Summary:With a distraction in place, Agent Grey, Samurai and Avery have to take out the crystal. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's taken several weeks to get to this point but this is it. The location of the central crystal has been found. Agent Dylan Grey had examined the wards and protection on the area and has developed / secured ways of defeating those.
During the ensuing week, the protective amulets have been recharged by the mages, and Batgirl and Samurai have been creating mayhem whereever they can. In fact, part of the barrier is starting to fail - due to one of their sorties a few days ago.
The trick now is to get back to the crystal room and keep Eurayles people busy to allow a small group to do what they must. Which is why Agent Grey is with Samurai and Avery. Heading down into the bowels of the tower. The crystal room glows with lines streaking out from the device. Above, they can hear the noise from above as a distraction is staged.
They only have a short time before someone will think to check the Crystal.
"So, if either of you don't already know." Dylan says conversationally as he studies the crystals and the wards. "Fucking with powerful magical items and protections is a good way to get blown up. One of the easiest easiest ways to cause things to blow up is to be interrupted while you're trying to bypass the wards. Which is to say, if anyone or anything shows up, don't be polite. Just kill them as quickly and quietly as you can. If you can absolutely guarantee they won't wake up, feel free to knock them out instead." He's easy and not really all that blood thirsty. Under his breath, he mutters "This is going to be a bitch." before adding "And if I need you to do something, try to be precise. A slip could be bad." As in boom.
In deference to the clandestine nature of this sortie, the Silver Samurai is not very silvery today. While his clothing annoyingly changes into mirror bright armor when he steps inside the dome, it isn't welded to him. Thankfully. So he had ditched the armor, kept the demon-like half mask that covers his lower face and brought along the swords.
"That I can do." The Samurai nods to Dylan. He has both swords sheathed at the moment but really that's just so the gleam of steel didn't give them away. He'll watch for intruders while other people - like Dylan - get to work doing what needs to be done. He isn't a mage after all, or an expert in magic. He's a sword arm who can kill monsters.
When they crossed over this time, Zeal's appearance changed - rather dramatically, no longer a golem girl, she's flesh and blood again. She looks very much as she did before entry, though her clothing is now modeled very much after Batgirl's, though instead of a bow, she has a bunch of knives and two Eskrima sticks as her arms. She actually looks delighted by the change, and is quite eager to get things /fixed/.
She nods a little uncertainly when Dylan advises -leading- with lethal attacks.
"I can block one entryway by creating a portal to the other, I cannot sustain such indefinitely, however. That still leaves one exit to ward, yes?"
There's a scrape in one of the corridors that leads to the chamber. The sound of claws on stone for those that recognise it. The warning is just a fraction of a moment before a large half scorpion / half man creatures bears down on Zeal. Its tail rises up and over its back, coming down right on top of the woman.
The entrance the samurai is watching is filled with a squad of stone golem swordsmen. They might be imbued with the spirit of swordsmen - the Samurai is going to be hard pressed to protect against them.
As for Dylan, as he works, he can feel the air charge about him and a magical 'zap' of energy comes from above. He's not only going to have to disarm those wards, he's now got avoid the remote attack.
Yes, Dylan's first response would be lethal. Did Avery expect they'd be up against human opponents? Or easy to render unconscious? The increase in magical energy is enough warning for him to quickly draw his dagger and redirect the magical attack to either side of him. "Don't get too close to me." he warns.
"Here they come." Is all that the Samurai says. Then he's busy. His blade sweeps out of the scabbard and is immediately surrounded by that deadly tachyonic field. He wades into the stone golems with one thought and one thought only - to put them down as quickly as possible.
The first one loses a head. Then a torso. The next one both legs. The assumption is that these will function until they are damaged enough that it is physically impossible so a killing stroke that would fell a man - or even a monster - won't do. No he's going to have to chop them into pieces small enough that they won't pose a threat and even then he may have to watch for any self animated grasping hands.
Not that they do much when there's no arm attached.
