Overgrown Rats and Lizards

Overgrown Rats and Lizards
Date of Scene:	03 September 2014
Location:	Avatar World
Synopsis:	Rex is up to trouble again as he finds some creatures that ought to serve the Confederacy well; badgermoles. Toph does her best to defend them.
Cast of Characters:	20, 114

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
The city of Gaoling. A city located in the southern part of the massive Earth Kingdom. A kingdom that spans most of this world, a place with the hardy and steadfast earthbenders. Well, not every person in this place is an earthbender, but they are a resolute and strong kingdom that is currently fighting the Fire Nation.

Fortunately the city of Gaoling is in a mountain range to the south and far away from the western coast. No, this general area is quite calm, save for the recent incident where some Unionites were travelling around and searching for something in this general area. But whatever it was, it's a search concluded weeks ago.

Outside of the city of Gaoling the mountains and forests span major areas, and while there are many different and varied species of animals here, there is a certain type of animal that is unique to this country. No, not saber tooth moose lions in the plains, not the batwolves that inhabit some of the mountains... and certainly not the fluffy snake rabbits.

The earth rumbles slightly as it moves, rocks tumbling down the hillside as something /large/ digs its way out of the ground. Or rather, the earth seems to move by itself as the twenty foot creature sweeps a massive clawed paw along the ground. Its white eyes are half closed, and it sniffs the air before it heads out into the sun. And behind it from the underground caves, more of the same creatures follow, most of them well over fifteen feet long. Massive, strong and clearly subterran creatures for the most part, badgermoles are a common sight in this area.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Inside the hulking behemoth known as Tarpits III, an alarm blares, causing the Tyrannos inside to cover their earholes and glance around in confusion.

Genghis Rex bellows at his console, "PLESIO! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS NOISE!?"

Plesio, the Tyranno science officer appears on Rex's screen, one claw over one earhole, the other poking frantically at his own console, "It'ssss the Monsssster Monitor alert! I didn't mean for it to be ssssso loud!"

He taps a few more keys and the alarm shuts down.

Rex glares at Plesio through the screen, "Well?"

Plesio cocks his head, "Well what?"

Rex, out of patience screams, "WHAT DID IT FIND, YOU MESOZOIC MORON!?!"

Plesio blinks, looking a bit embarrassed, then taps a few more keys, "Hrm ... check thessssse out, Bossasaurus."
Rex's screen comes to life with large brown furry creatures, rising from the Earth's surface. Plesio's voice can be heard over the image, "Masssssssive burrowing creaturesssss in sssssection 28526A. I'm running a diagnossssstic on them right now."

Rex frowns, "Don't bother, they are mammals. That size is all hair. they're likely no bigger than a horse or a cow under all of that."

Plesio counters, "That'sssss not what this data issss telling me. I'm seeing that they weigh well over 4 tons each and there'ssss sssssomething elsssssee."

Rex nods, "Go on ..."

Plesio gasps, "The are elementalsssss ... Earth Elementalssssss ..."

Rex blinks, "What? What is their intelligence level?"

Plesio says, "Animal level ..."

Rex smirks, touching a claw to the image of the Badgermoles, "Well, as much as I'd hate to have a bunch of overstuffed smelly mammals hanging about, if we could tame them, CONTROL them, there would be little that could stop us."

Plesio reappears on the screen, a wide smile on his serpentine face, "Shall I set course?"

Rex folds his claws, smiling to the image of his pink comrade, "Without haste!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"There we go!"

Few people usually spend time with blind badgermoles. Sure, some are tamed and used for various tasks and purposes, but in general it takes a special kind of person to get along with the wild ones.

Toph Beifong is certainly special. And at the moment she looks rather content where she sits down in one of the many caves of the hillside. While many of the badgermoles went up and out, the blind girl smiles, gesturing for one of the smaller creatures. Sure, she intended to check up on these some weeks ago. But... Then things happened. So she hasn't gotten the chance to check on the baby badgermoles until now.

One of the small ones inches closer, sniffing the air in Toph's direction... And then it lets out a tiny sound before caaaarefully moving closer. In return Toph sits still, not moving nor touching the little creature. Little being a relative word, as it's just as big as her.

Either way, even if the adults trust her and know her, the babies are still their babies.

