Scene #4944: Precision Engineering Pt. 1

Owner	Pose
Dr. Vahzilok	Reports from the Paragon Police Department are in. The mysterious group of psychopaths now known as the Vahzilok are attacking the shop of a jeweler that has finally gotten set up in Skyway City, after the owner lost everything in the disaster caused by the villain named 'Faultline' in what was once the neighborhood of Overbrook, to the south. Why these lunatics are attacking her shop is unclear, but there are employees, and the proprietor of Diane's Dimaonds herself! Normally, criminals robbing a diamond store would seem obvious. But crazy surgeons and zombies that go around abducting, experimenting on, and chopping people up? Why would this particular store be their target? Whatever the case, there's people in trouble, and mad-men in outfits that look more like butcher's garb than doctor's outfits given all the blood stains accrued can be seen through the store windows inside, menacing customers and employees alike. There's also a fair number of chemically-treated flesh golem things standing nearby or patrolling the showroom. The police are keeping civilians from getting in the way of responding heroes, and are on stand-by with emergency medical equipment including a mobile Reclaimator incase anyone with a medi-porter gets injured enough they need to be retrieved. But all of these safety precautions can't save the dead. It's time to get in there and make sure it doesn't reach that point.
Dorian Pavus	Do heroes take taxis? Dorian does. Though the taxis can't drive right up to the site of the trouble, not that Dorian would want it to. Maker only knows what those lunatics are flinging, and he wouldn't want the driver to get hurt. So when the call goes out, Dorian may take a little while. But he is there, heading to the source of the problem. He's dressed like he usually is, leather armor and white cloak over it, serpent-dragon-headed staff in hand. He's never really seen a need to change that. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? And of course perfectly groomed. Though that last bit might change here shortly! He'll spend a moment talking to the police, to get the situation report, before looking to try to make entry into the place. They -- that is, the criminals -- are probably expecting him to come in through the front door. Well, best not to keep them waiting, hm? He can act as a distraction for anyone else who happens to show up. Mind you, he's not just going to rush in, no. He puts up a Barrier, around himself any any nearby friendly targets, before he goes in.
Alexis	Just can't keep quiet for one day, can you Multiverse? Granted at first glance invading a jewelry store sounds pretty small scale. But it's -these freaks- doing it, which makes it weird. And after everything else they've done for this suffering city Alexis wasn't just going to write it off at face value and responded with expedience. Being who she is, no one should be surprised that the tomboy just takes the direct route. By which, I mean she walks right up to the front door of the shop and kicks it back open. "You psychos just can't leave well enough alone, can you?! I hope ya stitched those asses on tight, because they're about to get a heap of kicking!" It's not all just the bravado that it appears to be, though the extra bit of defense from Dorian is a definate plus. The idea is Alexis draws attention to herself for a moment with the doorkicking and taunting. Giving a few moments to the giant yellow and blue arachnid to crawl through the top of the doorframe. Immeadiately it spews several electrified silk strands at the nearest goons, Electroweb making for a nasty combination of net and potent taser.
Maya	With the multiverse turning on it's head? It's left little time for the normal down time time she's get she knows these guys don't surrender but even in the guise of the Blue Witch she's still got ahem to act as a Paladin even if they are mad. "This is your only warning stand down /now/." Maya's voice is serious and might carry a Weight that Alexis has not often seen in it and Dorian likely has never seen in her before she seems to be making ready with the magic though posing to strikle but first? She's going to draw some card,s and channel a spell to help ward alexis, herself and Dorian even further.
Kirito	It took a while, but Kirito registered with PPD after following up on old Union connections. An opportunity to put a stop to criminals non-lethally and earn some resources, expand his knowledge? The Black Swordsman couldn't sign up quickly enough! There's a solid TH-BOOM! as the Fairy warrior touches down thunderously near the police barrier and rises. he totally WOULD go for stealth, except... Well. Nobody else is, so there's not much point. The Black Swordsman makes a face upon thinking about this. WHY is nobody using even a slight bit of stealth? "Uweh, nobody appreciates the element of surprise..."
