The First Battle:Superheroes

Date: December 1615 CE
Location: Southern Australian coast
Participants: VirgilBelmont Virgil Belmont, Raven, SebastianNemo Sebastian Nemo, DeviWong Devi Wong, TomoLuKang Tomo Lu Kang, Alaistar, Winter, RenjiYoritomo Renji Yoritomo, Hugh, Miyen Mi-yen, Wraiths, Yu, Pascle, Liem, TheOrderoftheIronThorn The Order of the Iron Thorn
Summary: After their arrival, the Wraiths respond.

The wailing had filled their fourth night on the beach. The distinctive moan of Hollows feeding cut though the night air. Its unnatural groan preventing any sleep and prickling the back of everyone's spine. The Hollows, wherever they were, were hidden by the cool moonless night, but their sounds put everyone on edge. It was at a distance but the sound echoed over the flat land beyond the shore lined with trees and seemed to be funneled towards the small group that had nestled on to the sand by the shore. By the time dawn broke, the Thorn were strained and the tension that had taken hold since their arrival continued to build. It wasn't helped by the reports from Alaistar and Renji.

The two had taken to the air the first full day they had on the continent and had witnessed movement near the distant interior. On the second day they had seen the first signs of Wraiths. They appeared to be Rooster Clan shadow puppets and were settling at various points within the brush, forest and open plains, a set distance from the camp. It didn't appear aggressive, but after discussions and surveillance over the next two days the Rooster plan was evident. When the Nine made pushes into the interior the puppets would move the ring, following them at a great distance but using their hive mind to communicate and keep the Nine corralled. The Wraith's knew their enemy were here and were watching them. What they would do in response to any offensive push was yet to be determined, although Renji and a number of the Thorn were eager to find out.

The Hollows wailing though the night left everyone anxious, and the lack of sleep, while not touching the Nine, was wearing down the endurance of the Thorn. They had trained and studied, but they were now truly being tested. Virgil was concerned. He knew that a move would have to be made, soon, but it was too risky to try a head on attack. They needed more time to scout and plan their strike, but time was growing short.

While the two airborne reports were being gathered, the rest had settled into the circular fortifications on the beachhead. Virgil had small groups of the Thorn make brief excursions into the nearby vegetation, locating fresh water and getting better acquainted with the terrain and wild life. Not to mention keep them occupied. None of them had faced Wraiths or Hollows before. Although most like Pascle and Yu had grown up in the Guild, their true knowledge of the danger in front of them was based on stories. The escapades in Africa, Constantinople and even the establishment of the Guilds and Nine had their darker truths marred with the glory and victory added in the retelling from one generation to the next. And now they were living in what would become another legend but they were yet to face the truth of the story. They could stand up to attacks and disasters from human hands, Virgil had trained them well, but the dark shadows that hovered in the near distance would be another matter altogether.

Their orders to establish and strengthen the camp and their supplies had given them focus during the day, but on the third night, when the wailing, the feeding started, that stability had been shaken. When it continued for the following two nights depriving them of sleep, the Thorn had started to fray at the edges but they were still holding together. Tomo had started speaking with some of them, not about the present danger but trying to keep them centered and overcoming the first of what would be a mountain of obstacles. His calm demeanor and knowledge of the human heart and mind allowed him to be a steadying presence for everyone on shore.

Gathering more information was key to their success against that inevitability and as the sun rose in the sky on the fifth day, Alaistar and Renji were off.

Winter worked with the Thorn and Mi-yen at getting the day started with a quiet meal that they took shifts eating in order to maintain a watch. The younger, pale woman tried to keep the mood lightened although even her buoyant demeanor had been dampened. Once that was done, Raven headed out with Pascle and a group of other Thorn in order to explore a bit further into the woods along the western shore. Yu and Devi continued their fortifications. The constant flow of water kept eating away at the edges of the sand circle and each morning they had worked to reform parts of their ring and keep the small campsite with a strong and protected threshold. Tomo sat quietly near Nemo who was busily doing a hundred things at once, investigating the new discoveries the Thorn had brought back, making calculations about the movements of Rooster shadow puppets as well as charting out the estimated size of the landmass they were perched on the edge of from earlier reports and those incoming. Virgil moved steadily around the beach, his confidence rubbing off on the Thorn he passed. The morning drifted into afternoon and Raven returned with the other Thorn who brought in more specimens for Nemo as well as a fresh kill for dinner. Nemo, fascinated by the newest unique discovery settled back into camp in order to sketch out his findings in more detail while the Thorn who had been away took the chance at rest while the sun still shone.