Okay…see…killing is something Batgirl was very clear on, but…these DO seem to be extenuating circumstance and the stakes are just a tad high. Knowing that Silver Samurai doesn't mind killing, in fact he prefers it in a lot of situations, she prepares to do just that if need be. Standing so she can see both of the exits the Samurai isn't guarding, she has just a moment to defend against the attack of the charging man-scorp. "Well…thou are a large one, that be certain…aye Samurai-Sama! I see."
When that scorpion's tail lashes down, Zeal's hand rushes up to block the tip! Of course she's not willing to her arm shredded, instead she tries to shunt the tail through a portal, redirecting the attack across the room to the Samurai's side. A second portal, invisible to the naked eye at the flank of the second row of golems, her intent to see if one or more golem swordsmen are man-scorp tail soluble!
At least that's her hope, she does roll to the side as part of this, in case the thing tries to trample her too. Because…ow.
Stone crumbles around the Samurai as he makes with the sword. It's certainly not easy as they are well trained and manage to avoid a number of his strikes. He'll have to watch out for them reanimating - but they don't seem inclined to. At least not yet.
He's in trouble in though, as the second row of golems goes down to be replaced by a scorpian-man. A pissed off and annoyed scorpian-man. It rears back, intent on crushing whatever is in front of it. That's the Samurai …
A couple of the golems turn on Zeal, slashing at the woman with swords.
The magical attack is deflected by Dylan, causing large scorch marks on the stone work on either side of him. He needs to work quickly to unravel the wards - he can see them as he starts to unknot them. That's one down. Two more to go … The bolts of magic come quicker now, flashing about the WAND agent as he works.
"Gods, I hate undoing wards. It's like unraveling a sweater in order to get the wool." Dylan mumbles. "So much easier to just cut through it all." Which unfortunately has a tendency to make things go boom. "Might want to try opening a portal above me aimed at the enemies." he calls to Avery as he sees what she's doing out of the corner of his eye. Put those magical attacks to good use.
The sudden removal of one of the not-so Silver Samurai's dance partners and replacement with a reject from 'The Scorpion King' has the normally unflappable swordsmaster quirking an eye. He'd love to be covering Dylan at the moment but he is still rather busy. He will apologize properly later. Do WAND Agents like fruit baskets or banzai trees?
In any case, Samurai usually deals with monsters like this using one simple trick (the monsters hate it!). When the scorpion rears up he lunges in and aims a slice at the offending limb. Then he has to dance back successful or not and swat at the other golems. "Zeal try to give the Agent some cover!" He calls out before muttering. "Sure would be handy if Batgirl had showed." Because then there would be another fighter.
"Oh…no…" Zeal is shocked to see the ENTIRE man-scorp portaled. "…gomen-nasai, Samurai-Sama! That should not have done as it did…" As he seems to have things in hand, however, and since she's being attacked by two golems at once, she does the only sane thing - well, the less than her usually INsane, anyway. She ducks and weaves, full defensive and then waits until they're flanking her - normally a bad thing, right? Not in this case…it will take split second timing, but the girl can see individual frames in a movie, she's usually pretty good at that. She waits, and when they strike she inhales, and vanishes, appearing next to Dylan on the exhale. Not knowing what to expect she will extend both hands above her head and with a groan create another portal over their heads, the exit portal a yard in front of the Samurai, aiming away from him, of course.
Unravelling wards is a pain. But it is absolutely better than just slicing through them. There goes the second one and most of the third though. The work gets a little easier when Zeal uses a portal to redirect the energy - the stonework wall near the Samurai just exploding.
It *hurts* Zeal though - maitaining that energy. She can't have much left to protect against more. One of the golems doesn't seem to care that there's magical energy flowing everywhere. It launches itself at the fighter, intent on killing her. Either with its sword or shoving her through the wards that are still there.
Of course, that might affect Dylan as well.
The Samurai hacks off limbs of the scorpian man - its blood proving acidic as it flows. Any that hits him burns through his clothing and skin. The droplets that hit the floor, dissolve the stone.
Soon though, it lies twitching…
As an arrow flies through the air, brushing his ear and embedding in a pillar near Zeal. Batgirl stands at the door, mask in place - her clothing now black and sleek. Behind her, a woman with boar tusk fangs, claws and snakes for hair stands. "My sister is dealing with the Olympian. I guess I'll have to deal with you …" beat "Or at least. My new pet will …"
Batgirl draws her escrima sticks and launches herself at the Samurai.
