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Arthur Lowell	Above the Soft Expanse, starting early yesterday and continuing well into today, a large, glowing, green spirograph has formed and expanded. However large it was when it started, it was first sighted around 8 kilometers wide, recorded properly as notable when it expanded to 30 kilometers despite ongoing discorporealizations underneath it, and expanded well past 60. It is starting to reach a size that indicates it may yet form something along the lines of a continent-sized pattern. That, itself, is not the point of concern; all kinds of weird stuff happens around the Soft Expanse.     What was of more substantial concern is the fact that the spirograph has started displaying stormy, distorted behaviors, seeming disrupted or dangerous. And alongside that, Skaianet system outputs have been giving dangerous alerts. Something is happening here, and with the energies and alerts involved, it looks to be something Arthur Lowell wants help with. The Midnight Kingdom's agents certainly aren't in any shape for battle right now, not after the pitched combat such a short time ago, and yet their obsidian spacecraft can be found above the spirograph.     A large, twisted, complex, metallic machine-spire welded to the base is gushing uneven, sickly red energies into the complex spirographic pattern below. Arthur is pretty sick of Jack Noir and his bullshit shenanigans. Of course, the first part of this complex matter is actually getting up there. Arthur can find a way to bring the gang in for battle, but his options are limited; it's best that those who can arrive on their own do so. Jack Noir, the only un-injured member of the Midnight Kingdom's agents, is staring down over the bow of the ship with a hateful grimace, watching the process. He seems as satisfied with it as a man who hates that much can be.
Big Boss	There's a helicopter playing Ride of the Valkyries. It's piloting in-between the storm, trying to reach near Jack's position to drop off the Watch. Pequod, the female pilot, has been friendly to anyone who's been on-board, as she moves to try and get them as close to the top as possible. If they can't land up there, they'll have to jump. Whether he lands or jumps, Big Boss is ready. The rocket launcher has been upgraded to a full missile launcher, attached to his back, the same rifle, a case of missiles, and a pistol. He wants faster reloading and accuracy, so guided missiles over rockets. As he arrives, he simply says one thing. "How far are you willing to go? Are you willing to spend your life over this hate, Jack Noir?" He assumes the answer. He just wants to better understand their foe.
Lezard Valeth	Lezard might have been occupied in the initial conflicts with Noir and his minions, but this time, Lezard is fully armed and operational. The Sorceror of Midgard arrives high in the air, standing atop a horrible winged aberration that only somewhat approximates what one thinks of when someone says 'harpy'.     He adjusts his glasses ominously, drawing out the Philosopher's Stone, his tome of knowledge and power. The book opens, floating before him as the pages flip, Lezard rapidly beginning to consult it as he extends his magical powers towards the phenomena growning before them. He knows Noir is working to gain access to whever space is forming within the spirograph. Lezard is attempting to analyze what method is being used to do so, so he might be able to start interdicting. There are many here who can strike down Noir. Considerably less will have the skills needed to seal the gate if needed.
Arthur Lowell	Arthur, himself, has only a few options. Desperate favors called in with the Carapacian contingent of the Afterus world government gives him access to a small GOLD SCOUT. The vessel is large enough for maybe a dozen people, a half-dozen of which are Arthur's Iguanas, a crew necessary to fly the vessel right back out. This christmas present is getting more and more of a hassle -- and more and more dangerous to deal with.     Arthur, himself, is acting as the power core for it, since they were all disarmed after the war. It gives it tremendous speed, and he insists the others disembark /fast/ since the armor on this thing won't deal well with whatever Jack has. They're gonna have to fight this battle aboard the ship itself, without the scout vessel to give them that backup. Anyone who wants to join in but has no ride of their own better jump off quick when he pulls up right next to the warship at one of the deck docks!
Linehart	Once again, the Mirror Knight simply emerges out of Lezard Valeth's glasses, unbidden.      It's an act with three distinct layers to it. First, the massive, dark-armored knight isn't exactly mobile, while Lezard Valeth absolutely is; it's more efficient than getting there by helicopter. His huge armor might weigh the chopper down or throw off the balance, and he wouldn't want that.      Second, it annoys Lezard Valeth. Linehart does not like Lezard Valeth. He is thankful to Lezard Valeth for showing him that, yes, his path is the right one, that he can be beaten, that he is no longer the most dangerous thing in existence - a genuine relief for the giant Mirror Knight - but he also does not like Lezard Valeth in the slightest. Lezard Valeth has the air of what he was, and one of the key aspects of being a Hero, as Linehart himself learned, was annoying the hell out of the villain.      Boy did the Hero annoy Linehart.      Third, it's a tactical benefit. Lezard will never feel safe around a mirror. Linehart may not be the type to strike first unannounced, but how long will that hold up? At what point will he *choose* to strike, or worse, bring some squadron with him into Lezard's inner sanctum, or somehow circumvent Lezard's wards? Or simply just stab Lezard in the eye? Sure, Linehart would never actually do that - but making Lezard paranoid had its own tactical benefits.      So Linehart emerges from Lezard's glasses, hulking and huge, on top of the harpy.      The harpy that is much too small for both of them.      Whelp.      Still, Linehart isn't especially fazed by this. They'll probably live. Lezard probably has some solution besides his own flight - which is a solution in and of itself, since then Linehart is left alone.      Linehart, as usual, announces himself in the direction of Jack Noir.      I am Linehart, the Mirror Knight. My Sphere is Evil Knight. This dark spear will be your doom.
Mauve Gauntlet	Mauve is here again, looking up at the spirograph in bewilderment. It's bright and the pattern is reflected in her 'eyes' as she stares. She then looks in the direction of the spire shooting out beams of red death. "I think I can handle getting up there" She says, and she grapping fists her way up the tower, looking for weak points as she goes up.
Sumiko	Mikoto has a ride, that ride was being able to fly thanks to Nanoha.  However, she didn't want to fly there, when there might be a COOL KID mount to take to the battle.  And she was right, the golden ship was pretty awesome.  The warship soars and takes its passengers to where they need to go. Mikoto jumps off and draws her jade sword.  "Not bad, if it was jade it'd be perfect.  Or any color of green really!" Mikoto takes flight the rest of the way to Jack, landing near the group and pointing her blade at the guy who stuffs coffins.  "It's mine, you can't have it.  If you got a problem with that, we'll show you the problem like we showed your boys." Ok really, they nearly took each other out, but HE doesn't need to know that.