Virgil checked in with each of the Thorn and then started to make his way to the eastern edge of the beach. Two of his men had positioned themselves on a rocky outcropping and could see over the trees into the low bush that extended beyond the sand. He was about to wave a silent signal for a report when a piercing cry rippled through the air.

Virgil turned, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, his eyes locking onto the sight of two dark and naked forms racing through the grass. The larger one, a woman, grabbed the smaller child trailing at her side and scooped the crying form into her arms as she continued to stumble along through the high brush. The trio of larger men behind her, spears like weapons in hand and arched to attack were quickly closing the distance. What Virgil saw from his higher vantage point though was a ripple in the shadows that he knew all to well. He was about to speak to the two Thorn who had moved up to stand at their commanders shoulders, when another shout from down the beach grabbed his attention.

"No!" Virgil shouted, but a gust of wind stole his words and carried them out to sea. The group of Thorn who had dashed off into the woods to aid the apparently hapless and vulnerable never heard his order. He jumped down from the rocky outcropping, his hand motion keeping the two Thorn at their posts as he raced down to the campsite. The Thorn who had been in camp came to their feet as Virgil lept across the ring of water, drawing his sword and bathing the coming dusk with its white glow. "It's a trap." He said quickly, then turning to Tomo, "Get those two back here and warn the others." The older man nodded and closed his eyes as if in meditation. "Raven, Pascle..." he started and added a few more names of the more experienced and even tempered Thorn. They moved quickly at his command and as they drew their weapons he turned his gaze to pass over Devi and Yu, both intent on the threshold from within the center of the circle, and then stopping at Raven, Winter, Nemo and Mi-yen. Raven's attention was already focused on the upcoming conflict, her dark unfaltering gaze frowning at the scene about to unfold. Winter's pale pink eyes were locked on Virgil and he caught her gaze, steadying her with a single glance. Silenced by the now present threat, Nemo got to his feet and slipped on his gauntlet as he adjusted the sword at his hip. Mi-yen stood behind them, quiet and steady, a strung bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. "Protect the camp," Virgil ordered, his voice full of calm authority. Winter nodded quickly, Nemo swallowed hard and Mi-yen pulled out a pair of arrows, handed one to Nemo and cocked the other into the bow and moved to position herself with a view of the grassland along the path that Virgil now took.

The first group of Thorn were just about to intersect the woman and child when they finally caught the sound of Virgil's command. They slowed, giving them a brief moment to see the cascade of shadows coming in on either side and gave them time to avoid the slinging spears that flew towards them from the would be attackers of the woman and child. They dodged the spears easily at this range, years of training taking over their limbs, but there was no way to prepare them for what happened next.

The ground behind them exploded out in a hail of dirt and rock. A shadow turned solid rose into the on coming night and blocked their retreat to the camp with its dense, inky mass. The Tiger Clan wraiths body took shape, forming two heads, one oriented on the trapped Thorn, the other wheeled to regard Virgil and his group that were racing across the field to rescue their comrades.

The Tiger Wraith let loose a haunting laugh as its shadow puppets launched from the trees at Virgil, death in their eyes. The shadowy forms shot out at the trapped Thorn who raised their swords, cutting into the dark bodies to defend themselves, but the darkness simply reformed as they dropped back towards the Hollows and rushed in once more for the kill. The shadow puppets crashed into the knot of Virgil, Raven and the order who were racing to the rescue. With a practiced motion Raven fell back behind Vigil, summoning a threshold of black ink around the group, giving momentary pause to the assault.