Dr. Vahzilok	The barriers that Dorian puts up do their job when the barging in through the front doors tactic results in a hail of poison darts and acidic zombie vomit pelting the entry way of the store in response to the combination of threats and electrical webbing falling upon those nearby, sending the living Vahzilok minions into electrically-induced paralysis, while the zombies struggle to free themselves. The enemies further back in the store, beyond all the display cases, were out of range, unfortunately. Maya's attempt to reason with them might not have worked, but hostilities are now in full swing at the heroes make the first move to strike! "For Vahzilok!" one of the bonesaw-wielding Reapers yells, leading a sizeable group of other Vahzilok out of the back. It looks like there's a lady being menaced in a corner, near the cashier's stand. From her attire, she is probably an employee here.
Alexis	The magical barrier does its job of intercepting zombie vomit and poison projectiles. But Alexis has been through this sort of thing with Dorian present to know the barriers can only take so much damage, so she makes an evasive dive behind one of the display cases all the same. Maybe impulsively rushing in wasn't such a great idea to start with, but that's just the way Alexis is. Nabbing a Dusk Ball off her belt as she ducks behind the case, Alexis releases a Mawile beside her. The tomboy doesn't say anything, just gives a few indicating jestures that looke more like a coach demonstrating a play rundown. It seems to get the message across through as Trowel nods in return. The steel fairy slinks around the far end of the display case as indicated. Then turns around as she passes the corner, back to the isle so she can lash out at one of the Reapers' legs with the metal jaw-like appendanges hanging off her head like a weird ponytail. Meanwhile the Galvantula continues to crawl about the ceiling looking for another oppritunity. It's actually being somewhat stealthy. At least as stealthy as a blue and yellow arachnid roughly the size of a dog can be crawling overhead.
Kirito	The prospect of fighting people hardly pleases people, but the sheer brutality and thuggishness on display here lowers his inhibitions a little. He'll teach these guys a lesson they won't forget anytime soon! One foot in front of the other! Kirito approaches through the chaos, taking advantage of Dorian's barrier. With every step he takes the boy's expression turns more grim, ever fiercer. The instant he steps PAST the door though... WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!! Where'd the boy go... and what was with that wind?! Those with quick enough eyes would've seen him leap across the distance with terrific speed, aiming to plant a fist into the thug menacing the employee and slam him straight into the wall on the way! "How monstrous can you asshats get?" Asks the boy, voice dark and hiding how horrified he is as best he can.
Dorian Pavus	As it turns out, Alexis is correct. The first volley of projectiles, both darts and vomit, about knocks that Barrier out entirely. As for Kirito? Dorian doesn't see until the Spriggan stops moving. He pauses to check Kirito's location so he doesn't accidentally hit him with anything. With enough firepower on the offense team with the Elites present, Dorian slips into his role as crowd control. He targets a group of the minions that are still a danger, those coming out of the back of the store. He can't use fire in here, because it'll burn the place down. And h assumes they're trying to AVOID as much collateral damage as possible. So instead he turns to lightning. Dorian raises his hand into the air, visibly murmuring under his breath, and a large blue-white orb of energy appears over the group he's targeted, the orb connected to his hand by a 'thread' of lightning. Then he clenches his hand into a fist and 'pulls', and the thread breaks. The orb, however, remains in the air. And there's a barely-visible line on the ground that traces a circle. The enemies in the circle may find themselves in a bit of a predicament -- they'll be all right as long as they stay in that perimeter. But when they cross, they just might get set on lightning!
Maya	Maya attempt to talk them down goes nowhere she had to try and now she cuts lose given what they done? There isn't much holding back. She'll start with the spells, seemingly tearing chuhnch of the floor out and throwing it at the oncomming hode she'll even contiune adding in high pressuyre burst of water as she keeps casting spells. She's just auming tomake them keep their heads down there's a reason locally Maya's offically seen as a very odd blaster...
