Main Event Fighting of the Spirit

[Yun Lee]

"Ugh!" Severa fell back, landing on the ground as the mages made their attack. "Ow..." Jeez, these guys were the WORST! Why did stupid Revan even NEED these things dead, anyway? Wasn't there some world out there where he could rule to his heart's content that would worship the ground he walked on? Why did they have to get dragged into this? Why did-

...

...

...

"...I'm alive. You can get off me now."

Touma had better be worshipping the ground Guy Gardner walked on.

@Ver @Crow @Josh @Alex Azure @Z+C

---

The sword took out a few bugs, but the majority of them flew out of the way, some of them now even moving on to swarm around Ren. What's more, they began attempting to sting the two men, and from the purple substance on the tips of their stingers, it was probably in your best interest to get away.

"Hold on! Let me try to-"

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"

Casta groaned and covered her ears as a familiar screech sounded, not amplified twenty times over. The crystal shards had joined together to form smaller, but several smaller crystal monsters. They flung shards at Casta, who was able to stop them midair and send them back towards the creatures, but it appeared their own attack had no effect whatsoever. At least all those shards seemed to shatter...

@Kaykay @Sark

---

Fortunately for Kitty, Blitz was able to grab her, holding her out over the endless abyss. Though both could feel a heavy increase in gravity pulling him downwards the longer they remained out here. Ingrid was nowhere to be seen.

@Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister​

 

[Sleepwalker]

Kitty, in what must be her first in a few years, screamed. She held her blue gem to her chest in her left hand, while her right hand tried to grab nothing at all. Despite her gem being on her, Kitty could see rapid visions made from adrenaline. So many of them depicted nothingness, some depicted memories of the past, some depicted far away futures she was sure was going to happen to some other lucky Kitty. A blinding white light in the middle was fading away by the black nothingness.

Was this how death felt like? She was too scared to ever look into the abyss, and she wasn't ready. She didn't want to die. She screamed into nothing, knowing what that soon, her screams would become nothing. Closing her eyes, she was-



Caught by the hand by the blinding white light. Items fell out of her forensic kit, and Kitty winced as the sudden stop in velocity hurt her arm. She was being pulled up, and relucatantly, she opened her eyes. In reality, she had barely fallen, and time had slowed down for her. The light receded to reveal Blitz holding her. Kitty felt cold sweat fall down, and she took a few deep breaths.

She was reckless. She had assumed she would live because of some hazy vision, and look where that got her. A near death experience. As she spoke unguarded, Kitty felt sick. She wasn't going to make that mistake again, no matter what dirty method it takes.

"I'm...sorry-Uh, for what? I don't know. Can you lift me back to proper land? Please?"

She rambled nervously, and held onto her Bibliotheca gem, although that gem was now hurting her with its emptying power. Focusing, Kitty let her other hand free, as she floated the gem and what was left of the forensic kit besides her. She levitated the gem into her pocket, once her red gem finishes powering up...she was going to deposit both things in there. Using more of her power, Kitty covered her ears with her earmuff around her neck, as she heard the loud, gross sound of swarming insects. She didn't have the focus or strength to lift herself onto land, but she could do all these small things.

"....Thank you. Blitz. I'm supposing that the footsteps I followed weren't so lucky. I hope that wasn't anyone we knew's footprints, like...Ingrid."
@Yun Lee @Ottonomous Ghost @Kaykay @Sark​

 

[Macy Moretti]

"No way! I'm no use just sitting back! At least from here, I can at least help hold against some of the spells the magicians ought to send our way!" Touma exclaimed in response to Severa. Perhaps she was right about him being an idiot, Touma found himself thinking even now, but as reckless as the prospect of jumping headfirst into danger was, he did truly believe what he said; in this sort of scenario, Imagine Breaker was best suited to support the others with its one, very specific power.

The mages in the distance continued to fire offensive spells at everyone, and in response, Touma swiftly extended his right hand, letting some of the spells dissipate at the mercy of the Imagine Breaker in his hand.

Fwwsh!

Despite his efforts though, Touma was only just one person, and each offensive spell that merely flew past him impacted right toward Mason's barrier, collectively able to make the temporary barrier shake. One blast by itself didn't do much, but when fired back to back, it was able to stave away at the concrete some, even blasting out some chunks of the concrete.

Fortunately, it seemed that Ben was able to disrupt their formation as Rath went to work on them, putting an end to their barrage for just a little. However, intent on recovering their formation, the seemingly never-ending horde of mages -- those that remained conscious or entirely out of Ben's reach at least -- diverted their attention to Ben for just a moment, collectively charging a concussive wave and firing it right at him, rippling violently through the air and knocking him back into Mason's barrier!

Meanwhile, from behind the barrier, Constantine set up the first talisman, sticking it to the left wall and chanting a magical incantation. The talisman began to glow a bright shade of cyan, indicating that it was in effect, or at least, would be once the rest were in place.

"There, one down! You chaps aren't feeling the heat too much, are ya?!" Constantine exclaimed, beginning to set up the second talisman, levitating it to the top of the left wall.

"Well, if they're already knackered, I do wonder if that'd be a testament more to our weakness or their pure strength," Carissa responded, almost comically standing back in a nonchalant manner, "But even I've more faith than the former to think everything would go all to pot so quickly."

"Oh, there's two of them now..." Zatanna groaned, as though feeling threatened more by being around two British blondes than the hostile magicians.

@Crow @Yun Lee @Josh @Alex Azure @C+Z Group​

"I'll be fine! It's the others I-we gotta worry about!" Severa dashed over to Rath, using her staff in an attempt to heal him. As expected, her healing ability was not as great as Libra's, meaning it would take twice as long as usual to get him to full health. But hey, better than being all bruised up, right?

@Crow @Ver @Josh @Alex Azure @C+Z​

"Let me tell you something, Severa of Ylisse, Rath doesn't need the barrier, but the barrier needs Rath! Every one of you who can operate behind it operate behind it, Rath's got this!"

Rath exclaims as he continued onwards, taunting the endless armada of opponents, before being knocked back into the barrier.

"Gah! Oof!"

As Severa healed him, Rath's bruises gradually disappeared.

"Ooh yeah, ready for round two!"

All freshened up, he looks towards the crater from his crash.

"Let me tell you something, Rath-shaped hole!" Rath exclaims towards the Rath-shaped crater he created by crashing, before this crater was swiftly repaired by Mason's powers. "Wait, where'd you go- ow!"

Rath was hit by another concussive spell to the back that would've struck Severa if Rath didn't slightly shift his body. His head turns, glaring at his opponents.

"Oooh, you wanna play games, well, let me tell you something, Revanchist Mages working for Darth Revan and have been chasing John Constantine for an unspecified amount of time...

... Rath will entertain your games. Rath will play your games, and Rath will enjoy them..."