But at least the larger ones tolerate her being around their young. They did let her be around them when she was little herself. And now the blind creatures work on bending new tunnels, their work easily seen from the air and far away.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Scene music: http://youtu.be/BbYfvisXJBI

Outside the cave there is a low rumbling sound, drawing the attention of the adult Badgermoles. Dust kicks up in all directions as the thundering sound of massive footsteps sends small tremors through the rocky soil.

Suddenly the sound stops as quickly as it started, a  brown billowy cloud of dust settles in front of the adults, a large dark shadow sits in the center of the wafting smoky dirt plume. Then a bullet shaped, horned head pokes out of the settling dust. It is the head of an full grown, 6 ton Akylosaurus, covered in red scales and a thick turtle-like shell. While, size-wise, he's technically bigger than the largest of the Badgermoles, he's also quite a bit squatter and lower to the ground.

"What do ya want me to do now, Bossasaur?" The Ankylosaurus says aloud.

A voice can be heard from Ankylo's comlink, "Make friends with them, or something! Just get a few out into the open. We'll have the nets ready!"

Ankylo grins, "I like making new friends!" He waddles happily over to the nearest of the Badgermoles, "Hey there! I'm Ankylo!"

The rotund Ankylosaurus rocks back and forth, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. His club-like tail thumps on the ground, sending more small tremors through the area. He play-bows before the blind creatures, doing his best to give off the appearance of being submissive and friendly in the face of these new beasts.

Meanwhile the other Tyrannos have set down in an open area and are readying electrified nets to engulf the Badgermoles, should they follow after Ankylo.

"I sure hope these fuzzy-wuzzies are worth all this trouble, Bossasaur." Brachio complains as he unfolds a net and checks its charge.

"If it's not, you have my permission to hang Plesio upside down by his tail." Rex snorts, unwrapping his own electro-net.

"Lets just hope we're not allergic to them" Terrible Dactyl announces as he hovers above, "I'm not about to share a confined space with a 'Furball' the size of a bus!"

Note: "Furballs" are small mammalian creatures native to Reptilon that are kept as pets. However, a large number of Reptilonians are highly allergic to their dander and can break out in sneezing fits in the mere presence of a single "Furball".

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
The appearance of the strange reptilian does not go unnoticed by the pack, and the moderately sized badgermoles seem uncertain of what to make of Ankylo. For one, they do not speak. They do however sniff the air, turning towards the new arrival while sweeping their massive paws on the ground. Some of the smaller ones seem curious about Ankylo and walk up close, but there is somebody who doesn't seem happy about it.

The earth trembles as the largest of the badgermoles turn, and it lets out a low, murring rumble. Then it begins advancing on Ankylo, making the smaller badgermoles clear away as the obvious packleader is clearly not happy with this. And suddenly, as it brings its paw forward... an earthen spike shoots up right in front of Ankylo!

In the open area the dinos might also notice that they are not alone either as some of the earth next to them shoots up and about, making a hole in the ground as /somebody/ appears, pulling themselves out. Tiny, dirty... whatever it is, it looks grumpy. Blind like the badgermoles, this figure has a somewhat better inkling about what is going on.

"What the flying monkey feathers are you dunderheads up to?!" Toph Beifong demands, standing as tall as her small height will allow.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Ankylo's beady eyes go wide as the earthen spire shoots up in front of him. He's not the brightest Tyranno there is, but he knows a warning shot when he sees one. He tilts his head around the spike and eyes the advancing packleader, keeping his head low, retaining his submissive appearance. In this, his dinovolve form, Ankylo is able to access parts of himself that were long ago lost to evolution.

He inhales deeply and lets loose a low humming noise that is first low, but builds in strength and shudders the ground around him. It's not an aggressive noise or an attack, it's soft and soothing, like something designed to sooth a frightened hatchling or an angry mate. The humming causes Ankylo's entire body to vibrate and in turn create a sea of reverberations in the ground around him.

Genghis Rex turns an annoyed glance at Toph, but continues the task of unfolding his electronet.

Brachio, however, drops his net and immediately draws his fossilizer on the girl, "You want I should fossilize her, Rex?"

Terrible Dactyl lands on the ground, next to Rex and eyes the girl with keen interest. Dactyl, however, does not draw any weapons.

