S2 Chapter 11: Doom, Part 2

Ryukai watched in awe as the red-shadow energy punctured the earth. Bolts of red lightning flew downwards and the entire planet began to shake. He entered Ragnarok mode and began to leave the planet.

As he looked down he saw wisps of shadow emerging from the ground. Suddenly the ground began to explode and dark energy unlike anything he had ever seen poured out.

By the time he had reached space he realized that the entire planet had become shadow. There was a large red center and Ragnarok looked upon a renewed enemy. Lord Valoth had become Mephisto again, but this time it was different.

The dark Gundam was crackling with red energy and large red crystal spikes emerged from its joints. Ragnarok identified this as Crystallized Doom.

Mephisto II left the former planet and from the darkness Shadowscythe ships began to emerge. Ryukai was shocked as he saw the entire planet turn into an army of Shadowscythe.

He expected Mephisto II to attack, but instead he headed for the EbilCorp fleet. Ryukai sensed the army of Soul Eaters was aboard those ships. After the Mina incident he was now able to sense the Soul Eaters.

Mephisto II entered a rage and fired its beams of doom lightning upon the fleet. The ships were relatively unaffected, but Valoth was happy. This new Gundam’s power was amazing. The lightning attack was one of the weakest. It was time to test the resilience of EbilCorp against the true might of the Shadowscythe.

From his hands came large claws of crystallized doom. The Shadow Gundam flew forward and landed atop one of the ships. Mephisto pulled its fists back and then slammed its claws into the hull of the ship. A weak energy barrier initiated, but after a few seconds it was crushed under the might of the doom energy. Valoth ripped open the ship and entered it. Within a few moments he emerged as the ship exploded.

“Ryukai, are you there?” said a voice over the Gundam’s communication channel.

“Warlic is that you? You escaped Necryptos?” he asked feeling guilty for forgetting them momentarily.

“Yes. The Dark Lady used her power to create a transport for us. We are headed back to Loreon to gather their military.”

“It doesn’t look like that will be necessary. Valoth is destroying them easily...and the Shadowscythe armada has just begun to fight.”

“The Soul Eaters have been cloned. EbilCorp has the ability to produce as many as they want. I can assure you that more will arrive. We will have to hold them back while the Shadowscythe pursue them.” Warlic advised. “To help, we are sending in the three Experimental Gundams.”

“Experimental Gundams?” Ryukai asked. This was the first he had heard of this.

“We began development on Arthuria and Basis. Twin Gundams and a Hybrid Gundam. They are still Experimental...but they can surely help.”

“Thank you Warlic.” Ryukai said as he ended communication and turned to the fight. In the distance there was a bright flash and more EbilCorp ships arrived. These ones were smaller, sleeker, and faster but still of a large size. Ryukai watched blue orbs move from the existing ships to the others.

“The Soul Eaters are floating through space?” Ryukai said amazed. This enemy was very powerful.

Then an amazing sight ocurred. A blast of an odd energy was fired from all of the new ships which annihilated the Shadowscythe army. Every last ship was destroyed in an instant.
“Behold the might of the Ebil Paladin series of ships.” Kabroz announced. He smiled as he watched Mephisto II stop moving. He could only guess the shock he was in. How foolish his brother had been. The Ebil Paladin technology was already developed and this alone could have secured their place during the war.

“Perhaps I should let my brother back in.” Kabroz said to a Maria unit.

“Did he not cause a war to break out between Shadowscythe and Galactic Conglomerate?” Maria asked.

“He did. But now we have weapons that can destroy the Shadowscythe with a single hit. There is no war. Our victory is assured.”

“I see. But I need to ask. Sir, why was the Shadow Gundam not destroyed?”

“That Gundam is made of pure doom energy...we could destroy it, but I’d rather watch him suffer. Lord Valoth caused a lot of trouble for EbilCorp...or so I hear.”

Maria nodded. “That is correct, he did.”

“Meh, its best not to let him back in. He almost did cause a disaster...it is better he suffers. Just as Valoth, the Dragonguard, and everything else in this world will. Even the Soul Eaters will suffer.” Kabroz announced with a sinister smile upon his face.

Meanwhile outside of the Necryptos Station, Mephisto continued to fight. Even with the loss of his entire army. The energy blasts from the Ebil Paladins were easily dodged and he was able to quickly retaliate with this shadow cannons. Surprisingly the ships were incredibly weak. a single shot could bring one down.

