Scene #5668: Fire and Flame

Owner	Pose
Karian Icefang	At the arranged meeting point, the Eldar warlocks wait in silent conclave. Around them were guardians and even the Farseer herself. "We have a development. The planet we are sending you has emerged from the warp. This is both good and bad. It will allow us to expand out ability to secure our webway entry point, but also suggests that things are changing in ways we did not see. We would once more advice speed over all out brutality." She says, motioning towards the waiting webway gate.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian does not like the cold. Not one bit. But he also doesn't like that someone's missing. Particularly under these circumstances. So Dorian's put on a thicker cloak, more padded armor, and dealt with it. He looks a little bigger now, thanks to the armor's padding, and his usually-exposed arm is covered up. One shoulder has a large leather pauldron on it (relatively large; it's nothing compared to most of the pauldrons usually around this place), and his cloak this time is hooded and lined with fur. Still white, though. He looks unhappy as he arrives at the meeting point, and that could be because he's STILL cold, or because Karian is still missing. But let's be real, it's just as much one as the other. He's got the hood pulled up. Listening to the explanation, Dorian's frown darkens. "If it's been in this 'warp' for any length of time, it's likely not safe," he reasons. "So, what flavor of evil should we expect -- mutant beasts, evil mages, the land itself trying to eat us, or all of the above?" Just can't resist the snark, can he?
Mortimer Balman	"Do not risk yourself unnecessarily, young lady. Or your friends. We will handle whatever is to come. Right, Ulbrecht?" The massive Thunderwolf looks down at Mortimer and lets out an oddly cute yap in response, before kneeling down so that the old badger can climb up onto his back. "Your advice is not unwelcome, but you must remember- we are not as fast as you. Brutality must therefore be used, perhaps in equal measure, to speed, lest we are simply run down." He'd look down at Dorian for a moment to answer his inquiry. "It will be Hell given shape and form. We may see anything from a million men, women, and children praying in a single great congregation to the Dark Gods while daemons whip them into a frenzy, or a war between evils, or any number of kingdoms dedicated to one of the Ruinous Powers." The great beast would begin marching toward the webway gate, while Mortimer held one hand up, the other clutching the massive adamantine blade, and sang a prayer in what sounded like an ancient Aramaic dialect. "Jirachi brought to us salvation, what evil need I balk from? Mew is the stronghold of my life, of whom need I be afraid? Celebi has already counted my years, what death may threaten me? Even when hearts full of evil came upon me to feast 'pon my flesh, all my foes stumbled and fell. A host of evils may encamp 'gainst us, let our hearts know no fear; though war may come and rise 'gainst us, our thoughts do not waver." They disappeared into the Webway shortly thereafter.
Yuna Kagurazaka	A whole planet that's emerged from the Warp ... maybe freshly, maybe not. Yuna has spent enough time dealing with the Imperium and its associated cosmology to be all too aware of what the Warp holds. She was planning to come loaded for pretty much any possibility as it was, as may be evidenced by the entire Matrix of Light being present with her: the little robo-faerie Elner, and all three of Yuna's android 'doubles' as well - Jiina, Erina, and Marina, in their armored combat forms, faces marked only by glowing optics set into their respective faceplates, none visibly bearing weapons at the moment - but then, neither is Yuna herself, although she was in her Light Suit from at least the moment she touched down at the rendezvous point. "I doubt the ground itself will be against us," she says to Dorian, "but short of that ... yeah, Mort isn't too far wrong," the blonde girl says with a grim expression, and a grimmer tone (if that were possible). "The ... the beings they call the Chaos Gods ... the less we see of their worshippers, the happier I'll be." She hasn't forgotten the worst she's seen of Slaanesh's followers - and from all that she heard while she was trying to recover from the impact THAT had on her heart, it wasn't anywhere near 'the worst' that could be seen. Perhaps bizarrely, Mortimer's prayer seems to set her at a measure of ease; she doesn't know any of the words, but she remains quiet as she accompanies the group through the webway gate. She has her own prayer she would offer up, and she's not a follower of Mort's faith - but she seems content to let his recitation stand for her as well.
Karian Icefang	The Eldar looks over the small group and nods gently. "I see. Still....you should be careful." She says. But the warlocks walk into the webway just as Mort does, and lead the way. Much akin to lightspeed or other trans-phasic transportation, it was quick, and instant, though less dangerous then warp travel itself. On the other side, however, was a sight truely worthy of being called Hell. It would be apparent to which god this land belong to, judging by the massive piles of bodies and seemingly ever bloody floor. Khorne had claimed this land, and it was rife with corruption. Though in the distance cheers and shouts could be heard, and a structure that could only be seen as a collesium was in the distance, and clearly the place to go. "...about that Space Wolf they caught?" asked one Berzerker. "Yes...He thinks he can resist the pull of the Blood God...Not for much longer though, judging by what the battlemaster says. He resisted longer then most, but I give him another battle, maybe two..." Conversed a pair of Berzerkers, unaware to the arrivals thanks to some handy Eldar Obfuscation.