Lezard Valeth	Linehart is as always efficient and effective in his efforts. Despite recent events, Linehart's behavior continues to get on Lezard's nerves. Nothing Lezard can do at the moment can prevent the Mirror Knight from simply coming and going as he pleases, but he also did not account for this with the matter of the harpy.     The moment Linehart emerges on the harpy, Lezard is taken aback. "ACCURSED EVIL KNIGHT!" He yells in indignant rage as the harpy promptly begins to plummet under the combined weight.     The Sorceror of Midgard solves this problem by scooping his hands upwards, and with a rush energy, suspends himself in the air, leaving Linehard to ride the harpy down into the ground should he wish.     The Harpy won't survive the impact, of course, and vanishines in a burst of darkness and a plainative screech.
Deelel	Well things were going pear-shaped and Deelel had made her peace with it. There was no real way to complain they just had to deal with this lovely little whatever Skaianet had left behind here, like a landmine. Thinking back to something a human taught her long ago most problems could be solved with enough explosives. Sadly she didn't think this was one of those sorts of problems. It was time to carry on with this affair to see it through to the end. She'd go into hell for Arthur and so again here she was. Crammed into the GOLD SCOUT with anyone else who was riding with Arthur, she had to wonder about this Chrsitmas present but it was far, far too late for that. She would be quick to get off even with whatever damage she'd done there were likely far more weapons or the crew had replaced or repaired what she'd done earlier. She leaps off summons her key blade and mutters. "Jack just won't quit even free of the game he's still caught by it."
Linehart	He's falling.      Well, what else can you expect. Nothing flying and living is likely to be able to support the weight of possibly-eight-feet (he keeps changing size when he's in-armor, though it doesn't appear to be by choice. Enemy sprites are just Bigger than the party.) of solid metal. Even a dragon, unless it is a very massive dragon, is probably going to struggle with all that weight just suddenly appearing on top of it. A harpy barely larger than Linehart himself? Nah.      He plummets.      This is fine. Linehart's strength is enormous, as is his durability. He could *probably* hit the ground and not have any trouble.      But there's a better way to go about it. The dark spear, Aledvar, just appears in his hand, a massively oversized polearm covered in bloody red runes, as his plan comes together.      Linehart angles the harpy towards one of the windows. It's difficult - really difficult. He's the heavier object here. He can't just push off the harpy. But if he angles it well enough, he might be able to kill the harpy and still land in the glass.      It's close. It's real close.      The harpy hits the ground and evaporates. Linehart does not. He passes through the mirror in an instant.      He emerges out of Lezard Valeth's glasses at terminal velocity, streaking towards Jack Noir. His boss music kicks up from its ominous introduction into its high-pitched, high-paced battle mode.      Hey, he announced himself already. Now it's time for the fighting.
Arthur Lowell	Jack Noir is already turning hatefully towards the helicopter as it approaches. Doesn't look like he's planning on letting it land simply, since he immediately opens fire with a heavy barrage of energy shots from an old but well-maintained Chicago typewriter. Luckily, there's well enough cover on the ship's deck that Big Boss won't be excessively exposed when he lands.     Jack Noir explains that he's not running out of lives to spend on his hate anytime soon, considering they keep running to him. He is focused, entirely, on acting on his will to kill the Queen. Sprays of shots towards the harpy are similarly blasted. Arthur has to pull away when he starts riddling the bridge with energy-bullets too. His descent is unsteady, and it zips by Mauve Gauntlet's climb up. There don't appear to be clear weakpoints, or what ones there are seem to resist impact due to swirling energies surrounding them. Mauve can make it up to the main deck though!     Something coming from above... Lezard's analytics can see that an energy source of significant power is inside the ship, one aligned rather perfectly with Skaian energy. It's mounted inside the deck itself, nearish Noir. It has the feeling of a "used" artifact, without clearly having lost its tremendous power.     Jack draws his knives. Something flickers along the hull of the ship, shimmering as tiny arcs of lighthing thrum along his body. He grits his teeth, scowls hatefully, and readies for combat.     Graveyard stuffers.
Staren	STAREN... Doesn't need to worry about transport. This is one of those times when having your own FLYING MECHA comes in handy.     Staren announces himself from a distance as railgun rounds rain down on the deck, but a target as small as Jack Noir is hard to hit from beyond visual range.     Staren's machine slows and transforms as it lands on the deck; Staren's voice projects from the speakers over the storm: "Wait, the Queen is still around? What's any of this have to do with her? What have you been doing since the game ended then?"
Lezard Valeth	Lezard can understand this hatred. Under different circumstances, he might have made common cause with this man and assisted him in his efforts... But circumstance makes for strange allies and stranger enemies.     That said, it does not keep Lezard from nearly flying into an indignant rage when Linehart explodes out of his glasses once more, interrupting what would be a dramatic speech. With a grimace, he pointedly removes his glasses and puts them into a pocket. This will not be happening again. "I should destroy you right now, Evil Knight...!" He hisses, his hand reaching towards the back of Linehart.... But he shakes his head, and his aim moves. "But I have more important matters to attend to."     Roiling magical power begins gathering around Lezard as he gestures not at Noir, but the ship itself. "FIRE STORM!" he exclaims, and a series of explosive detonations roll across the surface of the ship, the Sorceror seeking to blast the craft itself instead of the man riding it.     No doubt that Noir has prepared for that fact, but the only way to determine options at this point will be to put forth the effort and see what happens.
Big Boss	The helicopter gets pelted, forcing it to pull back as soon as Big Boss gets to the deck. He rolls, Pequod pulling back, as Big Boss grabs his rifle and aims it at Jack Noir. He grabs the radio in the process, alerting the Watch to try and take Jack Noir alive. And then, he begins firing. Aiming for the knees, to cripple. Light shots, but shots that should weaken him regardless. "Pequod. Have a fulton prepared." <"On it, Boss.">
Sumiko	"Hmph!  Hey, I am not Sarracenia here, stop ignoring me!" Mikoto says, dangerously close to Jack.  She pauses, realizing this, and then frowns.  Ok, maybe she needs to rethink her life choices in this one specific thing.  Then the word 'Coffin stuffers' gets used again.   "Your FACE is a coffin stuffer!" she retorts back.  Good job, Mikoto, excellent use of the Japanese language to rebut a psychopath.  Of course, then Linehart goes in for the stab.  Oh right, I guess we're doing this violently. Of COURSE, we're doing this violently. Mikoto spins around, dragging the blade in her hands in a circle around her.  Then with a thrust of the blade, the circle comes to life, as several animals from out of the aether and into shapes.  It gives rise to... A GIANT FROG.  The GIANT FROG attempts to hit Spades Sli-I mean, Jack with its tongue. It's very large and oversized tongue.
