Upon the expansive fields of the island of Reverie, the remnants of a massive alien machine lay scattered and silent. Legends say that the machine itself was once alive and perhaps even sentient when it was whole, that it was a visitor from another world that crash landed here on Earth. The Sentient's arrival also brought with it an otherworldly species of flora known as "Truth Blooms," which emit an iridescent blue glow when night falls. It was actually this glow that guided the beaten up Phantom to its shores, where Rhendon and the Battle Toads were busy setting up camp for the night. The only exception was Bewbs, who's busy making the biggest sand castle known to Toadkind.
Bewbs: Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaah!
Barrage is trying to get a fire going, but he's been striking out sparks from that ferro rod for half an hour straight and the driftwood still won't catch.
Barrage: Hmmmm........
He takes out some bullets and cracks them open before sprinkling the driftwood with a generous helping of that Freedom Fairy's Magic Dust. Once that's done, he takes up the ferro rod and readies his knife.
Barrage: And so the Big G raised his hand and said "I don't care how big the room is. I CAST FIREBALL!"
His rapturous proclamation could be heard from further out in the fields, where Pootis and his companions are poking around the masses of ancient fragments and stratified machinery. They could also see the subsequent fireball erupting from the beach. Don't worry, they're fine. This isn't the first time the crew had to reign in Barrage's destructive impulses.
Berry: π
Pootis: Heheheh.
While they were just having some fun in the moment, Leo seemed more interested in the Truth Blooms surrounding them. He floated close to the ground while analyzing the otherworldly flowers. It was a feeling he couldn't quite describe, but there was a sense of comfort that came with the flower's glow. A sense of how it feels to be......... complete. It was in this state of bliss that he began to hum a tune as he looked to the sky.
Leo: πΆ Cast and cry. πΆCast and cry. πΆ Raise the million pylons high. πΆ All our kin were bound to fly for that far shore forlorn. πΆ
His tune echoed between the shattered remnants of petrious shell and bone, as if the pieces themselves wished to join in his chorus.
Leo: πΆ Onward hie. πΆ Who but we may tame the sky. πΆ Who but we shall distant die on that far shore forlorn. πΆ
Pootis: Is very good, friend!
Leo: - I'LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND - Oh, thank you! I'm nor really sure where that came from, to be honest.
Pootis: In Russia if hand is rotten, you cut off hand. If arm is rotten, you cut off arm. But if heart is rotten......... you cut off leg.
Berry: π€¨
Leo: Wow, that was......... actually really sweet.
Pootis: Is Russian love song...........Sniff.
They continued to discuss music and other forms of art, but Berry seems a bit more uneasy. He's constantly looking around them, focusing on all the little corners as if he's certain something is watching back. It doesn't take long for Pootis to take notice of his little friend's distress.
Berry: π°
Pootis. Berry? What is the matter with you? What is wrong?
Berry: π«!!!!!
The little Wisp darts behind the doctor, his single eye still darting between shadows. That's when Pootis noticed something. Amidst the cool night breeze and the chirping of crickets was something......... new.
Pootis: What was that?
Leo: Well I MIGHT have helped myself to some of that plasma charge, which usually gives me the Buffers, so-
Pootis: SHHH!............Listen.
It was this low thrumming hum mixed with a faint jingling, all drawn out with a stuttering echo. The wind soon grew still, and the crickets have fallen silent. Leo began to sense something wrong as well.
Berry: QmQ
Leo: Um......... Doctor Pootis?...........I think now would be a good time to - F***ING RUN. - regroup with the others.
Back at base camp, Barrage had just set up his tent before heading to the nearest bush to answer nature's call.
Barrage: WELP, this jeep is off to get his oil changed. Be right back.
As he was "taking care of business," he began to notice some movement out in the fields. At first it was difficult to make out anything concrete, but his impeccable vision soon begins to make out these "shapes" in the distance. These heaps of ancient shell and rusted ferroflesh began to rise from the flowerbeds, stitched together with ghostly white roots into a shape that was just barely recognizable as a humanoid.
Barrage: Uh........ guys?
Rhendon and the other Toads soon took notice all those pale green dots staring back at them from the shadows.
Babeh: Oh poop.
Rhendon: Everyone, stay back!
Bravo: It's actually kinda pretty.
Bewbs: Hey, has anyone seen my underwear.
Then came the rumbling. Pootis spins around and sees a vibrant aurora of ghostly light shining just a few feet away. Loose soil and rock splits apart to reveal a hulking mass of root ridden shell climbing up to the surface, it's bellowing wails audible all the way from the beach. The earth shudders with every step the titanic Eidolon takes as it lumbers across the field........ and straight towards the light of their camp fire. It is now that Rhendon grabs his Blitz Needle.
Rhendon: TERALYST INCOMING!
Berry: π±!!!!
Pootis: GET BEHIND ME!
He shoves Leo behind him and beckons to Berry as he draws his sword.
Pootis: Let us begin.
Berry puts on his brave face as he phases into Pootis's armor, wreathing the heavy plating in that Hyper Go-On Glow. There was another whisp hiding in the bushes, and Ivory Lightning Wisp, who saw what Berry did and decided to join in. The doctor was pleasantly surprised to see his sword crackle to life with an electric charge.
