Chase jumped over a duplicate creature and threw her magic stars. They tore into the neck of the creature until its head came free. It vanished in a puff of smoke and then reassembled and dashed toward her.
An egg hit it and exploded, covering it in expanding sticky goo. EB raced by, throwing more eggs at others. “They just reappear. We have to stop them, but not kill them, they... yah!” A ghostly old man creature conjured up a vine that lifted EB off the ground and then slammed him repeatedly against the earth.
An earsplitting whistle exploded as a beam of light erupted under the old man creature, destroying it in the column of bright blue. Another column took a different creature, and then a third.
Strange Quark created more beams of light as he said, “These things aren’t alive. They are like those shadows I faced in that other realm, just smoke. We take out one, another replaces it.”
EB, staggering after his quick impacts against the ground, said, “Or... a dozen.”
Chase summoned her stars into her hands again as she watched even more of these creatures materialize around them. It was just two different creatures over and over. One walked on the ground, the other hovered over it, yet they both had the same powers over nature. She threw her stars, but there was little they could do against the growing numbers.
“We’re dead.” EB muttered.
Strange Quark landed between them and held out his hands, a bubble of blue light formed around them. The creatures encountered the barrier, and it stopped them. “I can keep them at bay.”
“Gar!” Chase pointed at their ally who was currently fighting three at once.
“What about Nova?” EB pointed at their leader.
Nova was still fighting the enemy with his sword. He cut vines and slashed at him. Yet, the dark oracle seemed unfazed by the damage it was receiving.
Nova twisted around in a quick motion, slicing five vines just as they shot up out of the earth. He then jumped and swung down to bisect his enemy. The dark oracle jumped back and then held up his claw, and more vines grew up around Nova’s legs.
“The Nova is foolish to fight me.”
Nova stabbed the vines around his legs. “The Malevolence is foolish to attack this world while I still breathe.”
The dark oracle smiled as it flew up into the air. “Then the Nova does not need to breathe.” Both of its hands glowed bright green as hundreds of vines trapped Nova, several gripping around his neck and squeezing. He fought and writhed around, but the vines overwhelmed him.
Hundreds of blasts of energy in various colors rained down from above. Some hit the creatures, and some focused directly on the dark oracle. Heroes flew down from the sky. The sheer volume of power overcame the dark oracle, and a flash of light exploded where he had been.
Tri-blade landed and used his enchanted blades to help cut Nova free. “I think we got him.” Tri-blade laughed.
Nova coughed as he looked at the smoking crater where the dark oracle fell to the power of the heroes. He took up his sword and walked toward the enemy. Unlike the confident posture of the surrounding heroes, Nova was ready for an attack.
“He couldn’t have survived that.” Tri-blade said, “Everyone, take out those creatures.”
Just then, the dark oracle rose from the crater, unscathed by the bombardment, with that same wicked smile on his face. “Fantastic. The source has arrived.”
“What the hell?” Tri-blade prepared himself for a fight.
The dark oracle held up his hands, palms upward, and his face looked to the darkening skies. “Feed.”
The heroes staggered and fell to their knees. They cried out in pain as they gripped their faces and chests. Green sparkles formed on their skin.
“What are you doing?” Nova bellowed.
“That which is mine, I shall feed upon.”
Nova looked around and only then realized the horrible truth. Though people had affinities toward certain morphons, everyone had some of each type. This dark oracle used that to consume the very energy that fed the heroes their powers.
Nova started for the dark oracle when dozens of the creatures attacked him. He destroyed one after another, but they were limitless and felt no fear or pain.
“DOCTOR HENDERSON!” An intern yelled from the medical lab on the BADGE space station.
Dr. Henderson, who had been looking over data in the bio lab, rushed to the call for help. “What is... oh, no.”
She stood in the room where they had placed the fallen heroes for recovery. They were all still on IV bags to help them restore their strength. Now, they all had a green glow around them and were moaning and crying in pain.
The intern said, “I just came in here and found them like this. Look... she’s awake.”
Dr. Lily Fagan was now moving and wincing in pain. She also had a green glow, but there were small leaves and flowers in hers.
“We have to alert Nova.” The intern said.
Dr. Henderson walked over to Dr. Fagan’s bed. “This is odd. Her numbers are... off. She doesn’t look in pain, she looks sad, or angry. What’s going on? What are they doing down there?”
“What should we do?”
Doctor Henderson reached over to check a computer sensor beside Dr. Fagan’s bed when the woman suddenly turned into a pile of leaves that fell across the bed and onto the floor. The intern let out a scream as Dr. Henderson slowly picked up a leaf.
“I have never seen anything like this.”
Nova swiped and slashed with his sword, cutting down endless enemies before him. Enemies held his legs and continually grabbed his arms.
Stone hands reached over and grabbed two of the enemies and threw them away. Eggs exploded on the faces of two others, and stars hit the eyes of three.
“You need help?” Chase asked, standing right beside Nova and grabbing a creature by the neck and then kicking it away.
Gar threw out his wings to knock creatures back and then put his fist right through the chest of one.
A blue light pushed away half a dozen as Strange Quark flew over. “We gotta get out of here before we all die. I can try to zap us away.”
“Do it!” Nova yelled, still fighting.
Quark snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. “That’s strange.”
Nova shoved his blade into the belly of a creature and then kicked another in the face.
EB clapped his paws together and then cried out, “NO NO NO, MY POWERS!”
Gar snatched the bunny before he was nabbed by a creature heading for him.
One grabbed Chase by the waist and attempted to squeeze her in half. She jabbed two of her blades into its neck and then sliced down. Nova followed up with a blade across its back. She fell to the ground and said, “I never thought I would die like this.”
Strange Quark once again shoved the enemies back with his power and created a barrier around them. The bubble barrier once again stopped the attackers. “This can’t be the end.”
“Can you protect the others?” Nova asked.
EB shivered, “I don’t think he can. It is still draining my power. Wow, I feel funny.”
Quark looked at the dying heroes and shook his head, “This Malevolence is too powerful. It defies my abilities. I can just keep the creatures away.”
EB held his chest. “I... don’t feel so good.” Falling to the ground, he struggled to breathe.
“EB!” Nova knelt down and held the bunny. “You can’t die on me. I won’t let you.”
EB managed a smile. “You really do care.”
“DAMNIT, OF COURSE I CARE.”
“That's ... the best thing... I’ve ever heard. Wish... you hadn’t...” EB closed his eyes.
“EB! EB!” Nova screamed in pained agony.
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