Dr. Vahzilok	The Mawile attacks the Reaper, biting his legs and tripping him up. The crowd of other Vahzilok coming from behind stumble upon the sight. Those closest attempt to chop at the pokemon with cleavers and bonesaws and other instruments of carving flesh, while a trio of Cadavers scramble through into the entry way, where the other mix of living and dead enemies are starting to shake off the electrical paralysis. One Vahzilok, wearing a semi-fleshy human skull like a gruesome helmet, fires poison darts up at the electrical spider, but most are focused on the more visible enemies in front of them. Kirito slams into a Mortificator, knocking him into a wall hard enough to bounce his head off the wall. He was only wearin a surgical mask, not a human helmet, so he winds up dazed and slumping down towards the floor. The employee pauses only long enough to say, "They said that they needed Miss Diane's eyes!" Then she makes for the doors, trying to get somewhere safe. Maya tears up the store's floor and throws it at the Vahzilok who were recovering from paralysis. The masonry clobbers them good, cutting down on the number of hostiles able to fight. Dorian's lightning orb is positioned in a great place to keep the crowd of Vahzilok coming from the back of the store either trapped back there, or running into an electrifying field as they try to cross through the choke point formed by the employee entrance, and the show room doors. Between all the attacks being thrown around, many of them affecting multiple enemies at once, the opposition is getting whittled down quickly. But it sounds like the real target of this attack might still be in danger in the back! If they're only after the proprietor's eyes, they might not waste time taking her captive or trying to preserve the rest of her when the commotion of heroes in the front of the store becomes evident. This rescue operation is now on a deadline.
Alexis	A couple of poison darts jab the large spider in the back and draw a chitter of annoyance out of it. Being poisoned isn't good for a pokemon that focuses more on speed and attack strength. Galvantula cranes his head, superior compound eyesight picking out which of the freaks below shot at it easily. At least he can take out a little revenge before the poison renders him out of the fight. He opens his mandibles, not to spit web at the skull-helmet guy, but a glittering Signal Beam of energy. Cleavers and bonesaws wack at the Mawile, leaving a few nicks and dents but for the most part weapons meant for carving up soft fleshy bits don't do a really good job of chopping through a Steel type hide. "Mawile." <Big lugs.> She decides to Play Rough, picking up the Reaper she'd tripped with her jaws and swinging him like a big zombie club at the rest of her attackers. While most of the horde is either being mowed down or distracted by the others, Alexis sprints from behind the display case and makes a rush for the rear of the shop. She wants to get closer to seeing what's going on there while her Pokemon have the hideous horde occupied.
Dorian Pavus	Well, that's a big part of things right there. The employee's shout is loud enough for Dorian to hear, and he grimaces, partly in disgust and partly in anger. "I should never expect things to be simple, should I?" he breathes, the rhetorical question not really aimed at anyone in particular. While the others head for the back, Dorian takes up a position at the door, to make sure none of these zombie-types from the front of the store can pincer attack his allies. Once everyone goes into the back, he'll stand in front of the door leading into the back and try to take out any remaining opposition in the front.
Kirito	That's exactly why Kirito didn't bother drawing his sword. He's already superhumanly strong and he's facing some goons. Drawing a sword would be overkill... He sharply inhales, once again thinking overly much about his participation in this escapade... but the woman he rescued giving such a terrifying account of what's going on settles his nerves for now. Scary as it is, uncertain as he is, this HAS TO HAPPEN. these guys MUST be stopped... "This makes no sense... what're they planning?!" He flips right out of the way so that Dorian can and Maya can freely bash and blast as they will. He trembles in place, hesitating only briefly. The boy's right hand goes up to grasp his sword, but drawing it... that's delayed by a few seconds of indecision. Though once he has the weapon's weight comfortably balancing his stance Kirito's anxieties seem to dissipate. "Find Diane! Now!" He's not going to wait, of course. He bursts into top speed, headed for the back!
Maya	Maya is now focusing on tkaing down the Vahzilok forces. She keeps moving on though, the damage will be an issue but really she's got other things to worry about in the end. There's just so many of the attackers and they have to get toe the hostages. Maya looks to Kirito for a moment. "This borders on the madness I have seen in many Necromancers and I';m on it!" With that Maya will attempt to disenage and push forward to the VIP they are here for, they may not have much time but this does leave he exposed to attack from other sources a she does this.
