Back so soon are you? Well I got just what you need. A five part mini series that will be over and done before you know it. This takes place after Scorn of The Star Seekers and before story 6. Let's take a look at our synopsis. The universe is an expansive environment with no end to the surprises it contains. But in such an infinite space only a small speck is important. That speck is in the form of a Decepticon on the run named Adhoc. One of the two Shadow Core Decepticons that were inspired by Sixshot to become an Autobot. The tale follows him being relentlessly hunted by two of his former associates to kill him for his betrayal. He finds himself stranded in a rust storm in one of the most hostile deserts. He seeks refuge in some ancient ruins uncovered by the storm with his pursuers hot on his tail. He also must he face off against the guardians that still function, and they don’t discriminate in who they attack. Low on energy, time, and ammo, he has to either elude or defeat his two superiors or die trying. In the end Adhoc makes a horrifying discovery of a piece of Cybertron’s history that was erased for a specific purpose as well as a hint of what’s to come.This is heavily inspired from Cliffjumper’s level in FOC, but with more grounded and personal stakes involved. In the background we also get some scenes that I cut from Scorn of the Star Seekers and a few scenes from story 6 I decided to include here instead. The main idea that you reader should grasp from this short story is that while there is always a tale that gets the headlines, even the smaller, more obscure events can be just as important in the grand scheme of things. So here’s our entire cast. Adhoc: (Cybertronian Helicopter) Neath Oum Bludgeon: (Cybertronian Tank) Hiroyuki Sanada Backlash: Kevin Pollak (Cybertronian Sport Bike) ?: David Sobolov ?: Wentworth Miller
Won't start writing until sometime next week, so in the mean time here are the character bios. Guardians: You remember them from Cliffjumper’s level, and they’re just as nasty as they were before. Nothing has changed about them outside why they were lurking around the ruins anyway. Adhoc: In a seemingly impossible turn of event we have a Transformers Universe Character taking the lead in this short drama. All Shadow Core Decepticons have a specific specialty unique to them and a nickname. His nickname was “The Loner” because he often did missions on his own, and when he did he often worked with Drift and Bludgeon since they were the martial arts weapon users. Adhoc’s specialty is being a mid to long range melee combat expert. His weapons being the perfect tools to constantly put enemies in a state of panic with his unorthodox fighting style and lighting fast attacks. If someone were able to match his weapon’s range or even get in close then he would find himself in danger. To make matters worse for himself, he is one of the lowest ranked members of the Shadow Core, who are often ranked by strength, intelligence, durability, experience, firepower, versatility, rallying effect, and combat skills. Being in the bottom five was always a hardship for Adhoc, but he always strived to improve himself. He has a high sense of honor, and eagerly joined the Decpeticons because he wanted to help his people be seen as true equals. Over the years he had found himself doubting his cause as it became more violent, and between Tarn and a few others methods becoming more monstrous. It wasn’t until Sixshot the fellow member he admired the most defected, and it was then he knew he had to follow suit. He and Drift left together but got separated when Backlash and Bludgeon began their chase after them. Now all alone he must deal with both of them or end up dying along with his dream to save his people. Melee: Naginata, a bladed staff with a curved blade used to stab bash or hook enemies. In the hands of a capable warrior like Adhoc is almost a guaranteed defeat. Guns: His sole gun is the A4 Pulsar rifle. The fire rate is atrocious, but those sticky bombs allow a more versatile type of advantage for him since he can let them explode naturally or remotely detonate them. Voice used: Ren from RWBY from volume 3 onward. Bludgeon: Sorry but this guy is not the Pretender he’s best known as. Not many Decpeticons have the level of respect from his peers the way Bludgeon has. Even Mgatron had appreciated his work ethic and dedication. While normally a stoic warrior he finds himself the angriest he’s ever been. All these betrayals from hs group is unacceptable, and he was more than willing to personally attend to the two recent deserters on Galvatron and Tarn’s behalf. He is the textbook definition of an immovable object. When he starts a mission he will weather any storm, move any obstacle in his way and won’t stop until the job. Just like Adhoc, Drift, and Sixshot, he has a large honor, but unlike them he has the fortitude to stick to his allegene even if they have strayed away from their original intent. His patience is tested due to working with Backlash, someone he has never liked or trusted. The only reasons he hasn’t killed him is because killing allies is immoral and the scarce amount of soldiers left makes it equally undesirable. Lucky for Backlash his talents will quell Bludgeon’s temper for now. Now that they have Adhoc in his crosshairs he knows victory is his. He outclasses him in just about every category. After all, what strength is there to someone who has no honor