Dorian Pavus	Mortimer's words -- and then Yuna's confirmation -- get a bit of a wince. But Dorian's quick with a response too. "...So basically, what the rest of Thedas thinks we do for fun in Tevinter. Right, then. Forewarned is forearmed." Ass. Though strangely, as he heads through the webway gate with the others, he's murmuring something under his breath. It's a verse or two from the Chant of Light, ones that seem particularly relevant here. Dorian's not going to question why nobody in this corrupted land seems to notice them for what they are. He needs a moment to steel his resolve though, and is grateful for the obfuscation. Heading for the place where all the battles are happening seems to be the thing to do -- this is that corrupted battle god he's heard so much about, so battles would be the thing to look for here. And then there's the talk of a Space Wolf. ''('That's got to be him,')'' Dorian reasons. Not knowing whether or not whatever effect that's keeping them 'under the radar', so to speak, will continue if he speaks, Dorian sends a look at the rest of the group. Clearly they've got to get in there and figure out how to get Karian out. Also that goes without saying, so saying it shouldn't be needed.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer's massive wolf would hunker down once they were on the other side. "Easy boy, easy.." Mort whispered, gently fuzzling one of the beast's ears. "Alright- warlocks, can you lead us to where they're talking about with your fancy Eldar psykery, or should we rely on.. Alternative solutions?" He is obviously whispering low.
Yuna Kagurazaka	An unhappy noise escapes Yuna's throat as she lays eyes on the gore-laden landscape. Khorne, Chaos God of war, strife, and violence - one to whom ANY violent act is an offering, even if you're trying to strike down the army that's chanting in his honor. And they'll have to fight anyway, in all likelihood - particularly if the Space Wolf under discussion is the same one she's here to help rescue. At the same moment, Yuna is keenly aware of just HOW she's attired - the Light Suit is pretty distinctive in its appearance, and its gleaming white, glossy blue, and occasional gold are going to stand out a lot. She's tempted to try and scrounge a cloak or something ... But the temptation passes quickly, her gaze hardening a little as she starts taking a more analytical look around. Fine; she doesn't belong here, and if whatever's keeping them from being noticed right off the bat happens to falter so that she gets noticed? Let the locals be the ones to fear her, not the other way around. However, Yuna has enough presence of mind to keep quiet and not draw extra attention to herself. When things get noisy, she'll get noisy along with them, but until then, the quieter the better.
Karian Icefang	The warlock points the way forward. "We must remain here to keep the gate open. We are quite literally behind enemy lines, and this is our only escape. But we can guide you with our minds if you'll allow us." But, from behind the warlocks, emerges a ranger. He was unhelmed and looked visibly worn. "I'll guide you, provided you can keep up." He says. He introduces himself a Valorn, and is then off like a shot, demonstrating the elder fleet-footedness. The Berzerkers continue walking towards the Collesium, still casually chatting. "Hah, aye...Moreso once he see's who he's fighting next. Those other astartes will prove a good match, better then the pathetic guardsmen we've thrown at him." "True. I'm still surprised be took down that Bloodcrusher with his bare hands."
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer grins a bit, then motions for Yuna and Dorian to climb up on his wolf. The great beast'll run faster than they can on foot.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Riding wolfback sounds like an excellent plan, and Yuna scrambles up to settle in behind Mort - or in front, if he prefers to have the smaller person in front of him. Elner is practically able to hide in the thunderwolf's fur; Jiina, Erina, and Marina just hunker down as best they can if the wolf can carry their weight as well. If that's NOT an option, though, then Jiina sticks closer to Yuna while the other two will remain with the Eldar, for now.
Dorian Pavus	"Any help you can offer would be appreciated," Dorian says to the Eldar. The ranger is noted, and Dorian offers a nod before following. Eldar swiftness or not, Dorian might be able to keep up, even without that same swiftness. Though that will require him to use Fade Step. This will see him dissolve into blue-white smoke, blur a distance ahead of where he'd been standing, and then reform. So he'll only use that if the ranger is about to completely leave his sight. He doesn't want to risk his abilities breaking the Elder's sorcery.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer blinks as Dorian fades from sight. Well that'll do the job, then. Ulbrecht takes off and begins loping after the Ranger, once Yuna and everyone else has loaded up. Hopefully they can get to Karian quickly..
Karian Icefang	Sure enough, Valorn leads everyone in the direction of the collesium. "I'm impressed...Your psychic powers are like nothing I've seen...and I thought surprise was lost to me." He says, proving to be quite grim. But no one around them seemed to be alerted to their existance, save for a few Juggernauts, who look up curiously, but soon return to their meals. Once at the collesium though, the real horror could be seen. Karian was there, but bare-chested and wearing a horribly carved sigil of khorne on his chest. In front of him were bodies of guardsmen, and a few astartes of varying chapter. "All of this done in front of you and yet you hold true. Impressive...Icefang. But sooner or later, even you have limits..." said a familiar voice. Grelx, the corrupted Inquisitor, steps forward. "I, Battlemaster Grelx, have a surprise for you." He says, motioning. From behind a door, three astartes were brought out in full armor, denoting them all as Captains of the Ultramarines, Salamanders, and Dark Angels respectively. "We will have the group of you fight...to the death, of course. The survivor gets to leave..." He says, eyeing that sigil. "N......no.....I will not slay brother marines..." Karian says weakly. "Oh, but you will...they were given the same offer, though they haven't been beaten by bloodletters every hour...let's see who shall win, shall we?" Grelx asks, leaping out of the pit, after cutting Karian free.