Dr. Vahzilok	As the remaining enemies are taken down, robot-zombies being beaten down until they stop moving, living villains disabled or rendered unconscious, the heroes who head for the back of the store (hopefully that's all of them), encounter a tall male (presumbaly, from build) in a head, face, and boyd-covering black leather outfit that is stitched together in many places. It completely conceals any sign of skin or facial features, leaving only blank white lenses (or are those eyes?) in the mask. He is surrounded by a crowd of other Vahzilok, and there's a pile of something at the back of the store covered in a blanket, and a red-haired woman pleading with the leather-garbed Eidolon. "Please, stop! What have I ever done to you!?" The Eidolon simply responds, "Quiet now. We have company." Then the stitched-together villain draws back his hand and launches a blast of swirling, mist-like negative energy towards Alexis, the first one to come within range. The other Vahzilok around him fire a barrage of poison darts at Kirito and Maya in sequence. Dorian doesn't face more opposition initially, but the Mortificator that Kirito attacked seems to have regained consciousness and appears to be cutting open a fallen Cadaver, and doing something to its internal workings!
Alexis	Alexis recalls her Galvantula before the poison knocks him entirely out, though it'll still prevent him from getting into any more of a fight tonight. Then darts through the back door. And right into a blindsiding attack of some sort of energy. The surprise blast is enough to knock her over, skidding to the opposite side of the room with a loud "Ooph!". That'll teach her to leap before she looks. Her Mawile takes just a moment longer to follow her, but quickly scurries over to protect her trainer. Even with her toughness the suprise attack and collision with the floor has left Alexis a little dazed. Enough that she fumbles a bit when she grabs for her pokeballs without really looking before finally flicking one, trying to bounce it off a wall and get closer to the woman in the back before it pops open and releases in a flash of light... A dog. One with a fru-fru poodle style haircut so elaborate her head fluff actually looks like she's wearing a bonnet. Pom-Pom takes a glance around, only to see the zombies and other medical horrors and looks utterly agast in response. "Furfrou!" <By gods, what madness have you gotten into -this- time!> Alexis lets out a groan, half in pain, half in realizing she did not grab the pokeball she had intended for. It's almost as bad as Misty's damn Psyduck, coming out when least wanted and unable to switch again. "Bitch later, guard now!" "Frou Fur." <This had better not ruin my makeover.> And, being a poodle dog, Pom-Pom proves to be one of those obnoxious high pitched barkers.... and being a Pokemon, it's more than just obnoxious noise. Because Furfrou learns Hyper Voice. Which in turn means the yapping and yowling is actually a very audibly painful sonic assault.
Kirito	Poison darts. POISON DARTS are SO DARNED SLOW. Slower than bullets. Slower than even some magic spells. Kirito's blade moves with lightning speed, pivoting about its balance point thanks to swift wrist twitches to catch most of the poison darts! A few get through that... and only one pierces his dragonleather longcoat. Few can see it properly, but next to his HP meter a Status Window for Poison appears and his HP starts depleting ever so slowly. "Ugh... status effects..." The poison, weirdly enough, has him acting a little nauseous. How much is he feeling it over the strange link that this odd power operates on? "You're tough, but there's no way out of here except through all of us! What'll it be... either you surrender now and spend your prison time intact, or we do this the hard way. Good luck sleeping on those bunks when your whole body's screaming in pain." He knows that arguing on philosophical principle won't get ANYWHERE with someone dressed like this. So pure pragmatics and matter-of-facts will have to do. Although he momentarily twitches, biting down on the nausea induced by poison, Kirito raises his blade up horizontally next to him and prepares a Sword Skill. The obsidian weapon flickers a purplish black, roiling with an ominous opaque glow that resembles the night sky. It's the starting posture for the 1-hit One-Handed Skill, 'Rage Spike.'