Rex shakes his head to Brachio and says in a warning tone, his green eyes pointed fiercely at Toph, "Who dares address the King of Reptilon with such disrespect?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
As the ground shudders due to the tyranno's action, the smaller badgermoles are visibly startled, pulling back and clearly not sure what to make of this creature. However, this riles the packleader and the other large badgermoles up, and they advance, four of them using their steady limbs and claws to move towards Ankylo. Not only that, the four move in unison, pushing off of the ground with their forelimbs before slamming back down, making the earth shake and several spikes shoot at Ankylo, mostly to scare him off. But if they hit, they are likely to hurt, at least if they hit anything sensitive.

Somehow the young girl seems displeased at being ignored. And heh, she doesn't like it when another one seems to land. This one is a flyer? Gotta be careful. But Toph will stand her ground, resting her hands on her hips as she continues /glaring/ in Rex's direction. The others turn to him, so it's kinda easy to figure out that he's the leader of these guys. And when Brachio names him, not to mention when he speaks up, Toph's eyes widen just slightly. Well, she suddenly got a lot more annoyed, mostly to be blamed on the fact that her supervising officer told her about this guy and his cronies. Standing tall, Toph raises her head to give an air of superiority.

"I am Toph Beifong," she begins firmly, her voice as loud and clear as a young, squeaky voice can get, "the greatest earthbender in the multiverse, the inventor of metalbending, ensign of the Union and /you/," she continues, pointing a dirty index finger straight at Rex, "are not supposed to be here! What the crud do you think you're doing? Your buddy is bother /my/ badgermoles. I just thought I would do you the service of coming here before Boss comes, as you at least will have the opportunity to explain yourselves before I kick your collective asses!"

/This/ is disrespect. But then again, Toph seems absolutely confident where she's standing.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Brachio chuckles, "Inventor of Metal bending, huh? Hows about I bend an I-Beam around that pretty little head of yours?" The towering Tyranno slams a fist into his palm.

Rex narrows his eyes at Toph and says nonchalantly, "Brachio, rid me of this vermin."

Brachio advances on Toph, grinning sadistically, "With pleasure, Boss." Terrible Dactyl speaks up, "Um, Brachio, hold on would you please?"

Brachio stops and glares back at Dactyl, who turns to face Rex and whispers to the Tyranno commander.

"You may want to rethink how you treat this one, Rex. She works for Stark."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I've seen her around the tower. From what I've seen, her security clearance is quite high."

"How high?"

"Penthouse level."

"Really?"

"I suppose we *could* capture her and use her to gain access to Stark's work. He might even give up the tower itself to guarantee her safety ..."

Rex ponders this though for a moment while Brachio puts his claws on his hips and flashes a "Well!?" look at the other two Tyrannos.

Rex shakes his head, "Ransoms are for terrorists and criminals. We are neither. If Stark tower is to be mine, I'll take it by force."

Just as Rex finishes, the dinovolved Ankylo comes barreling into the clearing as fast as his four stubby legs will carry him, followed in haste by 4 very angry adult Badgermoles, "I dunno what I said but they didn't like it!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
When you're blind, your other senses compensate for the loss. Not only is Toph's sense of touch and vibration honed to inhuman perfection thanks to her bending, but her sense of hearing is as sharp as any human ear can get. So when the Tyrranos whisper amongst themselves, she rolls her eyes. "HAH! You guys take over Stark Tower? I would like to see /that/!" Toph snorts. "Goldie will never let you near that place, and I think I can speak for the Avengers in general that you're not gonna waltz in."

As for Brachio's threat? Toph narrows her eyes. "You guys never saw me fighting in the C bracket, did you? Or those target battles..." she sighs. "I might be young, but I'm the greatest earthbender ever..."

Just at that time is when Ankylo and the four large badgermoles come running into the open area, and Toph assumes a defensive stance, legs apart and arms held up with her palms facing her upper chest. A stance inviting opponents to attack. "... and I have four of the original earthbenders with me!" she adds, even as the badgermoles sweep the ground, sending out a series of spikes from the ground up at Ankylo, threatening to knock him over. Toph however seems to wait, focus in those unseeing eyes of hers, outmost discipline as she waits... and listens for the right opportunity to strike.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxxE47h38nY

Ankylo whines as rocks slam against his shell, "OWW! Bossasaur! Make them stop!"

Rex, seeing his lieutenant in trouble, immediately goes into action, "Brachio, assist Ankylo!" He tosses his net to terrible Dactyl, "Take this and capture one of the hatchlings, Brachio and Ankylo will keep the adults distracted!"

Terrible Dactyl salutes and takes to the air, net in hand.

