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[Youma Cleeia
HP: 8/50]

Cleeia clung to his sister. It felt like the only thing he could do. He wanted, badly, to run, but there was nowhere to go, and he felt frozen in place. There were so many youma--yes, it was the Rift, but nothing could quite comprehend the scale of the monstrous horde descending upon them. All because one bright-eyed fool had decided to do something ever-so-clever.

He barely registered when the scale hit him in the center of his chest, just below the hole over his starseed.

He did, however, register that something felt wrong.

"Mirzam?" He started, in a small, panicked voice. "Mirzam, I don't feel well." He brought up a hand ot press it to his forehead, and he saw it--his hand had gone parchment-yellow, skin shrunken down, fingers turned into strange claws.

"Mirzam! What's happening?" He shrieked, in full panic.

That was when it dawned on him. He'd been hit by a scale--a bloody, infectious scale--and he was changing. He tried to scream, but he found his words quickly swallowed up, and he fell to his knees, scrabbling desperately at his sister's skirts.

"Help...me," he gasped, a last, desperate, rasping act of rational thought.

Corrupt Super Sailor Meridiana
HP: 65/75
Dice: 1d8 (x10 if senshi magic)
Damage:6 (round 1) + 80 (round 2)

The youma recoiled away from the shrill scream just as Meridiana had run out of breath. A small victory but not one she had time or energy left to enjoy because her throat felt like it was now on fire.

It hurt to breathe. Hurt to swallow. It hurt to even try and speak.

If she thought she was useless before, now she was really screwed. Not that it mattered, it wasn't as if her first attempt at using magic had succeeded in accomplishing anything, there were just far too many youma.

That Captian's sacrifice was for naught, the end for her was all the same.

Meridiana scrambled backward and away from the plant youma, the slash to her leg flaring to life again by the panicked motion. How could she hope or even consider helping the other corrupt when she couldn't even help herself.

[Captain Marialite
HP: 53/75]


The retreat was sounded. Marialite exhaled, looking around--it seemed smart, yes. So she fell back, away from the crowd of youma, and towards the group. Better to not get tangled up in all this; she wanted to go home to the boys that loved her, and to Dinara, who needed her.

So it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. Circle up around their Senshi and go, and they'd be far, far better for it.

Ugh, though, Marialite was sorry not to get to keep fighting. She enjoyed that part of this, if nothing else. But at least she wasn't going to die or turn into a monster, unless things went a lot more sideways than they already had.

No! No need to think like that! She just needed to turn around, and get with the group, and protect their little cadre of Senshi, and go the ******** home. That was it. That was all. Mission ******** accomplished.

General Sylvite

HP: 78/100
DMG: 6+ +4 (weapon) = 10

They had what they needed?

Jet's orders came as kinda a relief, but at this point it was definitely more of a kinda. Back up at the citadel, she'd imagined them all swarming the youma, defeating it in a flash of dust and shiny scales, not, like, people dying and changing.

Not, like, people running for their lives while officers tried and tried to control swarms of youma with clever starseed placement that kept backfiring. Not having to run and stress out about making it back.

That was where they were, though. Sylvite glanced backwards towards the cliffs, and that sent another gross feeling down her throat. She could probably climb, but it would be hard for Feldspar, with his leg. It would be hard for Rakovanite, with his arm. It would probably be hard for a lot of people.

It would be extra hard for a lot of people with this giant youma on their tail.

"You heard him," she said to anyone close to her. "Head out, okay? I'll be at the back."

At least, hopefully she would be.

For now, she stepped up close to the youma. She'd be the target for a second if it could help the others. She dug her dagger deep into a crack in Whim's carapace.

General Lopezite
HP: 68
Damage: 0

(Lopezite was collecting scales but wants to leave; he is grabbing Kamacite and trying to leave with Lavendulan)

The swarm of youma was growing around them, and Lopezite was growing increasingly more aware of how much his body was starting to ache. He was far from slowing down, but the mounting stress was impossible to ignore.

There wasn’t any way they were going to defeat this thing. Maybe, maybe, if there had been a more coordinated plan, they might have stood a chance.

Instead, they had the target youma attacking them. They had a youma swarm. They had a dangerous path back. They had a crumbling cliff.

He had Lavendulan, and she was doing a fantastic job.

“Lav,” he said, and he sounded a bit strained from it, but everything coming together like this--it didn’t seem like anything good was going to come of it.

Jet’s message seemed to be exactly what was on his mind, and before the message had even finished, he was turning to Lavendulan to say, “It’s too dangerous here.”

Because of the youma every bit as much as their overenthusiastic team.

“We need--”

He caught the briefest flash out of the corner of his eye, and his vision was spotty for a few seconds afterwards. He thought something had exploded, thought someone was trying something new to bring down the cliff face.

Things came together in disjoined pieces, and he wasn’t sure he had a full understanding even when it clicked that he was looking at Kamacite.

Who looked so much smaller without his robes.

Eternal or otherwise, Lopezite was very much aware of how much more dangerous this was for any Senshi than it was for him, and he gripped the hilt of his sword a bit tighter because--yes, he wanted to leave. Now, before something got worse.

But he knew Kamacite was injured, and he knew he was more of a target than the rest of them.

His sword would never let him down, he’d have that for as long as he needed. Senshi magic was limited, and he hadn’t been keeping track well enough to know if Kamacite had any juice left in him.

He had a swear in mind but it didn’t fall from his lips.

He trusted Lavendulan more than anyone right now. “Lav, you’re doing a great job. I need you to cover me in a minute. I’ll be right back, I’m not leaving you.”