for their cause? His nickname is “Master of Metallikato”, which is a martial arts based on sword combat. It focuses on precision and power in their strikes. Only the most disciplined warrior can do that with every attack. As for his speciality he is a close to mid range specialist. Adhoc may have a slight distance advantage, but Bludgeon will guarantee that won’t be an issue. His design is based directly from his ROTF toy. Melee: As a master of the Metallikato he sports a katana and a tanto. A tanto is a short sword, but Bludgeon uses it like a dagger in case he feels extra vicious. Guns: He has the cannon from his tank form one stand by, and if he feels inclined he uses a charge laser rifle which can be fired from far away like a sniper rifle or it can be a short to mid range incapacitator. Voice used: He’s the dad from The Wolverine, you know the guy he fought after getting the robot parasite removed from his heart. Backlash: Another Transformers Universe character joins the fray, but this one only ever made the concept art stage. Seriously he looks like Prime Arcee and Starscream gave birth to a black Fracture before Fracture was ever a thing. Before the war there were plenty of groups of unaligned Cybertronians. Some for independence and others because they had no respect for laws or authority. Backlash was one of the latter. Before he joined the Decepticons Backlash was part of a tribe of bandits that hid out in one of the deserts. He and his gang would ambush supply vans from anyone who dare wander into their territory and take the supplies for themselves. His days of freedom came to an abrupt end when a supply run with Megatron and the Dreads stopped by. After a humiliating defeat they were at his mercy. Megatron saw potential in the tribe because of their skilled fighting and coordination. He offered them either life at the price of servitude, or death. All the bandits except Backlash killed themselves in defiance. He himself like living and swallowed his pride. From there Backlash was almost immediately placed in the Shadow Core. He later got the nickname “Scoundrel Tracker”. His area of expertise is tracking. He can see and detect paths and changes in the surface. His tech allows him to see differences in heat, x-ray through walls, and can see up to half an hour’s worth of trail from someone’s footprints. The closer he gets the brighter the color on his rader gets. Not to mention he’s one heck of a fighter. He is a self-preservationist at his core, and doesn’t like playing with others. He and Adhoc always had a rivalry, and have sparred in training sessions with each other. Of the ten times they fought Backlash won nine of them This dirtbag looks for weaknesses or something to exploit about the person he’s fighting. Then he loots their body and sells their body parts and tech on the black market. All the other Shadow Core hates him, but since he does quality work they let his antics slide for the most part. He’s ready to go for ten on Adhoc, but he is completely aware that it won’t be a simple cake walk. Melee: His sharp claws are his preferred opener, but in case he needs something extra those sharp protrusions sticking out of his spine detached from his back to become a spiked whip/club thing. Imagine getting a porcupine Gadgets: In addition to all his trancking tech he uses the wheels on the back of his wheels like bladed boomerangs. Guns: He has a pistol cannon that has ten rounds in it per mag. It can be used for long or short range, but does more damage from longer distances. Primarily used for headshots or incapacitating targets. Voice used: Fracture from RID
I like bludgeons personality the most,fractures VA, and lastly adhocs story so far, good lineup. Now let's see where this goes.
Interesting stuff. Adhoc is the one I'm looking forward to the most, as I've always loved seeing bad guys realize the error of their ways and seek redemption. It's an overused cliche, but certainly not a bad one. All I have to say about Bludgeon is that he sounds like he's going to be a badass villain. Backlash is kind of like a cross between Lockdown and Yamcha. A strange combination, but one that works. Can't wait to find out who those two mystery characters are.
What better way to start the new year then with a new release. Already a fifth of the way done with this thing. Here is Part 1: Into the Ruins Cybertron, in an unlikely period of peace. All parties seem to have taken a break from all the endless fighting. Even Quintessa is at piece with Alpha Quintesson actually treating his subordinates like people. Not equal, but people. It’s a start anyway. This little tale takes place three days before the sixth adventure, but not everything you see follows in its footsteps. In a lonely little spaceship made for one passenger, a lone Decepticon named Adhoc. He looks like his concept art but slimmer, and a different head that looks closer in shape to the Japanese straw coolie hat to better fit the eastern warrior theme. The part that would normally conceal his face is broken so it is shown full time. His face is also more humanoid and thin with a sharper angle with blue eyes and an X shaped scar on his left cheek. Based on the coloration this wound was recent. He tries to radio into his fellow turncoat Drift. “Adhoc to Drift, come in. I know you made it into Cybertron’s atmosphere a few hours ago. Just know that I’m not too far behind. I think after all this time from being chased