Brachio darts for Ankylo, slapping his Dinovolver and growing to immense size mid stride, his thundering footsteps shaking the land violently enough to unsteady the much smaller Ankylo. Earthen spikes crash against his legs as he puts himself between Ankylo and the Badgermoles.

He roars, and rears up, sending his now 30 foot frame even higher into the air, then crashes down with all of his 40 tons into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth, directed at the 4 Adult badgermoles. The ground cracks and splits before his immense power.

Ankylo turns to face the Badgermoles himself, his doofy, childlike look now traded for one of immense seriousness.

Terrible Dactyl sets down behind the young Badgermoles and starts to speak in a sickenly sweet tone, unfolding the electro-net, "Here little Badgermoles ... Uncle Terry's gonna take you for a ride ..."

Rex pulls off his jacket and cracks his knuckles, eyeing Toph with a cruel gaze, "And, as for you ... I'll deal with you personally."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
When Rex barks out the orders for his underlings, Toph’s eyes widen in shock. “NO!” Not the badgermoles! Not the pack that has always been here, the ones who taught her earthbending when she was little…! It should be clear from the blind girl’s reaction that this isn’t something she takes lightly at all. Because this is dead serious. This is something she will have to do something about. Immediately Toph reacts, kicking the ground and erecting a spike that she punches into, sending a rock flying in Dactyl’s direction, hoping she can hit him before it’s too late…!

Meanwhile the four adult badgermoles continue their assault, but it proves harder when Brachio interferes and steps between them and Ankylo. Of course, it’s harder to fight a larger opponent. As the heavy Tyranno crashes down into the ground and sends cracks going, the four badgermoles stumble slightly, backing away, two of them falling down as it splits. The other two however begin circling Brachio, and the largest one of them rises up on its hind legs before it brings both clawed feet down, severely weakening the ground underneath Brachio. It might not be enough to make the earth crumble underneath him, but maybe it will be enough to discourage him? After all, the badgermoles are doing what they can to protect their pack.

The younger badgermoles are not quite as aggressive, and they seem more scared. So when Terrible Dactyl shows up, some even begin burrowing underground, doing what they can to hide. Some of them are a bit more hesitant, calling out in fear, and the other badgermoles hurry towards them. Though these ones are not as large as the others….

So this Rex guy intends to go up against her? Toph snorts, looking rather displeased. Right now she just wants to make sure the badgermoles are safe… but if it means she has to fight through this guy, then so be it. Her eyes narrow, and she seems to be /glaring/ in his direction, even though she can’t really see him. “I’ll teach you to never bother my badgermoles again, you overgrown burp lizard!”

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Terrible Dactyl nimbly dodges the rocks that sail his direction. He scolds Toph with his nasally voice, "Throwing rocks is VERY rude, you lady. You'd best watch yourself!"

Rex steps lazily around Toph. Each movement is deliberate and nearly silent, like a great serpent circling it's prey, searching for the right moment to strike, "Oh please, save your childish insults. Don't you know anything? Dinosaurs aren't reptiles, so I'm certainly no lizard. We're quite warm blooded you see ... why not come closer and find out for yourself?"

Brachio staggers as the ground beneath him gives way. He moves his massive feet from crumbling foothold to crumbling foothold, until the ground stops moving. He steadies himself gingerly on the shifting ground. His long, serpentine neck lowers until he is eye level with the closest Badgermole and he bellows a loud terrifying sound that is forced mostly though the blowhole on the top of his head, "HOOOOOOOOONK HONK HONK HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK."

The sound is piercing and painful to even his fellow Tyranno's ears. Ankylo winces and shakes his head. Terrible Dactyl covers his ear holes. Even Genghis Rex is taken aback slightly, his eyes narrowing and watering up from the repeated auditory blasts.

"HOOOOONK HONK! HONK! HONK! HOOOOOOOOOONK!"

http://youtu.be/dnRxQ3dcaQk?t=14s

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
“Bothering animals like that is even ruder, you dunderhead!” Toph yells, narrowing her eyes even as she focuses on Rex. With every step he takes she moves as well, turning and keeping her front towards him. Both opponents are waiting it seems, just waiting for the right opportunity…

“I don’t pretend to be a dinosaur expert, buddy,” Toph snorts. “I’m an earthbender, not a biologist! Why don’t /you/ come closer? You have to take fewer steps!” Hey, can’t fault her logic, right?

