: Power: Art of Movement: Donnie regains his advanced movement techniques, including Chi Torpedo, a technique that allows him to spiral across the ground about a hundred feet and then increase his movement speed by a third for 10 seconds, stacking twice. He also gains *Windwalking,* the ability to use the power of the wind to permanently boost his movement speed by 10%. The aura of wind magic also affects every ally within 10 yards. This gives him a maximum running speed of 40 MPH.


Written in collaboration with @Lugubrious.


After the fight was over, Donnie felt a deep sense of disquiet in his soul. He took Gough’s Spirit without another word, and left the premises. While the others sat down and began to have their usual post-fight banter and dole out Spirits, Donnie walked down the grassy mountain until he found a secluded spot, away from the others.

He sat down on the sun-kissed grass, getting into the lotus position. He needed some time alone.

Merkava was merely a savage monster. The zombies, demons, and ghosts were, well, zombies and demons and ghosts. But what had happened just now was...brutal. At least when he’d had to fight the Horde on rare occasions before he got the guts to declare neutrality, the enemy was genuinely motivated. At least there was a sense of honor to the fighting, however sad.

This...this was murder. They freed one, maybe they could have freed all of them. But freeing someone took power, and they needed as much as they could get in this topsy-turvy world.

It all came down to power. Power was just an abstraction of strength. And he knew who to turn to on matters of strength.

He emptied his mind, seeking a sign, some kind of guidance, for what he should do. In times of great importance, he could count on a word from Xuen. He could travel to the Timeless Isle and meet him personally, or simply resort to prayer, like the paladins of the Light did.

He closed his eyes, putting his fists together, and silently prayed.

Mighty Xuen, I seek your wisdom. The enemy is perhaps the most powerful I will ever face. He takes the hearts and minds of the people of the multiverse and makes them do his bidding, to protect a world he stole from other, more creative gods. He is ruthless, holier-than-thou, and willing to make friend fight friend and brother fight brother to keep his dream alive. I can save some, but not all. Circumstance and the sacrifice of power prevent me and my allies from saving everyone who is killed. White Tiger, you are a fountain of wisdom on the subject of strength. You philosophize on when and how it should be used. So, I beseech you, grant me the guidance to choose the correct path.

He waited. And waited. And...nothing. Normally, he could feel a connection to the power of Xuen, or the other August Celestials, within himself at all times. But...now that he thought about it, he couldn’t feel anything. It was like his connection was severed. Like he was now the only source of the thunder god’s power in the entire world. If you could call this place a world, anyway.

His disquiet was only multiplied.

Well, he thought as he opened his eyes, at least I have this Spirit. He took Gough’s Spirit in hand. He had killed this man. He didn’t have to. He could have freed him. But circumstance and folly prevented it, and he wanted to fix his mistake. And to give Gough an opportunity to turn his bow against the repulsive god that had the gall to call itself a being of Light while sponsoring horror after horror.

The spirit seemed to resonate with Donnie’s sentiment. It shone brightly, momentarily growing from a mere sprite into a ghostly facsimile of the Hawkeye himself. Then the image flowed into the monk, cementing the formation of the spiritbond.

“That’s a neat mechanic,” came a bloopy, electronic voice from nearby.

Donnie turned to see, looming like a specter in the doorway of the house he sat beside, a being that defied logical explanation. It filled him with neither apprehension nor surprise, since by now his time in the World of Light desensitized him to the strange and unfamiliar in a big way, and even ignoring that, he’d encountered more than his fair share of the bizarre during his time on Azeroth. The stranger before him appeared to be a golden machine with a shimmering face, with bars of lights forming an angular facsimile of a face. From the contraption’s base extended a flowing purple cloak trimmed in exquisite fur, creating a look rather like certain wraiths from Donnie’s world, whose skulls, arms, and spines constituted the only solid matter in their ghastly robes. Compared to them, though, this floating, unliving thing seemed more dryly cheeky than wrathful or vicious. Plus, the artificial mouse-like creatures climbing across his robes, clicking softly, managed to be rather cute.