Dorian Pavus	Dorian's eye is sharp, and he's keeping his wits about him. As such he catches sight of the sneaky surgeon trying to un-re-dead the undead they've re-deaded. "Ah, ah, ah," Dorian replies, clapping his hands together in front of him. A bolt of lightning leaps from his hands as they make contact, aimed at the Mortificator. "It's not nice to disturb someone while they're sleeping," he quips. Hopefully that'll be all from the Mortificator. Because Dorian hears trouble from the back, and he's intent on going back there and trying to help out of he can. He's going to be a little late to the party, but nobles are always fashionably late, right?
Maya	Maya is banged up noticably as she moves to try and get in. Maya isn't able to avoid all the Darts one catche her and she won't feel feeling too well but she's going to have to keep going. Maya can focus her magic again at this point. She's however focused on pushing through to the hostage. "Your madness ends here." Maya readies another spell this time more focused and attempts to strike the dart throwers with brief bursts of fire but she's not ... feeling so good from that dart...
Dr. Vahzilok	The painful sonic blast sends several of the crazy people reeling backwards, but these lunatics are willing to risk their lives for their goals, or even sacrifice them. Pain alone is not enough to stop them, even if it does seriously hinder them and their ability to keep fighting. "No other way out, huh? Heh. Heheheheh." is the Eidolon's response to Kirito. What's THAT about? However, there may be more to worry about shortly, as Kirito stopping and standing in place to threaten instead of just attacking turns out to not be the greatest of ideas. The Mire Eidolon swings both hands up and sends a wave of darkness washing over the stationary swordsman. Tendrils of some black, oily substance start attacking him and trying to pin him down from below, potentially immobilizing him. Maya's fire bolts add to the sonic assault that the various other Vahzilok have suffered, downing some of them when they get their faces set on fire, or interrupting their attempts to get their fallen Cadaver allies back up on their feet. Speaking of which, as Dorian electrocutes the Mortificator, finishing him off, he then joins the others, adding more support. A couple of Cadavers hooked up with unusual equipment start staggering in from a side room, right as the mage comes to back up his allies from the rear. They seem to have black rubber gloves on their hands, some kind of backpacks or something built into their backs, and various wires protruding from their flesh and leading back into said backpack. Though Dorian likely can't see the backpacks in detail from his position, there's probably very little good that can come of them.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian stops as he enters the back of the store, pausing to take quick stock of the situation. Kirito's being eaten by shadows, and everybody looks worse for wear. But the entering Cadavers are a big problem. First he needs to try to lock them down. But he still can't use fire. So he goes back to the lightning. He repeats the process from the front room, setting that orb in the air just in front of the door those backpack wearing Cadavers are coming in at. Once he's got the Static Cage set up, he calls out a warning, "Incoming, with extra equipment!" He doesn't know what the extra equipment does, but indeed it's probably not good news for them.
Alexis	As she manages to get her wits back in order as she gets partway off the floor, Alexis comes to two conclusions. The first being that she really needs some more training beyond 'run in and start kicking problems in the ass'. The other being that there's no time to waste on more switchs so she'll just have to make due with what she's got. "Pom-Pom!" <That nickname is demeaning!> "Now is not the... fine! Pomerella! Trowel!" Alexis points at the new arrivals Dorian helpfully warned them about. "SIC EM" <... I better get extra grooming for enduring this.> But, prissy and pushy as she may be, the Furfrou is still a dog. And even poodles are brave and loyal when push comes to shove. She crouchs down a bit, and 'barks' again, except this time there is a darker effect to it. Snarl doesn't do as much damage, but it has the advantage of not only hitting multiple enemies with the pulse of dark noise, but having a lowering effect on attack strength. Trowel on the other hand darts over to take a more direct approach, leaping at one of the Cadavers' backs and trying to tear off that extra machinery with her large metal jaws. Not just biting, that's a full out Crunch of rending force.
