Vyn flinched. He ducked instinctively, shying away from the power Laurelite commanded. He couldn't sense it, but he didn’t have to. It was like nothing he had ever seen.
He hoped he never saw it again.
The shield went up just in time but Vyn couldn’t let himself feel relief. Judging by the three remaining scales, the shield wouldn’t hold forever. Vyn wanted to be proud of their work. They’d built some of the satellite shields and they’d gathered the energy for this. They’d contributed to the defense of a living world, and its people.
Vyn willed his heart to steady. He gathered what confidence he could, let his belief in the Commodore sustain him where his belief in himself failed to. Hope was such a delicate thing, but he clung to it now as he had the day they’d learned of this beast.
Two Senshi approached with a Mauvian. The first Senshi (Kerberos) called the Commodore by name. Vyn turned to take aim, but he remembered that blue hair and distinctive attire from the battle for Caedus’ starseed. This Senshi had offered his energy to the Commodore then, too. He had a surplus of it. Vyn wasn’t entirely sure of the details, but if he had helped the Commodore once when so many others had turned against him, it stood to reason that his offer now was genuine.
Vyn had no such recollection of the second Senshi (Ida) or the Mauvian (Illyria). They were suspect until proven otherwise, so he lifted his rifle and took aim.
He'd had an unobstructed view of Laurelite's show from where they were standing, even if they were downfield. As grand as it was, the Chaos in it took him, flipped him upside down, and whispered in his ear that he had been part of that, once. He had once had access to the kind of leadership that could display that amount of power. He could have it again.
All he would have to do would be to ask–
Emain Ablach shook himself out of it, fighting the urge to be sick. The room spun, and he must have staggered, because he felt someone's hands on him in the next second. Opening his eyes–when had he closed them?--he saw Amoris on one side and Imhotep on the other.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." His voice was hoarse.
Ask, and it'll be yours again–
'--And lead me not into Temptation, but deliver me from Evil–'
He straightened, swallowing down the bile in the back of his throat. "I'm fine." Emain Ablach's voice was still rough, but it did come out stronger this time. He turned to say something–exactly what, he swiftly forgot–and was derailed by the sight of the scale pressing down on the shield over the ground beside them. Shield? Where had that come from? He followed the look of it until he saw where the Velencians were clustered, with their leader working feverishly.
A miracle, that.
"Everyone stay over this way–we don't know how long this shield will hold."
The headache Amoris still had from being taken to this inky blackness was nothing compared to the nausea and sheer overwhelming paralysis he felt when the Negaverse queen fired on the snake. What were they doing there? If she turned on them, there would be nothing Order could do. She could wipe out so many of them so easily–
Emain Ablach nearly losing his footing for a moment jolted Amoris, and he instinctively reached to steady him. It looked like Imhotep had the same reaction, and the two of them met their gaze past Emain Ablach's shoulders. Even when Emain Ablach insisted he was fine, they did not immediately release him. It wasn't until the second time he said he was alright that the two of them straightened and brought their hands back to their sides.
With the distraction gone, Imhotep felt vertigo and nausea well back up, and he took a deep, slow, steadying breath. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. He was not going to give Chaos the satisfaction of seeing him panic or act otherwise afraid. They knew the impact this would have on Order. They had to. He would not let them see confirmation of it.
Page 1, Page 19, Page 32 Location: F3 Action: Has his energy shield up, ready to protect Lyndin and the shielding device from potential (accidental although obviously well meaning) damage.
Aliez felt like he was going to be sick. Whatever power the Negaverse had was nothing like he’d ever imagined. He didn’t want to stay near them, but he was afraid of being the target of such power. He reached out a hand as though to grab onto any of his friends around him as he instinctively ducked when the scales began falling from the sky.
Lyndin’s device was a shield, and his heart fluttered wildly, proudly, at least for a short while as it held and kept them from all being crushed.
They still had to worry about the giant scales breaking through.
Just like they had to worry about any threat to Lyndin or the device that was protecting all of them.
Aliez wasn’t sure if he was misjudging his own abilities, but he wanted to trust the Commodore. He was glad he had, and he wasn’t about to let him down now.
As people approached them, Aliez turned to see who, still on high alert from shattered nerves. Kerberos he knew, of course. The Senshi had allowed him to gather energy from his world, which in turn helped power the shield around them.