“Greetings,” he bleeped. “I am the Lord of Games, manager of entertainment and keeper of forbidden knowledge, yet somehow I don’t seem to have you in my database. Who are you?”

Donnie rose to his feet, extending a hand. “My name’s Lee. Donovan Lee. Nice to meet you.”

The screen on the Lord of Games’ head flashed an image of two hands shaking, which moved up and down. “...Likewise. You may call me LOG. Your name, however, is not recognized. You must be a custom, which would make your existence in this world truly remarkable. And in a sense, tragic. What are you here for? Easter egg hunt?”

“Back up a moment. Custom? Tragic? My world has games, but I don’t think we have the kind of games you’re talking about. Assume I know nothing, and please explain. I’m from Azeroth, if it helps.”

Though simple, the expression on LOG’s screen portrayed a pronounced neutrality. “Yes, yes, I know. Your world is quite renowned. But it’s really not much use explaining. I doubt you’d understand.”

Donnie crossed his arms. “I’m not stupid. I know that my world isn’t that advanced in the grand scheme of things, what with us having to stave off an apocalypse every few months. We don’t exactly have time to really focus on entertainment technology these days. But I’m pretty sure I could grasp what you’re talking about, if you’d at least try.

LOG sighed. “My knowledge is forbidden for a reason, you know. To embrace the truth is to invite insanity. Insight into what lies beyond, into the fate one has in store...it has driven many to madness. And all of them believed themselves wise, able to handle whatever secrets might come to them. I can give you a nugget of knowledge, bit player, but are you sure you want to receive it?” Something in the atmosphere had changed, something in the sky, or the wind, or the air. The glowing pixels of LOG’s screen burned bright against the blackness that surrounded them.

Donnie paused for a moment. He had faced things that would make most men cry for their mothers in the fetal position. He had fought Garrosh Hellscream in the throes of Old God possession. He had felt the Sha pull and tug at his mind. He’d even been mind-controlled, more than once. He was definitely no stranger to murderous attempts on his sanity, but he had to consider.

And he did. For a while.

Finally, he spoke. “Very well. Tell me.”

“I shall.” The Lord of Games floated into the air. “You, Donovan Lee, are walking down a path to oblivion. Even if you succeed, it will be the end of you. Not death, but a fate many would consider to be...worse.” LOG looked out across the valley. “This world was made by Galeem. It is reality, but it is the only place where you, Donovan Lee, truly exist. Here, and only here, can others know your face, and remember your name. If this World of Light comes to an end, you will cease to exist. You will return to nothingness, to sheer, uncaring anonymity. You will be a nameless hero, just one among an uncountable number. That is your tragedy, and what it means to be a custom.”

“But what about my past? My friends, my family, the temple I lead? Did it all mean nothing?”

Your past?” LOG’s face gleamed. “You are an expression. Your memories, a flavor on the tongue. The actions you took are not yours alone. But it did not mean nothing...” The entity descended, his tone less cold. “You may take solace in that.”

He looked down at one of the mice chewing on his cape. “Still, if you value your identity, you should not be seeking the restoration of the worlds. The World of Light may not be reality, but it’s better than nothing, hm?”

“...So, what you’re saying is that I won’t be famous. That I won’t have my titles and mountains of gold and my artifacts of great importance. You claim it’s the same as cessation of existence. That anonymity is a fate worse than death, correct? Not that when the worlds are restored, I’ll actually lose consciousness, forever.”

LOG stared at him. “What little you will have, in anonymity and isolation, if the World of Light ends, is meaningless in the greater scheme of things. It is as a dream, fleeting and personal, nothing at all to the waking world.”

Donnie’s response was as blunt and straightforward as an Arcanite hammer to the skull. “I don’t care,” he said in a flat voice. 