As an unfamiliar voice is heard, Dylan flicks a quick glance over at the source. Oh, joy. A gorgon with a Batgirl under control. This is not a textbook example of keeping the sorcerer undisturbed long enough to work. Especially not with a golem coming at them. Pausing what he's doing, he draws his sword to slash at the golem. "You could have parlayed for a home to call your own. We're have listened. We offered. It's not too late before you end up with nothing."
It is a dangerous thing to fight Samurai because his first instinct is to kill and indeed without thinking about it he tries to cut Batgirl's sticks in half. But then the field flickers off and he goes on the defensive, parrying strikes and looking for an opening. The simplest thing to do would be to divest her of an arm. That'd put her out of the fight. But it would also end her in this place with no modern medicine. Hell modern medicine would be hard pressed to save someone with that injury even so.
So instead he strikes out at her head with the flat of his blade.
"We will make you the same offer as I made a few days ago. Surrender, and you will not die. Fight and I make no such promise." Dylan or Zeal might take her alive. Maybe. But fighting is always a gamble.
They need those wards down, and soon so Samurai maneuvers to try to give Dylan some room from the golem, if he wants it. Once he's in place he will have to be stubborn and not be moved.
Not willing to let Dylan and herself burn, Zeal tries to hold the portal, though…she's clearly in anguish, and in rapidly exhausting her power. "Dylan…kill the wards, sir." Her eyes are wide with horror as she sees that Batgril has been subverted. And then her eyes narrow to thin slits. "End this please, Dylan." Her anger is potent…but the mission /fails/, it is for nothing if the wards don't fall, if the gem isn't dealt with, so she stands her ground, and then steps back closer to Dylan. "I will protect you." She vows.
Having the golem slowed down, gives Zeal a small window, she lets it approach until it is under the shield she's desperately fueling with reserves she cannot afford to spend, and then…she halves the size of the portal shielding them.
And she screames as one of her legs is part of her left arm are burnt by the attack from above.
And still she holds, but it is plain she can't and won't be able to last more than a very short time indeed. Blood starts running from her nostril, and she grits her teeth as her clothes ignite and her flesh blisters and starts to char at leg and arm unshielded.
Hopefully the golem will fare much worse.
The third ward is just about unravelled. Dylan can hear the hiss from Stheno as it starts to dissolve. She's worried they've got so close. And then it's gone - the crystal now clear to take down. The quickest way to end this is to destroy it - and Dylan might not have much choice in the matter.
Batgirls escrima stick is cut in half. The green eyed woman hissing as she ducks the Samurai strike at her head - she's seen him fight before, so it's possible she's remembered it. But Batgirl and the Samurai have never sparred. Barbara Gordon and he, though … has.
When the Samurai moves to protect against the golem, the black clad ranger tumbles and drops to the ground, sweeping his legs to try and bring him down. As she does, she tries to get hold of his sword and turn it on him.
Zeals collapsing the portal starts to crush the golem. Bits of it dropping slowly to the ground. It's not moving anymore and can't last much longer but she's succeeded in freeing Dylan to finish his job.
Dylan pauses a moment as Zeal screams in pain but he doesn't need her words to ignore all that and continue unweaving the wards. They've put in too much time and effort to fail and the price of failure is too high. And then the last ward goes down and he has access to the crystal: a very powerful artifact he could probably do many wondrous things with. His eyes flick over to Zeal and the Samurai and then to Batgirl and Stheno and the fighters they can call upon that will no doubt be showing up shortly.
It pains him to draw his sword but there's no time for other options. Stepping close tot he crystal, he brings his dagger down into the crystal, the ethereal blade sliding effortlessly into it as it cuts not the physical but the magic itself. It's the sword that slices into the crystal physically, destroying the outward form as the dagger does its job on the inward.
The Samurai tumbles. With the golem gone all he has to do is hold Stheno and Batgirl off. Well, if he can knock the redhead out cold that would be a bonus since that is what is known as 'recovering' her. Dylan has done the most important part of this. And now the dome will fall.