But the others? They were strangers to him. And while he knew Kerberos was well meaning, Lyndin wasn’t even allowing the Vanguard to help manage the device. Why would he allow anyone who wasn’t a Velencian get close?
Andreiya seemed to feel similarly. Aliez could sense the way his friend tensed as he watched the strangers approach.
As Vyn took aim at the Senshi (Ida) and Mauvian (Illyria), Aliez activated his energy shield from his bracer, preventing anyone from getting closer to Lyndin and the device.
“We’re going to need you to stand back, please,” he requested as politely as his frazzled heart could manage. He wasn't specifically defending against them, but rather making sure Lyndin and the device went undamaged in their attempt to help.
Her irritation at her stupid cousins dimmed since they both apologized for grossly misunderstanding her, and landing on Beni also didn't hurt. She only murmured a quick apology as her older cousin helped her up, getting them both on their feet before he pulled out a spike that glowed in his hand.
Mara nodded in agreement and assent when Beni started to lead her and Diaboleite along the path the spike was requiring, her eyes sweeping their 'eye of the storm,' not only looking out for danger to them but also for Stitchite. She didn't see him at first but she did see a flash of white hair and suspected the pick-me Captain was also there. Mara chose not to speak up, after all it was completely possible she was mistaken. Besides there was no time, the fight had started one way or another.
The corrupt senshi took place on the opposite side of Beni then Diaboleite, flanking him like a guard, especially since she spotted a few 'order' types approaching. They wouldn't be stupid enough to interfere but Mara wouldn't take that chance. Especially as the spike shot out an arc of white lighting, linking with the of the nearest spike but also straining to reach the one across the void from them. Like two people desperately reaching for each other only to have their fingers barely miss. They were missing something, but what? The corrupt senshi didn't get a chance to do anything before the cloud coverage above them faded away to reveal a mass of white scaly underbelly flicking through the sky.
The Queen took that as an opportunity and attacked, climbing into the air to strike at the creature. Mara flinched but did her best to stand tall, stepping closer to Beni to try to shield him as those scales started to fall, only to breathe a bit easier when a pale blue thing shielded them all from possibly being crushed. And still she watched the creature above them, noting something glinting in the pale flesh of their enemy. "There!" She called out, pointing.
There wasn't anything she could do, not with her skills, not with her magic, but she could at least spot that.
Mauvian Illyria Location: E7 ---> F3 Action: Shrinking back from display of power, trying to comfort her bonded partner. Following Ida and Kerberos and making the offer to stand guard with Velencians. Trying to make good choices and offer solutions.
Oh. Oh. Illyria's senses were reeling from that massive display of power. She didn't like it; and more importantly, she just knew that Ida hadn't liked it. Her partner had frozen for a brief moment and Illyria was concerned enough that she knew she would have to go along with Kerberos and Ida if only to protect Ida. There was a moment when, upon approaching the group Kerberos seemed to have been given the green light to proceed but then the stranger that had held a weapon up to Kerberos turned to train the weapon on Ida and herself.
Fear flooded Illyria before she blinked slowly. Her first instinct was to simply use her own ability to garner more power for herself but maybe that wasn't the smartest move. Instead perhaps words were better than actions. Her tail swished a little behind her in a small sign of nervousness but she summoned up a little bit of her innate fierceness to bolster her courage before she gave a little wave to the owner of the weapon.
"We don't mean you harm. I can understand being cautious but we only want to help. Is there a way we can do that without disturbing the device? Can someone siphon energy from these senshi who are willing to give it and then transfer it to your leader to use so that nothing goes awry?"
Illyria's gaze never left the weapon trained on her but she kept her voice calm, even if her heart was racing. "Do you need help in defending this area from potential danger?"
Character Name, Rank, and a link to their journalCoco guardian cat, human form unlocked Location: C3 Action: With everyone in C3
Coco noticed one of the knights sounding like they were praying. She couldn't blame them, the negaverse queen was terrifying. She couldn't be certain because there was a lot going on. She nodded when he mentioned the shield she didn't want to put herself in unnecessary danger. She saw the two others as well but didn't hear them say anything. Coco considered what Byakko had said "That is a good thought." She nodded "I agree we need to be careful so no one ends up hurt or dead." She shivered and said "I hope we aren't here long." Coco shivered. "Scary power." She said softly "Huh is that one of the spikes that's not supposed to be there." She said frowning.