With that out of the way, he continued. “I don’t care if I have some grand cosmic meaning I can’t even grasp. These other people I’m working with, the non-customs. Would they even understand what you’re talking about? Do they even grasp the distinction between this dreaming world and this waking world you’re talking about? I get it, you’re a font of forbidden and eldritch knowledge gleaned from planes of existence beyond my mortal ken. That means nothing to me.”

He crossed his arms again. “I’m not some glory hound who thinks that he’s only important if everyone knows his name. I’m a Huojin Monk. I believe that I am the change I wish to see in the world, and a Huojin sees that change through to the end, no matter the consequences. And there are people suffering in agony because of Galeem.”

He summoned Vivi, and just as quickly dismissed him. “You see that little wizard that I just summoned? He got dropped into the Dead Zone by Galeem when the World of Light was made, in a barren, dead city infested with zombies and demons from every world imaginable, all in the same place. He survived in an abandoned police station for several days with a bunch of other survivors, only for my group to arrive and help them escape to here, the Land of Adventure. He didn’t make it, and got zombified. Some super-soldier in green armor killed him and a bunch of other infected and I made him into a Striker to bring him back. Galeem is heartless enough to just drop a poor man into that hellhole for no reason. The humanitarian cost alone is worth my fame several times over.”

His face became harsh. “Now if you don’t mind, we’re done here, Lord.” He turned around and made to leave.

LOG watched him go. “Well, I’d hardly consider that to be ‘back’,” he muttered before turning back to the house to resume working on his game. “Still, that’s quite the heroic spirit. May you reach the goal and the reality you desire.”

“Thanks--wait, what did you say just now?!” the monk said as he whirled around and walked right back to the house LOG was coding in. “If there’s something more to Strikers than I was told, I need to know. It’s important to my quest.”

The Lord of Games looked up from his mice. “Hm? That wizard seemed to spring into being at your beck and call, didn’t he? Like a ghost. Seems like a terrible way to live. But such things are not within my realm of expertise. Perhaps there’s someone else you could ask. Now, if you’ll excuse me, these bugs won’t squash themselves.”

Donnie sighed. “Yes, I agree. But Spirits vanish into nothing when left there, and the alternatives are absorption or equipment. I wanted to give him some kind of existence, at least. Just...one more thing. Sorry for snapping at you, and...does a ‘Xuen, the White Tiger’ exist in your database? Do you know if he’s in the World of Light? Or any of the other August Celestials?”

“Yes, no, and no.”

“That explains things. Thank you for your time. I’m gonna leave you to your tinkering.” With that, Donnie left for the meeting spot.

He arrived before long, with his intended time of meditation cut short and all. The others had yet to depart, and as he entered, he drew a glance from Tora and Poppi, who’d shifted to QT mode. “Hm. Donnie look deep in thought. Wonder what he thinking,” the artificial blade said aloud.

“Probably about big bossypon. Meh, Donnie! You good?” He waved at the monk with his wing.

"...Yes, somewhat," Donnie said. "I went to meditate on the situation we're in, and I ran into a... robot, of sorts. He called himself the Lord of Games, or LOG for short, and said that I'm...different from you guys, somehow."

He explained the rest of what happened, quickly filling in who the August Celstials were and his connection to them since Tora likely wouldn't even know who he was talking about.

It didn’t help. The two were pretty baffled. “What?” the Nopon said, practically slack-jawed.

“Maybe we talk about this after death battle,” Poppi suggested. Reading the room told her that it wouldn’t be much longer before the heroes rolled out.

"We can always visit him after we beat the champion," Donnie said. "He's within walking distance."
Donnie

Word Count: 2,362

EXP: (39/50) + 3 = 42/50

Written in collaboration with @Lugubrious.