The battle seemed like it would be impossible to win, but Valoth only needed time. And being an immortal being, time was on his side. He would fight the Soul Eaters and EbilCorp to the end of time if need be. Then he would go on to claim the world for himself. Valoth smiled at the thought of returning to the original plan.

From behind him came several blasts of light. Ragnarok had joined him.

"There you are Ryukai. I was worried you would have been destroyed in Necrytpos' transformation." Valoth said taunting Ryukai.

"You can't destroy me that easily." Ryukai said angrily. The thought of fighting with Valoth hurt him, but he realized now was not the time to let his emotions get in the way of his actions. If they did not win here, the Soul Eater army would advance upon the Galactic Alliance.

Next Time...Alliance Gundams. The new experimental Gundams arrive at the Shadowscythe-Soul Eater war. While this happens Warlic and his group will arrive back at Loreon to speak with Odessa.

Turkageddon Chapter (Special Holiday Chapter)

Inside an EbilCorp Station not far from Loreon...

"Are we ready to begin the experiment?" said the lab assistant.

The lab technician turned to him and nodded. "Our Soul Eater Super Soldier project is now ready to be initiated. But first, we shall test it out on a single Soul Eater."

Inside of a cylindrical device in front of them was a blue orb. The scientist smiled at it. EbilCorp's technology was so developed now that they could transform a small blue orb into a gigantic super soldier.

"Input the code now, assistant." ordered the lab technician.

The assistant stepped forward. This experiment was exciting, but he was looking forward to the day off tomorrow. It was one of the few holidays that EbilCorp employees got off, Thankstaking. As he entered the code he thought of the feast and accidentally changed the code from Armaggedon to Turkageddon.

The command console was for a shape shifter machine that worked on an idea, a thought. The "thought" or access code of Armageddon would have allowed the Soul Eater to become a Super Soldier, but the altered code of "Turkageddon" had an entirely different result.

The small blue orb turned a dark brown and large sharp feathers emerged. They broke the tube and the brown orb was now a puddle of brownish goo that quickly took shape. Feathers sprouted from it and it turned into a gigantic turkey.

"What has happened?" the lab technician asked shocked.

"Turkageddon." replied the turkey. It lunged forward and bit both employees. In a matter of moments they too were turkeys. An army was soon formed as they moved throughout the station. An entire EbilCorp station of turkey super soldiers.

"Now..we move on to Loreon!" proclaimed the original, the leader.

The others gobbled and flipped about in happiness. They all climbed into experimental mecha which were also infected and changed to look like them. The "thought" process that created the turkeys had caused their thoughts to alter the world around them.

By the time the army mobilized, the EbilCorp station was now a gigantic metallic turkey. The army headed for Loreon but soon all their ships experienced power failure. They could not understand what was happening. then on their monitors appeared a man with a paper bag for a head.

"Wow the holidays really are fun! I could definitely use an army of evil turkeys in turkey mecha with a turkey mothership..."

And with a simple thought, the army and Korin disappeared.

Happy Turkageddon!

S2 Chapter 10: Doom, Part 1

3007

Valoth stared at the Master. The being that was the collection of all shadow energy of all worlds. His form was so massive, Valoth could not tell what it was...or how big it was. All that was clear was the darkness.

“Lord Valoth...you have been destroyed the Dragonguard.”

“Master...” Valoth said in a low voice.

“You have failed to eradicate the dragons. You have failed to take over that world...”

“Progress was hindered by the dragons. After their defeat ten thousand years ago...we were forced to rebuild. The dragons left behind many weapons that still plagued us. We did not until recently finish them off...”

“Or so you thought. The Dragonguard Gundams, Greatest of their Weapons still remained.” said the voice in a low growl of anger. Valoth felt fear.

“They were gone...a dragonoid was concealing them as he evaded us...until he found the humans.”

“And even then they were not in the hands of true pilots, those that could handle the Light. You failed against them twice in my eyes.”

“Master...”

“And then you let them enter the hands of the true pilots. Then you lost for a third time...and now you are defeated on your fourth battle. Now you are truly destroyed. Even here you are not whole. You are Scarred and I can not heal you.” the voice of shadow spoke coldly.

“Master, I can still defeat them.”