Mortimer Balman	"..Hm.." Mortimer would stare from atop his wolf, studying the colloseum. "Karian isn't the only victim, then.. We need to get as many of these people out of here as we can.. Yuna, uh.. Whatever your name is, I don't think we've met-" Motioning to Dorian. "You two are the most visibly human. You should be able to get the humans out of here- I'm just a "mutant", they won't listen to me. You will need to see if there are any Guardsmen present as well, and try to evac them. As many people as you can. The best thing I can do.." Mortimer rolls his tongue around in his mouth a bit. "...Is provide a distraction. I won't be able to draw /everyone's/ attention, but I can draw enough that you can save the day, and then make my way out once you've gotten everyone to the Webway gate. Ranger.. Can I ask you for some tactical covering fire, while we work? These young folks will need an angel watching over their shoulders, and you look pretty heavenly today."
Dorian Pavus	Dorian gives a smile that's a bit grim at Valorn. Despite the situation, he finds time to tease, "Never believe you are above or beyond surprise. There's always something out there like nothing you've ever seen before." And then a wink. ...Quit that, Dorian. Nobody appreciates flirting at a time like this. Particularly not an Eldar. Fortunately he's only teasing, so there's that. Though Valorn will probably not see the humor in it. That said, this is really not the time or place for retaliation, even if he doesn't. Particularly because the state they find Karian in draws a gasp from Dorian, his eyes widening in shock. That gasp is exhaled in a shocked whisper of, "Maker's breath..." That sigil will need to be healed, first of all... but that's when they get out of this mess. Mortimer's words get a nod. He knows that's probably the case. It'll be just before Mortimer heads off to do that when Dorian will cast a Barrier around Mortimer and his Thunderwolf. "It won't last long," he warns. "Make it count." Looking to Yuna then, "Let's get to work then, shall we?"
Yuna Kagurazaka	There's Karian. Right there. Horribly wounded, tortured, with Khorne's sigil cut into his flesh, and about to be forced into battle - Yuna's attention is pulled away from the sight before her, and her initial reaction to same, by Mortimer taking charge of the situation. Get people out ... assuming they're willing to go, at least. How many of them are still themselves, and not subjugated to the worship of a Chaos God already? It's something she can do, though - and something which doesn't involve getting into a fight which, Savior of Light or not, she'd have a REALLY hard time winning. Yuna nods to Mortimer, saying, "I'll do what I can. Jiina, look human for now, three bodies are better than two for this." Arguably, it also improves Dorian's odds: Yuna can afford to take a few hits, and Jiina may shift into a human appearance (even more out of place than Yuna's Light Suit; the disguised Jiina looks like a pure civilian) but she'll retain her durability. Dorian, though? Yuna has no idea how protected the mage's body is ... although with his magic, maybe that's not the important question. Yuna scrambles down off the thunderwolf's back. "Elner, get in the sky and help keep me updated on where people need to go for safety," she says to the robo-faerie, who flits up into the air. "Dorian, lead the way."
Karian Icefang	Valorn just gives a look towards Dorian at his flirting, shaking his head and muttering something in his Eldar tongue. But to mort, he facepalms slightly. "What is it with Mon'keigh and creating divine beings..." he mutters, trying to keep it low enough to avoid hearing. But he nods and takes up his rifle, ready to provide cover. Down in the pit, Karian is slow to rise, hand held to his side. "Your one of the Space Wolves. Never imagined one of our duels would be like this..." Said the Dark Angel. The Ultramarine and Salamander are quiet as they merely wait, hands over their combat knives. Karian shakes his head. "I'm not killing any of you...We need to keep to our faith and we can overcome our captors...or we can die like Space Marines."
Dorian Pavus	Dorian nods to Yuna's request. And then he thinks a moment. Anybody who'd willingly watch this debaucle are probably already devoted to this 'blood god', he reasons, so he's not going to bother with them. No, instead he heads for the depths of the prisoner areas -- these poor bastards aren't going to get any mercy from their jailers, but they may not be completely gone. There are probably going to be guards there, too. Dorian's prepared for this too. From ambush, he can fling necromantic energies at these jailers that will slowly eat away at their life. This should weaken them enough for Yuna to jump them and dispatch them. If she's against killing them, that's no problem -- as long as they live, the energy will continue to eat away at them. So even if she only knocks them out, the energy can still accomplish its task. Better than that, if these jailers DO die with Dorian's energy attached to them, that energy will animate the corpse. So he may be able to collect them a small army on the way in.