Deelel	There were a lot of very good heavy hitters here as far as Deelel was concerned here. So she was not nervous about their odds. Yet she knew to deal with Jack was going to be one heck of a hard fight if it came down to it. She was also aware she'd not fully defragged her code after her stunt against Jack's ship. So this might be a bit harder for her than normal. She gives details on what she knows about Jack Noir to Big Boss. She gets a response she didn't quite expect. She then accepts it for the moment. Then gets ready to move in she'll ready her Keyblade and move in to engage. "So what are you going to do now the game is over if you kill the Queen? Then what? You are still a slave to the very thing that turned your entire homeland into puppets!" She then channels a spell sending a lighting bolt at Jack as she dashes in to reach close combat.
Mauve Gauntlet	Not finding anything on the tower, Mauve hooks her way onto the ship's deck. "H-hey that's rude!" Mauve shouts at Jack, and she grabs a nearby barrel and chucks it at Jack!
Arthur Lowell	JACK NOIR is shortish, carapaced, dressed in rags. His body is like his name, black and brutal. Cybernetics twist under thick armor-like chitin, and he has the look of a chess-piece. His teeth are razors, his fists are weathered, and his hatred thrums palpably on his spine. He answers Staren briefly and spitefully: He's been building. See these exiles? /Nothing/ before he built 'em up. He's a builder and a breaker. Got the former out of the way earlier, he says.     Time for the latter.     Linehart slams into him, shoving him back. He flicks his knives around into a harsh, aggressive stance. His contemptuous posture is framed by the explosions around him, as the ship's deck is blasted by artillery-like fire from Lezard. Big Boss opens fire as well, who now knows exactly where to hit. Chunks of armor crunch and leave behind joints that are harder to move. He finally gives his answer to Mikoto when she tries to capitalize on it; he sees the frog attacking, and his eyes go WIDE. A pair of knives, then another trio of them, go to drive the tongue back, keeping him from suffering too much of its giant mouth-wrestle, and also trying to draw tremendous amounts of blood. A Dersite at heart, he still hates frogs on some innate level. He tells Mikoto that he doesn't care what claim she has over Secundus. He /won't/ he stopped from killing the Black Queen.     Deelel closes in and stabs deep. He moves to return the favor, straight to the neck, with one knife, then another, then another, until she's got some distance again. It's disrupted when a barrel from Mauve Gauntlet smashes into his back, shattering and spilling the guns and food he's stockpiled. He seems to be stocking for war.     He also seems frustrated with this. No crew to back him up? Fine, he seems to say. He'll do this the hard way. Something just near him, belowdeck, has been exposed by Lezard's bombing, just as he intended. There was a hatch, but it's gone now. He's just going to wrench it out of the ground.
Arthur Lowell	It is white. Shining white, the way a professional's ivory chesspiece is built. It gleams as brightly as the day it was made, an eternity ago. A shining ivory scepter, topped by a brilliant blue orb, and ringed by four smaller white orbs that drift in orbit. THE WHITE KING'S SCEPTER has long ago lost much of its power, drained away in order to activate the Reckoning after the White King was betrayed and killed by Jordan Cypress. But it still contains tremendous energies, enough for Jack Noir to lift and call upon the PROTOTYPINGS of old.     A knife in the offhand, and a scepter in the main hand, his scowl intensifies. Red electricity lances around, rippling miles of energy that rush down the spire welded below the ship. This was what he was using to breach Skaianet, a Reckoning catalyst used to devastate Skaian structures. Some of that electricity, though, writhes into his body, and it begins to shift.     PLAYER ONE KERNEL (x2): THE FELONIOUS MACHINE     Jack's entire left arm shifts. The knife in his hand grows large. Unfolding from ever-expansind machines, dozens of cybernetic guns splay out like a flower blooming, and unload blasts of raw ballistics into the surroundings. Those at a distance had better get cover, because this is the equivalent of a twenty-man crew opening fire full-auto. Those in close range should be careful, because that knife swipes like a massive sword. Noir was maybe 5'8 before, but he's suddenly a rather more imposing 6'6 or so.
Big Boss	Well, Jack Noir has a powerful artifact that shifts with electricity, which he uses to become big and strong, and then fire at them with cyberguns. Big Boss isn't too close, so he rolls away from the knife swipe, but the bullets blast into his armor, already threatening to shred it, and knock him backwards, staggered and forced to take cover. He could go for the rifle. Big Boss grabs the missile launcher, and starts locking onto the flower of guns. As he does so, he speaks. "Jack Noir. Is this the only way to kill your queen? Do you have to ruin our gift to do so?" It may sound like...negotiating. It probably is, but Big Boss doesn't expect the fight to end. Just have a specific outcome. Pulling the trigger, Big Boss fires a missile straight for the guns, and moves to reload. He's trying to make it harder to aim with those blasters, and so there's less pouring down on them.
Sumiko	Mikoto gets into an argument with someone on the radio because their words were not helping.  She is distracted, and then Jack fires.  Fortunately for Mikoto, she has autoparry!  She autoparries the bullets to the chest.  It's exceptionally painful! Nearly falling over from bullets she pulls down behind the Frog who is large and has a bleeding tongue.  The soul gem works to heal her grievous injuries and she pokes her head out again.  A gameplan in her head starts to form, trying to keep things fast and loose.  Lezard is going to go full offense. Well, they have to anyway, to weaken that power.  Going right for the artifact would just be too obvious.  Think, Mikoto, think!  Wait, she has an idea!  Turning from behind the frog, she swings her sword with a massive uppercut towards his head, and a massive wave of fire swings out, trying to light him on fire.   Ok, so it wasn't very clever.
Deelel	Old memories are clawing at the back of her mind as she now is getting up close to Jack Nori and knows it's going to likely hurt for a moment. She will at the time Jack strikes sift he will get one hit where a human's primary artery is. It's a bad injury there's clearly pain and the wound is glowing but there's no flow of blood from it. "I don't bleed." Deelel notes to Jack as she will strike out with her Keyblade before she'll fall back from Melee. She will then watch on in horror at what unfolds. The power of the White King or the Black King was something she would not be able to forget even if was organic. "STOP HIM! FOR THE LOVE OF THE USERS STOP HIM!" It's too late, Jack has got his hands on the power. She pulls it together and will launch n barrage of fire, ice and lightning spells at Jack. She's hurt too worse than she though as there's some after effect damage from her bring stabbed as well.