Without Severa completing a full heal, Rath, filled with his species' natural pride and aggression, ran towards the armada. He may not have been fully healed, but Severa's healing allowed him to fully twist and turn his joints once more, giving him his peak flexibility and agility back. One of their attacks - a powerful fiery blast - came forward, ready to attack Severa, Ellis, Touma and the wall, but Rath tanked it. He jumped headfirst into the blazing vortex, dispersing most of it away, while some of it... well...

Rath, for a few seconds, was engulfed in blaze, before most of it dispersed from his body into the air. Now, only the black sections of his back as well as his claws were burning with a flickering orange blaze.

Rath flinched not a bit.

"Fuego Bueno."

With a devilish grin, Rath proceeds to T-pose and spin around like a top, effectively transforming into a devastating fire tornado that rose to great heights and cleaved through the endless Revanchist mages, the spinning serving to absorb oxygen to fan the fires. The blaze of carnage absorbed their various basic magic attacks, melting frost, burning nature, dispersing concussives while adding lightning and flames to its collective firepower, and it would likely take a big spell to beat it.

@Crow @Ver @Josh @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @C+Z​

Mason winced as a Rath shaped hole appeared in his barrier. He attempted to repair it again. Before he could seal it back up, Rath had jumped back through and into the fray. Each pot-shot caused a greater strain on Mason's powers. Though the flow of aura remained steady, his condition slowly deteriorated. He looked drained, physically and emotionally. As the barrier reformed behind Rath, Mason took a moment to pause restoring the barrier. His breathing was heavy and ragged.

View attachment 3806
"Damn it, hype alone isn't quite enough. They just keep beating it down. I'm not feeling the heat, and that's the issue. All that fire going around and the best I can do is block it, not absorb it. Speed and versatility, that's what Guy praised. Stamina? Not so much. This is the last bit I can hold for now. One more hit... then it's time to face them head on!"

Mason rose to his feet, waiting for the barrier to be destroyed once again, letting his aura restore itself. Like an aching muscle, his heart burned for a moment of rest. His powers could take a breather, a break between reps, but the rest of his body couldn't afford the time.
​

Rath was able to pile through the never-ending horde of Revanchist mages for a good small while, but it seemed that they had quickly managed to adapt to his close-ranged fighting style, perhaps coming off as more coordinated and calculating than they looked upon first glance. The collective horde of mages managed to suddenly put a stop to Rath's movements, casting a spell that suddenly locked him in a telekinetic hold and lifting him up into the air, before slamming him right into the tiled ground!

Even after that, the smaller group of magicians kept their telekinetic hold on Rath, hoping to keep him pinned to the ground while the others continued advancing toward Mason's barrier. Of course, if enough strength was mustered, Ben would be able to break free of their hold, but for now...

The mages conjured a large green ball of energy, floating in front of them. It was difficult to tell what exactly it was at first, but Touma seemed to recognize it first, eyes widening as he suddenly began to move in no time.

"Severa, look out!" He called out, and just as the mages fired the massive ball, he leapt forward right for Severa, practically tackling her into the side out of the projectile's way.

With that, the massive ball easily melted through Mason's concrete barrier, revealing itself to be of a highly acidic nature. It would have proceeded to continue traversing forward, right into Mason's face, had Zatanna not cast her own spell to contain and dispel it.

"We're not getting any younger here, John! Hurry it up!"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, luv! This kinda work is delicate!" Constantine exclaimed, finishing setting up the second talisman and immediately getting to work on the third, running over to the other wall now.

"Talk about my panties again and I'll--"

"Let us stay focused, Zatanna. I'm sure our new friend is doing the best he can," Carissa said from the sidelines, bracing herself as the barrier was open and fractured even more than before now.

@Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Josh @C+Z Group​

"...T-thanks," was all that Mason could choke out in the heat of the moment. He gripped tightly to his sword and swallowed hard. He stared through the hole burnt through his barrier, and knew that the structure's days - no, minutes - were numbered.
​

"Let me tell you something, Revanchist Mages who work for Darth Revan and have been chasing John Constantine for an unspecified anount of time! Rath is not done here! Rath swears to turn you all into part of Rath's collection of losers! This is not the last you'll see of Rath!"

Within the thin gap of time, Rath smacked the emblem on his chest.

"But it iz ze first you will see of...

... NRG!"

NRG as it was called used a combination of his suit's weight, as well as radioactively heating his suit to counter the spell that pinned him down. The mages that were countered would be stunned by headaches due to how this sheer amount of contained radioactivity would interact with mana in attrition, and their bodies would be blown back too, and the dispelled shockwave from NRG standing would be nineteen parts mana and one part radioactive energy.

Next, NRG's suit began to heat, this heat focused on the leg armour as that part began to glow a bright reddish orange. The floor began to melt while glowing a similiar hue and displaying magma-like properties as the Revanchist mages within the radius of the radioactive being began to quite literally sink into the ground, as if it had been turned into sticky, gooey, hot quicksand.

Which was not the case, because a melting floor is probably worse.

Now that Ben Tennyson's mind was back from the Rath-break, he knew what to do. The liquidated floor would serve as an additional obstacle between the mages and Mason's barrier, the latter in which was protecting Constantine.

Since NRG was in the middle of the mage horde, that meant that a fraction of the mages were already across and were ready to be picked off by the rest of the group.

During all this, NRG would simultaneously fire off radioactive blasts at the chests and faces of any Revanchist mages who were within blasting range, and blasting range was pretty wide.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Josh @C+Z Group​

"Ugh!" Severa fell back, landing on the ground as the mages made their attack. "Ow..." Jeez, these guys were the WORST! Why did stupid Revan even NEED these things dead, anyway? Wasn't there some world out there where he could rule to his heart's content that would worship the ground he walked on? Why did they have to get dragged into this? Why did-

...

...

...

"...I'm alive. You can get off me now."

Touma had better be worshipping the ground Guy Gardner walked on.

@Ver @Crow @Josh @Alex Azure @Z+C

"Just because I'm low on magic doesn't mean I'm down for the count!!" Mason yelled, jumping through the acid-worn hole in his barrier. He stood with full confidence in front of it, sword at the ready.

View attachment 3805
"Corrin, whatever you're dealing with right now... I hope I don't disgrace this sword of yours, even with a copy."

Mason lunged towards the nearest Revanchist mage. He stabbed. He slashed. He swung at any projectiles coming his way, hoping to deflect their shots and protect what was left of his barrier.

"Severa, mind giving me a little backup? Healing would be nice, but a lance is fine too."

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Alex Azure @Josh @C+Z Group​

 

[Jeremi]

Schala Zeal
@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi
@Clea + Merlin Group

Thinking quickly, Schala tried to tackle Majima out of the way quickly, and though she didn't have that much in the way of physical strength going for her... She had whispered a small incantation just before she did so, causing her movements to suddenly speed up, to the point she seemed almost like a blurr.