we finally lost them.” Fate is ever the cruel fiend that revels in the misery of the innocent. Adhoc is instantly attacked by two small Decepticon fighters that damage his ship’s rear engines. “I should’ve known it wouldn't work out so well for me!” Thankfully the ship isn’t damaged enough to stop working. Adhoc is forced to descend into the lower atmosphere, and based on the geography he’s about to hit one of the largest deserts on the planet known as the Devil’s Breath. It earned the name because it has the most violent and unpredictable sandstorms on the planet. The span of a minute can be drastically different from the next. The most violent of hurricanes on Earth don’t even compare to the power of their rust storms. They can come as quickly as they go do an eerie deafening silence. Cartographers have completely abandoned all attempts to map the area because of the fluctuating weather and constantly changing landscape. It’s a worse case scenario for Adhoc, who has his ship pelted by the incoming rust storm. Tons of rust gets into his engines and jams it forcing him to have a crash landing, but with skill and an iron resolve he manages to stick a mostly perfect landing. At the very end the left wing of his ship breaks off and makes it spin around. Suffice to say the ship serves no purpose to him. He kicks open his cockpit and stumbles out of the ground. The winds are calm for the time being. “The two of of you are relentless, but I should expect nothing less from the two of you.” The two individuals are in their own respective ships. The first is a black variant of the G1 pyramid seeker vehicles but with spikes decorated all over. The second is more round and had a decorative war paint in the shape of a samurai skull as an homage to Bludgeon’s Pretender shell. Adhoc scrambles and grabs a pipe that came out of the wreckage of his ship and starts running across the sand dunes. He failed to notice that parts of the wreckage perfectly fell into place spelling out Transformers: Ruins of The Forgotten briefly before the winds blow everything out of place. Adhoc is busy running as both ships try to shoot him on the ground, but he throws rust into their window to obscure their view momentarily. The pyramid shaped ship quickly turns around and fires dangerously close to him. While the shots don’t actually get him they impact is close enough to get him launched into the air and hit a nearby dune. He forcefully rolls down the dune and he spits out the rust. The ships are coming in hot and Adhoc is running out of options. The scene ends abruptly to a transition to somewhere in the universe. This scene takes place one week after Thundertron’s defeat. A random green planet is simply minding its own business until something flashes in its atmosphere. The flash is actually two flashes in the form of two flying figures descending to the ground below. It doesn’t take long for the figures get close enough to be identified as The Fallen and Mindwipe. The two transform before they land with Mindwipe doing a little side spin before he hits the ground. The Fallen looks over his surroundings as the planet seems to be fairly normal with grassy pastures, but the sky is green. “Not much has changed since I last stepped foot on this world.” “Master, this place is hideous. Why are we even here?” “Because this place is known for housing the worst of the worst. The dregs of society clamor to this planet like moths to a light. I’ve befriended a few of the locals. They give me information that may catch my interest, and in many cases potential recruits to our cause. How else did you think I recruited another three Decepticons there were recently outcast? They came here looking for a place to suit their needs and I was their angels answering their prayers.” “So are we here because there is another potential recruit?” “Indeed we are. A strange newcomer fell from the sky with severe injuries that matched a familiar face we knew of.” “How did he survive the fall if he was already so heavily injured?” “I’d say the planet’s gravity had something to with it. It’s far more like a cushion in nature compared to Cybertron, Earth, or even the artificial gravity of the Tidalwave. That and this one has a particular strong resolve. He’s the perfect candidate to become a Herald.” “What makes you think he would join us so willingly?” “Because he has nothing left. That’s how you lure people into a cult. You feed into their insecurities. Make them feel like they’ve gone beyond rock bottom. Feed them the information that they want to hear, the promises of absolution and importance. Everyone yearns for a place to belong. We will present ourselves as the only choice he could make. All his wants and needs can be achieved if he joins us, and that is how our numbers have finally begun to increase.” “Or we could recruit him with force. I can simply hypnotize him to do our bidding without fail.” “There is no fun in that, mindwipe. Even if you did that with him you can’t control all the new recruits, not yet anyway. You simply aren’t strong enough yet. Your fighting skills have improved significantly since your battle inside Unicron, but you mind control powers hasn’t made the same leaps yet.” “I can control more people and have greater lengths than before. They have “Significant strides they indeed re, but it’s not enough. We are going against several planets worth of people. We need more.” “Then let us free Thunderwing, or is he not