Lezard Valeth	This is the kind of showdown legends tend to be made of. The buildup is there. It is near the culmination of a quest that can change the face of the Multiverse as it is understood. There is a certain /artistry/ to this that Lezard can appreciate. However, Lezard is no hero.     But even a villain's power can be turned to convenient uses out of mutual self-interest. The production of the artifact causes both consternation and fascination, Lezard's eyes narrowing as he observes the power remaining in the object. The changes. The mutations of the man's body. The raw /power/, as specialized as it is, serves a very direct purpose.     "A pity you chose this path." Lezard sighs, even as the wind becomes lead and death. Pages rip out of his book and swirl around him, the projectiles hammering into the leaflets. Some of the bullets are diverted. Others hammer through the gaps, ripping the Sorceror's flesh and body with terrible wounds. Lezard staggers, driven back as he is forced to land on the deck of the ship. "I will not have the luxury of holding back against you." He mutters to himself, wiping away blood that stains his clothing, his flesh. Through the rampant pain, Lezard begins channelling once more. This time, the energy grows more intense, feeding back on itself over and over as he calls upon more intense magic power. "DARK SAVIOR!"     All over the ship, shadows erupt into a multitude of black blades, shaped umbra that seethes with killing intent. Noir would feel a kinship with these blades, perhaps. The problem is they are directed at him, as Lezard hurls a hand forth, they pierce forward as self-guided missiles, raining down to try to shred the hulking Felonious Machine.
Linehart	The thing about Linehart is that he's durable.      He was *made* to be durable. He was designed for the explicit purpose of being hard-to-kill, of having a massive health pool and tons of immunities, of having huge damage reduction flags, the works. He's lost most of that, but he's still stupid tough.      So when Jack's bombardment comes in, Linehart neither runs for cover nor moves to dodge it. Instead he turns from his landing position and starts walking directly into it. The bullets ping against his armor. The ballistic launches crash against him, skirting him back every so often. They don't knock him down. He won't be knocked down by something like this.      The Mirror Knight advances, step by step, across the ship's deck.                                     118                                          The number pops up above his head as he raises his hand. Fire flickers to life in his grip.      He hesitates. Big Boss gives him orders. He doesn't *have* to obey, but...      His music sketches out at the hesitation. It hiccups, like there was a scratch on the record.      No, he doesn't want to kill anyone. He has no trouble killing Jack Noir, but if it can be averted, then all the better.      So he lowers his hand. Rather than simply unleash enormous magical force, Linehart switches weapons. His spear disappears. There's a huge gauntlet on one arm - even bigger than the gauntlets he was already wearing, a mismatched, massive fist that's bigger than it has any right to be.      He closes the range towards Jack as other people hold the other man's attention. He's slow, but he's...inevitable. He moves through, and around, Lezard's hate blades and Deelel's tripartite barrage; his non-massive fist bats away some of the loose strikes that get too close to him. Mikoto swings her flaming blade - Linehart takes advantage of the moment.      The massive gauntlet rears back.      It comes swinging in for a meaty uppercut.
Mauve Gauntlet	"Here goes!" Mauve shouts, and anchors herself. She's going straight for the obvious choice- kind of. She has two hands after all. She fires one hand at Jack's knife as a feint, then the other at the scepter. SHe's not sure who's grip is stronger, but he's gonna have to tug of war it, hopefully.
Staren	Oh hey, Mikoto summoned a frog. Those are sacred animals that create worlds here, right? Maybe that'll get her some kind of SYMBOLISM BONUS, Staren thinks.     But now he's got his own problems to focus on: Jack growing big and firing a frankly ridiculous number of cybernetic weapons the likes of which he hasn't seen since he stopped using Wakeman tech because it was so expensive to rebuild.     Fortunately, the Star Hawk already has its shield at the ready -- bullets pockmark the shield emitter and the parts of the mecha not protected.     In response, Staren pours on his own firepower, exposing the gatling railgun and firing a hail of hypersonic metal whenever allies aren't attacking Jack in melee.     "You know, we're fine with you fighting the Black Queen, but why do you have to go through this stuff to fight her?"
Arthur Lowell	The rocket from Big Boss slams into Jack's arm, scattering all kinds of weapons about and gouging a chunk out of the arm, but not blowing it apart. Jack Noir tells Boss there's a million ways to kill, and one way that's /shortest/. Presumably it's this one. He's lit aflame as well, by Mikoto, but with a sudden hiss, coolant cells all around his body vent aggressively and the temperature is lowered considerably, forcing the damage to lower, though he's left singed. Deelel barrages him with more elemental assaults, and he has to shift gears on his thermal efforts as well, suffering a battering as chunks of his flesh are ripped away to reveal growing steel beneath.     Shadow plunges through them, Lezard's blades blunted only a little by the armor. Sparks fly. Jack grunts, and for a moment the blades flicker -- but no, no special effect. Not /yet/. Only blood and sparks. Linehart follows up, and while Jack is bigger now, he's not big enough not to not be raised off his feet by the impact. Could use that later, with the proper follow-up. Staren's followup is mid-air blasting, which does properly juggle the bossman intensely. Mauve's follow-up isn't bad, it gives her a moment to grab the scepter.     She's now holding the scepter as well! Too bad she's not a bug-person, and thus gains no benefit from Carapacian artifacts of power. Benefits like, for example, what Jack activates next.     PLAYER TWO KERNEL (x2): THE DETONATING FELINE     Another explosion sounds. Another. Claws are forming, and sharp fangs. Sharper, sharper, sharper, until it's clearly something like a sabertooth cat's fangs. His right arm, unlike the left, twists into bone, growing around the scepter, calcifying directly into it, though cracks form on the grip from Mauve's tugging. Jack opens his mouth and begins to let out less a breath of fire and more of a directed blast of TNT. Repeatedly, like some massive gun, he ejects these blasts like an artillery weapon. The SABERTOOTH TIGER SKELETON prototyping combined with the TNT BLOCK prototyping wreak dangerous havoc.     For those in range, the KNIFE and CLAWS menace badly, as he swipes with both. Sometimes he slings a knife as a mid-ranged thrown weapon, and reverts to just claws! For Mauve Gauntlet, specifically, he intends to punish her grip by slamming one of those huge saber teeth down towards her torso, intent on impaling her! For those at further range, the remains of the ARMS ARM blast freely, and the TNT-"breath" makes for fast and lethal damage.     While previously something like 6'6, Noir is now at a healthy, beefy 7'9 or so as he draws in more Kernel prototyping.
