Dering was startled by Ephesus’ touch; he had expected to be jostled, or to be hit by Chaos, but the gentle touch took him by alarm. His face relaxed almost immediately, even as he looked down at his lute questioningly. “Oh, sorry,” he blurted, but it didn’t have to make sense when it was just automatically the first thing that tumbled out of his mouth.
Reims had requested he take a side, and Ephesus had maneuvered him into position.
“I haven’t figured out my magic,” he said again, another apology. He knew Ephesus had heard him the first time. It just came out. He held the lute awkwardly, like he was suddenly worried about doing something wrong, but he didn’t have time to be too hard on himself.
Cynthus was still trapped and he was still desperate to be useful.
He swallowed, and wielded it again, glad that it was sturdy. Even if he didn’t have magic, at least his weapon was useful! And Ephesus had to be right–the Chaos couldn’t last too much longer.
He hoped.
The lute made another silly little sound when it collided with the tangle of wires; this time he’d swung with a bit more momentum. The lute, resilient, remained unblemished.
Dering wanted her to be free, and he wanted to guard his friends. He worked best when told what to do, and with an instruction he was determined not to let his friends down.
Oh no. Mechelen was freaking out again. It looked like one of her other friends was trapped now. It was some girl in a pink dress who Almere had never seen before, but if she was important to Mechelen? He was important to her.
Almere left it up to her best friend to decide if she was going to use her magic to try to protect her, the way that Halle was saying that she could.
As for Almere, she stepped up to the wires near the girl and dug her fingernails into them, as hard as she could.
She heard squeals and sounds of panic as more and more people were targeted by the wires. The machine seemed worried, and it seemed like Urania might have had a plan to reset it. That gave Daphne a bit of hope, actually.
Her knuckles were still bruised, while the metal did not give way, but if there was something else that could be done, all she had to do was buy some more time.
She thought about the advice she'd been given.
Be quick. Do not hesitate.
She did not. She hit again, and again, and again.
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2024 6:29 pm
“Thank you for defending me.” She thanked Wallia as his fortress disappeared. “I’ll be careful.”
Emain Ablach placed his shield in front of her and a copse of trees formed around them. This would be just the extra time she needed to plan. Inside the illusion, she would be able to meet with the Mauvians in secret, away from Aether’s sight.
She thanked Encke for healing her, too. She was glad to be awake. And standing.
“I am okay...” Ptolemy answered Elliott as she looked down and realized she had dehenshined when she had fallen unconscious. “Though I have been better.”
She watched as Grieve was targeted by Aether. (Though it was impossible to understand Grieve between her own world’s language and the curse words in English she had never heard before.)
They had to act soon.
“Viatrix. There is a button between Aether’s shoulder blades. I need you to go up on the platform and press it. Since you are a Mauvian, it should respond to you. But you must hold it down for five seconds!”
She watched as Selinur’s ice had an effect on Aether, giving them an opening.
“Elliott. Stay with me. I’ll need your assistance soon.”
Just then, as the cat-like senshi Daphne hit Aether — the robot fell limp, held up only by her own wires…
Watching as his glaze did as he wanted, it allowed them an opening, the ancient senshi stepped back away from the others. He wasn't looking to have a lot of attention on himself, he was glad hwoever that no one else seemed to suffer from his magic, as he kept his eyes on everyone else in the room. Selinur took a moment to glance over to Urania who had been in charge of this mission to save her planet, to restore it, was this it? He wanted to ask but he refrained from it. Were they safe now...was her planet safe now? He didn't sense anything and as he strained to hear anything which might be headed for them he heard nothing. Everything seemed ok - good.
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2024 9:40 pm
The wires loosened, and Grieve shook out her hands with a scowling sort of grin. For those who knew her well, the more she talked, the happier Grieve was. A little bit of crazed killer robot bondage while surrounded by a rabble of senshi and knights trying their best to both take down the enemy and not take out each other was well…
As long as Urania was conscious for it, it was pretty ********’ fun.
“Thanks for the ******** forest wall, wall of walls, and happy zappies,” she thanked Earth Squire, Wallia, and Encke. There were a number of clusters of fighters in the area that she’d seen work well together, and this was one. It was the sort of thing that always gave her a measure of satisfaction to see, even if it wasn’t as funny to watch as the ones that didn’t do quite as well and ended up half-kicking each other’s asses by mistake.
Giving her long limbs an even longer stretch, Grieve voiced her next thought out loud, “Guess it’s 'bout lootin’ time…” the announcement trailed off with a cough. “I mean, I would definitely never, ever loot Urania.”
Emain Ablach looked around him, offering, "no problem"s to the people thanking him. He saw that the cat robot had fallen limp, and with it the wires attacking them, but he wasn't quite ready to immediately dispel the meadow he'd summoned. There was always the chance for something to go wrong. So he stayed where he was for the time being.
Just in case.