Captain Strengite Location: Moving from E4 to B2 Action: Nodding politely to the General King but holding her tongue
Strengite snapped out of her rather understandable mental panic, the punch of power from the Queen shook her from her spiral. Reminded her that she too had power, even if it seemed to be on such a more insignificant scale.
While scales dropped from above, silver eyes raked the space around. Absently noting the collection of people, and spotting several she knew. And yet she moved, calmly and collectively but with some due speed, towards the 'side' of the area. Towards one of the General Kings that was there, one of the ones she at least knew slightly and tangentially. Better to be well placed next to a stronger fighter, then in the thick of things without actually knowing what to do.
The Captain nodded politely but remained silent, even as she took up a post nearby, her hands resting on the hilts of her daggers as she switched from watching the sky, to the fighters there in the space with them, and back again. Waiting for something, anything, she could do.
The Space Cauldron
Nodding to the daddy general king but staying quiet for now
Ellicott had felt that roll of power in her very soul and knew one thing with all clarity... stay the ******** away from that woman.
Even as the scales fell around her the Super Senshi eyed the spikes, noting the void of connection, her brain bouncing to a logical conclusion. She mentally measured the distances, noting that it wasn't a star that was being formed but some failed pentagon... as if the last point of a hexagon was missing.
Taking that idea she ran, both literally and figuratively, towards a single solitary figure (Bifrost) in the space where there should have been a spike of power. An area where, if her guess was right, the arc of power should have connected to form a hexagon.
a-disgruntled-dragon
They had the same idea, ellicott was just a little bit slower with it
It had been some time since Pendour had been reminded of just how powerful Chaos incarnate could be. It was impossible not to watch the Queen attack the creature. It was impossible not to feel it. Her skin burned. Her chest ached.
It was good that she was practiced at withstanding pain.
She saw the Vanguard's machine, too. She braced herself for another impact, remembering the machines they'd made for that battle a few years ago. Instead, a shield opened up above them, coming into tangibility just in time as scales began to rain down.
A shield. Protection. Not a weapon.
Maybe there was something she could do here.
"I have something from them," she told Abzu. "I think it's time to give it back."
Well, technically it was from Caedus. Caedus, who had sat with her on the hillside and watched the stars after she'd accidentally given too much energy trying to prove that the Source Stones were safe and that the Vanguard could be trusted. Caedus, who had given her a gift when she'd said that she wished that she could always have dreamless sleep like that, when she'd said that she wanted a break from the nightmares. He'd understood. She could see it in his eyes.
Caedus, who wasn't here now because Lyndin had tried to kill him.
It wasn't quite that simple. Pendour understood that. She was careful to hold the complexities of the situation in mind, and it hadn't even taken her all that long to forgive the Vanguard for their actions that night. They had been trying to save their own world.
She held no ill will against Lyndin. Her eyes were soft and her feet light on the ground as she walked over to the gathered group of Vanguard.
Still, she felt the aching lack of her friend as she walked among his people. She was aware of the scars on her arms from when she'd tried to handle his starseed. She wore them proudly, even as some of the Vanguard aimed weapons at those around her.
"I, um, I want to help," she told them. She reached into her subspace pocket, and drew out the small velvet pouch she kept the draining crystal in. She offered it to Commodore Lyndin.
"I got it from Caedus the night after I met you. I've used it to help me sleep almost every night since then. There should be enough, maybe, to help with your machine."
And yet there was a heaviness in her chest as she handed it over.
Page 8, Page 19, Page 32 Location: C8 Action: (-10 HP) Taking proximity damage. Handing Laurelite her scythe back. With Ganymede and the others in C8 but focused on Laurelite.
Old friends, Laurelite said. Valhalla felt his blood go cold. His starseed, fractured from her hand during an attempt to corrupt him, was only held together due to the protection granted by his Wonder. If not for that, Valhalla might have died years ago.
They’d tried everything.
He’d asked Cosmos herself if there had been anything she could do. There had been… but he hadn’t been ready for his starseed return to the Cauldron, so he’d sought out other answers.