The details can be worked out later. He does the last thing that he would be expected to do. He drops his sword and goes in straight at the redhead's throat. He's still larger, stronger and at least as well trained. And all he needs are fifteen seconds to cut off her air and leave her limp and unconscious. Fifteen seconds. No matter how good, no matter how powerful, no matter how well trained, if you're human that's all it takes.
Once the crystal is destroyed, Zeal halves the size of the shield again by putting her hand on Dylan's shoulder—and then she inhales, the shield collapsing as she slips them both into the Space Between breathes. Dylan is probably not going to enjoy the experience very much, it is jarring when Zeal's in good shape, the ride is literally nauseating - it is cold, and hot and glaring white light and infinite space — for the length of a single breath, and then they appear when she exhales, perhaps ten feet from the hostiles, but off to the side. Zeal drops to her hands and knees once they appear, fully half her armor charred, and her arm and leg in pretty bad shape, but…they're out from under that attack, if there were any remnants of the crystal, hopefully they'll get the full 'benefit' of the attack.
Barely conscious, Zeal struggles to rise, and fails.
The Samurai has his hand full of redhead as Stheno starts to descend on him. Her snakes whip around, lashing out trying to bite him - she's not quite close enough yet … but soon.
Batgirl struggles as the Samurai chokes her out. She's trained and tries to break his grip but she can't. It's a *long* fifteen seconds for the Samurai before the redhead ceases her struggles and hangs there as he holds her.
Dylan's dagger breaks the enchantment on the crystal as the sword slices the construct in two. It's a good thing Zeal moves them when she does, as the residual energy causes a small concussive blast. It will hit the Samurai, Batgirl and Stheno.
A wave of azure seems to ripple through the room, washing up the structure as they watch. They're left in the basement of an apartment tower, well, beneath the basement …
Stheno grunts and growls, taking an amulet that hangs from her neck and snaps it. She dissolves into shadows and is gone. What's left of the stone golems is now just rubble.
Above them, there's the sounds of confusion as people are returned to themselves.
Dylan sags against the wall as he's subject to Zeal's form of teleportation. "Don't… do that again." he decides after he catches his breath. It's a good thing the enemies are gone as they could have easily gotten the advantage over him after that. Straightening up, he surveys their surroundings then sheathes his weapons as he walks over to where the crystal was. Taking out his phone - once again a real phone and not a primitive crystal case - he snaps a pic of the shards of crystal which promptly disappear. He can probably make use of them. "Well, seems that worked. Lets get you to a hospital." he tells Zeal and pulls his dagger again to cut open a portal. it'll actually be SHIELD's medical facility since he's more familiar with it and they're much more discrete. Hospital forms don't really have a place for 'Suffered third degree burns as a result of magical attacks in an enchanted keep'.
The Samurai, now back in his leather jacket, but still with swords, reaches for his OTHER blade, but Stheno is gone too quickly and he grunts, now supporting the weight of a comatose redhead.
"I imagine a great many people will need help of one kind or another. But well done Zeal, and well done Agent."
Now, it is time to see to Zeal's medical care, and yes, the masked woman too. There's going to be a lot of confusion here very shortly, but SHIELD and the NYPD have presumably been preparing for this and he will happily take the portal out.
Beats having to walk, after all.
Once the world shifts back, Zeal is left on hands and knees, her hoodie is pretty much a write off, and her domino mask flutters to the ground, well, half of it does. Under the hoodie is a black t-shirt, also in not great shape, and she's wearing faded jeans, one leg of which is charred badly. She doesn't seem to mind, or rather, it doesn't seem to matter to her what /her/ condition is, the first thing she looks for is Batgirl.
The second is Silver Samurai.
She turns to lean against a wall, well, flops over. REAL graceful. She fishes out a bent, but intact, energy bar and wolfs it down. Rising, with a bit of help, reassured by how calm the Samurai is, she looks to Dylan. "My apologies, sir…I had only thought to get us to safety." She looks at the magic portal, and limps along. "So…I suppose the foes proved less than…unDOMEitable…"
Okay, Avery /really/ REALLY needs to work on her humor. She tried though, she'll learn this 'banter' thing if it kills her! (Hopefully her allies won't first as she learns.)