"Do it, now!" She shouted, towards Clea, seeming to notice she was trying to cast a spell.

With that, she suddenly hummed quietly, the distinct note resonating with some kind of magical force as it caused a crude wall of stone to form in front of her and Majima. It didn't look very sturdy, and probably couldn't sustain much more than a few blows, but she hoped it would buy Clea enough time to do what she intended to.

While she hadn't quite had the time to associate the motions Clea made with the spell she was trying to cast, but she could at least recognize the fact that she was trying to cast something nonetheless. She just had to trust it was the right call to make...​

Deoxys turned on a dime as the mental presence of the wolf-like beast touched its mind, just as Schala rose a wall of stone at the gnashing monstrosity. The hulking defensive form that the pokemon currently sports wasn't nearly as fast as it's other forms, but transforming now would take too long - long enough for the monster to change its targets, or disrupt Clea's spell.

The alien uttered a droning, buzzing cry as it launched forward like a crimson cannonball, bouncing off the floor and casting a wide shadow upon Schala and Majima as it soared over their heads. It slammed into the ground directly behind the beast, shaking the foundation of the warehouse and the very floor that it stood upon.

Before the beast could turn around to retaliate, Deoxys fanned out its flat defensive tentacles, lurching its entire body forward and casting the four appendages forth like fishing rods.

DEOXYS used WRAP!

The red tentacles stretched like rubber, snaking around the creature's legs and body and attempting to form crushing wraps around them. The wild monster would find it difficult to avoid the giant, broad tentacles that the alien tried to hold it down with, and neither tooth nor claw would do much to stall the intensifying grapple, as the malleable matter composing the tentacles seemed to quickly reshape itself no matter how many mouthfuls the beast took out of them.

Deoxys' telepathy intruded Clea's mind again.

"Do it."

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group​

To the surprise of Deoxys the beast didn't even attempt an attack and instead with agile feet jumped over the wall and landed a few feet away from the trio.

Right next to the Rider.

"Oh you want a piece of m-" Castle didn't have time to finish his sentence has the monster used the cosmically powered spirit of vengeance as a shield from Clea's spell causing him to fall limp to the ground. "Blast!"

As the battle went on Merlin continued to shine with her lack of presence only having that same calm smile on her face looking on as they fought.
​

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group

 

[Sark]

The sword took out a few bugs, but the majority of them flew out of the way, some of them now even moving on to swarm around Ren. What's more, they began attempting to sting the two men, and from the purple substance on the tips of their stingers, it was probably in your best interest to get away.

"Hold on! Let me try to-"

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"

Casta groaned and covered her ears as a familiar screech sounded, not amplified twenty times over. The crystal shards had joined together to form smaller, but several smaller crystal monsters. They flung shards at Casta, who was able to stop them midair and send them back towards the creatures, but it appeared their own attack had no effect whatsoever. At least all those shards seemed to shatter...

@Kaykay @Sark

"That's not- hm..."

Ren scratched his head as Blitz walked off to fully investigate his question. He hadn't really meant to make it such a serious question, even if he really was curious, but it turned out no one really had an answer anyway.

"Blitz, huh?" he answered as the steam golem returned. "I'm Ren. Let's settle all this mess quick, if we can."

Before he knew it though, what was a small group was suddenly all over the place with all sorts of trouble happening at the same time. Ren wasn't immediately sure where to help first, but after seeing Blitz go to help the falling girl he figured he should take care of the other side.

Springing into motion, he moved swiftly and swung his blade at the swarm of insects. He wasn't too worried about cutting any of the insects with his Guillotine, but the sheer speed of his movement could probably create a fierce enough air flow to disturb their flight. Assuming they were even normal bugs to begin with, at least.

Ren then turned his attention on the shaking sack, not sure what to make of it yet.

@Sark @Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @C+I

"Watch out, Partner! On your 6!" Guy cried, igniting his energy shield to protect him form the flurry of stingers heading his way. Extending his aura outwards, and extending its surface area, the Green Lantern summoned an over-sized, hard-light fly squatter from the tip of his ring. With a mighty swing, he brought the full force of his paddle down onto the bugs Ren had left disoriented.

"Bees? Meet Bee-Slayer! Bee-Slayer? Meet Bees!"

Guy growled, retreating down the hallway to regroup with what remained of his team. As he surrendered ground to the horde, he frantically swung his swatter back and forth, parting the insect-like creatures to the best of his abilities.

"And you crystal-looking shits?"

A vibrant green orb of light swelling around his right foot. Swinging it with all the strength he could muster, Guy let his body roll forward under the weight of his new, giant boot, kicking the smaller crystal creatures as hard and as far as he could.

View attachment 3810

"Why won't you just stay dead?"

@Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @Kaykay​

 

[Crunch]

To the surprise of Deoxys the beast didn't even attempt an attack and instead with agile feet jumped over the wall and landed a few feet away from the trio.

Right next to the Rider.

"Oh you want a piece of m-" Castle didn't have time to finish his sentence has the monster used the cosmically powered spirit of vengeance as a shield from Clea's spell causing him to fall limp to the ground. "Blast!"

As the battle went on Merlin continued to shine with her lack of presence only having that same calm smile on her face looking on as they fought.

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group

"What?"

Deoxys managed to roll its eyes (a uniquely human behavior it found some attachment to during its time at the Coalition) at the combination of incompetence on Castle and Clea's part. It was not entirely their fault, however; the beast was far faster than Deoxys expected, and not nearly as blindly animalistic. If it can leap around like that, a defensive form wasn't going to do many favors for Deoxys' allies.

So, it had to get faster.

While the rest of its allies reacted, Deoxys' body would begin to shift once more. The putty-like matter that composes its body almost went in a reverse motion to how it assumed its current form; instead of expanding, it began to quickly deflate and thin out, causing the hulking figure to become thin and gangly, a grooved black surface revealing itself beneath Deoxys' body as the thick matter receded into nothing.

When the transformation had finished, Deoxys had a visible neck and head once more, large fins sprouting from the sides and back of its head that formed into an aerodynamic shape. One pair of tentacles receded into its body entirely while the other reshaped into thin, noodly appendages.

Losing weight was natural for Deoxys. The thinner Deoxys lowered its body, eerily watching the movement of the beast as it watched back. Then, it squinted, emitting a low buzz similar to the noise it had made before.

And it vanished.

DEOXYS used EXTREMESPEED!

A movement filled the room, yet no one, except those with the most expert of eyes, could see where it was coming from. A haze of red blurs surrounded the monster; it's beastial eyes maybe capable of catching glimpses of multiple after-images of a thin, gangly alien flying around it from every angle. If the wolf attempted to leap away again, an unseen force, like a kick or a jab from a tentacle, would strike into its torso like a bullet, threatening to knock the wind out of the creature.