The largest badgermole advances, all while the two fallen ones work on getting stable again. And even as Brachio appears as threatingly as he can appear and makes that horrible sound, it doesn’t seem like the boss of the pack is about to move! No, as the packleader, it’s his job to ensure the safety of the others. These are territorial creatures, and the badgermole lets out a low roar of its own even as his ears hurt, shaking his head., and the other three lunge forward, striking the earth with their massive clawed paws. More earthen spikes appear, this time shooting around Brachio and attempting to strike him in the head, all while the other badgermoles do their best to flee! And it looks like it’s only the largest one of the four that are attacking that isn’t nervous and the only one willing to fight through the pain. The other three are pulling back.

Toph however winces, reaching both hands up to her ears, pressing in. Sure, most of the time she likes having an acute sense of hearing, but right now? It works against her, and she winces, clearly in pain as she leans forward and presses her hands against her ears in a desperate attempt to shield her ears.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Brachio snakes his head from side to side, narrowly avoiding having it impaled by the stone spikes. A look of alarm crosses the titan's face and he shouts in a deep baritone, "Dactyl, get the lead out and get one of those hatchlings 'for I end up lookin' like a dinosaur popsicle!"

Ankylo puts his head down and charges forward, "I'll get this one, Brachio!"

The seven ton Ankylosaurus crashes through the rock spires rising out of the ground in front of him, directing his barreling form directly toward the Badgermole Alpha!

Terrible Dactyl tosses his net on the nearest young Badgermole and carefully begins gathering the net up as quickly as possible.

Rex, noticing Toph's distraction, takes the moment to strike. He makes two quick steps toward her and slides down, the base of his foot aimed at her ankles, trying to sweep both her legs out from under her!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
The pack leader does not relent, though his movements are somewhat sluggish due to the pain that still lingers in his ears. By now the other three large badgermoles seem stunned, trying get back up in order to fight, while the other badgermoles are doing their best to flee. Some of the larger ones are digging into the ground, doing their best to usher their young in first. Though one of them is too slow, a bit further behind the others, and it lets out a cry of fear when it feels the net gathering around it. In response one of the adult badgermoles turns, letting out a roar before it charges at Terrible Dactyl! Though quick as the flying Tyranno is, it seems too late, even though it sends out a sharp earthen spike towards him.

As Ankylo rushes at the largest badgermole it lets out a pained grunt, staggering back, though not without moving its front legs and whipping with its long tail. Aside from their large bodies, earth is the only way it can fight back. And more earthen spikes are aimed at Ankylo’s sides, clearly aimed to knock him over.

Even if she’s in pain, Toph can’t help but notice the massive vibrations as Rex creates with those two quick steps, and she grits her teeth together. Focus! The badgermoles need her! So even as Rex barges forward, the blind girl steps to the side, barely avoiding the attack even as she throws her arms out in a split palm attack, launching a solid pillar against his side in hopes of sending him flying across the ground.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
The earth spikes manage to upend Ankylo just before he careens through the Alpha, sending him sprawling sideways and onto his back. He's lucky he spikes only scraped across his boney shell and did not pierce it, or else he'd be a dino-kebob right now. Trickles of red blood seep from superficial lacerations as Ankylo struggles to right himself, flailing his stumpy feet.

Brachio roars in rage at seeing his comrade toppled and whirls around, sweeping his immense tail at the Alpha, determined to knock it away from Ankylo.

Terrible Dactyl is indeed fast and nimble, but the chaos of the scene has him off his game. As he grabs to tighten the electro net, the stone spike slams into his shoulder and sends him sprawling violently to the ground, losing his grip on the net. The Tyranno saboteur crashes end over end across the rocky surface until he comes to rest in a heap, about 15 feet away from the ensnared badgermole baby.

Rex slides across the ground, "Huh?" he says as Toph avoids his attack.

"Come back ... erk!" Is all he can get out before Toph's stone pillar catches him unawares, pushing the breath from his lungs, he rolls across the ground, clutching at his ribs and gasping for air.

"Well, that's not very nice, is it? QUACK?" A voice from behind Toph says nonchalantly.

The impetuous Quackpot, Tyranno Communications Officer and All-Around Pain In the Ass, chuckles at Rex's predicament and says, "Knocked out by a little mammal, Bossasaur? That's all right, I've got her number."