“Do as you wish. You are no longer part of my army...you are no longer Shadowscythe. And while the elements of Doom can not be erased from you, it will be severely limited. Go now Scarred one, leave my sight!”

With that last roar Valoth felt himself pushed out of the darkness. The world around him blurred and he felt like he was being thrown out of existence. The speed of the forces around him were incredible.

Valoth then opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by Light. However it did not burn...around him the memories of the other Dragonguard floated. Scatterd they cried out for each other...he felt the calls to Omicron and he knew something had occurred...he was changed...more than Scarred.

3008

Valoth opened his eyes. His strength was returning...well, Omicron’s strength. He could now peer into the world again and he spied upon Loreon. It only lasted a few minutes but he was able to gather enough information.

The Queenadent was Odessa and a Galactic Alliance had formed with EbilCorp and Zargon. Negotiations had begun to take control of Gark and to colonize a planet they named Basis.

Valoth laughed in his mind. They were attempting to unite now that the shadow was gone? How pathetic of them. Then his mind burned. He was the pathetic one..defeated by them when they were nothing. They were merely three tools of the Dragons. That was all that defined the human army. Valoth had failed against a force as small as that.

3009

Valoth was now strong enough to look into the world for all of eternity. This strength allowed him to watch anything and he soon discovered he could act. His strength was only small enough to push over a coffee mug or interfere with lights...but he knew it would only grow from there.

By now he had seen the Galactic Alliance take control of the galaxy and were now contacting the Arthurian Empire. Valoth was ashamed at the fact he knew nothing of the Arthurians. They were a vast empire, yet they were shielded unintentionally by the Dragonguard. The humans were not all that remained in the world.

3012

Valoth’s power was so great now that he was able to manifest within the world. And even then his power only grew more as he adapted to life in it once again. Gathering his dark energy he became whole and although he was only the size of a human and had a shadowy shape...he was now fully in the world.

Valoth began to walk towards GEARS University to begin his revenge. “Going somewhere?” asked the voice of a man.

Valoth turned to see Omicron watching him. Omicron appeared as the opposite and had a definite shape comprised of pure light. “You...you are one of the Dragonguard who destroyed me. It appears you failed.” he said laughing.

“Have I really failed? Why don’t you recall our battle?” Omicron said smiling. To Valoth’s surprise, and the citizens of Lore’s surprise, Mephisto emerged above the waters GEARS hovered above. As it prepared to fire on GEARS, three bolts of light appeared and together they drove back the darkness.

The citizens entered a panic not realizing what had just happened was merely an illusion. At this time Omicron began to fade as he moved his form to Starbuck and Lisa and instructed them of what to do next. Valoth took this opportunity to move forward and attack Omicron.

Grabbing him, his shadows began to move in to the half-filled Omicron. By the time Omicron’s consciousness returned to his body it was too late. Valoth had taken control...and now Omicron’s mental presence weakened.

Valoth smiled. He was now Omicron which he could use to his advantage. “Now that I am whole, it is time to restore my power.” he said pleased with himself. “I’ll need a large source of Doom energy...” He stood there, away from the sight of the humans and thought. Then he realized the closest and largest source of Doom energy.

Necryptos.

Next Time in Gundam: Shadow...Doom, Part 2! With Valoth's story resolved it is now time for him to complete his goal. Valoth is ready to regain his power, destroy the Soul Eater army, and control the world. Even if he did not prove anything to the Master...his original goal and mission would be accomplished. Control of the universe.

S2 Chapter 9: The Enemy of My Enemy

Chapter 9: The Enemy of My Enemy

Valkyrie and Ragnarok chased after The Carrier of Hope. The ship sped away from the planet as the two Gundams fired upon it. Ragnarok launched fangs into the engine causing it to explode. The ship fell towards the surface of Necryptos.

As they were about to turn around Valkyrie noticed a small fighter ship was continuing upwards. “There she is!”

The two Gundams followed the ship out of Necryptos’ atmosphere and found a large ship awaiting it. The fighter ship escaped inside. “What kind of a ship is this?” Ragnorak asked.

“It’s not a ship...it’s an EbilCorp station.” Valkyrie said angrily.

The two Gundams returned to Necryptos defeated. Upon arriving back in Lyceum they found Omicron in Sentinel form.

“Ryukai...Mika...where did she escape to?” he asked worried.