Mortimer Balman	A wraithly voice sharp as nettles whispers to the Ranger. "<It's a compliment, darling, one of your kind should enjoy them when they can get them~>" Giggling follows, and a faint outline of Nettle's sock-puppet body can be seen grinning like a Cheshire Cat as she floats behind Mortimer, winking before vanishing again. Not long after Karian's declaration, a telescoping spear with a very heavy tip flies into the middle of the arena, extending itself outward. A magnificent flag unfurls itself- woven of fine silks and reinforced with advanced polymers. Soft blue in coloration, depicting an intricate symbol of a great, burning red phoenix. Karian would recognize the symbol of Moltres, ideally, but more importantly he should recognize the deafening howling that comes from above. The thunderwolf has leapt from teh top of the colloseum to land near the flag, arching his back and letting out another piercing howl that shakes the very ground around them. Mortimer is on the beasts back, swinging the massive adamantine sword around and waiting for the howling to stop. "Ahem. BY WRIT OF THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, I hereby declare this arena unfit for use and order it be closed down until such time as it may be renovated to meet OSHA standards. All guests, customers, and personnel are therefore ordered to leave. You have ten seconds to comply, take all the time you need!" Gotta have a joke for yourself now and then.
Yuna Kagurazaka	If Yuna realizes that she's teamed up with a necromancer, it's not the first thing on her mind. Getting people out safely is - and with Dorian heading down to the colliseum's dungeons, she realizes pretty quickly what he's making his priority. She might even smile about it ... if she were smiling about anything right now. As for the guards, Yuna shows few compunctions about materializing the Matrix Divider and blasting the guards off their feet, with enough punch behind each bolt to actually send them tumbling to the floor, ideally unconscious. She's not holding back on the holy/light element in her attacks, either - the only part of her attacks which is holding back is that she's trying to knock the guards unconscious without doing any terribly lasting damage. You can't consecrate a death to Khorne if they don't die, right?
Karian Icefang	KArian looks up as the spear hits the ground and the flag unfurls. A light smirk emerges on his face as he then hears Ulbrecht's howling. "Never lose faith, even here." He says to his fellow marines. They quickly move out of the way and, once the idea of 'enemy of my enemy' settles in their brains, quickly adopt normal marine operating procedures.....those being to insert combat blade into the nearest deamon and khornite follower that leaps over the stands and into the pit. "I believe you have my blade, Drak." Down in the dungeon, the jailors turn just to have the energy of dorian latch onto them and distract them long enough for Yuna's divider shots to send the spawling, and knocked out. In the cells were a large number of guardsmen and Astartes from the varying chapters mentioned before (Dark Angels, Ultramarines, and Salamanders). "Praise the Emperor..." One of the guardsmen mentioned. "Indeed...we are lucky you arrived. Help us get free, and we can in turn rescue our captains and get out of here."
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer tosses Karian his sword. "Here, take this damned heavy thing. Now /go/. All of you. Leave this to me- I can handle it.. And support is on its way." He'd snap his head up toward the master of ceremonies. "I guess there will not be compliance.." A hand went to his ear. "Executing Operation 22. Let the good times roll." On the other side of the webway gate, the Eldar would notice a powerful psychic signature screaming across the landscape and dashing through before they could react. The Farseer might get enough time to glimpse an odd looking creature with a massive golden blade flying behind it.. And then once it was through on the Daemon World, all the little Khornates would no doubt recognize the tremendous psychic signal. Especially as it tore the landscape up behind it while it flew. A violent screeching was heard as a massive blade made of sun-kissed gold descended from the skies like the fist of an angry god, giving off a blindingly bright glint. Mortimer caught the blade by the handle as if it weighed nothing. And behind the blade came a furious screeching sound, and psychic energies crackling like a storm. "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" <WHO WISHES TO MEET THEIR WORTHLESS GOD FIRSTHAND?!> Switchbait flutters delicately down from on high, the daemonic presence so powerful and singular that it has driven him into a rage that would impress a Berzerker.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian nods to the guardsman. The jailers must have a key, he figures, so he'll search the jailer for it, whatever weird form it may take. Presuming he finds one, he'll start with unlocking the cages. Or toss the key to Yuna and let her start unlocking them. "You'll very likely find weapons and armor down here," he assures. A gladiatorial fighting ring needs weapons, after all. A bit of a smirk, and he adds, "I can't guarantee the condition of the weapons, but it's something." There's one other thing he needs to do. He'll wait until as many of the prisoners are out as possible, though. With the freed prisoners seeming to be ready to wade into the fray, Dorian casts a Barrier over as many of them as possible. Like the one he cast upon Mortimer (which sadly is already gone as we speak), this one won't last long. But it should at least blunt the initial wade into the melee.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna catches the tossed key and sets about unlocking cages, leaving Jiina in charge of covering her if necessary. The android does have a beam cannon she can use independently, after all, and while it may not be as effective when Yuna isn't in the loop, it still packs a respectable punch. As she's unlocking the cages, though, Yuna says, "Focus on making good your escape. We had some help getting here which will work to get us out of here again, but don't get bogged down in fighting - that's what their bloody god wants, so the less blood you have to spill on your way off this rock, the better off all of us will be." SHe's not arguing about getting armor or weapons - they need SOME kind of protection while they're escaping, after all - but she's not going to stand by and give them license to murder their captors when those deaths would feed Khorne just as much as the escapees' own deaths would. More than anything else, Yuna reminds herself, this is about sticking it to the Blood God on his Skull Throne to the best of her personal ability.