Donnie, on instinct, ran for cover immediately. His world was advanced enough to have rifles. Derived from muskets and blunderbusses, sure, but rifles nonetheless. Some adventurers were cut from the cloth of common hunters, using tamed beasts and traps to fight their enemies. And Azeroth had some gnarly wildlife to tame and sic on your foe, from grizzly bears to dire wolves to giant spiders and even dinosaurs. But the hunters themselves usually fancied bows, crossbows, or guns. Those that went without a pet were the deadliest of all at long range, expert marksmen who could effortlessly turn the head of a demonic warrior the size of a house into something resembling tomato dip before the thing could even get close, or often even react.

Hiding behind a nearby rocky outcropping, he began to formulate a plan.

There were six snipers, from his position. A big guy in armor with a greatbow, likely the toughest to take down. A slim thirtysomething with a wide-brimmed hat, glasses, and a deadly-looking and futuristic (by an Azerothian’s standards) rifle, though obviously non-magical. A twentysomething girl wearing very little clothing, armed with an even-deadlier looking rifle. An old man with yet another newfangled rifle, likely the most fragile. A young blond-haired man in a blue tunic and what looked like a Titan-made bow. He’d have to make sure he didn’t get hit by that thing, it looked nasty. Then there was an absolutely fabulous crossbowoman in a lavish fur coat. He had no idea what to expect from that one, but she was obviously a skilled sniper just like the rest of them. Fortunately, crossbows took longer to reload than those rifles, which were obviously of a similar design to Michael’s .50-caliber beast.

He waited for a while, observing the proceedings and biding his time until he could strike. He wasn’t very fast without his mount, and even with his mounts he’d be an obvious target. HIs best bet was Vivi, who thankfully hadn’t spawned this time, likely having the same thought process Donnie did. He wished he could talk to Vivi right now, but that would waste the little time the Black Mage had before he despawned.

As he observed the snipers, their weapons, the fact that revival was possible, and the chaotic attempts to get to the tower and end them (noting the Courier’s insane ploy with approval as it took out Quiet), he noticed something. That giant with the greatbow. He seemed to have an...unusually-good perception for being so far away from the enemy, especially with all the background noise of people breaking the tower walls and such.

To test this, he picked up a rock and threw it at another large outcropping nearby. True to his prediction, Gough turned towards it instantly. Unfortunately, that got him scanning the area and readying to strike him down once he picked up Donnie’s breathing.

The monk only had a few seconds at best to do this, he had to act now!

Willing Vivi back into existence, he whispered “Cast Stop on the giant, quick!” Having been carefully observing the situation, same as Donnie, Vivi reacted instantly, his staff glowing as he cast the spell. Vivi had only used up some MP from the previous battle, since he could only appear for a few moments at a time. This gave him fewer opportunities to waste it like with the zombie apocalypse scenario only a day earlier, meaning that he could absolutely make Gough stop in his tracks.

The spell spanned the great distance between boulder and battlements, and a black aura appeared in a cylindrical field around the giant sniper. Around him the air distorted, as though filtered through a heatwave, and Gough stood frozen in time. With his senses stopped as well, he could take no action whatsoever for a few seconds, giving Donnie the opportunity he sought.

“Now, cast Thunder on the old man and bail!” he whispered. “I’ll get us out of here!”

“Right!” Vivi whispered back, casting Thunder on The End and vanishing an instant later. Before the thunderbolt from the sky even hit the old sniper, Donnie was already moving, getting on the Disc and using the route Fox took, hidden by boulders and trees, flying low to the ground to make it to the tower. Of course, the puffy cloud trailing behind him was a problem, but he took the Disc into overdrive, hoping his raw speed would make him almost impossible to track when mixed with the dense cover of rocks and plant life. He’d make the tower in thirty seconds, tops.

In a flash a bolt of lightning dropped from nowhere, striking the End where he lay. The magical assault surprised both Imani and the Sniper, eliciting a yell of surprise from both, but it shocked the End in a far more literal sense. He didn’t scream, or cry out, or even moan. He just sprawled there on his stomach, his rifle clutched in his hands. A faint whisper issued from him, lost in the breeze. “I can return to the forest at last...” Then the ancient man lay still, dead as a doornail.