“EbilCorp.” Mika answered.

Sentinel paused for a moment before speaking. “This is bad...very bad...”

“Why, what happened when we left?” Ryukai asked feeling Omicron’s fear.

“The Dark Lady told us about a war that is coming, and showed us our new ally.” Sentinel rose into the air to reveal Lord Valoth. The Shadowscythe leader looked just as he did before he was destroyed during the Mephisto Incident.

“Hello Dragonguard...it has been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Inside the EbilCorp station, Mina docked and exited the ship. She was met by a small yellow moglin. “Please, sir you have to help me!” she pleaded.

“Good try, Soul Eater.” the moglin answered. “Don’t worry we don’t want to fight you...we want you to join us.”

“What is it that you seek?” Mina said with a change of attitude, as it appeared to anyone who did not know what she was.

“We want to replicate you....we want to create an army. My name is Kabroz, leader of EbilCorp and Necro Industries.” he said smiling.

“Why would a being with a soul want to create more Soul Eaters?”

“We will need an unstoppable army for the future. Something that can defeat the Shadowscythe...and the dragons.”

“Our ancient enemy...” the Soul Eater said. “How would you know about this?”

Kabroz smiled widely. “The Galactic Conglomerate spans many worlds...we have a lot of information on a lot of things.”

The Soul Eater looked at Kabroz. “Fine.”

Kabroz directed the Soul Eater to the replication chamber. Mina sat in a small chair and the chamber was sealed off. Through the window Mina watched Kabroz smile.

The chair shot a burst of electricity through Mina causing the Soul Eater to jump out of the body which immediately died. The blue orb of energy was then shot by beams from all corners of the room. The process put the Soul Eater through great agony and it could not tell what was happening.

After what seemed like an eternity the Soul Eater found the room was filled with hundreds of other Soul Eaters. Kabroz opened a hidden door and they all moved through. Inside a large room they found a crowd of what seemed to be prisoners.

Every Soul Eater found a host. They fed on the souls of the prisoners and took over their bodies. The army of Soul Eaters were greeted by Kabroz. “The time for war is near.”

Back on Necryptos, Valkyrie and Ragnarok leapt forward to strike at Valoth. Sentinel moved forward and blocked them. He created a large shield of light around Valoth and the other Gundams became angry.

“Why are you protecting him?!” Mika screamed.

“Trust me, I don’t want to...but we need him to stop the Soul Eaters.”

“And why is that?” Ryukai said angrily.

“Because I am a being of pure shadow.” Valoth said smiling. “I have no soul and I am capable of creating an army of soulless beings, which is exactly what you need right now.”

Mika groaned and then flew away. She was as angry as she could possibly be. They were about to allow the Shadowscythe to return to this world. That was something she refused to accept. So she flew away from Necryptos and headed for Essence, the planet-like construct that housed the Draconic Empire.

Sentinel and Ragnorak remained facing each other. “We can’t do this...” he warned.

“Trust me...it wasn’t an easy decision, but the Dark Lady has told us that EbilCorp is producing a Soul Eater army. They can create as many as they want...how will a world of beings with souls fight that?”

“The Dragons did...” Ryukai said.

Sentinel turned and faced Valoth. “No they didn’t...they only trapped them. And now they have returned because they failed to destroy them.”

“Warlic and Maria told us they defeated an entire planet full of them!” Ryukai argued.

“But they never told you what they had to do...they told me while you two left. The planet was destroyed. They destroyed Lagos to prevent the Soul Eaters from spreading...and they failed.”

Ryukai landed and reverted to a human form. “Omicron, there has to be another way.”

“There isn’t.” Valoth said smiling.

“Haven’t you listened to anything I have said?” he said with Omicron simultaneously.

Ryukai stepped back. “No...no you can’t be...”

“Did you really think the Dragonguard could defeat me so easily?” they spoke. “None can destroy me and the power I possess.” Sentinel turned a dark black and exploded into shadows which Valoth then absorbed.

“This whole time?” Ryukai asked in disbelief. “You were him...this entire time?”

“Oh the battle was true. But during the process where you ‘destroyed’ me, there was a great deal of energy transfer. And my energy was transferred into the weakest of you all.”