that important after all?” “Thunderwing is crucial to our plans, and his reality-altering powers would speed things up. We still don’t know where he is, so we have to do it this way until the day of judgement arrives.” “Our progress still feels slow. You had only yourself, Thunderwing, and his batch before he was imprisoned Then you found me and my brother ,and then we recruited Sideways with Unicron’s help, and it stayed that way until Sideways recruited the one Autobot and the three Decepticons. Now he’s dead and we got three more members since then. Not a lot of progress.” “You are correct, but I will say for the most part the individuals we have recruited are of high quality in both power and dedication to the cause. Enough chatting we have to search for the pub.” They teleport around until they see smoke in the distance of the forest. “There we are. I don’t remember its exact location, but I know a shortcut.” The Fallen’s left hand has two rings materialize around it. He shoots one out in front of them and it becomes a portal. He shoots the other one up into the sky to become the portal that will connect to the first on the ground. They step inside and exit out the second portal where the pub is directly beneath them. They both teleport in front of the native bodyguard, who is a green alien warthog wearing a helmet and armor. His body is humanoid in appearance and fat. Hre has a nose ring and he has a severe underbite. His coworker is off to the side Native: -oink- “Get lost, we hate people with different appearances from us.” Native 2: “Yeah I hate different.” Fallen: “Is that a fact? I remember this place being a melting pot of all types of malcontents. Speaking of which where is Alyx? He was the bouncer here.” Native 1: “He died in a botched drug deal, so get lost.” Native 2: “Or get shredded toaster man.” Fallen: “I implore you to let us in. We won’t be long.” Mindwipe: “Or I can make you move.” Fallen: “Ah yes, use you mind control.” Mindwipe disobeys orders and decapitates the grotesque pig within seconds. His associate is frozen in disbelief. The Fallen is most surprised that Mindwipe made the conscious decision to disobey him,and equally impressive was the speed in which he killed him. If he wasn’t paying even a little bit of attention he may not have caught the whole thing. Fallen: -sigh- “So it’s happening this way I see.” He snaps his fingers, and a small spark makes contact with the second pig’s skin, and he bursts into flames until he finally dies. Fallen: (joshing) “I had no idea bacon and disappointment shared the same scent.” Mindwipe: “They annoyed me with their repulsiveness..” Fallen: “Why didn’t you just use your powers?” Mindwipe: (condescending) “There is no fun in that, master.” The Fallen is taken aback by Mindwipe’s sudden increase in bravado. Fallen: “While I support your curiosity to take alternative paths I advise you keep to yourself. We are here to make allies not enemies.” Mindwipe: “Very well, but I don’t want to be seen as just your attack dog. There is something so gratifying about getting my hands dirty. I almost forgot how good it feels to physically hold dominance over someone else.” Fallen: “I see, maybe all this time has softened me up a bit.” Mindwipe: (cold) “I share your hypothesis.” The two open the door where all sorts of alien scum partake in drinking, dancing, and fighting. It’s your typical bar no matter where in the universe. At the very end of the room there is a lone table where the lights are off, and there is the hand of someone with a drink. The Fallen gestures to Mindwipe that they’ve found their man. Both take a seat on the mysterious individual. A light is seen, but it turns out to be his eye, and just one eye. It’s not centered like a cyclops, but it’s where a left eye would be. The hand itself is green with some bukky fingers. Even his voice is gruff and familiar, with some heavy sophistication behind it. ?: “What do you want?” Fallen: “I wish to help you.” ?: “You’ve done enough helping to me. Or shou;d I remind you what your precious gift cost me?” Fallen: “So he told you about me?” ?: “When Megatronus, the disgraced Prime of the Thirteen walks into your room offering you the means to destroy your enemies then there is no doubt that information would be trusted with a select few.” Fallen: “And what did you think?” ?: “I think you can’t be trusted. Your help cost me everything. I would kill you if I could, but I know I am no match for you.” Mindwipe: -hissing- “Your disrespect will not go unnoticed!” Fallen: “Easy, Mindwipe, we’re here to bring him purpose.” ?: “I had a purpose once, but now I am alone and humiliated, and I have no idea what became of the others.” Fallen: “I have first-hand knowledge of the events of what happened to your crew.” ?: “Tell me everything.” Fallen: “That information comes at a price.” ?: “Name your price, but don’t lie about the information. I will know.” Fallen: “If I tell you then you will hear me out on my offer.” ?: “Very well, I’ll indulge your provocation.” Fallen: “Sad to say your mission failed. Your engineer was smashed to bits, your ice friend melted away, your shark friend committed suicide, and Lazerback was viciously executed. As for your captain he was defeated by Rodimus but he managed to wound the Prime. Galvatron came and brutalized your dear captain, and he died from the wounds he suffered. Your ships exploded and you are one of four of your crew still living. The