Sumiko	Mikoto gets some stabbing for her plan, falling back she frowns as she checks her body for more holes she didn't want in them.  This is just getting to be unbearable, she considers her plan still standing next to the frog.  She gives Mauve a look, something along the lines of 'seriously' before she glares back at Jack. On the backfoot, she knows that she might do better staying in the mid to close range, but it appears that Jack is deadly no matter where she is.  It is time to improvise, she considers.  So she comes out swinging the blade along the ground, while the large frog watches but does nothing.  Besides ribbit, once.   This time a horde of horses run out of the magical circle, all without faces (for some reason.)  They all attempt to stampede Jack, attempting to bull rush him over with the might of a stallion, but the grace of a pony.
Linehart	Jack is big, but Linehart is still bigger. Not by much, but bigger.      This is to his benefit, as Linehart is in no way a defensive fighter, nor an evasive one. Knives and claws rake across him in equal measure, scratching his armor. They scratch and claw and grab and rake, leaving long, smoking trails from the pitch-black metal. They tear at the cape of smoke, passing through it and drawing more trails to their hands. He's smoking from inside the armor, too - and...flashing red. Maybe it's a status effect.                                     103                                                                          29                                            If Linehart was any good at fighting in close-quarters with a gauntlet, he might've followed that up. Unfortunately, he isn't. Yarngripper only has one attack, so that's all he gets.      It's not the only thing he *has*, though.      He times it just right. He doesn't want Lezard Valeth seeing that he can do this, so in the midst of all the knives, all the flashing, all the flaring and explosions, Linehart takes an opportunity.      A passing knife goes shooting past his right, only narrowly missing him.      And suddenly he has a second Yarngripper on his other hand.      Now he's dual-wielding.      Now he gets two attacks.      So he uses them. He uses both of them. The first is a heavy smash from the right gauntlet, a meaty punch up for his chin. The second is a grab, using enormous strength and a Much Higher Attack Stat, to drag Jack back down and slam him, hard, into his own ship, with all the force Linehart can muster.      That's quite a lot, as it turns out.
Big Boss	As the knifes come flying out, Big Boss hunkers behind cover, listening to Jack's speech, and realizing the use of this man. However, claws smash through his cover, slashing through the soldier, and another knife slams into his chest, ripping into him and staggering him back, hard. The missile launcher would take too long to reload... So the commander grabs his rifle and levels it at Jack Noir, firing a full burst at him, straight for his massive torso - he can handle it. Jack clearly has a radio, so he tries to privately sync up with Jack, just to send one sentence. <"I would be willing to work with you - but we need our present. This can only end with this fight - but the aftermath can be different.">
Staren	Jack Noir keeps getting bigger and gaining new powers. Staren feels like he should remember how that works, but it's been so long.     As the TNT-breath comes his way, Staren dives off the edge of the ship, evading it!     He transforms, circles beneath the ship, then rises on the opposite side of the deck and transforms to land again, suddenly brandishing a giant beam saber and stabbing! It's easily as wide as the carapacian is, even now. "This is only the fastest way to YOUR DEATH! We beat the BLACK KING, you really think you can fight through us AND the Black Queen?!"
Lezard Valeth	Lezard is a mighty mage, but he is not known for his staying power. Normally, he simply obliterates his opposition before they can marshal a proper defense. But against entities on this scale, the weakness of his yet-mortal flesh is made manifest. Lezard is engulfed in explosions, the TNT blast crushing his magical guards and pitching him clear off the deck, sending him spiralling off of the craft in a most undignified manner, the kind of thing he would do to someone else.     Through the mind-crushing, body-rending pain, his pride and will surface, a thoroughly unrighteous howl of rage as he thrusts out his hands, stopping his descent cold as he rights himself. "ENOUGH." He enunciates, the energy and emotion leaking out around him in equal amounts into the sorcerous aura around him. Raw, unsullied destructive force writhes around him, being woven into arcane sigils and runes of power. Linehart's situation and capabilities are the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. He is utterly focused on the incipient annihilation of his foe.     "MYSTIC CROSS!" Where darkness rose, now light explodes around him, a barrage of twinkling light that smashes through the air and swirls around Noir, crushing towards him with overwhelming blasts of holy power.     But it doesn't end there. The energy surges even more, the sky darkening as Lezard's voice rises above the din of battle. Golden feathers waft through the sky, swirling about.     Ye must desire respite from thy empty existence."                         "THOU SHALT HAVE IT!"     The feathers spin up, swirling into blazing halos of light that suddenly discharge like an array of orbital lasers, the cascading rain of glittering light blasting down upon MEGA-NOIR and trying to finally break his guard and turn this mess around!                              "CELESTIAL STAR!"
Deelel	The fight is getting very intense she gets that her superior wants to recruit Jack Noir and by extension his Midnight Crew. That will be harder said than done and to be honest she's more worried about the Spector of the White King. Such a thing being in play in the multiverse. That's going to be a big concern to her. However, right now it's not the biggest though in her mind as Jack is just beating the bitmap out of her right now. She's not down yet but the attack she's taking a lot of fire damage there's pain injury but the smell isn't right there is no smell of flesh but a strange alien smell and Deelel is clearly in a good deal of pain. She's still alive and it's time to stop messing about as she readies another attack and will pull her ID DISC off her back, it powers to life. Seconds, later she throws it right at Jack followed by her keyblade as well.
Mauve Gauntlet	Ok, well, she tried. At least she's got a grip on the scepter...kind of. Jack's hand merges with the staff and turns into a sabertooth tiger thingy. In fact, the teeth pierce right through her torso. She lets out a scream and lets go of the scepter, swinging her other hand around to slap Jack with the back of her hand. She's still kind of a sitting duck what with the rusting impalement hole and the fact that she's still ancchored to the deck.
Arthur Lowell	Horses stampede Jack, slamming into his body until something shifts.     PLAYER THREE KERNEL (x2): THE UNIHORNED SKYTERROR     A hefty, brutal-looking horn rips out of Jack's forehead, looking as much lethal as his saber-teeth. A pair of huge wings tear out of his back. He stomps the ground with cloven hooves wrought of unyielding metal and heavy bone and takes off beyond reach of the hated animals. He doesn't even land before Linehart gets a good smash against his body, forcing him to stay up and then to slam hard into the deck. The wings buffet the deck and make it a little easier to manage on a cushion of air, but only a little easier.     Jack synchs the radio, but doesn't respond. He has the posture of someone who would say "no" if he were rejecting it -- it just is a silent response intentionally. Nothing of the grumpy noise on the other end of the line implies a rejection, though, not more than the effort to shield his body from the bullets using his wings. He's blasted repeatedly with the heavy shots, but they hit mostly the right wing, leaving him at least still stabby, if less agile!     Also leaves him open to the stabbing. At something at the midsection of a humanoid and a mecha, and still growing, Jack is starting to be a little better matched to the mecha battle, which is why the beam saber lancing through his opposite side doesn't seal the deal, but leaves a self-cauterized wound that he kicks hard away from. He kicks very very nearly into Lezard's blast, which scythes hard into his side. But with a beat of his wings, he can evade the bulk of it and tumble dramatically, battered by Mauve in an annoyed way. Deelel quickly capitalizes on his position, crunching bone and steel armor on his body with heavy keyblade and disk impacts!     With a massive stomp, he disperses the rest of the incoming damage. Slamming his knife into the ground, he roots himself into the deck of the ship. His back opens wide, unfurling a number of heavy explosive cannons. He gives Staren his response: That he can recognize /maybe/ three of these coffin-stuffers, and he /still/ doesn't care. Jack Noir is not thinking on this topic, he's feeling on it. He's processing it through regions of the brain Staren has long ago lost touch with, the kind that make one act with force and demand circumstance change around it. He's also unloading streams and streaks of explosive bolts onto the attackers. Slamming the opposite hand down, he tries to knock Mauve Gauntlet off and send her crashing to the deck, then he flaps those wings, lists only a little, and begins heavy diving horn-spear attacks, as well as efforts to impale attackers on the saber-teeth, and blast those he can't quite reach with that air-bursting TNT!
Big Boss	Jack's synch but lack of reply causes Big Boss to 'hm' to himself thoughtfully. That's good. They can end this, then. As the claws swipe out and the explosive cannons blast around, knocking Big Boss backwards, he rallies through it, allowing his suit to take damage and keep him alive, even if he's pushing it. He fires the rest of his rifle's ammunition straight at Jack, and then discards the rifle for the missile launcher on the ground. Grabbing it, he loads it with mini-missiles, and then has the systems track for Jack's chest. And then they aim a little lower, to avoid /killing him/. The trigger is pulled. Missiles go flying for Jack Noir, trying to bludgeon and blast him until he's either retreating or, preferably, unconscious enough for a fulton. With his size, it's unlikely he'll kill him. That's beneficial.
Sumiko	TNT explosions send the Magical Girl back, using her sword to brace against the force, but it wasn't enough, feeling pieces of her body tear away at the pain.  Magical energy attempts to repair the damage, at least enough to keep her fighting.  Sword coming down again as she narrows her eyes.   She makes a call over the radio, and then turns her blade, edge towards herself.  There is just a bit of a mirror shine, and a second Mikoto walks out of the sword.  The two of them stand ready to fight before the first Mikoto charges forward.  The second one jumps in front, and the two seem to change positions rapidly.   One jumps off the waiting blade of the second, aiming to flip over Jack.  Then with a burst of speed, they both come down at Jack at the same time, one aiming a blade for his chest, while one aims for his back.
Linehart	Jack turns into a JRPG Final Boss. He gets wings. He gets horns. He gets hooves. He gets metal bits. He goes up, and he comes *charging* down, smashing directly into Linehart with all his force. The horn gets inside the armor, up under the shoulder, up *into* it. Linehart is almost, almost, lifted off the ground; the sheer force of the collision would make dust if this was a thing that could have dust on it. The omnipresent silvery particles of the Soft Expanse scatter around the impact instead, spiralling off in contrails of liquid light. The ship itself cracks under the weight of the two of them.                                     188                                          Linehart holds Jack Noir down. He doesn't have *any* unarmed skill, but he does have raw, unbelievable, superhuman strength, the kind of thing you need to wield a Crasher Sword or a Muramasa or his own monster spear. He holds Jack Noir in place for Big Boss's salvo as something gathers in his hand.      Lezard might remember this one.                         And now, the final curtain!                              It is night. It is raw, unbelievable night. It is the tenebrous deep of the abyss, the black that stretches between the pinpricks of light, between countless worlds. It is the endless, everpresent dark which gathers in his hand like particulates. It is butterflies of raw and alien dark. It thrums and pulses behind Jack Noir's head as Big Boss's missiles go screaming into it.               The night that proclaims the time of extinction.                    The world goes white, but for the sky.      The party stands upon a plane of white light. Above, the sky is full of stars, of galaxies, of whirling, perfectly-clear distant worlds. It is a beautiful sight, a sight unseen in worlds full of pollution or modernity, a crystal-clear image of the universe. It is a marvelous thing to look upon, a perfect, clockwork creation - the celestial spheres and their music whirling before all and sundry.      And then the lights start going out.      At first it is slow - a pinprick vanishes here, a point goes dark there, the quiet heartbeat of vanishing starlight. But as it goes it goes faster, and faster, and faster, as if that heartbeat is racing towards an inexorable burst. More and more die the lights, faster and faster, an onrushing night, a tidal wave of shadow and despair and the mortality of the universe itself, that even that in which all things are must one day cease to be. The shadow ripples through galaxies; they go still as a winter's night. It washes through nebulas, wiping them clean from existence. At the last, the sun itself goes black, and all that remains is the party, Jack Noir, the platform of light, and the infinite, eerie void.      Linehart closes his hand.                                   FIAT NOX                                        And then the platform is gone. Jack Noir, at the heart of it all, is met with that onrushing primordial shadow. The end of existence collapses down upon him. It is the hand of God squeezing the last light from the universe, the final crunch before the beginning of the new. Jack, and all else, collapses into a pinprick of light.      And then it ends, and the world reasserts itself, and all things are as they were. Not a single star is gone. Not a single light has vanished. Not a single thing was harmed - all that force was spent on Jack Noir.
Deelel	Jack transforms again getting more like a freaking mecha of some sort. Or at least the sort of thing you would think hot-blooded mecha pilot would be shouting at and fighting. She will get moving as she's managed to score a pretty good hit but the aftermath of that knife wound is still troubling her and a few voxels fall out of the wound. Then he comes back in and she'll catch her disc just in time use her blade to parry the fangs and keep from being pinned to the ground, or worse. It's not enough to save her from harm. She doesn't falter though and there's a look on her face. It's a rather angry one. "STOP WITH THIS GLITCHED UP NULL CODE!" She'll keep her Keyblade in hand and then take something in her off hand she charges Jack she'll attempt to get in and starts smacking him with her Keyblade, but that is only the star she'll attempt to jump up and throw the puck like thing for Jack's back. the light charge, if it hits, will latch on and detonate. If that goes off Deelel will dash back in and try to smack Jack upside the head with the flat of Keyblade.
Lezard Valeth	The world is fire and pain.     The detonating inferno rises around Lezard, crashing about him. Clothing scorches. Flesh sears. He is buffetted by the blasts like it is a hurricane, the endless power of the White coursing through the enemy continuing to dominante and annihilate its foes. The great spirograph continues to twist below as Lezard rises to the challengs and is once again cast down by the godlike force, an Icarus that falls once again to burn and perish. Already, glittering sparkles rise around him as his spirit prepares to depart this devastated shell, the pain growing too great to bear.     Bleary eyes open, the Sorceror of Midgard falling towards the great Spirograph, a power unknown contained within.... Or is it unknown? The works of these people have been seen before. The eye follows the arc, the spinning graph cutting in arcane, complex layers over and over again... "The arcs..." And on the edge of dissolution, he seizes upon it. Half delerious, he begins to speak, trying to come to the conclusion before all sense unravels.     "They turn and turn but in the end they return to the beginning. Another cycle. Another symbol of destruction and rebirth. The end is simply the beginning, repeating." Destruction. Rebirth. Annihilation. Creation. A multdimensional lemniscate, infinity laid upon infinity, a twisted strip... And his eyes widen, a moment of crystallized realization beginning to form within his thoughts. He begins to shudder, a laugh tearing from his body as he falls towards that crimson-streaked graph in the sky, stopping there through a colossal effort of will. A soundless detonation rips outwards as he calls out. "Symbol that promises life. Symbol that promises death. An infinite expanse... Forged through blood and sacrifice and knowledge. YOU! HERALD OF ARMAGEDDON! I SHALL PROVIDE YOU WITH WHAT YOU DESIRE MOST... DESTRUCTION BEYOND COMPARE! BEHOLD... FOR THE SKY FALLS, AS FORETOLD!"     Cascading lines of light rip from Lezard, unfettered, unfiltered power that streaks into the sky as he reaches upwards, outwards, deep into the void.     Seconds pass. It seems like nothing happens, as Lezard hangs there, a beacon of burning energy below the ship.... And it comes. The sky roars, sizzling crimson, dust and clouds swirling chaotically as the darkness answers the call. Streaking from the horizon, meteorites surge downwards, molten rock cascading down in arcs of fire and destruction to plummet towards the ship, towards the would-be King upon the deck. And again, Lezard's voice can be heard.     "No mercy for the damned!"         "Thus, thou hast no escape from the grip of catastrophe!"     The chaos gapes wide, a great, devastating meteor descending, crushing towards the ship and threatening to shatter it and the King upon it as Lezard expends every last ounce of his power.                               "METEOR SWARM!"
Staren	"Really? Have you stopped thinking completely? Is this power you're using turning you into a beast? Do you think that if you have enough power, you cannot lose? Because the thing about beasts is..."     Staren tries to sidestep the charge and grab the horn, but he only accomplishes one of these things; barely able to guide it away from the cockpit, at least, and into a side torso.     "Rgh... the thing about beasts is... They'll lose to anything that can THINK! No matter how much power you have, if you can't understand what danger you're in... you'll end up dead in a trap!"     It would have been more dramatic if he'd actually executed some brilliant maneuver; or perhaps the speech would be more poignant if Staren tossed him into the air and then filled him with holes like a hunted bird... But, he has to settle for what he CAN do: With Jack's horn stuck in its torso, the Star Hawk draws a mecha-scale mad science revolver, tries to place the muzzle against the side of Jack's head point-blank, and pulls the trigger!
Mauve Gauntlet	Jack pulls with enough force to rip Mauves anchors out of the deck, slamming her down hard. Her armor is cracked in places, exposing angry red wireframes and rusting voxels. "I...I'll..." she murmurs over the radio, and raises her hand up again. Would it even work this time or just get her beat up more? Her hand shakes, and fires towards the scepter again. it's got a lot less force this time, and could probably easily get knocked of the air, but it's something right?
Arthur Lowell	A detonation. The blast from Big Boss impacts Jack Noir like a truck. A CRITICAL HIT! The man is hit hard, listing out of the air and stumbling onto the ground. His midsection smokes. His scowl worsens, and a wince of pain creeps in. He grits his razor teeth and narrows his eyes at Big Boss. He keeps his eyes locked on that foe when the blade plunges into his chest from the front and the back with great force -- he simply has shifted his body so they hit vitals only a little before he tries to shake Mikoto(s) free.     Probably best she (they) not be attached for this next bit anyway. That's when he charges down Linehart -- and gets jammed. The world is overwritten. Jack seems to know what this is about, what this is like. He knows a FRAYMOTIF when he sees one. The shadow rushes in. Primordial dark. Shadow magic crushes him and     Linehart     can feel     something     fall into     place.     But that will have no special meaning tonight. What matters most is that Jack has come out of it crumpled and battered. Bone fragments were crunched. Steel was rent asunder. He's still fast and moving quick though, especially when Deelel moves in for melee. Another knife, another high-intensity melee exchange, one that ends in an opening. An opening, specifically, where his entire back is blasted apart with a high-intensity explosive charge! There go those wings.     Jack is reeling, strained, but still ready to go. His eyes are bloodshot, but focused, determined. He is powered by hate, and they have yet to make him hate any less. Meat slowin' down the murder. He can still charge. He charges Staren, specifically. But like any good raid, the exploits to get good hits on the boss are shared among the group, and Staren manages to pin him. The gun comes up... It brutalizes his head, but mostly along his eye in a deep scythe along his skull, because of something unexpected, understood only a moment after it has happened.     He yanks back. He's bleeding from the skull. His grip is white-knuckled on the scepter; it's what keeps him going. His whole body shudders as he gets distance from Staren.     He moves for Lezard. His mouth splits wide. He still has that TNT-breath. A shining light churns within... And he lets out heavy streaks of explosive light. Blast after blast. Meteor after meteor is detonated in the sky, but Jack should know better than anyone that some reckonings are impossible to stop with something like that. The meteors overpower him in seconds, tearing apart his body, battering him over and over. And from the side... Mauve Gauntlet's Mauve Gauntlet pulls him out of his guard and stretches his arm wide. One of the biggest meteors manages to get through and simply rip that entire arm off with a brutal, screeching wrenching sound.     If someone wants the SCEPTER, they better scramble -- it's falling overboard and it's heavy enough, and for the moment still large enough, that it might need multiple people to grab it besides just Mauve Gauntlet, but she certainly has a kind of dibs on it. Jack is almost instantly back to his normal size, and normal shape. For a given value of normal, that is: His right eye has been brutalized, and his left arm is removed, leaving a stump behind.     He holds one of his knives in the remaining hand, wobbling on his feet. He may, in fact, be unconscious at this point, and stabbing anything near him entirely on instinct. It's just how Jack Noir is. But if one wanted to make a capture effort, they'd better do it fast. Because the ship, battered by this battle, is starting to list to one side and head towards the Soft Expanse at a slow but /worryingly accelerating/ speed.     Arthur is already pulling the GOLD SCOUT up next to the deck to help people disembark. With the WHITE KING'S SCEPTER disconnected from both Jack Noir and the ship, its baleful influence on the SKAIAN CONSTRUCT is disrupted, and the storm is already starting to abate.