Ryukai looked upon the Shadowscythe leader. He simply smiled and continued on. “I was truthful...I will defeat the Soul Eaters. But I will also destroy all of you in the process. And with the power of Necrytpos, none can stop me.” he said laughing as he melted into a large pool of shadow. The red energy that protruded from him turned into a crimson lightning which grabbed onto the pool of dark energy. Red orbs were formed that held the dark liquid and they dispersed themselves across the planet.

Ryukai did not know what was happening...but he had a feeling Valoth was about to do something to the planet itself. “With the power of Necryptos...” echoed in his mind as his heart pounded. Was there no light to be found on this planet?

Next Chapter.....Doom. The Necryptos Saga is going to end, but not before Lord Valoth's story is explored. The coming events will be shaped by the story of what happened to Valoth after the Mephisto Incident.

S2 Chapter 8: The Dark Lady

The Dragonguard paused staring at the vampire mobile suit. They knew they could not win with their current tactics and they knew the same thing applied to it. Suddenly the mobile suit turned and began to flee. Valkyrie, Sentinel, and Ragnarok took chase and followed it as it moved towards the mountains.

As the Dragonguard chased, Lord Dimitri on the ground stood in front of Starbuck, Maria, and a now normal Warlic. Warlic was calming down and ashamed he spoke, “Lord Dimitri. We came here peacefully...I didn’t mean to...”

“I understand Demon. We have been expecting your arrival, however we never expected the Lights of the Apocalypse too.” he said in deep thought.

“Please, we would like to talk to you about the Soul Eater.”

Dimitri immediately became concerned. “It is here?”

“Yes...we came to ask for your help...”

“This is a very important matter. It is time for another meeting with the Dark Lady...” he said half to himself. “All of you come with me.”

The Vampire Lord led the group through the forest towards the mountains. After much walking they arrived at a large castle sitting in the mountains. Above it the Dragonguard floated.

“Are you sure we can trust him?” Starbuck asked Maria.

Maria looked at him. “You chose now to ask this?”

“Well they are rushing now...and a bit farther ahead. I didn’t want him to overhear us.”

“I think it is safe. You saw his reaction when Warlic mentioned the Soul Eater.” Maria said not as confident as she sounded. This whole mission to Necryptos had been nothing but a disaster.

Maria and Starbuck reached the castle gates where they found the Dragonguard back in human form and everyone was standing before Lord Dimitri. “Inside this castle...which we of the Dark Guardian clan have not entered for hundreds of years...lies the Dark Lady. She is one of the gods of Necryptos and is the only one that can stop the Soul Eater.”

“There are other ways...” Maria said. “We have destroyed Soul Eaters before.”

Dimitri smiled. “Necryptos isn’t like other worlds. If you aren’t careful you will find a veil of darkness has been pulled over your eyes. Only the Dark Lady can provide us with the truth.”

The group grew more suspicious but they followed Dimitri inside where they found an odd sight. Upon a throne of darkness, a woman sat clothed in black robes. They looked upon her and saw Nurse Helia of GEARS. The only difference was the pure black hair.

Slowly she began to wake. In a light voice she asked, “Dimitri, what has happened?”

Bowing down he replied, “A Soul Eater has arrived.”

“Oh my...” she said concerned. Dimitri looked up and saw her looking behind him at Warlic. “Warlic....are you truly here?”

“You can’t be...”

She smiled and laughed. “No I am not my sister Helia...we are very different. She gave her godly abilities to me, and left for that small planet that the dragons favored so much.”

“You know me?” he asked.

“Of course. The dragons came here once and asked me to contribute to their ultimate project. Your dark thoughts and abilities...I am responsible for them. I knew you would make your way back here...which is why I wrote about you as the Demon.”

Dimitri was shocked. “You always knew? These prophecies were from your personal experiences?”

She smiled. “Yes. I also found out about the dragon’s other project...the Dragonguard. Being of pure light and associated with Warlic I knew they would come here. And their light would shine through the darkness, destroying it. The Lights of the Apocalypse.”

As Dimitri stood stunned the rest of the group became suspicious again. Mika spoke, “Dimitri told us that if we weren’t careful a veil of shadows would be pulled over our eyes...how can we know that isn’t what you are doing?”

The Dark Lady laughed. “Because it has already happened. Back in Lyceum, you didn’t think starships just disappeared did you? You didn’t think mind reading would just happen out of nowhere...especially here, did you Omicron? That Han Velsing and Mina would just die suddenly by the Soul Eater, did you?”