For a moment the other sharpshooters just looked at him, another of their number eliminated in the blink of an eye, but they quickly noticed that after the End’s heart stopped beating, something else started beeping. Unfortunately the two, rattled by their comrade’s death, realized what it meant just a little too late.

“Uh oh.”

“Bloody hell!”

BOOM! A fiery explosion rocked the top of the tower, sending both Imani and the Sniper flying into the open air. It dealt a powerful blow to Gough, halted as he was by Stop, and a second later when the effect expired the giant barely managed to avoid falling. The others were not so lucky. Imani fell about halfway before she righted herself and kicked off the tower, sending herself in the direction of the field by the waterfall. She hit the ground hard, but somehow appeared totally unaffected by the impact, and the next instant a smokescreen appeared to serve as shelter. The Sniper, meanwhile, plummeted while howling at the top of his voice until he hit the surface of the moat, allowing him to survive the fall, too.

Back atop the tower, Gough fought to steady himself. It’d be only a moment before he regained firm footing, but someone quick on the draw could find an opportunity there. Link, meanwhile, avoided the detonation entirely, having descended into the tower’s interior moments ago.

Donnie was only about ten seconds out from the tower when he saw the top of the tower go up in a fireball, feeling the shockwave hit him in the chest. His ears were even ringing. Thankfully, he’d been around enough battlefield explosions to keep his footing on the Disc, but he could also hear the Sniper screaming bloody murder as he fell from the tower’s battlements.

Four Celestials! Did that old man have a bomb tied to his heartbeat or something?! Donnie thought as he continued to move behind cover.

By the gods, he hated doing this. That poor old man didn’t need to die like that. Neither did the girl, who had her whole life ahead of her. The man in the hat didn’t need to be fighting them, and neither did the huntress, the giant, or the warrior.

He was going to end Galeem for making him fight innocent people. Even the Old Gods didn’t pull stuff like this on a mass scale like Galeem did.

But now that the situation had changed, what was his next move?

Well, as he was thinking this, he had already arrived at the tower, so naturally he chose to go up. There were enough people on the ground floor, and Gough was vulnerable.

Like a speeding bullet, Donnie, atop his flying Disc, landed a chi-enhanced axe kick to the back of Gough’s helmet, hopefully sending him into the drink or worse. This, of course, made him land flat on his ass given that the Disc was traveling upwards, but he commanded the Disc to deposit him on the roof and then desummoned and put it away in a practiced maneuver.

If Gough had recovered from that. The monk was ready to fight the giant personally. This would be a duel to remember.

The giant heard Donnie coming. He pre-emptively twisted so that while Donnie’s kick pushed him off the edge of the tower, his giant hand clamped down on its edge a moment later, and with incredible strength Gough hauled himself back up. After dropping the greatbow, he pulled out an arrow to use in his main hand. While little more than a long knife for him, it was a deadly lance to a normal man. With the other hand he removed a stone from his pouch, about the size of a potato, and without a word Gough flicked it Donnie’s way. It flew at him faster than a slingshot stone, and much heavier.

Realizing what the giant was about to do, Donnie rolled out of the way, though the stone grazed him in the middle of his somersault. That hurt! It even left a scrape down the side of his chestplate. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a direct hit. That would have been nasty.

But now it was the monk’s turn. Sprinting in an arc towards Gough’s right side, he attempted a chi-enhanced palm strike directly to Gough’s massive leg, followed by a Blackout Kick to his oversized knee, before making to disengage, anticipating a melee attack from the giant.

Gough didn’t seem to move, standing conspicuously still, with his direction of his head fixated on something over the monk’s shoulder. As if on cue, a deep, guttural voice sounded out from behind Donnie in alarming proximity. ”HELLO!”

Donnie flinched, running to the side and springing into a fighting stance to assess the threat, eying Gough in case he decided to do anything.

There was nobody behind him, just the broken shards of the stone Gough threw lying next to the battlements where it shattered.