Deoxys continued its lightning-fast blitz, intending to keep the monster in one location of the room by speedily running around it and striking when it would attempt to move or catch one of the after-images (to no avail).

A telepathic voice touched everyone's mind once again. "Attack it now. I will be able to avoid any stray attacks."

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

 

[0ttonomous]

Blitzcrank
@MelodyMeister @Sark @Kaykay @Yun Lee @Ottonomous Ghost @C+I
​

Fortunately for Kitty, Blitz was able to grab her, holding her out over the endless abyss. Though both could feel a heavy increase in gravity pulling him downwards the longer they remained out here. Ingrid was nowhere to be seen.

Kitty, in what must be her first in a few years, screamed. She held her blue gem to her chest in her left hand, while her right hand tried to grab nothing at all. Despite her gem being on her, Kitty could see rapid visions made from adrenaline. So many of them depicted nothingness, some depicted memories of the past, some depicted far away futures she was sure was going to happen to some other lucky Kitty. A blinding white light in the middle was fading away by the black nothingness.

Was this how death felt like? She was too scared to ever look into the abyss, and she wasn't ready. She didn't want to die. She screamed into nothing, knowing what that soon, her screams would become nothing. Closing her eyes, she was-



Caught by the hand by the blinding white light. Items fell out of her forensic kit, and Kitty winced as the sudden stop in velocity hurt her arm. She was being pulled up, and relucatantly, she opened her eyes. In reality, she had barely fallen, and time had slowed down for her. The light receded to reveal Blitz holding her. Kitty felt cold sweat fall down, and she took a few deep breaths.

She was reckless. She had assumed she would live because of some hazy vision, and look where that got her. A near death experience. As she spoke unguarded, Kitty felt sick. She wasn't going to make that mistake again, no matter what dirty method it takes.

"I'm...sorry-Uh, for what? I don't know. Can you lift me back to proper land? Please?"

She rambled nervously, and held onto her Bibliotheca gem, although that gem was now hurting her with its emptying power. Focusing, Kitty let her other hand free, as she floated the gem and what was left of the forensic kit besides her. She levitated the gem into her pocket, once her red gem finishes powering up...she was going to deposit both things in there. Using more of her power, Kitty covered her ears with her earmuff around her neck, as she heard the loud, gross sound of swarming insects. She didn't have the focus or strength to lift herself onto land, but she could do all these small things.

"....Thank you. Blitz. I'm supposing that the footsteps I followed weren't so lucky. I hope that wasn't anyone we knew's footprints, like...Ingrid."​

For a moment, Blitzcrank thought that he had missed her. But then, just barely, he caught her, without hurting her too much. Although his hands were quite bulky, part of his design was precise pressure regulation, which allowed him to go from gently handling fragile materials to getting rid of hazards.

As if sighing in relief, he released a puff of steam. However, his body began to creak as gravity seemed to intensify in the area. Luckily, situations like these were what Blitz was built for. Carefully, the thick, metallic wire connecting his hand to his arm slowly receded until Katherine was brought back into the corridor. When she apologized, the robot merely shook his head. "HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES, IT IS OKAY," he said, setting her on the ground as she requested. "I AM SIMPLY FULFILLING MY PURPOSE. I AM GLAD YOU ARE NOT HURT," he replied in response to her thanks. However, her comment about the footsteps made him worried. If those were Ingrid's footsteps, then he had failed to save her.
​

The sword took out a few bugs, but the majority of them flew out of the way, some of them now even moving on to swarm around Ren. What's more, they began attempting to sting the two men, and from the purple substance on the tips of their stingers, it was probably in your best interest to get away.

"Hold on! Let me try to-"

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"

Casta groaned and covered her ears as a familiar screech sounded, not amplified twenty times over. The crystal shards had joined together to form smaller, but several smaller crystal monsters. They flung shards at Casta, who was able to stop them midair and send them back towards the creatures, but it appeared their own attack had no effect whatsoever. At least all those shards seemed to shatter...

"And you crystal-looking shits?"

A vibrant green orb of light swelling around his right foot. Swinging it with all the strength he could muster, Guy let his body roll forward under the weight of his new, giant boot, kicking the smaller crystal creatures as hard and as far as he could.

"Why won't you just stay dead?"​

But, right now, there were more important things to worry about. He focused his synthetic eyes on the small crystalline creatures as they flew through the air-- conveniently in his direction.

View attachment 3814

He produced an electric current in his hands and proceeded to catch each one and crush them, hoping that the electricity would sever the magical connection within the creatures.
​

 

[Ver]

"S-Sorry. I just... the acid ball..." Touma stammered as he shifted off of Severa awkwardly. Of course, there was little time to celebrate their survival, especially as Mason's barrier gave way. He offered her a hand up, before facing the advancing forces gradually seeming to gain more and more ground on them, even if Ben as NRG managed to keep them at bay.

"Tch... How long can this keep up?!"

As it seemed he was bunched together with Severa and Mason, the spiky-haired boy played his own part, using his Imagine Breaker as much as he could to dissipate the spells that came his way.

Even as the magicians were forced to keep their distance thanks to Ben, they still did their best to apply their pressure. Constantine by then had finished setting up the third talisman at the top of the eastern wall, leaving only the bottom part of the wall left. The man went to work, but before long...

Fwwsh!

"Aargh!"

Constantine let out a surprised yell as his hand was engulfed in what looked like a blindingly bright ball of magic, no doubt conjured by the enemy mages. The final talisman visibly burned to ashes, though his hand itself seemed to be perfectly fine, as though the ball was concentrated expressly just to do away with the talisman.

Veering toward his direction in alarm, Zatanna gasped. "John! Are you alright?!"

"The last talisman... They bloody vaporized it!" He hissed, leaning against the wall to avoid the firefight as best as he could.

"What, you don't have another in that big trenchcoat of yours?!"

"I'd have to carry eight of those just to be able to create two full barriers. Do you bloody think I can be arsed to carry that much for just a defensive spell?"

"So what now?!"

"Consider this," John began, an intent gaze in his eyes as it seemed the situation wasn't completely helpless if anyone here could do anything about it, "It wouldn't be perfect, but... theoretically, we can make a barrier with just the three I've set up!"

"Theoretically?! What do you mean?!" Touma exclaimed, finding himself gradually pushed back as time passed.

"It'd be incomplete as it is now; it'd only cover up two thirds of the corridor, with a big ol' gap where I would have put the last talisman, but if we can find some way to cover up or otherwise make up for that gap, then Bob's your uncle!"

"Who the heck is Bob?!"

"It's a figure of speech. You see, it essentially means--"

"But what are we gonna cover up the gap with? The adorning statues in the hall? Or are we gonna blow it all up to make some rubble?!" Zatanna exclaimed incredulously.