Omicron looked down for a moment before drawing the conclusion the Dark Lady was hoping for. “Mina...she was the first person we met...the first person before all of that happened.”

Ryukai clenched his fists. “I knew something was wrong about her...”

Mika continued on. “If that is all what she made us see, then what was her goal? Why?”

The Dark Lady smiled. “Well you figured out this much...so I will tell you the rest. She needed to draw suspicion away from herself. She was the Soul Eater all along. Well she was a normal person before it ate her soul...but now that is all she is.”

Ryukai punched the wall. “We are out here...we left Lyceum. And now she can strike at all those innocent people.”

Mika ran outside and entered Valkyrie form. Flying towards Lyceum she had one goal. To exterminate the Soul Eater and take revenge for what it did to Mina. Not long after she left did she notice the other Dragonguard following her.

As they returned to Lyceum they returned to human form. They saw their ship, no dead bodies in the inn, and Mina was gone. They searched Lyceum but could not find Mina. They turned towards each other.

“She must have moved into another body.” Mika said quickly.

“But why would she do that? She wouldn’t know we were coming...and everyone in town is fine.” Omicron added.

Ryukai turned towards the ship. “Or maybe...she is trying to leave the planet.”

Next Chapter(9): The Enemy of My Enemy...They had hoped to stop this before it began. Unfortunately, Necryptos had other plans. And it still does. From this dark planet will rise a conflict of immense size.

S2 Chapter 7: Vampires

Ragnarok flew towards where there ship had been and found nothing. Searching the ground and the nearby areas, there was no sign it had been moved or had ever been there for that matter. Giving up his search he returned to Lyceum and entered his Ryukai form.

As he arrived he found not even Mina was out and the sky was even darker. It was now extremely dark and the moon was barely showing upon the horizon. He struggled to see as he entered the inn.

Opening the door he found a sleeping man in the corner. As he walked by he tripped on the floor and fell down. The old man did not stir and from the ground he saw a body on the floor. Walking over to the table in the corner he found the old man and the body he now recognized as Mina, dead.

“Everyone wake up!” he yelled running towards the stairs. From the rooms on the second floor hallway Starbuck, Warlic, Maria, Mika, and Omicron emerged. He pointed to the corpses. “I’m starting to believe in this Soul Eater.”

Warlic slammed his fist onto the wall. “Not a single noise..that is how the Soul Eaters kill. They bind with a host and eat away at the soul. From the moment they enter the body they control everything...no screams, no pain....”

“What do we do now?” Mika asked.

“We protect the citizens.” Omicron said. “I spoke with the Vampire Hunter...the Soul Eater targeted the most powerful people first and now none of them remain.” he was still concerned about his new ability to read minds and did not tell the others.

“How can we protect them?” Starbuck asked. “Can the Soul Eater even be seen?”

“Yes.” Maria-5 said. “It is a small blue wisp, difficult to see, but still possible. However, I fear there is more than the Soul Eater to worry about.”

Warlic nodded. “The vampires. They are beings without souls...”

“Do you think the Soul Eater is working with them?” Ryukai asked.

“It would explain quite a lot.” Warlic began. “I believe we should attempt to make contact with the vampires. If they aren’t working with the Soul Eater, they would be a valuable asset.”

“When do we leave?” Starbuck asked already willing to prepare. He knew he would never be able to sleep due to the events that had transpired. Even though they were walking towards vampires, they were potentially friendly. The Soul Eater however was not.

“Immediately if everyone is ready.” Warlic said looking around the room. Everyone nodded already prepared and the group moved out of the inn into the dark night. They began to walk towards the edge of Lyceum where they had seen a sign warning the locals of vampires. As they passed the sign, the Dragonguard entered their Gundam forms and provided light and protection from above.

Starbuck smiled relieved as he walked with Maria and Warlic. As they continued deeper into the forest however he began to become worried. The trees were extremely large and their tops seemed to move in together blocking the light of the Dragonguard. They continued on nonetheless attempting to ignore the small rustling of the nearby bushes.

The group was now so deep in the woods, they had difficulty seeing the Dragonguard. The darkness closed in around them and they found the path ended near a large tree. The ground shook suddenly as a large mech flew towards the sky and tackled one of the Dragonguard.