Kirito	Well, it's not as though Kirito's going to do nothing when his opponent's clearly rejecting the offer. The instant the Eidolon starts to laugh Kirito twitches his muscles into the beginning motion for RAGE SPIKE. At that point, there's no turning back! It's the beauty and the terror of Sword Skills. Once you start them, you'd better have damn well meant it. But Kirito's not aiming for vitals. He knows exactly how to aim these things exactly how he wants them to go. Fighting the current ever so subtly, he guides this blade tip down and alters the thrust trajectory that takes over his whole body. It's almost like the sword rockets forward as if propelled by some freakish telekinesis and hauls his body along for the ride, only barely keeping up with the lightning-speed thrust that splashes waves of darkness everywhere! Darkness meets Darkness and there's a small, sizzling explosion of clashing energies. Blade magic against black magic! If it was an Alfheim spell, that would be the end of it. Eidolon's spell would be so much wasted MP. But in this case... there's enough force behind that spell that it prevents Kirito's Rage Spike from reaching full thrust. Oh, Eidolon might find himself shallowly stabbed through the side out his back, but it could be much worse - and it's not, because the spell he worked causes a weird knockback. There's a freaky hard metal CLANG sound effect and Kirito's reppelled by some odd force, skidding awkwardly over the tendrils and being quickly tripped! "What the--"
Maya	Maya is trying to take them down, she shifts to water based strikes now as she keeps going she needs to get away from. "Check for the hostage!" she doesn't say anything else as she moves in further now not wanting to take changes here. the Cadavers get nomercy at all as she seeks to make sure they stay down. She hears Kiritos' warning and opens up on them with focused bolts of magically generted water.
Dr. Vahzilok	Dorian's static cage continuously electrocutes the gear-laden corpses, one of them eventually being taken down after repeated shocks as it mindlessly pursues its target. The other one seemed like it was going to do the same. But once an enemy comes within range, in this case Trowel, trying to tear the surgically-implanted backpack off, that appears to be considered sufficient by whatever that computer-brain is that's housed inside its decaying skull. The Embalmed Cadaver explodes. Flames and a shockwave blast outwards from the detonating zombie. Thankfully, no one except Trowel is nearby enough to be in the direct blast radius, but not only is the pokemon probably not in the best shape now, the wash of heat and force might still be damaging and disorienting to everyone else in the room. Bombs are inconvenient like that. Apparently the Vahzilok aren't immune to the bomb-strapped Cadaver either, because with the attack that Alexis's poodle-mon uses to weaken them and damage them, and them already being on their last legs, the rain of bone shrapnel and fire is enough to finish off the rest. Kirito's sword play damages and stabs into the Eidolon, but while he's still 'alive', he has been 'augmented' somehow. By prosthetics and by whatever gives him his powers. Rotting flesh and cybernetics, are stabbed through, causing shallow injuries, the blast wave sends the Mire Eidolon staggering off blance, and then Maya's water blasts slam into him, and the two zombies left who were still struggling to stand. The hostage who has been cowering nearby all this time has thankfully been spared from direct injury from the explosion, but her legs still get some bits and pieces of accelerated bone tearing across her skin, causing her to scream and flee to seek cover behind a counter. There's no more hostage in the way, no more explosive zombies incoming, and the Eidolon is now facing four heroes at once! ...So why is it that he's cackling as he raises his hands, and darkness wreathes them? He's preparing some kind of nasty attack to be sure! It's time to take him down!
Dorian Pavus	Explosions! Explosions bad! Dorian's actually knocked over by the explosion, though not seriously hurt thanks to his distance from the source. Poor Mawile, though. Dorian winces. There won't be anything he can do for the Pokemon 'till after the battle, though. Right now what he can focus on is the Eidolon, and its darkness. It's preparing to do something big, he knows that, and he's not intent to let the Eidolon finish. Sadly, he must be like a certain celebrity (who must go unnamed) and cut in. "Terribly sorry to interrupt, do forgive me," Dorian half-hisses, the air around his hands and the staff he's holding becoming colder. "But I'm afraid I simply MUST correct something." He raises into the air the hand he's holding the staff in, spinning it deftly in his fingers, and then slamming the butt end of the staff on the ground. As he does, ice begins to erupt from the ground, aimed in the Eidolon's general area.