@Crow @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Josh​

 

[Crow]

"S-Sorry. I just... the acid ball..." Touma stammered as he shifted off of Severa awkwardly. Of course, there was little time to celebrate their survival, especially as Mason's barrier gave way. He offered her a hand up, before facing the advancing forces gradually seeming to gain more and more ground on them, even if Ben as NRG managed to keep them at bay.

"Tch... How long can this keep up?!"

As it seemed he was bunched together with Severa and Mason, the spiky-haired boy played his own part, using his Imagine Breaker as much as he could to dissipate the spells that came his way.

Even as the magicians were forced to keep their distance thanks to Ben, they still did their best to apply their pressure. Constantine by then had finished setting up the third talisman at the top of the eastern wall, leaving only the bottom part of the wall left. The man went to work, but before long...

Fwwsh!

"Aargh!"

Constantine let out a surprised yell as his hand was engulfed in what looked like a blindingly bright ball of magic, no doubt conjured by the enemy mages. The final talisman visibly burned to ashes, though his hand itself seemed to be perfectly fine, as though the ball was concentrated expressly just to do away with the talisman.

Veering toward his direction in alarm, Zatanna gasped. "John! Are you alright?!"

"The last talisman... They bloody vaporized it!" He hissed, leaning against the wall to avoid the firefight as best as he could.

"What, you don't have another in that big trenchcoat of yours?!"

"I'd have to carry eight of those just to be able to create two full barriers. Do you bloody think I can be arsed to carry that much for just a defensive spell?"

"So what now?!"

"Consider this," John began, an intent gaze in his eyes as it seemed the situation wasn't completely helpless if anyone here could do anything about it, "It wouldn't be perfect, but... theoretically, we can make a barrier with just the three I've set up!"

"Theoretically?! What do you mean?!" Touma exclaimed, finding himself gradually pushed back as time passed.

"It'd be incomplete as it is now; it'd only cover up two thirds of the corridor, with a big ol' gap where I would have put the last talisman, but if we can find some way to cover up or otherwise make up for that gap, then Bob's your uncle!"

"Who the heck is Bob?!"

"It's a figure of speech. You see, it essentially means--"

"But what are we gonna cover up the gap with? The adorning statues in the hall? Or are we gonna blow it all up to make some rubble?!" Zatanna exclaimed incredulously.

@Crow @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Josh​

During the fight, the Revanchist mages attempting to pin NRG downwards were more than successful, as his weighty suit was sinking into his own glowing molten pools. While the suit protected against heat and radiation, it was pretty heavy.

Soon, NRG was fully underground, but the floor he affected was still molten, and would take a while to cool.

...wait a second.

Beside Constantine, the floor began to turn molten, like NRG's effects. Next, from this molten puddle, a speedy energy being burst upwards.

"Yeah, I 'erd everything. Let's get zis plan in motion, guys. Give me ze signal and I'll melt ze ceiling.

While staying a safe distance, I wouldn't want you to get caught in ze radiation."

More mages seemed to pummel more attacks at the squad, so the now-unarmoured NRG, as Mason might recall, took a great breath in to absorb as much fire and lightning as possible, before shooting a far-range nuclear energy blast from its mouth at the enemy armadas.

"Rub a dub dub, thanks for za grub!"

Even greater, further hordes were sunk nigh-instantly into newly-created molten floors while a resulting mushroom cloud in the distance knocked out a good fraction. This, however, was not at all a permanent solution, but a temporary one to even further delay them.

NRG aimed a palm for the ceiling as he charged a sphere of energy in it.

He was prepared to act with Constantine's next move.

"Let's rock, gang. Fall back and get ready for a fallout!"

@Ver @Crow @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Josh @Z+C​

 

[Josh]

"S-Sorry. I just... the acid ball..." Touma stammered as he shifted off of Severa awkwardly. Of course, there was little time to celebrate their survival, especially as Mason's barrier gave way. He offered her a hand up, before facing the advancing forces gradually seeming to gain more and more ground on them, even if Ben as NRG managed to keep them at bay.

"Tch... How long can this keep up?!"

As it seemed he was bunched together with Severa and Mason, the spiky-haired boy played his own part, using his Imagine Breaker as much as he could to dissipate the spells that came his way.

Even as the magicians were forced to keep their distance thanks to Ben, they still did their best to apply their pressure. Constantine by then had finished setting up the third talisman at the top of the eastern wall, leaving only the bottom part of the wall left. The man went to work, but before long...

Fwwsh!

"Aargh!"

Constantine let out a surprised yell as his hand was engulfed in what looked like a blindingly bright ball of magic, no doubt conjured by the enemy mages. The final talisman visibly burned to ashes, though his hand itself seemed to be perfectly fine, as though the ball was concentrated expressly just to do away with the talisman.

Veering toward his direction in alarm, Zatanna gasped. "John! Are you alright?!"

"The last talisman... They bloody vaporized it!" He hissed, leaning against the wall to avoid the firefight as best as he could.

"What, you don't have another in that big trenchcoat of yours?!"

"I'd have to carry eight of those just to be able to create two full barriers. Do you bloody think I can be arsed to carry that much for just a defensive spell?"

"So what now?!"

"Consider this," John began, an intent gaze in his eyes as it seemed the situation wasn't completely helpless if anyone here could do anything about it, "It wouldn't be perfect, but... theoretically, we can make a barrier with just the three I've set up!"

"Theoretically?! What do you mean?!" Touma exclaimed, finding himself gradually pushed back as time passed.

"It'd be incomplete as it is now; it'd only cover up two thirds of the corridor, with a big ol' gap where I would have put the last talisman, but if we can find some way to cover up or otherwise make up for that gap, then Bob's your uncle!"

"Who the heck is Bob?!"

"It's a figure of speech. You see, it essentially means--"

"But what are we gonna cover up the gap with? The adorning statues in the hall? Or are we gonna blow it all up to make some rubble?!" Zatanna exclaimed incredulously.

@Crow @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Josh


​

Kneeling down clutching his gun, Ellis look up at Zatanna.​

"Umm, I could be wrong, but can't you speak us up a wall? I mean, I kinda wanna see that. Or, I we could make like a human wall and all band together! That be cool, too "​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Alright, so he couldn't just use his good old tricks of running up and stabbing it. The creature they were dealing with was smart enough to pull that off, using someone in their team as a meat shield for Clea's spell. Getting back on his feet after that shuffle of people in the group trying to defend him from the creature's earlier counterattack towards him, Majima became aware that his skills as a human weren't cutting it here. He had to give into that other power he's gotten.