Starbuck grabbed his energy pistol and Maria and Warlic prepared to fight as well. From the shadows nearby a pair of red eyes glowed and a vampire walked forward smiling. It’s white fangs stood out in the darkness and grew as it lunged towards Starbuck.

Warlic quickly stepped in front of the Admiral and grabbed the vampire. His eyes began to glow red and the vampire became surprised. He trembled as he saw the man begin to change. “You...you aren’t one of them...you aren’t one of us...”

“That is right,” Warlic said growling. Claws had formed from his hands and his skin turned a deep red. “Tell your friends to stop attacking my allies.”

The vampire trembled as the man’s white hair separated and formed into two large horns. Wings sprouted from his back. The demon yelled, “I said call them off!”

The vampire was seized by the neck and struggled to breathe. Closing his eyes he spoke telepathically to the mobile suits in the sky above. “Brothers, stop.”

“Why would you ask us to stop?” one of the pilots responded.

“Down here is something inhuman....it is a demonic being...”

“We have a mission. These are the Lights of the Apocalypse. They must be crushed before they crush us!”

“Please...listen to me...” he pleaded. Opening his eyes he stared into the eyes of the demon. Warlic was infuriated and threw the vampire to the ground. “I gave you an order...”

“I tried....they won’t listen...” he said trembling.

“Too late.” Warlic growled leaping forward and stabbing his claw through the vampire’s chest. From his arms, tendrils emerged and began to drain the blood of the vampire. Maria and Starbuck watched in horror as the vampire screamed, dying slowly.

“Vampiric blood...” Warlic howled to the skies. “It is unlike anything I have ever tasted...”

As the last of the blood was drained, Warlic turned around and smiled. His smile was insane as well as his eyes. He looked upon Starbuck and began to move forward.

“Warlic...” Maria said fearfully. ‘No...stop! Don’t go near him!”

“Be quiet you pathetic excuse for a sentient being. He looks so appetizing...”

In the skies the vampire mobile suit continued to fight. It was a humanoid shape with its limbs and head floating. Runic symbols were emblazoned upon it and they glowed a bright red as the mobile suit fought.

Valkyrie moved in with her DG Buster Sword and slashed at the mobile suit. It was split in half and the acid began to erode around the cut portions. The symbols upon it turned a dark purple and the light surrounding Valkyrie was sucked into them. They returned to red as Valkyrie provided the fuel to repair the mech.

Sentinel activated its missile system, and one hundred missiles of pure light devastated the vampiric mobile suit. The same effect occurred and Sentinel was drained of energy to re-fuel the mobile suit.

The Dragonguard coordinated their attacks using missiles, swords, and fangs all at the same time, but nothing they did could destroy the mobile suit. The Gundams and the mobile suit were in a stalemate.

“That is enough!” said a tall being emerging from the shadows of the forest. “The Demon has finally come to our planet.”

Warlic turned around to see a vampire with gray skin staring upon him.

“Greetings, I am Lord Dimitri, leader of the Dark Guardian Vampire Clan.”

Next Chapter: The Dark Lady....The vampires and the Dragonguard got off to a rough start, but Lord Dimitri is here to fix that. The group will meet with an important figure in Warlic's life and find a solution to Necryptos' true problem: The Soul Eater.

S2 Chapter 6: The Dark Planet

“What is he doing here?” Admiral Starbuck asked as he looked at Mr. Z who was standing next to Odessa. The group was gathered and the Dragonguard had entered a humanoid form.

“Mr. Z is in trouble, he no longer has control over EbilCorp. He has been shunned from a greater organization called the Galactic Conglomerate and now he needs our help.”

“You can’t let him stay here!” Mika cried out with hate.

“I am harmless now.” Zorbak defended. “What can I do?”

“Lie.” Ryukai said refusing to look at Mr. Z. “You can still lie, and you may be lying to us all right now.”

“I have come with information to prove I am trustworthy. Before I came here, I had one of my associates find Warlic and Maria-5. They have unleashed something terrible upon the world.”

Everyone was silent. Ryukai and Mika still did not trust Mr. Z though and payed great attention to what he was saying. They began to search for any sign that he was lying. “My associate tells me they were inside the Draconic Archives where they unleashed an ancient being called a Soul Eater.”

“A Soul Eater?” Omicron asked recalling a tale from his Ancient Legends course at GEARS. “Weren’t they just myths?”