In that instance, a long wailing moan filled the air as the Hollows stole the soul of the woman, her lifeless corpse dropping to the ground.

That was the last sound the leader of the Order of the Iron Thorn needed to hear. With a surge of anger, he lept over the threshold, his meta human strength flowing though him as in a blur of speed he vaulted past the shadow puppets, his sword a ripple of white light and steel, cutting though the faces of two shadow puppets.

The bodies made no sound of pain, as they wheeled unnaturally towards him, their faces already mending as the Tiger Wraith poured black energy into the once human bodies.

"There will be others!" Virgil shouted to the rest of the Thorn and Raven as he tried to draw the Wraiths away from Raven's threshold and reach the first group of his men, but he was cut off by a deep laugh.

"OH YES BELMONT! THERE WILL!" as the shadowy form of a Snake Wraith Shadow Puppet dropped to the earth on top of Virgil. Its shadowy form reverted from the wings that they had taken to allow it to drop down from above. The leader of the Nine spun away from the blow, but the Snake Wraith's shadow turned and blocked his escape.

All around more Shadow puppets and Hollows rose from the brush and poured in from the trees and air.

"Tonight! You die!" It hissed as it raised a shadowy arm, forming it into a blade and bringing it down towards Virgil's exposed neck.

Suddenly a flaming arrow cut into the Snake puppets back and another quickly followed into its eye socket as its body turned towards the assault. The moonlight enhanced fire burned the core of its body and the puppet screamed as the shadow filling it pulled back from Virgil who lept to his feet in the moment of reprieve.

Seeing the opening from within the campsite threshold, Yu roared and pushed his power out, rumbling the ground and splitting it open to force open a path to the trapped Thorn as the battle turned desperate. The men faced twice their number of Hollows as well as the Tiger Clan Wraith. One of the Thorn, already missing his arm from the shoulder by a strike from the Tiger wheeled unsteadily as the puppet licked his undead lips and moved to finish the deed.

The shadow was caught in the back and prevented from satisfying its bloody desire as the one armed man and the rest of the Thorn in the initial group, was quickly encircled as Virgil took the opening Yu provided to wrap his reinforcements around them. It wasn't until they had all passed into the plain, gathered together now in a tight bunch, that another group of shadows emerged, cutting them off from the beach. Virgil kept the men with him focused, his sword and their weapons cutting through the writhing bodies and darkness, enabling them to push their way back towards the beach.

From the shore, flaming arrows continued pouring down and into the shadows, trying to open a path back to the protection of the threshold that Devi and Yu were still powering with all their might. Those at the camp had convened on the edge of the circle nearest the battle, ranged weapons flying while others remained poised to join the fight as it neared in order to let those on the outside reach the safety of the ring. The Hollows and Wraiths redoubled their efforts, filling the space between the two groups more firmly even at the howling cries of those impacted by blades and flames.

Sight of the group in the field was blocked by a wall of darkness and those within the circle fired carefully into what had previously been only shadow to avoid the risk of hitting one of their own. Nemo frowned with concentration as he stood next to Tomo, handing the experienced archer rune enhanced arrows, one after another. As Tomo paused, taking a moment longer to fire and aim, Nemo's attention wavered and a movement from the corner of his vision caught his eye. He turned towards the shore, "Oh no..." he whispered in disbelief. He handed over the last arrow to Tomo and grabbed the nearest member of the Thorn. "There!" he cried, regaining his voice.

Those in the circle turned and saw what had stolen Nemo's attention. From within the sand the Hollows and shadow puppets started to pour up onto the surface, filling the beach and cutting off any possible retreat to the sea.

"Thorn stay and get them back," Tomo growled as he turned his bow on the forming wall. Devi let out a roar and the water she had been spinning to a froth in the circle sped even faster. Winter and Mi-yen turned their aim to match Tomo's letting Nemo continue to hand out rune crafted arrows to both sides.