Pootis: Da! This will work!
He rockets off towards the Teralyst, head long and sword raised.
Pootis: NOW IS COWARD KILLING TIME!
He leaps high into the air and comes down upon the Teralyst. The blade finds its mark on the Teralyst's neck, but leaves only a small gash in the thick roots.
Pootis: Wot?
Another wail sends tremors through the doctor's very bones. An orb flies out from the shell and into the sky before scattering into a shower of seeking bolts. He leaps off the beast's back to avoid the oncoming Salvo and is sent tumbling into the flowerbed. He gets back up to his feet only to realize that the Eidolon's single eye was now staring directly at HIM.
Pootis: Hmph, very well.
He was undeterred, nonetheless. The Eidolon raises the trunk of a dead tree it was using for an arm and brings it down right on Pootis's head. He didn't even flinch as he raised his blade in kind. Normally a dead tree would shatter and char when struck with lightning, yet the Eidolon's makeshift limb held strong against that crackling blade. Every clash flashed and boomed like thunder. The figures in the dark observed the fight from afar, paying no mind to Rhendon as he charged towards the fray.
Rhendon: Pootis! You can't hurt a Teralyst without destroying the Synovia!
Pootis: ???
Rhendon: The Synovia is what's generating its shields!
Pootis: Wot?
Rhendon: Por el amor de Dios. THE JOINTS! GO FOR THE JOINTS!
He fires a burning needle into a box-shaped structure on the Eidolon's arm.
Rhendon: AIM FOR THE JOINTS!
Pootis: OOOOOOOH. Okay.
Berry: π±!!!!!
He narrowly dodges an incoming thunderous stomp, landing on a nearby rock and setting his sights on that box. He lunges forth, scales the Eidolon's calf, and plants his sword into the first crack he saw in that Synovia. The beast recoiled in pain the deeper the blade dug in.
Pootis: RUUUUUUUN! RUUUUUUN! I'M COMING FOR YOU!
Rhendon does his best to keep up as he fires volley after volley, landing hails of burning spikes into the Eidolon's arm before readying a Heavy Dark Matter Bomb.
Rhendon: YEET!
He punts the bomb into the air, draws his sword, and uses the side face to THWACK the bomb towards the Synovia. The collapsing nanosingularity releases a blast that shatters the Synovia like fragile shale.
Rhendon: BOOYAH!!!!
Pootis's blade finds purchase and pries another Synovia open like the shell of a walnut. The beast collapses onto the ground, giving Pootis the opportunity to go for the right arm Synovia. Rhendon draws his blade as he too goes for the left leg.
Pootis: CRY SOME MOOOOOOOORE!!!!
The beast unleashes a spectral roar that cascades across the field. Leo notices some of the shapes in the shadows have begun encroaching upon the scuffle. These smaller creatures soon start firing bolts of blue caustic energy in our hunters' direction.
Pootis: Who send all these babies to fight?
Rhendon: Vomvalysts! I've got this! Don't let up on the Teralyst!
Dispatching a Vomvalyst isn't as simple as cracking it open. When threatened, a Vomvalyst can "phase" between states of matter, rendering it intangible. The only thing capable of harming a Vomvalyst in this state is a spectral elemental force, such as Void or Spirit Energy. Logically speaking, your average soldier most likely doesn't have access to this kind of kit.......... unless they so happen to be a Scarlet Scout. In that case, such exotic gear becomes mandatory. Thankfully, Pootis has shown him a new kind of kit that can get the job done.
Rhendon: It's your time to shine, little man.
Out from his shirt pocket pops a Pink Spike Wisp and has it join with his Blitz Needle, turning its munitions a bright hot pink.
Rhendon: TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHERF---ER!
Just a light tap of the trigger unleashes a volley of hyper charged spikes, piercing the Vomvalysts' ethereal shroud and cracking their shells open like a walnut. It's crucial that none of them get to the Teralyst to share their energy with the ailing beast. Pootis proceeds to climb atop the Eidolon's arm and starts hacking at another Synovia. But alas, his sword isn't cutting as effectively anymore. The Ivory Lightning Wisp eventually pops out of the sword all dizzy and evidently exhausted.
Pootis: Uh oh.
A blinding flash from the damaged Synovia nearly blinded him as he is flung off the arm and directly into one of the fossilized outcrops. He stumbles out of the dust cloud as Berry pops out of his armor.
Pootis: How could this happen!?
Berry pops out of his armor and starts frantically zipping all over the place, making various chirps and calls as he darts around the shrubs. Meanwhile, Rhendon is spraying down as many of the Vomvalysts as he can, but for every one he pops, two more take their place. Some manage to slip by and tend to the damaged Synovia as the beast lumbers back to its feat...... and turns its scalding gaze towards the Scarlet Scout as it charged its cannon.
Rhendon: Oh dear.
Barrage: INCOMING!!!!
And here come the Battle Toads, barreling towards the giant atop a hot wired Brute Skiff.
Bravo: Help is on the way, dear! Help is on the way!