“Unfortunately not. Long ago the dragons defeated them, but now one has escaped and I can only imagine the damage it has caused. We need to head to Lagos and see what damage they have caused.”

“I still don’t trust you.” Mika said skeptical. “A Soul Eater would be a very convenient excuse to have us leave Loreon and this solar system.”

“It would be.” said a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see Warlic and Maria-5 with grave expressions on their faces. Warlic continued on, “But I am afraid Zorbak is correct.”

“Warlic...Maria...” Odessa said stunned.

“We don’t have time for this, but Lagos has been lost. We had to...contain the infection.” she said. “But some of them escaped to the nearby planet of Necryptos. We have to go now if we want to stop them.”

“Admiral Starbuck, take the Carrier of Hope and go with the Dragonguard to stop this.” Odessa ordered.

“Only one ship?” Starbuck asked.

“Yes, if these Soul Eaters are real...we can’t risk bringing along careless soldiers. It is best to keep a small team.”

Starbuck nodded and he departed with Warlic, Maria, and the Dragonguard. Lisa remained in the palace with Mark, Odessa, and Zorbak. The Carrier of Hope was prepared and took off approximately an hour later.

The ship travelled to Necryptos, a planet that was covered with scattered clouds of red fog and large mountains, forests, and deserts. Warlic instructed the ship to land near a large human settlement called Lyceum.

The group disembarked the ship and found the town was relatively empty except for a young girl standing near a broken fountain.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” Starbuck asked approaching her.

“You...you aren’t from here...have you come to help?” she asked frightened.

“Yes we are. What happened to everyone?”

“The ones that remain are locked within their houses.” she said trembling. “Something has been killing the citizens of Lyceum...something other than vampires.”

“Vampires?” Starbuck asked confused.

“Yes,” Warlic replied. “Before the Galactic Alliance had humans settle here, Necryptos was primarily inhabited by vampiric beings.”

“That’s right. But like I said...these aren’t vampires, in fact...we only have one vampire left...and if he dies..” she began to cry.

“We won’t let that happen.” Mika said stepping forward ferociously. “We won’t let anything happen to Lyceum.”

“Thank...you..” she managed to say. “We have a small inn down that path if you need a place to stay.”

“We will be fine in our starship.” Ryukai said distrusting the young girl. There was something very suspicious about her.

“Where did your ship go? I saw it approach...but where is it now?” she asked.

The group turned around and looked into the forest. Where there ship had once been, it was no longer.

“I’m getting a really bad feeling now...” Ryukai said shocked. “I’m going out to go investigate.” In a bright flash of light Ryukai jumped upwards and morphed into the Ragnarok Gundam.

“What....was that?” Mina said amazed.

“We aren’t entirely sure.” Omicron said laughing. “It is a long story, and it looks like we will have time to tell it...”

Mina escorted the group into the inn where they saw an old man sitting at a table in the corner. “That is Han Velsing.” Mina explained. “He is the last Vampire Hunter we have.”

Omicron left the group and approached the man. “Aren’t you a bit old to be a Vampire Hunter?”

“That’s an awfully rude way to start a conversation.”

“I’m sorry but I need to know about the other Vampire Hunters who were killed. They were younger, yes?”

“They were. Who are you?”

“My name is Omicron and I am here to stop a being called a Soul Eater.”

“Like the ones of legend?” he asked interested.

“Yes. But they are much different..they are smarter than I thought. Don’t you think it is a little strange all the other Vampire Hunters were killed before you?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“The Soul Eater seems to have a plan. You were chosen last to be killed because you are the weakest of Vampire Hunters, aren’t you? It picked off the strongest ones first.”

“I suspected the same thing. The first to die were the mayor and the town council...then the Vampire Hunters, starting with our best...and I suspect ending with me.”

Omicron was now concerned. Both because he was able to see this so quickly and because what was happening here was very sinister. If this was the work of one Soul Eater, what would a group of them accomplish?

Omicron looked at Han Velsing and began to wonder about himself. Who was this Omicron? What was he doing here? Instantly these thoughts cleared from his head and he realized he had just read this man’s mind.

Next Time in Gundam: Shadow....Vampires. With a Soul Eater on the loose in a town plagued by vampires, the future does not look bright. The situation on Necryptos worsens as the Dragonguard meet the vampires.