Just then, Quackpot pulls out his fossilizer and  takes a shot at Toph, chuckling like a psychotic madman the entire time.

"You like rocks so much, let's see how you feel about BEING ONE! QUACK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
With Ankylo tossed over by the earthen spikes, it seems like the pack leader is turning his attention towards Brachio next… though he did not plan on that massive tail swinging his way, and the badgermole is struck! Toppled over he crashes to the ground, breaking some of earthen spikes he made before. It’s one hell of a noise with rock and dust whirling up everywhere, and the large creature cries out in pain and fury! But it doesn’t seem like it can roll over that easily. Being as large as it is, the creature is not used to being toppled over at all! It does send up earth spikes around it, desperate to defend itself.

The baby badgermole lets out cries of distress, and the larger badgermole charges at Terrible. Sure, it might only be half the size of the badgermole pack leader, but it is just as determined, sweeping its paw and raising a large earthen wall by Terrible Dactyl… and then it rises up and slams its forepaws into the wall, seeking to send it crashing down upon him.

There is some momentary triumph when she feels her attack strike Rex, and Toph is about to attack again. At least until her sensitive feet pick up Quackpot being behind her. And she doesn’t turn around to face him, even if she follows his movements carefully enough. “It’s not very nice to bother poor badgermoles either!” she states firmly and with a slight frown on her face. The moment he draws out what she guesses is a weapon though, she kicks the ground, erecting a stone pillar between her and Quackpot, and when it hits the pillar, her eyes widen. That thing… is dangerous, whatever it is. So she reaches out with both of her hands, feeling the metal in the gunlike weapon… and works on twisting the metal as best as she can, hoping she can neutralize it and decrease the risk. Like hell if she wants to fight Rex while having to dodge shots from that thing!

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
A soft glow surrounds Ankylo as the dust is kicked up from the falling Alpha. He shrinks in size and regains his Reptilonian shape. Ankylo's uniform has reassembled itself on his body, but it is tattered, bloodied and torn in the areas where the Badgermole struck him in his dino-volved form. He gathers himself up to his feet and begins retreating from the battle, headed towards the clamboring Genghis Rex.

"Don't worry, Bossasaur! I'll help you!"

Brachio, however, charges the fallen Alpha and rears up, then comes crashing down against the Alpha's rock shield with his massive sauropod forefeet, putting all his weight behind it. When the rock shield does not shatter, he rears up again and slams against it a second time, then a third, then a fourth, sending rockshards splintering in all directions.

Terrible Dactyl manages to get to his feet, just as a wall of rock rises up in front of him. He glances up, just as the wall begins to topple forward, "Oh dear."

As the rockwall crashes to the ground, a maelstrom of dust explodes in all directions. For a moment, the Tyranno saboteur appears to have been flattened under the immense weight of the Badgermoles attack. However, as the dust clears he can be seen hovering above the shattered pile of rock.

*cough* *cough* "Clever, mammal, but let's see just how clever you REALLY are!" He says, then pulls out a detonator and clicks the trigger.

The pile of rock under the attacking Badgermole suddenly explodes, due to mines Dactyl dropped as he escaped being crushed!

As Toph explores the makeup of Quackpot's blaster, she finds that the primary build of the blaster itself is carved bone, rather than metal, but the circuit board of the weapon is indeed wired with copper, aluminum and tin connections. After several wild blasts, Quackpots blaster suddenly shorts out.

"What the?" Quackpot inquires, then smacks his blaster against his hand, and pulls the trigger several times, "It's BROKEN! QUAAAAAAAAAACK! How can it be BROOOOKEEEEENNNN? QUAAAAACK!"

Ankylo reaches his leader and helps him to his feet, "Are you ok, Bossasaur?"

Rex shoves Ankylo away, resentfully, "Enough!"

"Is it REALLY too much to ask for you Moronodons to deal with a single MAMMAL and her fuzzy pets?!" Rex shouts in abject frustration.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Brachio’s size seems to help him in his fight against the packleader, and even as the large badgermole does what it can to defend itself, it isn’t enough as the Tyranno comes crashing down over and over again. Eventually the earthen shield can hold no more, and it shatters, rocks and debris raining down over the large creature. The rockshards strike it, drawing blood as the badgermole lets out a roaring sound of pain. It seems to struggle, its long tail whipping back and forth and desperately trying to dig itself down into the ground.