Karian Icefang	Karian and the other marines all look amongst each other, and then back to mort. "With all due respect Drak...Your mistaken if you think we are merely leaving you behind to wade through these bastards alone." With that said, the tide starts slamming into them, and with the expected ease, Karian catches his blade and neatly bi-sects a trio of deamons that tried to leap onto Ulbrecht. "That said...you had some back-up to get here, I'm sure. We need to leave, now!" The prisoners would find their way was blocked, but not by deamons. Rather the civilian population that had thrown in with Khorne. Luckily for them, the horde was little more then rabble. They could slow down the escape, yes, but not do anything to really hinder it. No, That was what the Berzerkers were for. They screamed out bloody murder, chasing after their 'slaves and playthings.'
Mortimer Balman	"I don't give a fuck about /respect/, boy. /Go/, or I'll have the wolf /drag/ you off!" Speaking of the wolf, Ulbrecht starts barking and growling as Juggernauts charge toward them. "CHARGE!" A brief moment of hesitation but Ulbrecht begins galloping towards the great steeds of Khorne, leaping onto one and tearing into it with massive jaws while Mortimer swings his grand daiklave around to keep the others at bay. Whole rows of Chaos warriors and Khornate daemon are flung away from the Marines when Switchbait raises his tiny hands, unleashing huge bolts of raw psionic energy and flinging them with a wild abandon, and casting at least one Bloodthirster up at the arena's Master of Ceremonies. "<BEGONE, FILTH, I CAST THEE BEHIND ME! YOU ARE NOTHING!>" He is not in the best of moods, and perhaps this should be taken as a sign by the Astartes that their newfound friend has things well in hand. Especially when the final bit of backup arrives. Stormclouds gather overhead, bolts of lightning striking at wayward Heldrakes which are starting to circle, driving them away. An evil cackling sound is heard but not seen, a wraithly giggle that- again- Karian would doubtless recognize before anyone else. A sinister chanting of profane words that the Multiverse does not translate is heard, and ghostly hands can be seen rising up from the ground. They grasp at the legs and arms of the Chaos forces in the arena, even those in the stands, while wailing lamentations and litanies of suffering and anger; sapping at the strength and will of the would-be combatants and making them to feel.. Tired. Sluggish. No /energy/.
Dorian Pavus	Fortunately Dorian's figured out where the real problem is pretty quickly. All it takes is looking at the prisoners and seeing the mess they'll probably be rather immediately making of the Khornites who are trying to slow their escape. The Berzerkers are probably visually more intimidating than these frothing Khornites trying to slow them. So it's that direction that Dorian turns his attention. He pauses, facing the oncoming Berzerkers, and raises a hand into the air. An orb appears in the air, connected to Dorian's hand by a small 'string' of lightning. He pulls his hand down quickly, snapping the line, and the trap is set! While it doesn't appear to do anything initially, if any of the Berzerkers leave the area Dorian's set the trap in, that orb in the air will mercilessly shock them. So they have a choice -- risk getting zapped continuously while wearing metal armor, or stay where they are. Dorian's pretty sure which they'll choose, but so much better if they DO stay in place.
Karian Icefang	Karian growls, but that quickly turns to a grimmace as the scar on his chest begins to glow with an evil light. "We must leave now.....warp energy is seeking the mark. I can hear the whispers..." Meanwhile, The Dark Angel reveals himself to be a Librarian, summoning up pillars of HELLFIRE to incinerate the deamons and cultists. "...Then we go, Space Wolf."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka wasn't really 'spotted' arriving here. She does however have visual from an outcropping. The mercenary has a sniper rifle with a scope that seems hooked into her systems as she sights through it. She has no idea what .338 Lapua will do to a Bloodthirster from this distance, but she's not in the position of wondering about the whole mechanics of how daemons work. So she decides to throw caution to the wind. High-velocity rounds oughta do some good. A thunder-clap of a sound echoes across the distance, as high-speed low-drag sniper rounds hurdle toward one of the daemons, as she rechambers the rifle and takes aim again, firing at a second target. "Sorry I'm late, mates. Had a little trouble getting set up." Behind her are a number of corpses. Cultists, lesser daemons, maybe a Chaos Marine or two, Maaka honestly lost count of the Chaos servants she had to fight her way through, and doesn't care about specifics.
Yuna Kagurazaka	The key is tossed back to Dorian as soon as Yuna sees what looks like a decent opening to do so - and then she's off, with Jiina following her. The Savior of Light is absolutely NOT about to let any of Khorne's minions catch up with the escaping captives, and it's not a matter of 'if she can do anything' - because she knows what she CAN do and she knows where she has to be to do it. She also doesn't have to go up the same way the escaping captives are. Instead, Yuna takes advantage of Elner's scans of the colliseum and heads up through the same route the gladiators would take into the arena ... and thanks to combining with Jiina along the way, she does so a LOT faster than anyone normally would, or even abnormally - unless of course they had their own set of powered armor with integrated hoverthrusters. Sometimes she loves Powered Form. No sooner has Yuna reached the arena proper than she more or less reverses course - not back into the basements, but up the colliseum's concourse, angling hard for the 'audience' entry/exit route, trying to catch up with the Berserkers and get them out of action. She's not even wasting time to shoot at them, instead attempting to simply grab them with the manipulators of Powered Form's exo-arms and toss them any which way but 'ahead'. This may be a little less gentle than she really wants to be as a rule, but ... Well. The Berserkers are going to have a hard time chasing ANYONE if their legs are broken, and broken arms will put a similar crimp in what they can do to anyone whom they DO catch.
Mortimer Balman	Arguing while fighting is not that easy, even when you completely outclass your foes. Mortimer has by now leapt off of Ulbrecht's back and is busy engaging beastly horrors in man to man combat while being supported by his butterfree. "Ulbrecht! Go! Get Karian and the other Marines, /get to the gate/." There was a hesitant whine even as the monstrous wolf cast the corpse of a mangled Chaos Marine aside. "NOW!" Another whine but the gargantuan beast leapt over to where the loyalists were fighting, barking loudly at them and trying to nudge them to get on his back, even while snapping at things that wanted to harm them. Hopefully they would listen to Mortimer and do as he said. He can't go all out like this with them around- they'd get burned. Nettle meanwhile was floating near Yuna by this point. "<Ehehehehe.. You're doing wonderfully, sweetling~ the Master, Switch, and I will begin drawing even more of them shortly.. They'll send in the Big Monsters soon, so hurry up~>" She vanished from sight after that, her ghostly cackling echoing around the screams of battle as she reappears over Mortimer's head. Bolts of lightning start dancing across the battlefield at her behest, and cracks can be seen forming in some of the brasswork from the constant strikes.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian catches the key tossed back at him. They may be other locked doors on the way, and the key may be needed. Yuna's probably got the Berzerkers by this point, so Dorian turns his attention to the other matter. So while Yuna takes another way, Dorian stays with the former captives, casting Barriers on those in the front so they can provide a stronger front line against the Khornites, and casting that necromantic energy at those that look about to fall. Between the Barriers and the necromantic energy raising the dead Khornites to battle on THEIR side (hopefully this won't freak the escapees out too much), Dorian's assistance should give the escaped captives an easier time breaking through the line. Then he points in the direction of the portal they came through. "This way!" he calls. "There's an escape portal there!"
Karian Icefang	Deamons of all types and sized were indeed on the way, with the howls of high-ranking Bloodthirsters screaming in the distance. Here, however, bodies of cultist and deamon were being left in droves. The berserkers would be dropped onto their legs, yet still they would try to crawl to their prey. By this point, the only remaining Imperial forces on the planet were the loyalist marines, but that's when everyone would get a message. "No...We've been found! We....ARgh!" comes over the mental waves, and an explosion of warpfire signals their warlocks were found and met a grizly end. "HAH! Thought your eldar friends could elude us for long?" Taunted Grelx, throwing the head of a warlock at the heroes. It would seem that the end had come... Except behind Grelx, another warp portal was opening, and from this one would come the powerful howls of wolves, and massed bolter fire. Running in were the wolfguard, flanking Rune Priest Freyr. "Remember, my brothers. We are.....oh, it seems someone had our idea..."
Dorian Pavus	"''Kaffas''..." Dorian curses, as he realizes their way home had been discovered. Not only that, but the loss of those Eldar would probably be blamed on them. But he prepares to make what he's sure will be his last stand. He's not going to go quietly, and not without bringing as many of these Khornites down as possible. And then suddenly another portal opens. Dorian's learned that, when dealing with this world, the sound of wolves howling is generally a good thing. And sure enough, more of Karian's allies come through. ''('Good. Perhaps there's still a chance...')'' Instead of heading directly for the remaining Khornites -- or for the only remaining escape -- Dorian blurs away again, turning into blue smoke. Where's he going? Back to the location of the original portal. He's hoping there's SOMETHING left of the Eldar to save, even if it's only their soul stones. Or whatever they're called. That only the Eldar died during this mission looks bad diplomatically, and he knows that. The least he can do is try to assure their souls don't fall the the horrible fate they expect.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer looked down at the head of the Warlock. "...Well, fuck." Another young warrior, dead for stupidity.. Infuriating. "Nettle, you know what to do.. Be quick." Nettle clicked her non-existent tongue and vanished from sight. She would appear beside Dorian, briefly glimpsing at him as she quietly snatched soul stones and hid them inside of herself. "<We must be quick, Living- lest the Enemy breaks these precious baubles..>" Switchbait meanwhile let out another screech, and started hurling corpses at Grelx. "<INDOLENT FOOL, YOU STILL DON'T GET IT DO YOU?! WE'RE NOT TRAPPED HERE WITH YOU- YOU'RE TRAPPED HERE WITH US!!>" Those Juggernauts sure do fly faster than one would think when hurled by such a tiny thing. The Thunderwolf, with the Marines on his back- or in his mouth, if they were going to give him hassle about it- was running for the new portal as fast as his huge legs could carry him, grumbling the whole way as bolt shells rained on his hide. Mostly ineffectual- he's simply too big- but sometimes they'd pierce and it's like suddenly getting bitten by a bunch of angry giant ticks. As for Mortimer.. Well. The temperature around him, with everyone else out of his way, is rising dramatically. "Is this the best you've got, you silly little punks!? I'm disappointed- I came expecting battle, not a school promenade! What next, will there be punch, spiked by some unruly teenager? Come on! Send out your /warriors/, stop wasting my time!" 'Come on you bastards, focus on /me/... I'm the one who's going to burn this motherfucker to the ground!' is what flits through Mort's mind while he taunts. He just needs long enough for the others to get out of the way, then he can burn his own road out..
Yuna Kagurazaka	The Eldar weren't guarding the portal alone, of course - Erina's pulse blasters and Marina's minitorpedo launchers would have been helping to try and hold the Chaos forces back, and they're still at it, firing wherever they can. But without Yuna, they're little more than supporting fire, and they don't have the kind of staying power that Yuna would - even in her basic Light Suit, at that. So as the news comes that the portal is being overrun, Yuna's face grows grimmer still, even as her flinging-around of Khornite minions becomes noticeably less cautious about where or how they land. Innocents and allies are dying, and that's always been one of the fast ways to drive the normally sweet and gentle young woman to fury. She's still grateful for Nettle's proximity and support - the Shuppet may be a disconcerting sight even for those who know her, but Yuna trusts Nettle nonetheless. When the ghostly dream-eater disappears again, Yuna only redoubles her efforts to clear her own path and get to the portal. Her allies need her. Her FRIENDS need her. That's quickly becoming the only thing that matters. And then Grelx runs his mouth. Again. A surge of power runs through the Light Suit, and Powered Form disengages - leaving a rather surprised-looking android reassembling herself next to Yuna ... who goes RIGHT ON throwing Berserkers around as long as there are any left to fling out of her path. Yuna has to work a lot harder on her own to throw them, but the flares and crackles of raw Light around her armor hint at the power surge which continues to fuel her single-minded ... well, "rampage" really IS an apt word. And in the process, Elner flits down to hover briefly near Mortimer's ear, as if to whisper to him.
Alexis Maaka	"Oh, bollocks." Maaka growls under her breath. That Chaos bloke is gonna be a huge problem. She focuses fire on Grelx's minions, whoever is left anyways, for the moment. Mort thankfully isa very good distraction, as he hurls fire all about. Maaka knew she liked the guy for a reason. "Oh the hell with it." She takes aim at Grelx, firing a round at him. Hopefully he'll be too distracted by all the fighting nearer to him to notice a sniper round blasting him in the back.
Karian Icefang	5r KArian looks up and laughs heartily for the first time in what felt like months. "Took you long enough, Freyr! So long the Salamander made a party to get me!" This, of course, gets a curious head tilt from the ACTUAL Salamander. But he was preparing to leap onto Grelx when his head exploded like a melon thanks to a well placed sniper bullet. "Fine kill, Durandel. I owe you a drink." He radio's over. All around, the death of Grelx instantly has an effect. That effect being total bloody bedlam between the warriors of chaos, each wanting power for their own. Even by mortimer, things have gone to hell...well, more hell. Everyone was fighting each other and burning, letting the old Soldier have a window to escape.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian looks up at the... well, honestly? To him, Nettle looks a bit like a flying purple handkerchief. But he recognizes her as being one of Mortimer's allies, and nods. "Thank you," he offers. He wasn't sure he could carry them and escape. Because yes, he's being 'stupid' (as he would call anyone else performing a maneuver like this for heroic reasons), but he's not completely abandoning hope of escape. With Nettle holding the soul stones, Dorian snaps off a quick barrier for her -- she's fast enough so that she shouldn't need much time to get out. He's also going to do the stupid thing once he gets back to the current portal... and not go through immediately. No, he raises walls of fire around the portal -- far enough not to cause danger to anyone escaping, but close enough that any of the Khornites that seek to pursue will have to go around them, thus gaining time. Of course they could just go THROUGH the fire, but then that's really painful. Because it's FIRE. Fire BURNS. And burning HURTS. But with the sudden death of Grelx, it seems that there's going to be enough time. Also he used fire because Mortimer may be able to use it for himself -- more ammunition! For the time being he's going to try to help escaping people get through the portal, and help ensure that Khornites DON'T get through it.
Alexis Maaka	Boom. Headshot. Maaka looks satisfied as Grelx's head explodes like a melon, and she gets packed up. It's time to wrap it up and bail while there's still a portal. She'll rappel down to meet the others taking off at top speed despite heavy gear weighing her down. That sniper rifle is a lot of weight all by itself, after all. She'll make her way to the others, possibly even hitch a ride on Ulbrecht if she can still do that, clutching a G36C as she links up. "Yo! Mind if I tag along?" She hops astride the wolf nimbly, grabbing on for dear life as she takes aim with her carbine at stragglers. "We'd better beat feet, unless you'd rather stay here. C'MON, boy, kick it up a gear!"
Yuna Kagurazaka	"Jiina, Erina, Marina, Elner, form up on me!!" Yuna calls out as they get closer to the portal. Grelx is dead by now, thanks to Maaka's sniping - and if Yuna were in a position to see it for herself rather than hearing it over the radio, she'd probably be more distressed by it. But at this point, and particularly with Grelx taken out of the equation, she's come to her own conclusion about what they need in order to get out safely. "LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT UP!!! EL-LINE!!" When the pillar of light erupts around Yuna and the Matrix of Light, it's JUST far enough from the portal for Yuna to be sure that none of her allies are going to get swept up in the side effects of summoning the Matrix Figure. There's more turbulence to it than usual; the pillar allows just enough visibility for vague shapes to be visible as the winged shape of Elner grows massively in size, and the normally-humanoid members of the Matrix similarly grow and reconfigure, all four of them assembling into one greater, grander form - a form into which Yuna's battlesuited body is drawn and ensconced somewhere around what looked like the giant's head. And then the pillar dissipates, leaving the massive form of the Matrix Figure, El-Line, its feet planting solidly on the ground as Yuna steers it around to face back the way they came, back towards the colliseum. The armor is already starting to glow a brilliant gold as Yuna channels her will and her power, revving up her biggest single attack, and El-Line raises its right arm, palm facing out, fingers splayed, left hand bracing the right elbow for a steadier aim ... "LIGHTNING .... BLAAAAAAAAAAAASTEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!" Yuna's scream is ALMOST loud enough to be clearly audible over the buildup and eruption of power - a crackling, flaring bolt of raw concussive radiance, aimed to blow the stadium into nothing more than rubble. She doesn't even know who's likely to still be there - hopefully just so many dedicated, devoted, and utterly brainwashed servants of Khorne, anyone who was too fascinated by the bloody spectacle to try and prevent the breakout. The Lightning Blaster takes most of Yuna's personal reserves of energy - actual power as well as emotional reserves - but she takes the time to scuff El-Line's feet along the 'roadway,' to sweep back any remaining pursuers and whittle down the amount of pursuit the good guys might have chasing them fthrough the portal. Once things are relatively clear, El-Line makes good its own departure - as El-Line, if the webway portal will admit a giant robot. If it won't, Yuna disengages the Matrix Figure's manifestation at the last possible second, and hurries through with the rest of the Matrix of Light clustered around her.
Mortimer Balman	Well. With Grelx dead, Mortimer doesn't need to be here anymore. Hefting his daiklave up onto his shoulder, he starts walking toward the newly made portal. And then begins running when he sees Yuna going all out, shit run run run run OH HELL SHE'S GONNA NUKE THIS PLACE, RUN! There are still combatants around the field but none of them are physically capable of actually getting close to him- he's giving off FAR too much heat for that. Switchbait has, meanwhile, started to calm down.. And is immediately sent flying past Mortimer and the portal by the explosive force, protected from being exploded by his own psychic forces, but his face is still a comedic @w@; as he sails and crashes into one of the Wolf Guard. "<Yes hello terribly sorry I seem to have crashed into a mountain, would somebody peel me off so I can go home?>"
Karian Icefang	The Wolfguard that had a Switchbait currently implanted in his armor simply chuckles and lets Maaka pry him off. "Yes....but let's save the revelry for once we're safe." Karian says, wasting little time in going through. The Portal would take people back to the Fang.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka, true to her word, literally pulls out a crowbar from her manipulator to help get Switchbait pulled free. "C'mon, you..." She pulls and pulls until he's free, which hopefully is sooner rather than later. Once that's done, the merc pulls back her visor and wanders toward Karian, giving the Space Wolf a punch on the arm. (A friendly one, honest.) "Don't ever scare us like that again, you big oaf. Almost thought you'd bought it this time." She chides, half-teasing judging by the lopsided grin on her face. "Still, at least you're as hard to kill as advertised."
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer waits until Yuna has gone through the gate before turning around and staring at the assembled host of Chaos that is steadily encroaching in the distance. Only one thing remains.. And while he impatiently taps his foot, staring as colossal scorpion-machines made of magical brass and heldrakes and massive robot-tanks scream toward him, Nettle /finally/ appears. "<I have gathered the Eldar dead, Master. All of them, I counted. None survived, I fear..>" A sigh, and a nod, and then he faded through the portal to join the others, forcing himself to rapidly cool down so that he didn't catch any of them alight.
Karian Icefang	Just as Nettle says that, Valorn appears seemingly from the shadows. "Not all." He says, before heading into the portal.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka will wait until they're through the portal to help pry Switchy free. Once she does, and they're clear, she hops off the Thunderwolf, and gives him a patting. "Good boy. Best battle hound." She says, scratching behind Ulbrecht's ears best she can before she looks to Valorn. Big posh space elf. Only survivor, looks like. "I'm sorry about your people, for what it's worth." For a human (well, cybernetically augmented) she's not too giddy over the death of Eldar, to a degree. She knows just looking at the sole survivor that this is gonna make for an awkward explaination to the Eldar.