His Code piece, corrupted at the time without his knowledge, had suggested going to Metallia for help. That he would have looked good in black.
He’d even had a friend of a friend, a Negaverse officer, pull out his starseed to inspect it. They’d only been able to verify how damaged it was.
Oberon had asked Caedus for help, using some of the crystals he had for gathering energy.
Valhalla stood there now because of the efforts of his family and friends, and his bond with his Wonder. And all Laurelite could do was smirk. Like destroying lives was as simple as flicking a light switch on and off. Something so casual she didn’t even think about it.
And then Laurelite approached, scythe in hand, pressing it into his hands as she reached towards his chest.
He was well aware she was making a show of her power. She could have dismissed her weapon. She could summon it whenever she wanted. He felt both the cold staff, like ice running through his veins, and the warmth of her hand before she passed it to him.
How many people had she struck down with this weapon? How many more would fall victim to it?
How many people had Serge struck down with the sword that was now in Valhalla’s possession? Would he end up like her?
He knew Ganymede’s eyes were on him. He felt others glaring at him, too. He had half a mind to drop the scythe on the ground. Or maybe pass it to Ganymede, let her do with it as she would.
Then Laurelite unleashed power beyond his imagination. An absolutely horrible feeling. Valhalla grit his teeth, hands grasping tighter to the scythe.
He felt the overwhelming Chaos. It ate at him from the inside out. For a few moments, he could have sworn his clothing shifted from browns and greens to black—
No, it was nothing but his imagination.
The serpent, however, grew smaller with the horrifying blast.
Valhalla knew he couldn’t give the scythe to Ganymede, or Sessrumnir, or Alastor. He thought Laurelite wanted to see what they would do with it. As much as Valhalla hated it, they needed the Negaverse and their power to protect Earth—this time. He didn’t know if the White Moon would have been able to do it on their own.
“What was that, Laurelite?” he asked, his voice nearly a growl. He held the scythe out for her when she returned from her spiral step pedestal. He wanted to place his hand over his chest, to rub at the ache there. He didn’t know if the pain was phantom or real. He would always remember it.
Sunshine Alouette
Ganymede
The Space Cauldron
Laurelite (with permission from the mule to state what she is doing)
Lieutenant Wadeite Location: A5 Action: Shifting over just a bit to make sure there is enough elbow room for the fight coming
His head was still aching some from the sheer power the Queen had released. Wade knew that that had been a significant amount of chaos. Add in what ever the spears were doing and the creature above their heads had to be in some pain. It was even shedding scales. Car size scales.
The young officer ducked away, taking a few steps away from the crowd gathering around one of the spikes. Better to maneuver with some elbow room as he watched the monster above writhe and wriggle from the pain of the chaotic attack and the spear's arcing light. He was beginning to worry that the energy they had been gathering and the spikes they were using might not be enough. They were facing a mountain, and only had toy shovels to dig with.
Quote:
Wade is still open for interactions if you want ^_^
The chaotic energy that surged skyward was both terrifying and awe-inspiring, the kind of moment that sears itself into memory without permission.
Pressure from the storm paled in comparison to the oppressive Chaos energy their Queen commanded. Her power which collided with that of the Calamitous Hollow felt like the clashing of two titans whose strength alone threatened to tear the world asunder.
It was a terrible scene to behold as the sky serpent fought against the surge of energy that Laurelite poured into it; writhing in the clouds that shielded its full form from view.
Scales, trailed by streaks of lightning, fell freely yet nobody seemed to moved; so entrapped by the moment moment, baited breaths held in anticipation. The sheer size and velocity would have killed many, but the Vanguard proved their usefulness as a dome of hexagonal shapes erupted above and around them, a blue shield of light that hummed with the promise of protection took the full force of the impact.
Nine shattered into thousands of shards, but three remained intact, slamming into the barrier with a shuddering impact that fractured the surface.
Fluorapatite only barely managed to tear her unblinking gaze away from the pillar of Chaos to where the blue light shimmered in a wordless sign of struggle. Her gaze traveled downward to the crowds of people beneath them; weighing options, calculating risks.
“What are you thinking?” Dravite’s voice cut through her thoughts and pulled her attention to him.