Likewise, the momma badgermole seems to notice that Terrible Dactyl is not caught by the wall she toppled over him, though she does hear him from above. The explosions that he sets off cracks the earth and sends rocks and earth flying, stones striking the nearby badgermoles, though the badgermole on top of that earth is struck the worst. Her body is thrown sideways and into some nearby trees. And it doesn’t look like the creature is getting up again.

All of this doesn’t escape Toph’s notice, even if she has enough to worry about at the moment. Her eyes widen in horror as she feels the large creatures in distress, and the expression on her face looks beyond shocked. Even as she turns her head and listens for sounds, focusing briefly on the badgermoles… can she call for help? Will the Union even make it here in time at this rate? Just what the hell does Rex and his cronies want with /her/ badgermoles?! Though when he refers to the noble creatures as pets, that’s when she has had enough.

“They are /not/ my pets!” Toph declares as she slams her fist into one of the earthen pillars she erected for defense earlier. “They are the original earthbenders, my teachers! They are smarter than you /lizards/ will ever be! As for me…” Here the girl frowns, cracking her knuckles with a dead serious expression on her face. “I will break more than that stupid gun of yours if you don’t leave my friends alone!” With that she throws her arms forward several times quickly and in succession. While they might not seem like a powerful move, the repeated move builds up power, and is unleashed in the form of several earthen spikes shooting out at Rex, Quackpot and Ankylo. Will she be able to stop the other two before they further injure the badgermoles? She certainly hopes so!

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
His foe defeated, Brachio glows faintly and shrinks down into his base form. He crosses his arms and cokcs his head to the side, admiring his handiwork.

Terrile Dactyl flaps above his head, "Stop standing around, you big lummox! Get over there and collect that creature I netted so we can get out of here!"

Brachio sneers at Terrible Dactyl, "Why can't you get it?"

Dactyl flits to the ground, "Have you seen my arms? They're for flying, not for lifting. That's your job! Now get to it!"

Brachio stomps toward the netted and crying Badgermole baby, gathers up the net and slings it over his shoulder, "Bah, you just think you're too good for manual labor, y'ah big Priss!" Dactyl lepas back into the air, "THAT, is beside the point ... also, I am NOT a "Priss" ... what's a Priss?"

Brachio begins trotting to the Tyranno Battletstation, carrying his quarry, "Hah! It's YOU!"

Terrible Dactyl objects, "I AM NOT!"

As the two squabble on their way back to Tarpits 3, Rex finds himself once again slammed to the ground, as his rotund lieutenant leaps on top of him and covers him with his armored body.

Quackpot dives for cover, narrowly missing being eviscerated by the flowing stone shards, "QUAAAAAACK!"

Ankylo is not as lucky, as he sacrifices his body to protect his commander. Jagged shards of stone slam into his armored shell, pounding and cracking the heavy bony plates. Some particularly wicked shards embed themselves into Ankylo's shell. Blood spills freely down his back and begins to pool around Genghis Rex.

Rex glances up at the beady, bullet head of his comrade, his voice drips with deep concern "Ankylo?"

"It's ok, Bossasaur ... as long as ... you're ... safe ..." Ankylo manages to croak out before he slumps over onto Rex.

Alarmed, Rex calls out over his radio, "Medical, Ankylo is badly injured! We are in full retreat! Styraco! Code Red! Be ready!"

A voice radios back, "I saw what happened! Get him in here, now!"

The powerful Tyrannosaur stands, lifting his comrade onto his shoulders and trudging as quickly as he can, burdened by Ankylo's weight. He glares at Toph but says nothing, his concern for Ankylo is foremost in his mind. Quackpot rushes to his side and tries to help Rex carry his sizable load.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
The spikes aren’t enough to seriously mangle somebody, but then again, Toph knows she can’t underestimate the Tyrannos either. If they can stand up to the Hulk, if they can threaten her friends and now her family, then this is serious business. And if she holds back, then she will regret it. So while she doesn’t like having to unleash her bending like this… it’s sadly necessary. Ankylo might be injured, but it’s nothing threatening. Somehow it’s a relief when she hears Rex calls for retreat, and she doesn’t follow up the attack. Her arms are still kept up, but she stands still with a focused look on her face. Hopefully they won’t be coming back…

And once Rex and the Tyrannos are heading off, Toph rushes towards the badgermoles, worry in each step as she runs up the hill. Something feels wrong, and she doesn’t like what she hears…!