others are held captive by Galvatron.” ?: (solemn) “My ship is destroyed, my family is gone, my captain is gone, and yet I still live as a broken man. If the rest of my family is alive then I must rescue them." Fallen: “You can still save them, but only if you join us.” ?: “Why would you help me?” Fallen: “Because one day in the near future there will be a universal event that will make all of our enemies progress be all in vain.” ?: “Why would I serve a cause of god who died to a mere mortal?” Fallen: “If you think death is the end for the god of death then you are haven’t expanded your mind for the greatness that awaits.” ?: “I see that I’m left with little choice. My only hope is to save what little remains of my family.” “And in that you guarantee your survival and gain a new family” The person leads in to reveal himself if the hints haven’t already given him away. With his round, damaged face in full view, the former navigator of the Star Seekers Grimwing has survived and looks to finish what Thundertron started. The Fallen hands him a communicator in the shape of the Herald’s faction symbol. Grimwing: “What is this?” Mindwipe: (displeased) “For a navigator your deductive skills are quite poor.” Fallen: “I’m sure you realize that communication is key to running a cult. You will meet our new recruits, and the natives that will help heal your body. We must go now, but I shall take you there.” The Fallen opens a portal that Grimwing reluctantly enters and is closed behind him. He gestures to Mindwipe for them both to leave the bar. Mindwipe: “What will we do, master?” Fallen: “Now we wait. We have specific tasks to be done, but they can’t be completed until we have the right intel. Come, let us return to Earth and hide for the time being.” The two portal back to Earth as we cut back to Adhoc’s situation with his pursuers. He staggers trying to get his footing together. Time is running out fast as the spiked ship is coming at him and trying to ram him. The other ship is bombarding him, and he gets caught in the edge of the ensuing explosion which singes his back Time is running out, but the one advantage he has is the circular ship has a poor turning radius unike the spiked one. The thin ship turns around sharply ready for another run. Adhoc calmly grips his weapon and bends his knees ready to strike. The driver doesn’t seem to notice or care, but instead challenges him to a game of chicken. When he gets close enough Adhoc jumps and flips above the ship and slices off the left wing. Adhoc looks behind him as the ship crashes. The pilot exits the cockpit as the ships is spinning around the rust. He rides the jet like surfboard and seems to be having fun rather than be upset. The rounder ship makes its way trying to shoot at Adhoc, but he throws the pipe in his hand right into the cockpit. The silhouette of the pilot doesn’t even flinch as it barely misses his head. It reaches the controls and it is forced to crash land but it lands correctly. Adhoc: “Time for me to take my leave.” Adhoc steps forward, but a bullet is shot right in front of him, making him freeze up. The culprit is a black and grey Decepticon with large spike protruding from his back. He has gold highlights on where eyebrows would be, the palms of his hands, his knee spikes, and the parts of his arm from the end of his shoulders to the start of his elbows. He even has a small gold, metallic goatee that has its lower half split down the middle into two thin, sharp, forks. Even his voice makes him sound like a complete dirtbag. He is Backlash the tracker, and this is like a highschool reunion, but with murder being tonight’s special event. Backlash: “Well if it isn’t my old buddy Adhoc! You’ve been quite the pest. We’ve been chasing you for almost a year nonstop. I don’t get why you just don’t give up. We might’ve lost Drift, but you are the easier target since you are one of our weakest links.” Adhoc: “Just leave me be, Backlash. The Decepticons have lost their way. How can you possibly stick with them with the current state they’re in?” Backlash: “As if you needed to ask. I have full permission to sell your parts on the black market. I never really liked you, in fact I quite hated you. Now I finally have a legitimate reason to kill you. What upstanding citizen like myself would pass up on such an opportunity?” The real ice breaker occurs when a large fist punches the glass of the cockpit completely off the round ship. The pilot slowly gets up and walks menacingly to Backlash, never averting his gaze from Adhoc. His name is Bludgeon, the master of Metallikato. He is the superior to both Adhoc and Backlash. Without saying a word he unsheathes his giant katana blade. The sparks from his damaged ship make contact with the fuel tanks and it explodes behind Bludgeon. The flames of the explosions is mere centimeters from touching his body. The haunting image of his skull mask face makes Adhoc step back in fear. Backlash snickers to himself knowing that the two of them can take him. Bludgeon finally speaks in his powerful, commanding, and borderline divine voice. Bludgeon: “Traitor, you have been running on borrowed time,and now it has finally run out.” Adhoc: “Bludgeon, I implore you to stop this. You’re a good person I know it. I know you feel conflicted about the changes in our regime.” Bludgeon (unphased) “The empty words of a traitor mean nothing, especially from standing on the very ground he desecrates.” Adhoc: “I believed in honor and values of virtue, and you once believed in that too.” Bludgeon: “I believe in that too. My stance on our faction has not changed. While there are complications that make it harder to follow, I means I must try harder to preserve my loyalty. Every obstacle in my path I have overcome. Any storm I have outlasted, and every fight I ensure my victims are dead or on the verge of it.” Adhoc: “You must feel conflicted about how extreme our methods have become.” Bludgeon: “No. My opinion doesn’t matter. I am a soldier, and soldiers follow orders no matter how heinous the action. I know my place, and you were foolish enough to believe yourself above us all.” Adhoc: “That’s not it at all. I wanted to break free from these chains that made me feel more like a prisoner than a warrior for justice.” Bludgeon: “You dishonor us. The Shadow Core’s very name is becoming synonymous with deserters and traitors. To redeem our stolen honor you, Drift, Sixshot, and Fracture must die. Leadfoot is no more, and you’re next.” Adhoc: “I don’t want to fight you.” Backlash: “Thanks for making it easier for us!” Adhoc: “I never said I won’t.” Backlash: -grinning- “Even more fun.” Bludgeon: “That’s why you didn’t kill me with that pipe. I didn’t move because I knew you lacked the vertebrate to do what is necessary. That’s why you’re one of the lowest ranked among us. It was no accident.” Adhoc: “Be that as it may I won’t make that mistake again.” Bludgeon: “Your death be so fast your won’t have time to regret your mistakes.” Backlash: “Hey make sure to leave some for me!” Backlash makes the first move by swiping his claws at Adhoc, who blocks everything but Backlash’s speed makes it difficult to keep it up. Bludgeon slowly walks to the battle, putting himself in an attacking stance. Backlash does a kick to Adhoc’s knee to knock him off balance, and Bludgeon finally is close enough to do an overhead slash so strong it knocks Adhoc on his back. Adhoc rolls backwards and regains his footing as Backlash is jumping around at his sides while Bludgeon presses from the front. All of Bludgeon’s attacks go as he intends it. Adhoc is being knocked around and one of the attacks scrapes the glass on Adhoc’s chest. Bludgeon kicks him to make him fall on his back once more, but this time Backlash jumps and lands right on his chest. The sudden pain makes Adhoc cough up spit. Backlash tries to claw out his face, but Adhoc blocks it with his naginata, and then uses the momentum to roll Backlash over and behind him. Adhoc quickly goes for a sweep of the legs with his weapon, but Backlash hops over it and kicks him in the face. Adhoc gets back up and presses the attack to force Backlash back, and Bludgeon takes the opportunity to attack. Adhoc narrowly avoids a left slash and counters with an attack of his own, but Bludgeon blocks it fast enough that it actually makes Adhoc stumble to the side. It was like hitting a rock. Adhoc tries again and the same result happens, but Bludgeon gives him a hard punch to the stomach, making him clutch it in pain. Adhoc tries to do an uppercut with his blade, but Bludgeon attacks him so viciously it knocks the naginata out of Adhoc’s hands. Bludgeon goes for a stab and manages to pierce a small hole in the upper right side of his stomach, but the wound is superficial. Adhoc falls on his stomach, clutching it in pain. He tries crawling to his weapon, but Bludgeon grabs him by the head and slams him head-first into the ground twice. He picks him up again and looks at him with utter disgust before slamming him down one last time. Bludgeon: “You went out as weak as I thought.” Backlash: “Let’s finish this. I want his spark to be sold at a premium price!” Bludgeon raises his sword to stab him in the chest, but Adhoc proves he is part of the Shadow Core for a reason. He desperately throws two handfuls of rust right into Bludgeon’s face, so he is now blind and misses his attack. Bludgeon: (roaring) “You would dare dishonor me further with such cowardly tactics?” Adhoc: "You gave me no choice!” Bludgeon is still slashing blindly, and that gives Adhoc enough time to grab his weapon and stab Bludgeon above his right ankle. It forces him to go down on one knee so Adhoc can gain distance. Backlash is still close enough to fight him, and they exchange attacks, but they get in a weapon lock together. Backlash: "Now that’s more like it! I was starting to think it would be like last time we fought, but you actually want to live.” Adhoc: “I’ll do whatever it takes!” Adhoc manages to lift Backlash above his head and uses the nagnata to fling him into the air far enough to get the right distance he needs. Backlash lands on his feet, but Adhoc can finally transform into his helicopter form and starts gaining air and more distance. Bludgeon sees that running is no longer an option because of his small injury and transforms into his heavily armored tank. He fires shell after shell but keeps missing. Bludgeon: “Backlash, get him!” Backlash: “On it!” Backlash transforms into a motorcycle and drives in pursuit of Adhoc. The speed of the bike does gain some ground over the helicopter’s slow acceleration, but Adhoc starts gaining a higher altitude and distance. Bludgeon: “Shoot him down already!” Backlash transforms back and pulls out his gun, a 10 round revolver shaped like a classic SCI-FI death ray. Backlash: “Geez, you’re more trouble than you’re worth!” He fires most of his clip. The first