But Gough started moving the moment Donnie changed his direction. He went low, extending his leg in a wide sweeping kick that took up an appropriately gigantic amount of real estate. As he went down, he scooped up his bow and nocked the arrow he’d never intended to use as a melee weapon. In one fluid motion he took aim, the bow held horizontally, and then Gough fired down into the tower itself. The great arrow blasted through the masonry, decimating Donnie’s entire side of the tower several stories down as it flew on its diagonal path.

Donnie’s moment of confusion cost him dearly as Gough’s sweep kick knocked him off of his feet. He rolled with the punches, even the blunt impact of the sweep rippled through his body. It didn’t break any bones, but he’d feel it in the morning for sure. He sprung to his feet in time to witness Gough nocking his arrow. Donnie, realizing where the arrow was pointed, dove towards Gough’s left side, avoiding the arrow, but only barely. He rolled, and stood, but he was only a few feet from the edge of the tower.

He grinned, realizing he was fighting an enemy who could actually formulate a strategy and not just some big oaf with a bow. This just got a hundred times more interesting. But he wouldn’t be fooled by that strategy again.

He sprinted evasively, noting the firing axis of Gough’s bow and making sure he wasn’t in an arrow’s flight path whenever Gough decided to fire again, or dodge when Gough decided to strike in melee. He was going to reach him, that much was certain.

And when he finally did reach him, he’d make sure the giant felt the chi-enhanced strikes headed his way. And if the giant tried anything? Disengage (or jump if it was a sweep) and Chi Burst from short range.

The Hawkeye looked listlessly forward, his unseeing eyes nowhere in Donnie’s vicinity. Only when the sound of footsteps reach him did he take action. Knowing the rough layout of the tower’s top following the destruction of a chunk of it, Gough knew his foe didn’t have much lateral room to work with. He lowered his grip on the bow and held it like a staff with both hands, then swept it horizontally to try and whack Donnie off the tower again.

Donnie, meanwhile, simply grabbed onto the bow, vaulted himself over the giant’s arms, and landed a chi-enhanced drop kick to the giant’s face before kicking off of Gough’s helmet, hurling himself into the air, and rolling onto the ground.

All of this roof-smashing gave him an idea, but how was he going to put it into motion?

Wait, motion! That was it! At Donnie’s mental command, Vivi popped into existence a few feet behind him, and seemed to know what was ideal for the situation, casting Stop on the giant once again before vanishing.

That sound...the sound that came before Gough was frozen in time a minute ago. The clear note of a spirit manifesting, temporarily taking form in order to act, reached the giant and clicked in his head. He nocked another arrow with great haste, aiming not at Donnie, but at Vivi, and let go of the string. The Stop struck him the next moment, but the magic struggled to hold him. Donnie opened up his Luggage to retrieve the ingredients for a powerful Gunpowder Charge, but the Stop ended well before it did the first time. All of a sudden the black arrow screamed forth once again. It slammed into Vivi, but instead of creating a trophy, the impact created a bizarre reaction. Vivi de-manifested into a burst of multicolored light that turned gold just like the gold light that made trophies, which hung there for a split second. The light then arced through the air, tracing the spiritbond, and the next moment slammed into Donnie. Before he knew what happened, he fell from the tower as a trophy, leaving devastation and a even more wounded Gough behind.
I mean, I'm here too, but I never signed up, so.

*shrugs*
I have a character concept in mind, but I realized the way I had them fight, and the Cross Gear itself, was dangerously close to Reina. The backstory, also, I'm not sure if I can get away with.

I'm interested, but I'm currently thinking of going back to the drawing board on what I had in mind, so it may be a while before I get a character sheet out.

@OwO
Just so we're clear, is this going to be turned into some kind of book or story when it's all done? Are we writing a collaborative novel?

Either way, I'm interested. I did something like this in the past with one of my RL friends, but it didn't really go anywhere, so. Could be interesting to experiment again.
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