❝ ... ❞ A deep breath. From all of this time, simply restraining this power within was all he did, he would instead let it out. It was only a matter of seconds that a shadowy aura started to generate from him, a rush of extraordinary strength finding place in his system. The short blade he held in one hand was embedded with this energy, giving it a shadowy effect of electricity.

With Deoxys keeping the creature busy, Majima rushed at it again like before. Except this time, he would momentarily become a mass of intangible shadows passing through the creature, and from that, Majima planned to transform back into a physical form to deliver a surprise stab from his demon-powered blade.

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

 

[Kaykay]

"Tch!"

Ren weaved his body around, avoiding the insect stings as best as he could while swiping his Guillotine around. Guy's large swatter was a much better weapon for hitting insects than the Guillotine on Ren's arm though, so hopefully that'd at least take care of most of them. He grimaced for a moment as the crystalline creatures screeched but managed to not halt in his movements.

As he and Guy made it to the creatures, Ren sped up and dashed forward. He swung his Guillotine across, aiming to behead any of the creatures that Guy might have missed.

@Sark @Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @C+I
​

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

Deoxys turned on a dime as the mental presence of the wolf-like beast touched its mind, just as Schala rose a wall of stone at the gnashing monstrosity. The hulking defensive form that the pokemon currently sports wasn't nearly as fast as it's other forms, but transforming now would take too long - long enough for the monster to change its targets, or disrupt Clea's spell.

The alien uttered a droning, buzzing cry as it launched forward like a crimson cannonball, bouncing off the floor and casting a wide shadow upon Schala and Majima as it soared over their heads. It slammed into the ground directly behind the beast, shaking the foundation of the warehouse and the very floor that it stood upon.

Before the beast could turn around to retaliate, Deoxys fanned out its flat defensive tentacles, lurching its entire body forward and casting the four appendages forth like fishing rods.

DEOXYS used WRAP!

The red tentacles stretched like rubber, snaking around the creature's legs and body and attempting to form crushing wraps around them. The wild monster would find it difficult to avoid the giant, broad tentacles that the alien tried to hold it down with, and neither tooth nor claw would do much to stall the intensifying grapple, as the malleable matter composing the tentacles seemed to quickly reshape itself no matter how many mouthfuls the beast took out of them.

Deoxys' telepathy intruded Clea's mind again.

"Do it."

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group​

To the surprise of Deoxys the beast didn't even attempt an attack and instead with agile feet jumped over the wall and landed a few feet away from the trio.

Right next to the Rider.

"Oh you want a piece of m-" Castle didn't have time to finish his sentence has the monster used the cosmically powered spirit of vengeance as a shield from Clea's spell causing him to fall limp to the ground. "Blast!"

As the battle went on Merlin continued to shine with her lack of presence only having that same calm smile on her face looking on as they fought.
​

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group

"What?"

Deoxys managed to roll its eyes (a uniquely human behavior it found some attachment to during its time at the Coalition) at the combination of incompetence on Castle and Clea's part. It was not entirely their fault, however; the beast was far faster than Deoxys expected, and not nearly as blindly animalistic. If it can leap around like that, a defensive form wasn't going to do many favors for Deoxys' allies.

So, it had to get faster.

While the rest of its allies reacted, Deoxys' body would begin to shift once more. The putty-like matter that composes its body almost went in a reverse motion to how it assumed its current form; instead of expanding, it began to quickly deflate and thin out, causing the hulking figure to become thin and gangly, a grooved black surface revealing itself beneath Deoxys' body as the thick matter receded into nothing.

When the transformation had finished, Deoxys had a visible neck and head once more, large fins sprouting from the sides and back of its head that formed into an aerodynamic shape. One pair of tentacles receded into its body entirely while the other reshaped into thin, noodly appendages.

Losing weight was natural for Deoxys. The thinner Deoxys lowered its body, eerily watching the movement of the beast as it watched back. Then, it squinted, emitting a low buzz similar to the noise it had made before.

And it vanished.

DEOXYS used EXTREMESPEED!

A movement filled the room, yet no one, except those with the most expert of eyes, could see where it was coming from. A haze of red blurs surrounded the monster; it's beastial eyes maybe capable of catching glimpses of multiple after-images of a thin, gangly alien flying around it from every angle. If the wolf attempted to leap away again, an unseen force, like a kick or a jab from a tentacle, would strike into its torso like a bullet, threatening to knock the wind out of the creature.

Deoxys continued its lightning-fast blitz, intending to keep the monster in one location of the room by speedily running around it and striking when it would attempt to move or catch one of the after-images (to no avail).

A telepathic voice touched everyone's mind once again. "Attack it now. I will be able to avoid any stray attacks."

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

Alright, so he couldn't just use his good old tricks of running up and stabbing it. The creature they were dealing with was smart enough to pull that off, using someone in their team as a meat shield for Clea's spell. Getting back on his feet after that shuffle of people in the group trying to defend him from the creature's earlier counterattack towards him, Majima became aware that his skills as a human weren't cutting it here. He had to give into that other power he's gotten.

❝ ... ❞ A deep breath. From all of this time, simply restraining this power within was all he did, he would instead let it out. It was only a matter of seconds that a shadowy aura started to generate from him, a rush of extraordinary strength finding place in his system. The short blade he held in one hand was embedded with this energy, giving it a shadowy effect of electricity.

With Deoxys keeping the creature busy, Majima rushed at it again like before. Except this time, he would momentarily become a mass of intangible shadows passing through the creature, and from that, Majima planned to transform back into a physical form to deliver a surprise stab from his demon-powered blade.

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

Schala Zeal
@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi
@C+M Group

Seeing what Deoxys was doing... Schala followed suit, closing her eyes as she muttered an incantation under her breath, suddenly causing her movements to blurr again.

Carefully guaging the creature's motions, she hummed quietly again, this time... Her voice taking on a slightly higher pitch as lighting crackled at her fingertips, forming into a crude lance.

Trying to time the attack as perfectly as she could, she threw the lightning spear at the creature as soon as she got an opening. With any luck, it would hit its target, and perhaps even stun it.

But on the offchance she might hit a teammate, she prepared to try and curve the bolt it veered towards someone other than the creature, hoping to at least avoid friendly fire if nothing else.​

 

[Yun Lee]

Now that Touma was off her, Severa took his hand, getting up and dusted herself off. "Yeah, hold on!" She called to Mason, getting her staff ready. Taking her time with each of the two, she made sure both were healed as much as she could with her limited ability. Man, this whole healing thing was a pretty sweet deal! Just stand there with your staff and boom! No stress, no mess, and next to zero ways to mess it up. Maybe she chose the wrong profession...

@Ver @Alex Azure @Josh @Crow

---

Thanks to Guy's efforts, it did seem that the swarm of insects had whittled away to nothing rather quickly. However, Guy and Ren did suffer a few stings for their trouble, as did Casta, who aided in fully eliminating the bugs with bursts of magic when she wasn't busy redirecting shard projectiles from the others in the group.