four shots miss, and then two hit the body of the helicopter. The first sticks in its side while the other one completely penetrates and exits out the other side. Backlash fires one last shot, and in slow motion it takes out the edge of one of the helicopter blades. He comes spiraling down. He transforms back and then transforms again and tries does his hardest to move the rotors fast enough to slow his descent. As unlikely as the idea is it does work to some degree. Adhoc transforms back one last time and shoots something into the ground that Backlash doesn’t notice. Bludgeon has been driving his tank at top speed and almost manages to catch up to Backlash. Backlash: “Oh I love it when they fall!” Adhoc clutches his arm in pain as he discovers his shoulder got dislocated from the fall. He sets it back in place, yelling out in pain after finishing. He takes a minute to regain his composure and then begins to frantically run. The winds are finally starting but it’s so mild it’s almost impossible to know. Bludgeon transforms back into robot mode as he’s close enough to Backlash to warrant it. Backlash resume his chase on foot. Backlash: “There’s nowhere to run now!” Bludgeon sees something shining in front of Backlash, who doesn’t notice. Bludgeon realizes what’s going as there is no time left. Bludgeon: “Backlash, retreat now!” Backlash stops suddenly. Backlash: “What are you on about?” Backlash sees in the distance Adhoc is holding something in his hand. He recognizes it as a detonator. That’s when Backlash hears something pulsating beneath his feet. A circular blob with a red glowing nucleus that slowly sways on the ground. Backlash retreats, but it’s too late. Adhoc detonates the explosion and Backfire is caught halfway in the blast. It doesn’t kill him, but it does burn his back and sends him right into Bludgeon. Bludgeon is unphased and swats Backlash away like a fly so he doesn’t run into him. Adhoc takes the opportunity to start running again Bludgeon resumes the chase but is interrupted by an angry Backlash. Backlash: (bitter) “What was that for?” Bludgeon: “You were in my way.” Backlash: “You didn’t have to do that. You could've just caught me.” Bludgeon: “I chose the path that allows me to continue the pursuit quickest. Helping you would only hinder me." Backlash: “You got some nerve, bigshot!” Bludgeon: “Are you dead? Are you in a state of complete disrepair?” Backlash: “Well no, but-” Bludgeon: (sharply) “Then cease your whining and press onward.” Backlash: “For a man of so called high honor you sure have horrible manners." Bludgeon finally shows some anger and punches Backlash in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He slams him down on the ground and then picks him up and starts to strangle him with one hand. Bludgeon: (menacing) “You made the mistake of challenging my honor when you yourself have been nothing but a self-serving coward. When Megatron found you, you were little more than a rat feeding on the scraps of the giants that towered over you. I never liked you, in fact I hate you almost as much as I hate Adhoc, Sixshot, and Drift right now. All the missions I ever had with you are the ones I hated the most. Not a day went but when I didn’t dream of snuffing you out when we were alone. Your skills are nothing compared to mine. I am the immovable object. My skills have few equals and even fewer superiors. I can’t believe Galvatron sent you to be my aid, but you were all that remains. I should kill you right now. Nobody would question the word of a man of high standing such as myself if I said Adhoc managed to kill you during our hunt.” Bludgeon tightens his grip, but Backlash stabs Bludgeon’s hands with all his fingers. He releases him as all the holes on his hand start to bleed. He takes no notice of Backlash and pulls out a giant cloth he wraps around his wounded hand to stop the bleeding. Backlash: “Oh yeah? You’re forgetting something about me! You forget why I was picked to accompany you. It was because my tracking skills are second to none. You’re right, compared to you I would not defeat you. You’re one of the best fighters out of all of us. We all have our talents. You don’t have to like me, but you better acknowledge my speciality and use to you.” Bludgeon: “Your words are correct. I will admit I would be lost without your direction. I will allow you to lead the way. We were assigned as a team and we will work as one, as long as you are willing to as well.” Backlash: “You got yourself a deal, but let’s hurry.” Backlash starts running forward, but the legendary winds finally make themselves known and make Backlash go flying backwards. Bludgeon barely stays put and manages to grab Backlash before he flies past him. He starts pulling them both against the current. Backlash: “Are you crazy? The winds are too strong.” Bludgeon: “We keep moving forward.” Backlash: “We’ll never make it!” Bludgeon: “I said we keep moving forward!” Backlash: “But why?” Bludgeon: “Because this may be our one chance to get him. These winds are powerful, but they only delay us for so long. There is no storm that has ever conquered me, and I will press on no matter what it takes. We’re a team, and either we both make it out of this alive or we don’t come back at all. Adhoc will die, and we will make sure of it together.” While Bludgeon proves himself a legend by moving against the triple digit speeds of the wind we return to Adhoc, who is still running. A new