He looked around him again, taking stock of the people who were injured. He didn't have any healing magic, and he didn't think Imhotep or Promethei did either, but surely someone did? If they had first aid supplies, Emain Ablach would be able to do something, but he didn't see any of those, either--
Now that it seemed like the robot was no longer a problem, Imhotep stopped his attacks and turned to find Promethei and Emain Ablach. He had faith they'd be okay, but it wouldn't hurt to check given that the wires had managed to hit and entangle a few people. It didn't look like anyone had gone down except for Urania, herself, and she was back up and asking mauvians for help, so she seemed to be alright for the time being.
At least, from what Imhotep could see and hear past the trees--
He found Promethei and walked to rejoin him, rolling his shoulders. Imhotep wasn't sure how much damage he'd really been able to contribute, but he was feeling the effect of it on his joints and muscles already.
She had assuredly been better off. The dehenshin was a sign that she was not, though at the very least, she was standing, alive, and well. The senshi and knight that surrounded her were clearly to thank for that, and while he didn't say much to them, he did nod to them each in gratitude.
Viatrix nodded firmly when Urania--Ptolemy, was it? Was that the name Elliott used for her in this state?--told her to go up to the robot and press the button between Aether's shoulders. She dashed up the moment she saw an opening, hopping onto the platform without any fear of the wires that the robot was sending everywhere. Honestly, it was convenient that Aether suddenly went limp. Made it not too difficult to reach up and press down on that button.
That was still necessary, right?
She assumed as much. A hard reset and following reboot was sometimes essential for restoring the functionality of any of these machines, long-term. Aether might just have gotten one.
"Five!" exclaimed Viatrix, excitedly, as she pulled her finger back after five seconds. She turned toward Ptolemy and Elliott and nodded in determination.
Elliott nodded in return, looking up to Ptolemy. "I am ready when you are. I will help however I can."
When Imhotep came closer to him, Promethei waved him over, though he found himself breaking the distance anyway to wrap an arm around his shoulders.
"Looks like we helped save the world," with a snort at his own joke, he clarified, "or her world, anyway." That was the part that was important to Emain Ablach, so he was glad it was done. Speaking of him...
Ah. Still holding up that shield. Looked about right. Who was he over there with? Should they go a bit closer? "Looks like Emain Ablach found Encke--," Promethei cut himself off, realizing that Imhotep might not have had the full context of the reason why Encke was a significant name. "Oh, he's one of the ones that Teeg's still living with at the moment?" He was also Ignacio Araya, which still took him out a bit as a fact. "The member of the Bells I mentioned."
The one he had mentioned with the he's an actor context that he knew Diryas, just like Teegan, would not have had. It probably didn't matter if he remembered that much or not, though, "He'll be fine. Sure he'll come back over to us if he needs to."
... Though Promethei had to admit, it might be nice to bring Emain Ablach back home with them.
Encke clicked his tongue with a salute in the direction of Grieve. "Always got everyone with the happy zappies." That was an amusing way to hear it described, admittedly. When his magic was described, it was usually in terms of how painful it was, how violent it was, or how it accomplished what it needed to, not necessarily in terms of happiness. As he turned his attention back to what Viatrix ran off to do, he couldn't help a ghost of a smile on his lips.
It looked like Emain Ablach was continuing to hold the line for the moment. While they were tempted to remind him that the wires had stopped, now, the shield of the forest had allowed Urania to talk to the two Mauvians she had drawn in unnoticed. Maybe he'd let that one go for now. Urania might have needed that privacy to finish out her plans...
They had done it, right? If the chaotic source on Urania's homeworld had been resolved, wouldn't it allow her homeworld to heal? Or it would let it become open to ethical looting, anyway. He snorted under his breath.
"Has Urania given you permission for that in the past?" He asked, unable to help a playful lilt in his voice as he turned his eyes up toward Grieve.
After several attacks from everyone, Aether was finally defeated.
The room fell silent as Aether, the formidable foe that had threatened them all, finally succumbed to their combined efforts. Ngome let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relief flooding through her as the wires controlling her friends slackened and fell away.
As the group caught their breath and took in the aftermath of the battle, Ngome felt a sense of camaraderie and unity wash over them. They had faced a powerful enemy together and had emerged victorious, thanks to their teamwork and unwavering determination.
Ngome turned to her companions, a smile of gratitude on her face as she met each of their gazes. They shared a bond now, forged in the crucible of conflict, and she knew that they would always have each other's backs no matter what challenges lay ahead.
With Aether defeated and the threat quelled, Ngome felt a sense of peace settle over her. She knew that this was not the end of their adventures, but rather a new beginning. Whatever trials awaited them in the future, Ngome was ready to face them head-on, knowing that she had friends by her side who were willing to fight alongside her till the very end.
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:57 am
Aether responded to Viatrix pressing the button, but it sounded nothing like the voice they had heard previously:
