Scene #5978: The Dark Lady End Game

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Tomoe	Location North America Washington State, America SAO Earth Things had gone oddly Tomoe had picked up two more people willing to aid her in dealing with the whole quest chain. Which was good to know to her she sat there on her throne having gathered all of her allies she could on short notice. She'd had a tip-off from Bolt Vanderhuge and Laila the Priestess that Brick was going to be making their move today. What brick didn't know was that Silicia and Yuuki had subverted two members of his party. With this in mind Tomoe hoped this would be able to be the day where they finally brought his quest chain to an end. Maybe just maybe they could get this game zone to go inactive, also the simple fact Cardinal was starting to use sapient NPCs left the future in a very strange place, the world was changing for Tomoe's world and there really was no going back at this point. She rose off her thrown to address those who had come here. The tabard of her outfit swayed a bit and her draconic tail flicked a little bit as tomoe moved. She still felt embarrassed in this outfit. "Well there is not much left to say Brick is coming and we should make for the central chambers, that's where near as I can tell the quest log wants the fight to go down and I'd rather not break things further." With that Tomoe will walk out of the main hall and lead the party through the castle to the deepest known part of it. The Trip isn't too long but the place she leads them too is creepy, torches and braziers with bright purple flames light the way, the stone walls show carving that suspiciously look like Tomoe and the rest but Tomoe sticks out the most fighting heroes in various battle scenes until a final one showing Tomoe rising up evolved in energy, and in the all just after that? Is a massive chamber with bright purple runes in the floor and scatted though out it the skeletal remains of a massive dragon of some sort. The only sounds Tomoe makes is the sound of her boots and tail on the stone floor as she enters into the center of the room. "It shouldn't be long now...we best get ready, we have no idea what's Brick is going to try and pull." The sound of footfalls comes soon down the hallway as Brick is charging ahead followed by the male thief and the mysterious mage. "AT LAST WE HAVE COME TO PUT AN END TO YOUR EVIL, YOU HARLOT!" Yup that's Brick all right, the towering salamander who has a chin that is up there with Bruce Cambell, who may well be able to etch glass with it here. "Have at it this ends today." "For once I agree with you, it ends today." Tomoe hisses sounding almost like a dragon and her wings fold out, as she makes the bring it on gesture, she's not monologing today nope.
Leyanne	WHAM! A reinforced wooden door near Tomoe bows suddenly under an impact. It doesn't stand up to a second blow, breaking into pieces and flying across the room. Then the Megamouse unfolds herself through the door, clad in her red armour... and carrying a truly huge gatling-type cannon. Afficionados of big guns will recognise it as a 25mm Vulcan. She steps up beside Tomoe, levelling the gun. "Evil's entirely dependant on perspective, man." She says, languidly. "Although, from your perspective... I'm going to seem pretty evil in a few minutes."
Josuke Higashikata	This time Josuke's forgone the 'Dark Priest' outfit. Right now, he's here as a friend to Tomoe, to help her. So he's wearing his dark blue school uniform with the lime-green shirt underneath, and those ever-present gold pins on the lapels of his jacket. No fake scariness this time. The only thing scary might be the expression on his face. He's unusually stoic, his thoughts seeming elsewhere. As the group heads to where the final showdown is apparently supposed to take place, Josuke starts taking stock of the area. His hands are in his pants pockets, and his finger sift through the pocketfuls of wooden pellets he's taken to carrying on his person. Wood is organic, and it's about the only thing that'll hold a Hamon charge long enough to deliver it to an opponent. And then there's Brick, right on schedule. "I don't suppose you'll back down if I tell you you've got the wrong person, would you?" He owes it to everyone to at least TRY to make the diplomatic choice. Even if he's really itching to deliver a beatdown.
Yuuki Konno	BAMF A sudden explosion of smoke shows up, suspiciously next to a concealing archway. When the quite small smoke cloud clears, which only takes a second or so, the Dark Ninja Yuuki is there. Of course she just stepped from the concealment of the archway out into the open under momentary cover caused by smacking the hilt of her sword into a nearby stone, but the effect is hopefully more dramatic than the reality. "Destiny is with us! Prepare to be defeated!" she calls out. Then, raising her sword she shrieks a battlecry. "REMEMBER RULE 75!!!" Weird battlecry.
Silica	Dark Silicon is already in the main hall. She's lurking up in the rafter beams, arms folded as the group enters. She remains hidden until the group passes her and challenge Tomoe directly. She then draws her dagger, lets loose a shrill whistle and drops off the beam to land behind the group. Her pets emerge from their hiding places and surround the 'Heros'. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Personally, I'd rather not have to shed blood here." she says, eyes hidden by her bangs, though the red irises gleam faintly, giving her an aura of menace. "But do not take my preference for weakness. My blade is sharp, and my pets are hungry." She lifts her chin, and her face is set in a mask of grim determination.
Staren	The real enemy here is CARDINAL, of course, for endangering countless innocent lives on SAO Earth and then creating /new/ innocent lives to be its pawns. Really, it sounds like something the raksha would do, if they had the power to create mortals. Tomoe thinks that the castle may in some sense be the entity managing this quest and acting as its true villain. This is probably more in the sense of it being a kind of genius loci that can exert some control over its environs, but Staren has parked the Star Hawk nearby just in case it physically animates and attacks. You can never be too careful! Usually, when participating in this quest line, Staren has played up the mad scientist minion master look, but today there is noone he wants to deceive; Today he is wearing his usual powered armor (and is carrying one of the riot foam sprayers usually seen in Rory's hands,) and has only one of the stone golems made up to look like a brass steampunk constructs at his side today. They're all fighting one person -- the utility of a bunch of extra minions is questionable. As Staren follows Tomoe through the castle, he idly comments, "You'd think these torches would be set to light up as we approach. And then, a dragon skeleton. Staren shivers, creeped out for once. "Do you think that was the previous master of the castle, before they became a ghost or whatever? Should've been more... lore for us to uncover." As the heroes' party approaches, Staren takes a deep breath and turns to face the entrance. And as usual Brick's words trigger an expression of annoyance on Staren's face. "A baseless accusation, and even if she were there's nothing wrong with a profession. Your insults are terrible... just like the rest of you." Out of habit he takes aim at Brick, even if he has no intention of actually using the beam cannons on him.
Orchid	Seeing how it is at the center of the castle, Orchid has has set up to defend the dark castle with some equipment to form a field control station, located in that central chamber, with three monitors and a hologram emitter, a stool for her to sit on as she types, directing her drones. The hologram is a map of the castle itself, with indicators for intruders, the castle's minions, her allies in this Gatecrasher's Union, in different colors. The monitors are showing a shifting set of camera feeds, Orchid's spider drones having spread through the castle. "So one of the basic principles here is that we don't present what is clearly a 'no way in' situation. We lead him down one hallway after another, and let him go in circles for as long as we can." Alas, she wasn't able to make a suit of locally-themed armor in time, so is in her usual getup. On hearing the 'heroic' cry, Orchid rolls her eyes. "He should have spent a while getting through the castle, which should have tired him out some." She looks up as first a door is knocked in, then a ninja appears. "Hello Tiny! And I don't think I've met you yet," she says to Leyanne and Yuuki.
Karian Icefang	While the many forces gather, both opposed and allied to Tomoe, another slowly makes it's way to the area. But rather then announce themselves outwardly with calls of alleigence, they instead let a horn sound out. It's call is powerful, but also perhaps a bit forlorn. Leading the group would be a figure many should recognize from when they took the barmaid. Karian, in his norsemen garb, and he looked ready to throw down.
Kirito	Kirito has been busy researching the castle through its library, but now that the time has come... he is standing with Tomoe, garbed in his dark general outfit - minus the Demon mask. He holds Elucidator in his right hand, and Holy Sword Excaliber in his left - and anyone who knows Kirito would know this means he is NOT screwing around. Because he only ever draws Excaliber for the sake of his friends, never for casual play or personal glory. The golden blade gleams oddly in the evil castle's purple flames... "You've had every chance to back off... don't blame us for what happens now!" Exclaims the Black Swordsman, his tone in growly turmoil. Whether Brick is an NPC or a 'real person' doesn't matter to him - whoever puts his friends in a position like this has his FULL attention!
Tomoe	Everyone has worked pretty hard for this moment, and it's time for the last of it to pay off namely as the battle is joined. That's when it comes the male Sprigan smirks a bit and gives Yuuki a bit of a strange look at she does her charge, he takes a moment and pulls out his own item of power throws it up in the air, chants a spell and sends a lightning bolt at it. The item explodes into a shower of light. "Brick this has to stop something isn't right the city we're avenging doesn't exist I can't find it. Bolt cannot find it, none of the maps from the human town have anything on it. You got to stop this!" % R The mage also smirks and takes a step back. "Sorry Brick I got a better job offer, one where I can live to spend the coin purse on this one. You should listen to your buddy there. I just like breathing " When the thing shatters everyone's quest logs will update to 6/7 heroes defeated. Where Tomoe gets another unhappy from her point of view. Two small dragon head and neck grow from her shoulders and hiss at Brick, Tomoe just kinda is. "Oh for the love of... " Brick snarls "You fool she's but one step away from her true form!" Brick does not have time for this. "I don't know what you have done to my friend but our bonds give us power!" The mage and the Spirgan just shoot a glance at each other and are getting the hell out of the way of incoming Dark Generals and other allies of Tomoe. Everyone seems ready Leyanne gives Brick a warning which he seems to ignore for the most part save for a single reply. "You ... you betrayed me?! Damn it all you sellswords are the same!" Josuke is not in his outfit as he shows up, the significance of his outfit change is lost on Brick. The Theif and the mage look at Josuke and are clearly backing off, thankfully and it's now just Brick against everyone from the looks fo it as for Brick. "How can I back down with evil like this in front of me!" As Yuuki yells the rule out Tomoe does respond. "I want his shield destroyed, attack my minions!" Yes she's trying to get everyone to pile on at once. Tomoe is glad Staren has some overkill nearby honestly as she has no idea what may happen next with this whole right. Brick meanwhile has been a bit worn out from getting through the castle, Tomoe had made sure to clear out all chests and secure all healing items in a heavily locked armoury to which she has the /key/ to it. Orchid gets a look from Brick. Karian makes a hell of a return and Brick takes note, it seems that she's falling out the stop then comes Kirito the infamous black swordsman and Silica. Brick looks at both of them his face twists into an expression of anger. "Strong words from worshipers of Odin! Let us see if you pipsqueaks can back it up!" That's when Brick chants and uses some earth spell which causes rock shards to go flying everywhere and her himself engages in mass combat hacking and slashing at anyone who gets near him.
Orchid	Orchid is no where near Brick at the moment. Her spider drones, (which, come to think of it, are well suited for the theme of the place) are much closer. In fact, they are diving at Brick, getting hit by the stones as the price for getting close enough fast enough to wrap him up in sticky silk, focusing on the legs, and going for the classic 'rebels vs AT-AT walker' trick. The hope is to slow him down enough for her allies to beat some sense into him.
Leyanne	Leyanne hears the call to attack, her cannon grinding up to speed as she pushes a button on the rearmost grip. But that's when The rock shards cut and slice into her bodysuit, sparking off the hardcase portions. She grunts in pain at the impact, but keeps her gun on target. "Fire in the hole!" she calls out, before hitting the firing trigger. "I am so glad I bought the enhanced targeting package and reversed the triggers on this thing..." she mutters to herself. Her left hand, the cybernetic, has much finer control. Which means that she can fire a burst and thread the rounds /around/ the melee fighters. Clothing might get nicked, and they'll definitely hear the SWISH of a barely-subsonic chunk of rubber whistling past... but, so long as they keep their larger movements relatively predictable (from her perspective), nobody should get hit. The Vulcan's flatulent roar takes on a stuttering, staccato note... and if you listen carefully there's the sound of the rubber rounds bouncing around the far half of the room. "HEY DICKWEASEL!" she calls out to Brick, shouting to be heard over her cannon. "READ YOUR VIKING MYTHS! ODIN'S ONE OF THE GOOD GUY GODS!"
Karian Icefang	As the horn's dirge dies off, and the rock shards are sent his way, Karian was already in motion. They impact close to him, sending smaller shards into his form. He reaches to his back and pulls forth a large greataxe from his back and is off like a shot. Anything in his path was going to meet either the business end of the axe or the massive force of a punch aimed for their faces. "The Allfather guides me today, and it is by HIS will you fail this day! IF ANY OF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH, COME FORTH AND FACE ME!"
Yuuki Konno	Yuuki's combat abilities are probably at their weakest against large AOE-style magics but they're still remarkably good. She charges forward, her sword flicking out to bat shards aside, avoiding the worst of the harm sent her way. A few red lines appear on her limbs, but they're small and shallow. It also gives her an opening, as she's through the hail of rock quickly, taking it on the run rather than hunkering or dodging. She cries out, ducking low and dodging past Brick, only to launch herself high and strike out with a booted foot, pushing hard against the warrior, aiming to drive him off-balance and into the face of one of her less-superspeedy friends!
Silica	"So be it then." says Silica solemnly. She watches the chant, then backflips away from the shards, getting some nasty cuts along her body, but avoiding the worst of it, all told. Her pets scatter also, some earning their own damage decals and loss of HP on the party's interface bars. Kirito, Yuuki and Tomoe would notice she's got six pets active, but only five are visible at the moment. Pina the dragonling, Nana the ice boar, Kobayashi the Hawkbat, the swarm of wasp-like insects known as Vector and a winged serpent, Hibiki. The sixth is a new icon, but it's hard to make out. Silica finishes her flip, landing in a half-crouch, then lets out of piercing whistle. All her pets turn ti attack Brick from all angles. Flinging shards of ice, spraying bubbles, letting out a sonic screech or cutting blades of wind, or launching a barrage of stingers, trying to pin him down. Silica herself begins to chant, focussing on the lightest member in the battle. Words of power appear around her and then coalesce into an aura that surrounds the impish swordswoman.
Staren	"Hey! There's nothing wrong with becoming a dragon! Err.. a hydra." Staren sighs at Brick's declaration of the bonds of friendship. "If bonds give power... than look at you, who stand alone, against all of us working together. I don't think bonds are in your favor here." And then it's on! Staren takes a defensive stance as he sees Brick casting, but he's not sure what's being cast until rock shards slam into him, scratching and denting his armor! It is alarmingly banged up from that single attack -- Staren looks shocked behind his visor. And then... Well, frankly, though plan A was to immobilize the hero and take the artifact, when it's something big like a SHIELD, which your enemy actively uses to block, you can... just attack it? So Staren does now, firing twin beams at the shield and then activating his forcefield as he watches for another opening.
Josuke Higashikata	Josuke has heard 'rocks fall and everybody dies'. He doesn't want that to be what happens here. As Brick chants and rock shards come flying at him, Josuke emits a "Tch!" Crzy Diamond is summoned the Stand meets the rock shards with a barrage of fists. Unfortunately the shards are a bit too strong for Crazy Diamond to break consistently in few enough attacks to render them harmless. The Stand is peppered with knife-like shards of rock, and Josuke staggers back, blood starting to seep into his uniform from underneath the cloth. He wants to keep some distance between himself and Brick -- also his allies are flinging some pretty heavy-duty stuff -- so he reaches in his pocket and starts handing the wooden pellets to Crazy Diamond. The Stand retreats, just a little, so its torso seems to emanate from his back. Josuke pauses here, emptying his lungs of all the air... holding... then drawing in an audible breath. His body starts to warm, and he knows that's the cue. Crazy Diamond crackles briefly with energy, and then starts to flick those pellets at Brick. Sure they're wooden, but they're going really fast, and they're charged with Hamon. Brick is (hopefully) not undead, so it won't hurt too much. But in addition to any sting that they might cause upon impact, they'll tingle like the pins-and-needles feeling of a limb falling asleep.
Kirito	ROCKS FALL! ... But Kirito just takes a few steps INTO them, his blade gleaming with the hint of a low-level Sword Skill! As soon as shards near... CLANG CLANG CLANG! He batters the entire assortment away with expert swordplay and freakish coordination! Is he HUMAN?! The downside to this approach is that one moment he's battering away projectiles and the next-- the next.... Brick's right behind one of those projectiles OH CRAP! The Black Swordsman WRENCHES his body away as best he can, but Brick still manages to get a solid blow in on Kirito's side. The youth HISSES fiercely as his hit points plunge, but he does maintain his footing and uses that to his advantage! Leaning down, Kirito brings both weapons out and to bear... both glow a starry blue. "Just try and keep that guard up... against my Starburst Stream!" What follows is a criss-cross assault of spectacularly coordinated power slashes, each swing bringing with it great arcs of blazing magic that fills the air with sparkling, colorful streamers that gleam like glowing nebulae and shimmery light motes that scatter every which way!
Leyanne	The careful observer will notice a few of Leyanne's rounds have been sliced by Kirito's swords.
Tomoe	The spiders come for brick he attempts to counter them, yet they get through though he does not seem too paused by their assault he's got a lot more going on, they do however slow him for a moment as he's got to break free of the 'silk'. Leyanne's makes it time for Brick to drink from the bullet firehoses thankfully shouting in defence of Odin. The wounds connect with Brick causing rubber to impact with him and he really does feel it heck one of the impacts causes the wireframe distortion that anyone who has hung out with the natives of this world might have seen when they were hurt. Brick doesn't know it but getting on a space marine's bad side. Be they loyal to the God Emperor or one who is not? Is not exactly good for one's health as the great axe gets past his guard and scores a serious hit, Brick cries out and keeps moving had he dayed well? He'd really have learned what a space wolf can do in close quarters. Then comes the Ninja that is Yuuki? She makes use of that opening and by god she does end up getting him off balance which leaves him open to Silica and does what she does best makes use of her pets, and she has the experience to do so as the whole horde descends upon Brick who is caught off guard as she's never used an assault like that before, from the ice, bubbles or sonic attacks and wind? Brick is just knocked around by the full-on assault even as Silica also moves to aid Yuuki with some support magic! Tomoe calls back "Great now I'm eating for three." Brick meanwhile is forced to use his shield to block Staren's every weapon and it's clearly done some damage to it and Brick keeps on going but it's clear he won't last forever under firepower like this. Josuke in the middle of all this starts putting his Stand to good use with it firing off the wooden pellets which pin Brick down and do a fair bit of damage in the process to his shield as he's forced to block again and again. Kirito now has his moment with Brick blocking the wooden pellets? He's open and the Black Swords Man lunges for Brick letting loose with his famous Starburst Stream attack and the hits pile on, Brick somehow uses a move of Tomoe's and incepts but every blow slams into his shield which just is bleeding Durability from the savage hits. Brick now bellows out a rallying ability and seems really fired up his wings flare out and he takes flight for a moment blitzing the entire room striking out with his sword at anyone who he can get his hands on. Meanwhile one of Tomoe's dragon heads is laughing at Brick it seems while the other is just frowning heavily at them. Tomoe herself lets lose a quick firebolt at Brick adding to the assault from everyone else.
Silica	Silica stands her ground, holding her dagger up defensively. She takes the strike, parrying it away slightly, but gets a nasty red gash across her chest for the trouble. The armour plate seethes before the decal fades, and the girl staggers back a couple of steps. She utters a couple of words, and is surrounded by an aura that restores a little of her HP bar, then lets out another whistle. The five visible pets scatter once more, then the sixth comes bounding through the main doors. It's a massive dragontiger! It's ashen fur marked with stripes of scales of the blackest ebony. Silica leaps, landing lightly astride her newest mount, then directs it forwards, leaping to try and pin the salamander down with its bulk.
Karian Icefang	Indeed, Brick was going to have to learn that you do not piss of a Space Wolf. He grits his teeth and endures the sword blitz from the hero, and laughs. "HAH! You are a challenge, it seems. I won't need to hold back then!" He shouts out, gripping his axe with both hands now. With all his strength now behind the edged weapon, he swings with all the force he could muster, aiming to impact the shield as well as displace the man.
Yuuki Konno	If anyone knows Yuuki's group combat style, they'll know she fights in waves. She makes her attack, then invites someone else to attack hard while she has attention... then attacks hard as attention shifts from her. Brick's been rocked pretty hard now from all sides, so she counts her moment carefully. She feels the warmth, not just physical, as a protective sphere shimmers around her. "Thanks Silica, you're amazing!" she gushes. "I mean Silicon!" she corrects herself. Damn, talking isn't really her best point. Her best point is of course the one on the end of her sword, which she leads with in an aggressive vertical cut! Burning mana, her sword streaks with violet energies as she channels darkness into the blade for a cut that even Brick's mighty armor might have difficulty ignoring!
Josuke Higashikata	Josuke does not want to test his body -- or his Stand -- against a sword strike. He sees the strike but is he humanly fast enough to dodge? As it turns out he doesn't have to -- Crazy Diamond manifests behind Josuke, reaching out to grab him around the collar and yank him out of the way of the strike. Well, of the worst of it. Instead of cleaving his torso in half, the point of the blade grazes across his chest, tearing a thin red line across the shirt underneath. Now that he's in melee range, though, he might as well make the best of it. It's the shield, right? He needs Brick to look at him. So he calls out, "<CRAZY DIAMOND!>", both as a focus and as a way to draw Brick's attention. The Stand manifests, and aims a flurry at the shield, Josuke testing the item first. He didn't need to try to destroy anything last time, so he didn't know how strong these things are. Crazy Diamond appears, and aims the flurry of high speed punches, seeking to strain the shield -- or possibly Brick himself -- to its limits, calling out its ascending Cry of "DORARARARARA!"
Staren	Despite Staren's attempts to dodge, Brick gets in close enough to land a solid hit on his forcefield -- it flickers and Staren stumbles back with a grunt -- one of the emitter discs overloads with a popping sound and the outermost layer of forcefield loses integrity, falling apart into amber sparkles that fade away as they drift towards the ground. "Rrgh! I'd call this a valiant effort if you weren't such an idiot..." Staren comments. For the moment, he plays it slow and steady, trying to keep away from Brick while briefly dropping his forcefield to take pot shots at the shield with his beam cannons. Waiting, watching for an opportunity to end this...
Orchid	The spiders, once they have Brick's legs wrapped, jump away, attempting to avoid the return attacks from the enraged swordsman, but most, nearly all of them, are destroyed by the attacks. Now it is time for the reploid herself to involve herself in combat... Which she does by shooting at a spot high above Brick's head. Before the classic "You missed!" "Did I?" back and forth can happen, down comes a chunk of the stone ceiling. Orchid has been over the terrain, and knows where the weak parts of the structure are that can generate impromptu attacks with just one or two blasts of plasma.
Leyanne	Leyanne 's cybernetics serve her well again, although this time in a different way. The mouse uses the very same systems she's using to make sure that her bullets (probably) don't harm any of her friends to calculate Brick's trajectory. When he comes past her, she leans right back like a limbo dancer, her tail acting as a third leg to make sure she keeps her balance. Her left arm lets go of the gatling gun's foregrip, causing the massive cannon to drop with its barrel-cluster still spinning as the sword whistles mere inches from her nose; she watches it pass with a very distinct and obvious 'oh crap' expression on her face, before springing back upright. She grabs the foregrip of her Vulcan before the barrels can hit the ground and get damaged. Because a burst barrel would suck, and be extremely expensive for her. The hope that someone got that on film crosses her mind as she re-targets Brick, tracking him for a few seconds, and plotting the course her allies are taking. This time, she's a little more precisely targeted, aiming for Brick's midsection, hoping to wind him and knock him out of the fight quicker.
Kirito	Just madly blitzing isn't enough! As soon as Kirito regains control of his limbs... his blades come up in the defensive skill 'Cross Block,' and Brick's wild swings SLAM hard into his guard. Kirito's sent back skidding across the ground, yet more health shaved off from the sheer FORCE absorbed, but his stance isn't broken just yet... "Kind of hard to manage this," The young man mutters. A single small target that everyone is trying to wail on at once? IIt's awfully crowded. Friendly fire is hard to deal with! "That's some strength!" He also comments, just a bit impressed. This Brick is taking on EVERYONE at once and somehow keeping up... although, Kirito surmises, the only thing in his favor is that he has that pretty hefty shield, and everyone has to be careful to avoid friendly fire... Well. Kirito decides to keep this very simple. He simply breaks into a speedy dash that cranks his Sprinting skill to the limit.... "Huuuuuuuooooooah!!" And activates yet ANOTHER Sword Skill with a single blade. Sonic Leap takes over Elucidator, the green-white glow taking on the power of the wind... and in an almost instantaneous blitz of motion he transforms into a deadly flash crossing through Brick and reappearing past him!
Tomoe	The brutal fight continues on as Silica directs a single pet at Brick and it has a hell of an effect as she rides it and goes right to pin the Salamander down with bulk of the pet and it works, Brick struggles to try to get free as Karian is the first one to pile on Brick who cannot really get lose then. Brick does not quite get they are after his shield and not him and he blocks and there's a crack, he can't move much but his shield arm is free. Yuuki is on the attack next does score a hit hard enough his armour can not end up taking much of the damage for him. Josuke joins the pile on making use of Crazy Diamond with Silica holding him there's not much he can do but is block the attack or get hit by the rapid punching the shield continues to rapidly degenerate form all the damage it is taking. Staren's attack is blocked but Brick is able to perfectly deflect the shots leaving both him and the shield from any harm from Staren for the moment. While Orchid drops part of the castle on him it might be best that Silica gets out of the way for that regardless the rocks do more injury to the Salamander Man. "I'm not even warmed up." Brick notes to Kirito as he's finally got free of Silica in all the chaos of the fight and while Kirito is attacking him and he's able to deal with it parrying and blocking at lighting speed? He's full-on open to Leyanne's own assault catches him and he reels over winded he's staggering now. "I'm .. not done yet I won't forgive you for what you did to them...." Runes start to dance about Brick, golden runes, those of someone casting an ALO spell, and it does 't take long, Nordic is actually good unlike Tomoe's and a moment later comes a massive magical explosion of light which threatens to fill the chamber.
Silica	Silica manages to pin Brick down for a few precious moments. Her mount snarling and gnashing its teeth at him. She then hears Orchid's warning, and directs her pet to disengage. She's then caught in the blast of that spell, sent sprawling as her pet slams into the wall, falling limp but not shattering, just knocked out for the moment. "Tetsu!" she calls, but steels herself instead. Silica begins to chant, large spears of ice beginning to form as the yellow runes circle around her, locking into place as each is spoken. She glares at the fighter, but focuses instead on the shield. As the final word is spoken, the spikes launch like bullets, aiming to impale themselves into the sheild to weaken it further.
Karian Icefang	Karian winces as he's hit by the luminous blast. But just like Brick, he too was only getting started. "SO AM I!" He roars out. Once more on the attack, he charges forward and leaps up, aiming to bring down his axe with all force and fury.
Orchid	Blazing energy buffets Orchid, but she grits her teeth, interposing one of her two shields. The other arm is not projecting a shield. Instead, she has her sonic screwdriver out. She's been listening for the whole fight, to the sounds made as Brick's shield deflected hits, sorting out which noise came from which item, isolating the sound of one shield clapping. Because with that sound, with that frequency, Orchid can find the shield's resonant frequency. Orchid is also preparing herself, psychologically. She may be in the best place to END this fight, if she can get this to work. But she's afraid. Afraid she might pull Brick's full attention to her if she attacks him directly. .oO(Okay, I'm not attacking HIM, I'm attacking the shield. I'll look like I'm attacking him from a bad angle, and he'll ignore me... I hope.) A moment passes, and Orchid launches herself at Brick's Shield, sonic screwdriver extended, using dashboots to fling herself forward before she changes her mind.
Staren	More magic! It occurs to Staren he could task his support AI with spell identification so he knows how to defend. Oh well, next time! For now, he puts his shields up and braces for impact. The light washes over him, eating through his forcefield and pushing him back, boots scraping on the floor. Two more discs blow. He's got to finish this soon! And that's exactly what he intends to do. As others pile on, Staren charges in, brandishing the foam gun and trying to immobilize just enough of Brick's body so he can't move the shield. Followed by firing ALL OF THE MISSILES. They arc around, and then airburst; shaped charge warheads explode into lances of matter at extreme levels of energy and speed, aimed to tear through the shield from a dozen angles! Staren really hopes this works, although, there's always more boom where that came from if it comes to it!
Yuuki Konno	Yuuki blocks hard, her defenses firm against Brick's blade. His spell is another matter. AOE, her one weakness. She guards as best she can, but it's the sphere of Silicon's protection that's decisive in warding off magic. Her own defenses aren't spectacular against AOE spells, particularly those which run so counter to her own native element. Brick seems to be burnt out though, having reached the edge of his endurance. The flare of light does little more than make Yuuki squint. She rallies, roaring a samurai battlecry. Yeah okay that's really not very ninja. It's a skill that transfered over from her original Samurai class from Asuka Empire, hush. The roar buffs her stats, drawing attention to her even as it strengthens her. It's a tank skill, not something you'd normally expect from a swordy speedster... but then she's got quite the assortment of skills, some of them even tanky. She lunges, driving her blade straight in, aiming for the shield with all her strength and heart behind it.
Leyanne	Leyanne blinks as she sees the runes flash. A gut instinct tells her what to do, her tail curling up to push a button on the side of her helm. The mask drops down, the visor tinting to nearly pitch black and then turning slightly gold-tinted and mirrored as the solar flare shielding engages. At the same time, the giant mouse dives behind some debris from where Brick got stoned. When the light fades she climbs up onto the boulder of masonry she's hiding behind. Once again her big rotator cannon clatters noisly up to speed, the mouse dialling the cannon up to its second, even higher rate of fire before sending out a sustained burst at Brick. She just lazily plays the cannon up and down Brick's body, not really bothering to avoid any of the areas you're not supposed to hit with rubber rounds. She doesn't care if she hits him in the face, in the legs, in the arms... so long as she's just hosing him down with a few thousand rounds-per-minute of firepower... Until the ammo hopper empties and Leyanne is just pointing the barrel cluster at him, letting it spin for a few seconds in case there are any rounds hiding somewhere in the belt before she lets it spin down, smoke curling up lazily from the shrouded barrel cluster.
Josuke Higashikata	Josuke can't punch light. But unable to get to Brick in time to stop him from casting that spell, he decides to go full Defense. He manifests Crazy Diamond to fling him away from the blast, into an alcove in a nearby hallway. "Ow!" he complains, the maneuver too quick to resummon the Stand to catch him before impacting the wall. It's a bit of a knock to the head, but it's better than being stuck in the radius of that light blast. But they really need to get this over with, and that shield really needs breaking. He was hoping it would just break, but it doesn't seem to have. So, once the light dies down, Josuke uses Crazy Diamond to fling him closer to Brick again... but not quite in melee range. He does that thing he did earlier, pushing all the air out of his lungs, holding, and then filling his lungs again. And then he darts forward, towards Brick, getting his own body into arm's reach. The Stand appears again, only partially sticking out of Josuke's torso. "HAMON!" Josuke declares, and Crazy Diamond's fists begin to sparkle with yellow energy. As if this cry were the cue, the Stand unleashes a barrage of fists at Brick -- and his shield! -- with all the power Josuke can muster. On the bright side, this Hamon-charged punch rush is likely to hurt if it does hit. On the other hand, if it doesn't, Josuke has left himself pretty much completely open to counterattack...
Kirito	Kirito clenches his teeth and manages to regain his footing after the blocked Sword Skill, something few would be able to do moving at such speeds. He then leaps away from Brick, hoping to come up with a plan B but-- KABOOOOOOOM! Light everywhere... and there's very little that Kirito can do about it. An ultimate attack?! This i definitely a top tier spell! There isn't anything he can DO to parry this as it's not an aimed spell. So Kirito doesn't end up doing much besides diving for whatever cover is available! Not like that's very much. So he emerges from the explosion scorched and pained, and wishing he'd put some of his skill slots towards at least countermagic - a fact he will never admit to ANYONE. Battle Healing all the way! "You haven't learned a thing...!" Kirito levels his combat stance, sharpens his gaze... and dives into the fray again for a full-fledged assault. Once again his blades shine, and this time... This time, he's fully intent on knocking Brick for a loop!R This time the aura that surrounds him is hazy and shimmery like the Solar corona during an eclipse, and his blades take on a lethal brilliance as they rocket up to full speed for a series of impossibly swift slashes! A total of 27 strikes, many of them bursting with excessive amounts of non-elemental magic energies!
Tomoe	Brick does not have the power to fight alone like this for long, nay he was not gifted with the power to fight as a group and that has been robbed of him as SIlica just lunches ice spear which slams into the shield as he blocks again its condition is deep into the yellow now and it keeps dropping. Orchid's plan works smashingly as she does not seem threatening to Brick and she scores a hit, the Shield is now showing damage it's starting to clearly be the shield is almost gone. Staren's own attack come as he pins Brick and lays into the shield. A new crack forms as Yuuki drives her blade into the Shield and that's when Brick now understands just what is going on now. "Wait you are after the...?! No, you ..." He's in a bind now with the further powerful attacks there's no blocking a volume of fire from Leyanne, his face his body but mostly his shield is hit and the thing is showing wireframes yes it won't be long for the world now and Brick is cursing trying to find anything he can do to deal with dealing with the Dark Lady and her minions. That's when Kirito strikes again and again and again as Birck blocks all 27 strikes he's looking like he's getting ready to run as the shield is now showing constant wireframe cracking. Tomoe follows it up with a strike from her Naginata but her hydra head do a thing and bite Brick on the butt before she darts away. Josuke is moving in on the self-proclaimed hero. Brick moves to block and that's his final mistake the shield is out of durability and it finally explodes in a massive shower of shards of light and Brick falls to his knees screaming out one ord "My Legend..." He slumps to the ground going still not dead but the shock seems to have finished him off for being able to fight. The quest log for everyone changes to 7/7 Heroes defeated. This should be good right? Tomoe's panting breaching hard and clearly, a bit roughed up herself. "I think it's finally over..." Then in Tomoe's log alone a new quest pops up she stares at it for a moment and gives a look to Kirito. "I think we have a problem." She doesn't get to say more than that as a pillar of purple light appears in the middle of the chamber and Tomoe is dragged by an unseen force into it, where she starts to rise up into the air struggling as she goes. "Guys! I DIDNT DO THIS!" In Tomoe log the quest reads Dark Lady's Ascension. Ascended 0/1 Around her the room lights in with runes built into the ground and power surges through the castle worse the bones of the long-dead dragon start to glow and fly into the air dancing about Tomoe as she rises up to into the air above everyone, this can't be good.
Karian Icefang	Karian watches as the quest log updates and nods. "And so it's done." He says, placing his axe onto his back. It's at this point tomoe starts being pulled up into the sky. He tries to run and grab onto Tomoe, utilizing his massive strength to try and keep her grounded.
Josuke Higashikata	Josuke sighs in relief as Brick falls, starting to feel the effects of the fight now. He used a little too much energy, apparently. That's the part of this whole 'Hamon' thing he hasn't quite mastered yet -- how to meter it instead of just letting fly with everything he's got, at a single point in the fight. So he draws back from the fight, finding a reasonably safe place to take a moment to breathe. Literally in his case, doing that thing that he's been doing whenever he used Hamon to attack. Empty the lungs completely, push all the air out with his abdominal muscles. Hold. Then fill the lungs completely. Hold again. Rinse, lather, repeat. He's not going to be able to heal any of the damage he took -- not here, not without time and quiet to concentrate on his injuries. But he should at least be able to regain some of his lost energy, as long as he's managed to stay reasonably safe from attack and he has his 'moment to breathe'. He's about to start trying to help people with various injuries/damage, when... ...Murphy's Law rears its ugly head. And then he realizes. Of course. It makes sense. They've 'destroyed' the 'heroes', right? So with the 'heroes' out of the way, the Dark Lady is free to... do whatever it is that her legend dictates. What do most evil things do after destroying the heroes? They try to become gods. Josuke scowls, but he stays back. There isn't anything he can do here. He'll have to wait until whatever transformation finishes, and then see what aid he can render afterwards...
Yuuki Konno	All but exhausted, Yuuki reels back. She's open for attack, but it doesn't much matter. The enemy is vanquished, his artifact broken. And Tomoe... Yuuki blinks, realizing Tomoe's vanishing into the sky. Not on Yuuki's watch. "I'm going after her!!!" the impulsive imp bellows, taking advantage of indoor flight to manifest her wings and burst into the air. She flies headlong after Tomoe, not noticing or not caring about the pillar of energy surrounding her and pulling her upwards.
Leyanne	Leyanne blinks and watches Tomoe start to rise into the air. She watches Karian, plotting ballistics... yeah... she can dothis. She unhooks herself from her cannon via quick-release and sprints for Tomoe, using debris, the room's fixtures, and, yes, even Karian; one foot lands on his backpack... the other lands on his shoulder... then the first foot actually lands on the top of his head. She's trying to be as gentle as possible but she uses him as a literal step to launch herself up into the beam after Tomoe. " "AW HELL NAW!"
Kirito	After all that heavy fighting, seeing the shield explode like that brings some relief to Kirito. He looks up... and can afford the tiniest smile. Finally something went right! Even if it took nearly everything out of him.! But just when he's starting to breathe easily.... oh no. A glance is aimed at Tomoe, a part of him trying to reject this assertion that things aren't going right but-- but he clenches his teeth. Deep dread shows in his eyes. "What now?--!?!?!" Well, THAT'S what, definitely. Kirito hurriedly glances about at how the others are reacting to this, his mind rapidly cranking into overdrive to figure out a solution. His wings appear in an instant as the only solution he can think of so quickly is 'get Tomoe out of here.' They thrum up to full power instantly, in a display of EXPERT manual flight control. Very few can push their wings like this, let alone mentally handle such acceleration... but Kirito's right there with Zekken, aiming to tackle Tomoe straight out of that pillar of light and take her far, far from it post-haste!
Orchid	Orchid wound up slamming into a wall after smashing the effect into Brick's shield. She's splayed out on the floor as the energy seems to take Tomoe. "Craaaaaap," she mutters to herself, scrambling back to her feet, and rushing over to her equipment. She thought the castle might do something like this, so while she was mapping the castle out, she also was taking measurements. So if her math is right, a few reasonably sized explosive devices in the right places will destroy the castle. Of course, she didn't want to set up the self destruct beforehand, as it is really harder to make one of those work when, and only when, you want them to. Of course, that means getting the explosives planted in the right spots. "It depends on if Tomoe is still in control," she says aloud, going back and forth. "If not, we could try disrupting the power flow by destroying the castle."
Staren	That's done it! Quest complete! Even when Tomoe grew dragon heads, she didn't call it off or anything, so it seems the goal was to press on... Staren watches Brick warily, until he hears Tomoe's shout and looks behind him. Iiit soon becomes pretty clear that she's changed her mind on this whole 'letting the quest complete' bit. That'll teach him to EVER go along with a process that bends reality into stories. Others' attempts to get Tomoe make it clear that the pillar she's in is solid, so Staren attacks the other component of... whatever this is: The dragon bones. Particle beams, RAISER bullets, missiles, he's got a lot of ways to try and reduce these bones to pieces, and he puts them to use now! Also, if folks decide to attack the castle, he tasks the Star Hawk with turning its weapons on it from outside.
Tomoe	The pillar of light is now solid as all those who move to deal with it. Attacks be they weapons or anything else don't beach it people iwll bounce off and then the light get brighter and the skeleton starts to take on a formation more suited to beinf a whole thing with Tomoe rising up towards the head. Just where is this going? No where good! To be contiuned.