Alexis	Well that tactic turned into a bit of a double-edged sword. Tearing off the machinery operating those zombies causes it to explode!... But it also takes out it's buddies in the process. Area effects that don't discriminate between enemy and ally are a bitch like that. Trowel lands in a heap from the explosion, a chunk of the device still dangling from the Mawile's jaws. The bone and viscera aren't much danger to her since Steel types can't be poisoned, but the bomb blast was another matter, especially with how much heat it produced. If that is leaving burn damage in a pokemon skinned in metal, it's pretty damn hot. Granted she was at the epicenter, too. Despite the injury though she's still holding up the ruined machine in her jaws like some kind of trophy. <I got one, I cough got one!> Alexis at least has her arm guards to shield her face with from shrapnel... That never hits her other than a few bits and pieces. "Huh?" She looks over an arm at Pomerella standing in front of her with several of the bone fragments stuck in her. Actually, they're mostly stuck in her hair that has puffed out three times as much as a shield when she used Cotton Guard to protect them. "... Yeah, you're definately going to need a new grooming. Thanks." <The sacrifices I make for you lunatics.> "And now it's my turn to return the favor." Alexis reachs into one of her larger pockets, not for a pokeball, but for a baseball. "EAT FASTBALL SUCKAH!" Which she winds up and pitchs full force at the Eidolon's face. You ever get beaned with a baseball at full speed from a hard throw? Especially in the face. It's gonna hurt a bit, but Alexis is also aiming to disrupt his concentration or whatever so the dude with the actual swords and stuff can finish the jackass off.
Maya	Maya is going to let her allies deal with the remainign zombies. She'll follow the hostage behind cover, to one use herself to get in the way of any further attacks coming her way. Two? Even as Alexis yells eat fastball suckah? She's going to be speaking to her. "Your all right we have you now, hold still I can help." She pulls another card out of her deck box, and she focues on the spell now. "Hold still." She'll cas the spell and the pink glow will spread from her to the hotage, the healing process will also force any of the shrapnel out of her wouls as it regenerates the injuries as well.
Kirito	Oh, great. Kirito knows that laugh. He knows that LOOK. And it has his whole body tensing with a bit of terror. But he scrabbles to his feet with a snap-flaring of his wings... INDOORS. They function for only a few seconds, but they catch him and RIP him free of the strange tendrils, sending him ROCKETING at enough speed to collapse a chunk of the wall behind his target if he succeeds in doing what he intends-- RAM THAT OBSIDIAN BLADE STRAIGHT IN, glowing with an icy power, and rip it free with a weird up-and-out slash that leaves him with his back turned to the Eidolon... but a huge trail of exploding ice between him and his opponent! His face, which he refuses to show the Eidolon, is flickering with TERROR and horror at once. Does he have to KILL...?!
Dr. Vahzilok	A baseball hits the Eidolon in the face really hard, dazing and interrupting him. Dorian's ice magic freezes him in place, keeping him from moving. And then Kirito slashes into the bad guy while he's immobilized, tearing him free of the ice and sending him hurtling across the room. When he comes to a stop, he doesn't get back up. But he's probably not dead. And with that, it seems all the bad guys are down. The hostage that was rescued is still freaked out (As most would be with crazy doctors, zombies, and bombs invading one's life), but seems relieved to be receiving medical attention. As Maya heals her, she says, "Thank you, but you have to go help Miss Diane! She's hurt worse than me! When they heard you coming, an awful monster the others called 'Doctor Vahzilok' said he had no time for delicacy! She's over there!" It appears this isn't Diane that they just rescued. And the employee is pointing towards the object covered in a blanket. The explosion has blown it partially aside, revealing there's an unmoving body underneath, and that the one responsible hurried out of here when he heard them coming. Perhaps that's why the Eidolon laughed about there not being another way out. Their leader already escaped. Two hostages saved, but not the store's owner. Someone will have to face justice for this. But perhaps stealth might have been the better option after all. Or perhaps it would have turned out the same. At least they have a lead on the name of the culprit now. 'Doctor Vahzilok'.