Blitz would find that, unfortunately, there was no way to dispell the magic from within the crystal creatures, and to make matters worse, they continued to regroup and reform time and time again. No matter how one tried to keep shards apart, they would band together magnetically, able to resist even the strongest magic.

"Urgh...h-hang in there...!" Casta's rallying cry was not as spirited as she desired, as now she, Ren, and Guy were feeling the effects of the stings. Weak and lightheaded, there was no telling how long they had until the poison made them unable to fight back.

During all this, Kitty would hear a voice coming from the stairwell. "Could you pop back out for a spell, dearie? I can't see where the trapdoor is anymore!"

@Sark @Kaykay @Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister​

 

[Sark]

Now that Touma was off her, Severa took his hand, getting up and dusted herself off. "Yeah, hold on!" She called to Mason, getting her staff ready. Taking her time with each of the two, she made sure both were healed as much as she could with her limited ability. Man, this whole healing thing was a pretty sweet deal! Just stand there with your staff and boom! No stress, no mess, and next to zero ways to mess it up. Maybe she chose the wrong profession...

@Ver @Alex Azure @Josh @Crow

---

Thanks to Guy's efforts, it did seem that the swarm of insects had whittled away to nothing rather quickly. However, Guy and Ren did suffer a few stings for their trouble, as did Casta, who aided in fully eliminating the bugs with bursts of magic when she wasn't busy redirecting shard projectiles from the others in the group.

Blitz would find that, unfortunately, there was no way to dispell the magic from within the crystal creatures, and to make matters worse, they continued to regroup and reform time and time again. No matter how one tried to keep shards apart, they would band together magnetically, able to resist even the strongest magic.

"Urgh...h-hang in there...!" Casta's rallying cry was not as spirited as she desired, as now she, Ren, and Guy were feeling the effects of the stings. Weak and lightheaded, there was no telling how long they had until the poison made them unable to fight back.

During all this, Kitty would hear a voice coming from the stairwell. "Could you pop back out for a spell, dearie? I can't see where the trapdoor is anymore!"

@Sark @Kaykay @Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister

"Ah crap," Guy groaned, stumbling backwards into the Hall Wall. He had to get up. He had to get moving. He had make a construction or something. Yet whenever he tried to will a box or cube into existence, his mind simply wheezed, drawing blank after blank. He just... Couldn't... Focus....

"Crap crap crap... Now this ain't fun this ain't..."

He threw his arm against the corridor, doing the best he could to stay on his feet and keep stumbling forward.

"Lemme just... Gimme a sec... Been drunker than this before..."

Teaching into his jacket, Guy's hands fumbled over his chain of rings, clumsily tracing the symbols of each different corp until...

"Red... Sorry baby, swore you were gonna be on the bench for a while but... Right now, It looks like I've got somethin' nasty in my blood, and I want it all out... All of it..."

His fingers dancing either side of his ring, Guy tried to narrow his splitting vision the best he could and slip his Red Ring on over the top of his Green one. Hopefully, by using the Ring's ability to heat his blood into napalm, he could burn the poison from his system... All he had to do was guess which of his 20, blurry fingers were real.

@Yun Lee @Ottonomous Ghost @Kaykay @MelodyMeister​

 

[Jeremi]

"What?"

Deoxys managed to roll its eyes (a uniquely human behavior it found some attachment to during its time at the Coalition) at the combination of incompetence on Castle and Clea's part. It was not entirely their fault, however; the beast was far faster than Deoxys expected, and not nearly as blindly animalistic. If it can leap around like that, a defensive form wasn't going to do many favors for Deoxys' allies.

So, it had to get faster.

While the rest of its allies reacted, Deoxys' body would begin to shift once more. The putty-like matter that composes its body almost went in a reverse motion to how it assumed its current form; instead of expanding, it began to quickly deflate and thin out, causing the hulking figure to become thin and gangly, a grooved black surface revealing itself beneath Deoxys' body as the thick matter receded into nothing.

When the transformation had finished, Deoxys had a visible neck and head once more, large fins sprouting from the sides and back of its head that formed into an aerodynamic shape. One pair of tentacles receded into its body entirely while the other reshaped into thin, noodly appendages.

Losing weight was natural for Deoxys. The thinner Deoxys lowered its body, eerily watching the movement of the beast as it watched back. Then, it squinted, emitting a low buzz similar to the noise it had made before.

And it vanished.

DEOXYS used EXTREMESPEED!

A movement filled the room, yet no one, except those with the most expert of eyes, could see where it was coming from. A haze of red blurs surrounded the monster; it's beastial eyes maybe capable of catching glimpses of multiple after-images of a thin, gangly alien flying around it from every angle. If the wolf attempted to leap away again, an unseen force, like a kick or a jab from a tentacle, would strike into its torso like a bullet, threatening to knock the wind out of the creature.

Deoxys continued its lightning-fast blitz, intending to keep the monster in one location of the room by speedily running around it and striking when it would attempt to move or catch one of the after-images (to no avail).

A telepathic voice touched everyone's mind once again. "Attack it now. I will be able to avoid any stray attacks."

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

Alright, so he couldn't just use his good old tricks of running up and stabbing it. The creature they were dealing with was smart enough to pull that off, using someone in their team as a meat shield for Clea's spell. Getting back on his feet after that shuffle of people in the group trying to defend him from the creature's earlier counterattack towards him, Majima became aware that his skills as a human weren't cutting it here. He had to give into that other power he's gotten.

❝ ... ❞ A deep breath. From all of this time, simply restraining this power within was all he did, he would instead let it out. It was only a matter of seconds that a shadowy aura started to generate from him, a rush of extraordinary strength finding place in his system. The short blade he held in one hand was embedded with this energy, giving it a shadowy effect of electricity.

With Deoxys keeping the creature busy, Majima rushed at it again like before. Except this time, he would momentarily become a mass of intangible shadows passing through the creature, and from that, Majima planned to transform back into a physical form to deliver a surprise stab from his demon-powered blade.

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @Jeremi @C+M Group​

Schala Zeal
@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Jeremi
@C+M Group

Seeing what Deoxys was doing... Schala followed suit, closing her eyes as she muttered an incantation under her breath, suddenly causing her movements to blurr again.

Carefully guaging the creature's motions, she hummed quietly again, this time... Her voice taking on a slightly higher pitch as lighting crackled at her fingertips, forming into a crude lance.

Trying to time the attack as perfectly as she could, she threw the lightning spear at the creature as soon as she got an opening. With any luck, it would hit its target, and perhaps even stun it.

But on the offchance she might hit a teammate, she prepared to try and curve the bolt it veered towards someone other than the creature, hoping to at least avoid friendly fire if nothing else.​

The monster had had the element of surprise when the battle started, but now the overwhelming odds was catching up to it. Even through Deoxys assault it attempted to slash at Majima, but its claws harmlessly passed through him as the Yakuza member turned into a mass of shadows and stabbed him in the back.