“I’m the Senshi of Static, I’m not afraid of any storm.” Her resolve was strengthened by the statement, her tone unwavering.
“That’s a foolish way of thinking.” He seemed unmoved by her words but with his tactical experience, he knew what she was thinking.
“I’m not looking to become a martyr, but that scale…” she nodded in the direction to her left. “It hovers dangerously close to two Sovereigns.” From this distance she was uncertain who the auras belonged to but Fluorapatite had a sense for where they were standing. “If anyone here has the power to turn the tides further in our favor, it is our General Kings and Queens, they must be protected.”
Her words rang true and Dravite did not disagree. “What are your oders then,” he asked since he was only a Captain and she out ranked him.
“I’m no leader, I’ll tell you my plans and you can decide whether or not you want to follow.” Again she looked up at the barrier as people shifted to other places for better protection. “I’m going to teleport up there and try to move it.” She spoke loud enough for the Corrupt, Lieutenant, and Mauvian to hear her.
“Do you think you’re strong enough to move it alone?” He asked since he had never sparred against his former General to measure their differences in power.
Admittedly, Fluorapatite shook her head. She’d be foolish to think that something of that size could be thrown off so easily, by one person no less.
post 123 Location: A6, with Spectrolite, Dravite, Fluorapatite, Katya Action: Fully supporting risky behavior and dumb decisions
Fear mixed with awe, delight melded with trepidation. "Don't think those'll be enough," the Senshi of the Eldritch hummed to himself, watching as the five spikes, powerful as they were, sky-churning as they were, formed an incomplete enclosure. The energy flexed and waved, reached and grasped for the immense body that could be seen through the clouds. It was a wonder unlike any other in his mind. How many other worlds already fell for this thing to be so large? How big could it grow? Rigel was grateful to have at least seen it, even if the moment ended up being his last.
Though it was hardly the only impressive show of strength.
The sensation of a growing Chaotic aura rose to a point of making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Tremendous power. Even from where he stood, Rigel could see the Queen rising up into the air by her own creations, and at the peak… the leader of the Negaverse tore open the sky herself, ushering in a blast of pure concentrated Chaos that not only visibly struck and knocked the Calamitous Hollow, but the aura that filled the air… His stomach churned, even as he grinned wide and teeth shining in the bright energy lights. It was constricting, it was pushing against him and he at least stayed on his feet, but he felt Spectrolite lean into him and he gently patted her back.
The Queen was devastating.
The Hollow actually shrank a good bit, and some of its great scales came down... was it bad he wished to have one? Or just a fragment? They'd have crushed some of them, surely, had it not been for a great shield bursting to life then--ah, the Vanguard's creation? Lovely!
Again, the creature shrank as more damage was done to it… and on the tail..? "My my…. there might be hope yet, it seems." Another spike clung to the beast. They just needed to get it down here, right?
The scales were smaller now--a car instead of a bus in size, roughly. But they would still crush anyone who lingered beneath them, and clearly were going to still damage the shield…
Of course, it was impossible to not hear the Negaverse Eternal near them, and Rigel perked up, his grin still steadily in place. "Oh, you're going to deal with that? Need some assistance? I'll go with." He heard the beginning of a complaint beside him and turned to Spectrolite. "You stay here. I can teleport around, so I can get myself out of a problem as needed. Don't worry--it'll be interesting!"
He could see that she didn't look so convinced or reassured by that.
Fluorapatite was momentarily caught off guard by how quickly the Corrupt (Rigel) offered their help. It was generous, almost too easily given, and she took a moment to weigh the risks should anything go wrong.
Her gaze swept to the Lieutenant (Spectrolite) and Mauvian (Katya). “You two should seek the safety of a larger group,” she advised gently but firmly. Then, to Dravite, “I’ll teleport the three of us onto the barrier. Conserve your energy- for falling debris or a misstep, we may need it.”
She lifted a hand, her finger pointing to the massive scale to their left. “If we try to slide it, we risk worsening the fractures. We’ll need to lift it up and get it as close to the edge to throw it without slipping- if it catches one of the hexagonal edges, it could cause more damage or break.”
Fluorapatite extended her hand, palm steady between them, giving both gentlemen a moment to prepare.
Dravite met her gaze, gave a firm nod, and clasped her hand without a flicker of doubt.