force of wind knocks him forward, and he is rolled until he reaches a part of the sand area vastly different from the rest. It seems like he’s approaching the beginning of a sand pit. Looking over it he sees that it looks to go on for miles and miles without end. With no choice but to follow the path he slides down several stories of sand onto the flat surface below. When he hits the ground he finds himself hitting a hard surface, an oddity for the texture of the floor to just drastically change. Adhoc kicks some rust over and finds a metallic and stone ground. “What is this?” He crouches down and wipes more away and discovers the head of a statue sporting the appearance of Megatronus. It’s broken up but still recognizable. “A shrine to him? I don’t remember there being many left intact like this." The winds kick off revealing more statues of the other Primes like Alpha Trion, Vector, Solus, and Quintus. “Incredible, a set of statues forgotten by time, and this is what’s left of where it stood. A marvel to be sure.” The desert has more surprises as dunes of rust are blown away by the winds to reveal an entire city buried. Adhoc can’t believe what he’s seeing as something doesn’t seem right by the state it’s in. More statues are topples over and it looks like there are remnants of burn marks and several holes. There isn’t a body to be found. Not even a single spare part. It’s like all the inhabitants fled or vanished from whatever caused this. The city just seems to go on for tens of miles, and now revealed to Adhoc is the opening of a doorway In front of the doorway lays a fountain with an imposing statue of a horned individual sitting in chair with a cruel grin on his face. The thing about the chair seems rather familiar, almost like something was mentioned back in Eradication. Adhoc knows all too well who this is and looks at the statue with disdain. “Liege Maximo, the trickster of the Thirteen. The original evil among our demigods. Megatronus may have killed you in cold blood, but you were the reason they all fell from grace. Critics will always point the finger on your brother, but I know you were no hero.” His design is exactly as his depiction in Exodius as a robot Loki. Adhoc walks off not even giving the statue a second thought and enters the ruins, closing the door behind him. Adhoc is going through a visual overload trying to understand what this place could be. Descriptions will come next time, but you can use Cliffjumper’s FOC level as the general idea, but with far less metal and more stone and rocks. Adhoc takes the time to remove the bullet in his body and flicks it out, not really paying attention to the blood trail he leaves behind. Soon after Bludgeon and Backlash come across the ruins from the top of the pit. “What the heck is this place?” “It’s where Adhoc is no doubt hiding.” "Yeah but what is this place exactly?” “I don’t care what it is. What matters is our objective.” “So I take it you have no clue either.” “This looks like an early civilization, but we know of all the first cities...and yet.” “And yet this is nothing like the texts.” “Something horrible happened here. This was no ordinary disaster." “Glad we weren’t around when it happened.” The two come across the statue of Liege Maximo, and Bludgeon’s tone becomes more reserved. “This statue is nothing but an omen.” “An omen for what?” Bludgeon looks back at him, his eyes becoming far more intense. (intense) “Death.” (nervously) “Well um, maybe we should let Adhoc fall victim to the omen alone.” “No, we must stay the course.” “But the omen means death like you said.” “Death will not stop me for it is not my time. Together we will make death realize it does not control us, we control it. Adhoc is to die by our hands and our hands alone." “You’re quite inspiring when you’re not trying to kill me. Let’s go, champ!” Backlash decides to disrespect the statue by mutilating it. “That’s what I think of your omen!” “Begin the search.” Backlash agrees and they enter the same hallways, but they go down a path the ruins did not present Adhoc. The statue had suffered Backlash’s wrath by rotating his horns 180 degrees so it looks like he has head fangs. In fact, it gives off a sense of deja vu. Like it takes the form of something he was known for in another life. The winds pick up more intense than ever as one last frame of the statue is seen before it cuts back to Adhoc. “I know they're looking for me, but this place is so massive I doubt they’ll find me.” Adhoc is about ten minutes into the hallways of the ruins where he goes past a skinny cycloptic statue. It changes into a first person point of view from the statue’s perspective, but it’s pitch black. Adhoc’s footsteps are long gone, and red text appears on the upper right. “Motion sensors triggered, resurrecting mass search protocol.” The statue wasn’t a statue at all. It’s a living machine, too primitive to count as real life yet has some level of autonomy. There are hundreds of the same type of robot activating all across the ruins. Adhoc inadvertently made the journey more difficult for the three of them. The robot speaks in a deep and more mechanical sounding voice than current Cybertronians. “No survivors, must shroud the past.”
Not gonna lie I'm kinda routing for grimwing to get some revenge on Galvatron. Galvatron has it coming. What the hell has adhoc stumbled upon? The writing has really improved here. It's looking to be the best of the series so far.