Schala's attack was about to come next as a cry echoed out through the area. "No!" If anyone turned around they'd find a bearded well dressed man pleading to the group. "Stop killing my husband!" The man spoke with a tinge of a Spanish accent.

@Gummi Bunnies @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Takumi @York @C+M Group

 

[Sleepwalker]

Kitty tool a few deep breaths as she saw the swarms of insects and crystalline mini monsters. She kept her earmuffs around her ears. The usually tan girl was still pale from the shock of nearly falling to her death. After all, she was falling head first, so even if that unending darkness did have an end, she would still be....

Rather then use up anymore magic, Kitty instead, leaned on a wall. She took deep breaths, while a battle of locusts and magic was happening just a bit away. How selfish was she? She was freeloading off of the others to beat the enemies for her, while she was just standing there trying to calm down. Pathetic. Closing her eyes, Kitty felt annoying visions of different events and memories start to creep into the darkness. Strangely, they calmed her down instead, so much so, that she took off her earmuffs.
_____________
After a minute or so of hearing battle cries, magical effects and swarming bugs, the battlefield over there quieted to reletive silence. Opening her eyes, Kitty started to walked over to everybody. She was distant and listless as always, but she seemed to have a melancholy look on her. Her eyes were looking away, as she winced when she saw the grotesque stings.

"....Sorry. I was busy nearly dying back there, while you all were dying out here. Those stings must have poison, you all look so faint. Here, I'll try and cast a quick, healing spell. It won't do anything extreme, but I..think, I hope it helps you. Sorry, I guess, about the fact I couldn't help earlier."

Kitty conjured a red glowing ball around her hands. She appeared to be sweating from the effort. The glowing ball faded away, and dispersed. The healing spell was weak, obviously intended to just slow down ailments and patch up small cuts, before a proper healing spell was applied. Casting another ball, Kitty stopped.

She turned back to the black hope that used to be a staircase. There was a voice.

Kitty dispersed what she had conjured, and ran to the darkness, careful not to fall in. She went down to a crawl, and looked into the abyss. If there was light....surely, Ingrid would stare back. She took out a small, but extremely bright torch from what was remaining of her little detective kit, and threw it down in panic.

"Ingrid, catch! I'll try and throw a rope, or something to allow access between us! What's down there!?"

Kitty, in fact, did NOT have a rope, and her Corpus red gem was still a wine colour, but if the worst comes, Kitty COULD lift her out of there....probably just best to start taking the rope out of that barely powered gem, actually. Kitty squeezed her gem, and began to focus her energy on it. It was exhausting.

@Yun Lee @Sark @Ottonomous Ghost @Kaykay​

 

[Atomic Knight]

Morrigan was looking for the source of the vine when Wade proposed his ridiculous question. She was not entirely sure if he was serious or just making a joke of the situation as usual. She was about to make a scathing comment when Will went ahead and cut the man's leg off with little hesitation. Morrigan opened her mouth to speak but instead just shook her head. She shifted her focus and lifted her staff to place a healing spell on Wade. It would alleviate his discomfort and she hoped the silly man was serious about his leg potentially growing back.

The vine claimed the cut leg for the jungle and it slithered out of view. Wade's blood stained some of the greenery and Morrigan could swear that the plants seemed to be pulsating now that they were bloodied. "Delightful jungle this is turning out to be," she said, sounding cross. There was something demonic about this space and she doubted any enemy mage would dare stay here long. "Let us continue toward the waterfall, for 'tis the only landmark of any note."

She waved her staff, sending a powerful blast of wind that knocked down a majority of the foliage before them. She continued forward, not noticing strange tiny sparks coming up behind the group. A strange, sickening sensation started to overcome them and the jungle began to blur. Morrigan turned to the other three and spoke sharply, but her voice became white noise.

@Hahli Nuva @Lucky @Minerva​

 

[Yun Lee]

"No need to waste your magic on me, Kitty!" The torch, oddly enough, did not light anything up. This space was pure blackness, as if a complete void of pure nothingness. Even so, it continued to stay lit and continued to fall, but was soon caught midair by Ingrid, who was slowly floating upwards on an orange disklike sigil. "I can take care of myself, just keep that cute little face of your out here in the darkness! This gravity is giving me such difficulties..."

Meanwhile, within the battle, Kitty's healing spell, while not fully eliminating the poison within, certainly halfed it, giving the three infected some better clarity and allowing Guy's vision to clear and put the ring on his finger. But even so, more crystal shards were on their way, the dozens of creatures shrieking and filling the hall.

@MelodyMeister @Sark @Kaykay @Ottonomous Ghost​

 

[0ttonomous]

Blitzcrank
@Ottonomous Ghost @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Sark​

Thanks to Guy's efforts, it did seem that the swarm of insects had whittled away to nothing rather quickly. However, Guy and Ren did suffer a few stings for their trouble, as did Casta, who aided in fully eliminating the bugs with bursts of magic when she wasn't busy redirecting shard projectiles from the others in the group.

Blitz would find that, unfortunately, there was no way to dispell the magic from within the crystal creatures, and to make matters worse, they continued to regroup and reform time and time again. No matter how one tried to keep shards apart, they would band together magnetically, able to resist even the strongest magic.

"Urgh...h-hang in there...!" Casta's rallying cry was not as spirited as she desired, as now she, Ren, and Guy were feeling the effects of the stings. Weak and lightheaded, there was no telling how long they had until the poison made them unable to fight back.

Meanwhile, within the battle, Kitty's healing spell, while not fully eliminating the poison within, certainly halfed it, giving the three infected some better clarity and allowing Guy's vision to clear and put the ring on his finger. But even so, more crystal shards were on their way, the dozens of creatures shrieking and filling the hall.

Things were going bad. No matter how much Blitz tried to crush and destroy the hazards, nothing would come of it. Never before had his strength failed him this much. He looked back at Ren, Guy, and Casta, who were in moderate stress. If he couldn't fulfill his purpose through attacks, then he'd have to go on the defensive. He quickly moved to the best position where he could use his large body to block shards. "HOLD ON. I WILL BLOCK THE PROJECTILES."

Instead of getting close and punching the creatures, he was now shooting his hands forward to punch them at a distance, but at a much slower rate compared to before, given that his hands needed to re-attach to his arms to do another attack.

As the shards grew in intensity, they began hitting slightly weaker parts of his body, resulting in minor dents and scratches here and there, but perhaps nothing too serious. The likelihood of a shard getting lodged into an important component, such as his eyes, was not high, but the possibility still existed. Nevertheless, he remained acting as a shield, perhaps until Guy put his red ring on.​