Linehart	The force of Fiat Nox is expended. Linehart is out of Spirit Points, drained dry with the casting of one of his strongest spells. Jack Noir recognizes a FRAYMOTIF; Linehart understands, in the core of his soul, what that is, only because there is some kinship here, some kinship between himself and Jack Noir. It's not in the emotions but in the trappings, not in the self but in the aesthetics.      That's part of why he's unwilling to let Jack Noir die.      Linehart grabs the barrel from Staren's revolver and simply *yanks* it upwards, overwhelming strength counting on Staren not being aware of the act. His foot swings backwards into the unconscious Jack, taking a stab in the leg in the process.      My apologies. But I can't allow you to execute him.      The spear, Aledvar, emerges from nowhere, shouldered, dripping with esoteric red runes that probably mean nothing but *look* really cool. He plants himself between 'the party' and 'Jack Noir' - practically daring them to come at him as his boss music swells.
Sumiko	Mikoto is ready! She has been waiting for this moment after Lezard tasked her with this.  Mikoto B jumps off the side of the ship, aiming to try and grab the staff as it falls.  This gives the staff a larger surface area to grab.   Like by a frog.  Who is large, and has been there the entire scene, sitting there and ribbiting the entire time. The tongue shoots out at Mikoto's aim, aiming to grab her mirror self and drag both it and the staff into the mouth of the frog.  Who then spits both out right into Real Mikoto's hands.  Mirror Mikoto shatters as a result.
Big Boss	As Jack Noir goes down, Big Boss radios something in. The helicopter returns, and something is launched from it accurately at Big Boss. He grabs the package, and rushes over the ship towards Jack, guarding his body, moving rapidly to avoid getting sleep-stabbed and using CQC to block. The fulton package is attached to Jack Noir, and when it activates, a large balloon pops out, bringing him into the sky. After hovering there for a few seconds, he rapidly ascends, to be caught by a fly-by and brought to base. "Linehart, Deelel, good work. We'll take care of the rest."
Deelel	With Jack down and her allies going to collect him? She looks to something else the White Kings Septor Deelel will make a dive for it trying to get the relic of the old session before it's lost. If anything she thinks she knows who should have it. For the moment though the basic is going to have to try to make it. She'll make her dive to get it and she's confident in her plan to escape the falling ship. Though the odds may not be in her favour at all.
Staren	Staren is surprised and angry as Linehart interrupts his attack... but, Jack is depowered and the immediate danger is over.     Perhaps if Staren knew what a force of nature Jack Noir was, he'd consider him too dangerous to leave alive. But as it is, he is Violent Guy In My Way #3657 and Staren's not aware of his crimes against innocents.     Staren sighs. <"...It's fine. Just don't let him keep getting in our way.">     Since he's got his own vehicle the falling ship isn't a problem -- it's just a shame he can't examine it while it's still in one piece. On the bright side, he's available to catch any fallers with his giant robot hands and bring them back to Arthur's ship.
Deelel	She's a second too slow Mikoto has beat her to the rod and she'll end up sliding right off the side of the ship. There's no scream though and a moment later Deelel will be seen flying off on her light jet. What the hell just happened there?
Arthur Lowell	Mikoto and Mauve each have a hand on the WHITE KING'S SCEPTER. While it may be classed as a WMD, in a sense, it was long ago expended and has much of its energy drained. It still has its uses, though, as Jack Noir has demonstrated today. What is the link between Skaia and the Christmas Present? It's unclear. What's clear is that Mikoto has given it all the respect it is due: Getting mouth-fondled by a giant amphibian.     Jack Noir attempts to sleep-stab Big Boss several times, but succeeds in none of them. He fultons away drifting off. The ship pitches further and further. It's descending into the massive spirograph, passing through the center.     Everyone present can hear whispers. Soft sounds of human-like voices. There are noises: Machinery, society, life. Exotic energies. For a moment, just a moment, they can see a continent flicker into view -- no, it goes on further. Further and further. An exotic landscape, where huge spirographs flicker above sections in a regular grid-like arrangement.     There is a titanic tower in the center, wrought of obsidian, stretching high into the sky. It burns the eye just to glimpse.
Lezard Valeth	Lezard revels in the destruction, himself caught on the edge between life and death. The carnage and chaos is wrought. And he laughs. The ship begins to fall, and he laughs, slowly sliding out of the path of the descent. The vision visits him, and he tilts his head, considering the nature of what has happened, a future of hexes, a tower of black.     Towers are always important. It will be something to keep in mind for later.      Drained of power, he can do little more than watch as the remainder of the efforts play out. The Watch seeks to acquire Noir. The Concord, the Scepter. Despite his normally overwhelming force, he has little left to spare here, his will mostly exhausted.     So it is that Lezard slowly creates a teleportation circle, working to transfer himself to a safe location before someone takes advantage of the opportunity to deal with him.