Kirito	Savage Fulcrum ends, and Kirito finds himself stumbling forward, panting for breath and working hard to control a skyrocketing heartrate. A nearly-lethal fight with an enemy he might've just killed? Oh yeah, that's stressful as it gets. He's jarred out of his worry when the hostage comes out though... And his worry is replaced with bitter anger and gut despair. This isn't over yet? "... You've got to be kidding me..." He's not looking too enthused about the way this has turned. The boy gulps, then sheaths his sword with a habitually mock swing at the air to cast off any yuck it's accrued. "There's no helping it... we'll just have to chase them...!" Yeah. He's NOT looking forward to this!
Alexis	.... And this whole goddamn fiasco was just a stall because the real freak ran and by the look of the covered form it was already too late to do much there. Alexis grates her teeth together in frustration, to the point that the low scrunching noise is still enough to get Pom's attention. <Dearie, don't do that. You might chip a tooth.> "Every damn time!" Alexis snarls, kicking one of the downed Cadavers in order to vent some frustration. "This freakshow fills the space with undead and runs off while we're stuck wading through them!" And gives it another kick for good measure. "We're no closer to getting the sicko out of the city's hair than when his mishmashed mooks first started turning up. So, yeah, you damn well bet I'm frustrated by it!" A soft whine that could almost be a sigh responds from the poodle-mon. <Can you at least do something more constructive than kicking the proverbial dead Ponyta?> "Like -what-?!" This wasn't the first time Alexis' headlong charge into the problem caused as much troubled as it solved, and she knew it. "What else could we possible do?" Then she pauses a moment, looking at the partially uncovered body, then at the hostage(s?) after Maya helped them recover. "Com'n you two, Pomerella is right, just standing here kicking dead bodies isn't going to get us anywhere." The two pokemon look at each other for a moment, especially when Alexis uses the Furfrou's full name without being snapped at for the silly nickname first. "Mawile?" <And what are we going to do then?>, asks the steel fairy as she scuttles to catch up. "I'm.. not entirely sure," Alexis admits while leaving. "But just rushing in to punch a problem until it stops being a problem isn't working. We stop some of the bad guys... but not the -source- of the problem. And what about the other people that get lost off to the sides..." "Furfrou frou." <Now now dear, it was hardly your fault just because you're being brash and impulsive without considering your actions farther than which uncouth hooligan to punch fir--> which is cut off by a yip as Trowel thaps the back of the poodle's head. <Why I never!> "It's okay, Trowel. She's kinda on the right track. I need to do more than just charge in a bluster and hit a problem until it goes away." Alexis let out a soft sigh of her own. "There's more to being heroic than seeing how many times you can kick evil in the gnads." Which gets a facepalm from the Mawile and the Furfrou rolling her eyes. <That sounds a bit more like herself at least.>
Dorian Pavus	Dorian is aware that Maya's going to tend to the woman who had been kept hostage, and so he sends a nod of thanks to her. He can't tend to her yet, not while there's stuff going on, and she can't really wait that long to get her injuries seen to. As it is Dorian's kind of peppered with bone fragments too, but his leathers might be decent at keeping them out. Of course, that did nothing for his one mostly-bare arm and his face! Hopefully between his ice magic and Alexis's fastball, it'll keep that freaky dude in the leather gimp suit off-guard enough for Kirito to do whatever it is that he needs to do. A charging sword-strike, it seems. And that seems to be it for the enemies, thanfully. But as it turns out the victory is pyrrhic at best. The store owner is already dead, and apparently has been since they came in. "...''Kaffas''," Dorian curses. He had a feeling, otherwise the freak in the gimp suit wouldn't have been laughing. It looks like information will have to suffice. Of course the price was too high. But it's a bit late now. Surprisingly, Dorian doesn't speak further after his initial curse. After a certain point, his snark just fails. Instead of speaking further he just aims at an area where he can hit as many of the group of Elites as are here, and tries to use Dispel to get rid of their various status effects. It should do something for the poison, but if not he tried! Alexis's tirade and conversation with her Pokemon draws Dorian's attention. And it's to all of them that he notes, surprisingly gently, "Right now we don't need to beat ourselves up over mistakes we made. Right now we need to deal with the living." Dorian looks to the hostage that Maya healed. Though he does mean both of them -- both that one and and the other one that escaped the front. He shakes his head. "They don't need to fall apart here; this place isn't safe for them anymore."