Lopezite ignored the large youma and used his sword only to create a shield to help him cross the distance between himself and Kamacite.

“Kamacite,” he called, but he wasn’t really there for a conversation. He needed him to know that he was not a youma trying to get to his starseed. If things had been different, he’d have asked for permission before wrapping his arm around Kamacite’s waist.

“I’m leaving, come with me,” he said; he kept his sword angled horizontally, trying to keep something of a barrier between Kamacite and the youma. It would be easier when they got back to Lavendulan, and Lopezite was moving quickly to return to her side so they didn’t lose each other. He could see her--in one eye better than the other, but he was still blinking away a few spots.

Corrupt Sailor Taenite
HP: 28/50
Damage: 4
Kicking youma out of the way. No eating here tonight. no no no eating here tonight you're on a diet

Damn, so trying to suck the magic out of this little item did nothing to help him regain his magic. That was fine. He didn’t need magic. He just needed to stick with the rest of the group and hopefully they’ll figure a way out before they all died. Because it wasn’t looking too great.

Not only that but people were still getting trampled by the youma. He barely managed to run past a particularly angry looking ice-like youma, and figured following the new plan to group together might be good.

A slimy snail creature tried chomping at his heel, so he gave it a good kick, hoping to knock it down off the path.

---------

Youma Reidite
HP: 7/50
Damage: 6
Trying to clear a path with his whole body. Damage to random youma.

Reidite was absolutely going to run off with Cymophane if that was what it took to get him to safety. At least up on his shoulder, Cymophane was higher above the swarm of youma that kept barreling through, running into anyone and everything.

“You can complain later! Once we’re out--”

But he was suddenly struck by one of the scales in the back of his shoulder. The SAME damn shoulder that had the porcupine quills. He spat and cursed, in Russian of course, and was glad he had Cymophane the cat-boy over his other shoulder.

Except things started to change. He felt like he was growing taller. Growing… hairier.

With a snarl of anguish, Reidite set Cymophane down as carefully as he could, while his body contorted into an otherworldly form. A beast-like creature with molting fur and mane and bone and muscle peeking through.

What the hell was this?? He grunted and snarled in confusion, looking down at his giant hands that were now paws with sharp claws. And he barely fit on the path any more. Chunks of matted fur fell when he shook, but it seemed as though the majority of youma were ignoring him, as they did Cymophane.

Well good. Now was his opportunity to barrel through a group of them, trying to clear the way for Cymophane to escape. He roared as he did so, bearing teeth under a grizzled snout.

Corrupt Sailor Albite - Senshi of Retribution
HP: 28/50
Dmg: +6 (Atk Dice) +2 (Youma Leggy Weapon Stab)
Total: 8
Always Choose Violence. Stabbing The Cliff on The Way Down to Watch the Bonfire from up Close~

Snarled and swiped at a youma that swooped in too close, felt it’s claws rake fresh gouges over his flesh before swatting it the ******** off. Bled air and energy and clung to his final attack like a lifeline; like he clung to the pickaxe he’d been granted youma leg style. Disappointed as he was that the cliff hadn’t fallen. Felt it tremble and then resist him because it was a ******** cliff side, and somehow still not a youma!? He let it go. Stared out as the communicator went off - over and over anew; conflicting for him. Don’t pull a star seed - do pull a star seed!? Don’t die, do die, stay there, stab a cliff, run….

But to where?

The only good thing about being where he was? Was the vantage point. ******** scenic. Used the few seconds he had to take it all in, swept his gaze over the mess of it below - a war zone. The whole of it - everything was stunning- and he ping ponged between emotions. Joy bled over rage at the praise of the fleeing bubbled Senshi he still wanted to drop the cliff on. Hell yes, he did look good, thanks, but also she had a shield?! Absolute son of a - she coulda waited a bit longer before putting it away, whatever!

Awed at the ice dragon, and her orders had made him grin, feral, and thrilled as she went back over the edge like a super hero. Pounced on the swarm below, the Big Boy. How she tore into him and became a goddamned dragon before his very eyes. Perfection in her form, and he’d thought she’d looked deadly before, but now? Amazing.

The glory of the chaos from just above it, and the way it lit up brilliantly like a sun had formed in the center across the narrow pathways of it all. He had a moment to coo over how pretty it all was. The way it showed the lot of them - those that remained alive - clustered, cloistered, and scrabbling to get some semblance of together to escape. Fighting for their lives. Lit up friend and enemy alike. Impossible to miss Kama then, go a little blind for staring and remind himself to look away. Blinked out more spots even in the aftermath of the flare up; it was breathtaking to be able to marvel at a walking sweep of fire taken form in the midst of the group - and the General over the coms had said something about ‘youma’ - the agents being youma?

Well s**t.

Albite didn’t have another star seed on him, because who in their right mind *did*? Apparently he didn’t need to worry about having one though, not when someone - something - the drifting dancing fireball? Had tossed one over the edge, easy to see by the way the sea of youma roiled around it, swarmed along the edges of the place hungrily.

Wanted nearer to *that* , and didn't dive so much as he haphazardly dragged, youma leg anchored into earth to ease his descent back into the mix of them all. Hoped he did some extra damage to the thing as he hit the earth roughly, a terrible landing, but had no time to worry over it before he was moving. Towards the group like he'd been told, keeping an eye on the strangely entrancing fire in his peripheral..

Man if ever he’d thought of a way to end - this - this was what it looked like. Resonated deep down. He’d known choosing Faustite would be fun. Best General ever.