From above those in the circle saw Alaistar arriving in the light of the sinking sun, jumping in quick bursts, his staff at his side. A murmur ran through the shadows and an arch of blackness shot out from the surroundings. The whole of Rat Clan flew into the air after Alaistar Concussive explosions ripped through the air, bubbling the blanket of shadow that engulfed him, but held fast against his straining efforts.

Right behind came a flash of spinning disks that cut through the wall that had been set between the two groups of Virgil men and those on the beach. Another black arm reached out, blocking Renji's path towards the camp and forcing him towards the ground near the group on the plain, his katana and disks cutting through the shadow and darkness.

Devi stretched out with another push of power, trying to compound the circle of water with a ring of energy. Although her yellow glow passed around the threshold, it was no match for the efforts that the Wraiths were willing to take to reach their goal.

A heave from deep within the blackness shoved the Hollows nearest the ring of light and water forward, their bodies falling into the large gully and burning in the white foam. Yu poured the sand in on top of the bodies while the flaming arrows flew faster as the Hollows pushed in on all sides of the threshold while the battle on the plain and in the air continued. With a shudder another press of bodies were thrown at the threshold, filling the moat with writhing forms and corpses and creating a bridge into the circle. The mass broke the ring that Devi had been trying to maintain. As the threshold collapsed Winter and Nemo drew their blades and Mi-yen unsheathed the katana on her back.

The Wraiths and shadow puppets poured in over the backs of sacrificed Hollows. The Ox Wraith turned towards Winter and Devi, easily cutting them off from the others with its huge bulk as Devi reflexively put up the biggest shield of energy she could in the aftermath of her efforts with the ring and at least engulfed Winter within its protection. Tiger focused on Nemo and he swung with his long sword, trying to stay free of the darkness and tendrils. Nemo was no match for the intensity of the Tiger Wraith who cackled, and easily divided its attention to Tomo. The archer continued to sling arrows at the creature, lighting their tips with the last embers of the fires that had filled the campsite. Tomo's steps were slow, as all were given the quickness of the Wraiths and Tiger soon had him fighting arms of darkness with his bow, using it like a club. At Tiger's side came Snake who spread over the top of the circle, blocking out the fading light. It raced into the few members of the Thorn who were still within the camp, knocking them easily to the side as it raced towards the center.

Mi-yen was fighting off the tendrils of dark energy that wound towards her from all sides, a deadly combination of Snake and Tiger. The Wraiths had managed to isolate her within the circle, cutting her off from the other Nine and Thorn that had been fighting at her side. With a final shriek of effort, Tiger dove at her like an arrow, striking from all sides at once and engulfing her in a cocoon of blackness.

Another wail passed through the Wraith and Hollow mass; this time of victory. A press of flesh and energy shot off into the growing darkness from the broken threshold headed inland while the rest of the battles raged on.

As the sun finally sunk and night was coming on, the rest of the Hollows and Wraiths pulled back, leaving the dead, the wounded, and the survivors on the sand and grassy plains.

Virgil, Raven and the remaining Thorn had almost made it back to the beach when the Wraiths and Hollows retreated into the black night. As Alaistar dropped down from the air, finally free of the Rat Clan's assault, they all found the Thorn and the rest of the Nine within the ground up sand along the shore and the shredded threshold. The dead Hollows lay scattered about the field.

Virgil did a quick count, his eyes scanning over what remained of the Thorn, assessing the causalities and damage and his face grew stern at the grim situation. The standing Thorn and some of the Nine were breathing hard, but recuperating quickly. It was only then that Virgil caught sight of the katana sticking out of the ground in the center of the circle. He walked over to it, pulling Mi-yen's blade out of the sand, his gaze flashing around the circle with concern. He took another assessment of the situation, realizing that Renji was not with them either.

"Where is he?" he asked Raven who was looking over the damage from his shoulder. She dropped to her knee, eyes fluttering. Virgil didn't wait for her response, but turned to the Thorn. "Tend to the wounded, we'll have to burn the bodies." The Thorn who could, responded to his orders, each recovering as best they were able from the nightmare they had just endured. Virgil turned to Alaistar, Nemo and Devi, "Where would they have taken her?"

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Superheroes : FirstBattleAI2