Barrage: KIDS GONNA DIE TONIGHT!
Babeh: I have SO MANY REGRETS!
Bewbs: Hog RIDAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Manning the Spiker Turret, Barrage lays into the Teralyst with a volley of shrapnel...... to little effect on account of the two remaining Synovias keeping those shields up. However, Babeh was able to grab Rhendon's hand and pull him onto the Skiff before the cannon went of, and just in the nick of time as well. The ensuing blast from that cannon just barely grazes the Skiff as it sped off. One second too late, and the whole crew would've been atomized.
Rhendon: WOO...... Thanks for the save, brother.
Babeh: I think I just herniated.
From his hiding place, Leo peaks around the corner to see the Eidolon sprinting across the fields, howling and roaring as it chased after the fleeing Skiff. Rhendon takes his Spike Wisp out of his gun and has it join with the Spiker Turret. The enhanced munitions were decent against the swarms of Vomvalysts, but they still can't pierce the Teralyst's shields. Bewbs's driving certainly didn't help either as he slams back another Guinness and chucks the bottle at the Teralyst.
Bewbs: πΆI'm sO drUNK I can BAREly seeee! πΆ
Bravo: Keep on ducking and weaving, Bewbs! I think we're losing them!
They weren't. Even as Bewbs put the petal to the metal, swerving across the fields like a chimpanzee on a segway, the towering Eidolon's pursuit would not be interrupted so easily. A cluster of Vomvalysts pelt the armored chassis with etheric streaks of light as the Teralyst begins gaining ground. Bewbs looks up to see the Teralyst's eye gazing down upon him, rearing its arm above its head for a final devastating strike. It seems their fate is sealed.
Bewbs: He he! I'm in DANGER!
Babeh: WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIIIE!!!!
Pootis: NO!
But what's this? Look up in the sky! Like a radiant green comet, the mighty Doctor Pootis comes flying in with the aid of a Green Hover Wisp. His blade was also wreathed in spiraling streaks of golden light, courtesy of the Yellow Drill Wisp that has now fused with it.
Pootis: Did you think you could beat me?
With a mighty battle cry, the doctor swoops down upon the pursuing beast. The spiral of energy on his blade bores into the ancient shell with ease as he flies through the Teralyst's arm, shattering the Synovia like glass. The beast and its Vomvalysts retaliate, but their energy bolts can't keep up with the doctor as he flies through the air like a living bullet.
Pootis: POW! HAHA!!!!
Like a crazy Russian Captain Ahab, he hurls his sword and strikes the beast in the left leg, piercing clean through the last remaining Synovia The Wisp within the blade twists and turns the weapon through the air and back into the Doctor's hand. The compromised Synovia detonates with a spectral flame as the Teralyst tumbles and collapses with a panicked wail. The Vomvalysts break off from pursuing the skiff and swarm the ailing beast once more, channeling all the energy they can muster to aid the ailing giant, now completely vulnerable.
Pootis: Giant is not so good as you think!
Rhendon: OH MY GOD HE'S SO GOD DAMN COOL!!!!
But the Doctor is not done yet. He flies up into the sky, rising higher and higher until he's breached the cloudline. He looks down, has the Drill Wisp come out of the sword, and makes some quick calculations to ensure he remains on target as he reorients himself.
Pootis: Heheheh........ perfect!
With the numbers crunched and the optimal positioning reached, he now has the Drill Wisp merge with his armor as the Hover Wisp separated. His friends watch in shock as the doctor begins to fall. Golden streaks of energy emanate from his outstretched fist and coil around him, forming a spinning cone with a sharpened point as he descends towards his target with a maniacal laugh.
Pootis: I AM BULLET!!!!!
And like a bullet, he hits his mark. A blinding flash erupts from the point of impact as shell and bone are sundered into shards. The surrounding Vomvalysts fare no better as the Hyper Go-On empowered shockwave pops them all like grapes in a microwave. As the dust settles, Bewbs brings the Skiff to a halt in front of the Teralyst's lifeless shell....... what was left of it, anyway. Motes of light rise from the shattered remains and drift out from the impact sight, spreading far and wide across Reverie before sinking back into the fields. The remaining Vomvalysts also sink back into the grass, becoming one with the landscape once more as the first rays of dawn come. Leo emerges from his hiding place and sees the doctor sitting atop the Teralyst's crest, surrounded by all his little Wisps as they watch the sunrise together.
Pootis: Uuuuuuoooooh. It was long fight.
?????: Hello? Does anybody copy, over?
Everyone turns to Rhendon. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a small comms device, now picking up a new transmission from a familiar voice.
Rhendon: Korra?! Korra, it's Rhendon! I hear you!
Korra: Rhendon?! By Zorah, you're alive! I just picked up a huge energy spike from your location.
Rhendon: Oh, that would be our new friend. I look forward to introducing you.
Korra: Acknowledged. Vanguard's on their way. Hang tight.
He looks up to the Doctor, counting himself fortunate to have met such a mighty warrior. He may be just what the Knights need to turn things around. All that's left to do now is bring him home.
Next stop......... Haven.