When Samus witnessed the electrical charge all congregate on the one nearest to her and Luigi, she didn't know exactly what it meant, but it wasn't hard to guess that they were about to attack. Rather than attempting to dodge, however, she instead jumped in between the head lizard and Luigi, aiming to take the brunt of the attack for her lesser shielded companion.
She had thought they would send a bolt of electricity; instead, what she got was a massive circular outburst. Unfortunately this lessened her ability to defend Luigi, but hopefully she managed to absorb the blast from him.
As it surged into Samus, it didn't hit with much kinetic force, so at least she wasn't hurled back. However, electricity surged visibly through the power suit. She grunted and swayed dramatically, bringing her arm up instinctively as her HUD wailed.
It came as soon as it went, and before a second was over it discharged to the ground and left her; her shields had lost 50 units, but she herself was quite undamaged.
She grimaced and raised her cannon again; this time she instead simply started locking on and hailing missiles on them, starting with the lead. She dashed to the side and backwards around the circumference of the chamber, making sure this time to stay out of their observed range.
edited 8th Mar '14 1:42:36 AM by tvtropesnoob
Sayaka
Sayaka visibly jumped when the thunderclap rang out in the other room.
“You know, I’m startin’ to think that might be a good idea, ”
Sayaka nodded and gulped.
"Yup, its a good idea."
Sayaka spared Fluttershy a quick look and a reassuring grin.
"Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine," with that Sayaka burst into her magical girl outfit with a fountain of sapphire dew drops.
Alright.....lets go...
Though Sazh had cast vigilance upon himself, Sayaka easily out matched him in speed- pools of blue coloured magic splashed out behind her as she left Sazh in the dust. It seems as if adrenaline and a helping of magic was enough to kick Sayaka back into gear.
Lightning Lizards
Even as Samus went on the defensive, rolling backwards to get out of range of the killer lizards, something blue and glowing whizzed over her head with the sound of slicing air. Samus didn't need to wait for long to see what they actually were. There were thunks as half a dozen scimitars sank into the stone work around the little lizards- though sadly, none of the swords hit their intended target, it was nevertheless a pretty good reason for the lizards to start moving again.
Then in blundered Sayaka, coming in too fast to really take in the situation. However, she was aiming for those little nasty looking lizards currently skittering round the place.
With a sweep of her hand, a fresh wave of swords flew through the air. This time, Sayaka hoped that she wouldn't miss.
"Samus-san!" She shouted.
"Are you alright?"
Riverrock - Vagabond District
Johnny sighed and steeled himself, and quickly plunged himself through the brothel's door. He looked for the "reception area", and if he found it, he would walk cautiously up to it and tell the receptionist:
"I'm looking for, uh, Evening Mist. She saw a murder last night, and won't talk to the police, sorry, The City Watch. So they sent me, a guy who doesn't care about whatever happens here because it's not hurting anyone, can't make arrests of any sort, and is not being paid for this whatsoever, to talk to her. So may I?"
Well... okay. Envy had to admit that he pretty much underestimated the golem's general toughness, seeing that it had easily shrugged off a full frontal assault from the knight wielding that very large blade. Not to mention that it's also a lot smarter for an artificial construct as it tries to grab the woman on top of it instead of possibly bashing its own head.
Depending on how things go from here, they now have two poisoned warriors who were supposed to be the group's top frontliners and one heavily injured fighter. The situation is already looking bleak for them and they haven't even encountered the main forces yet.
And yet, Envy still remained at where he last stood; although this time, with a grin on his face. It is as though he is finding the entire damn situation... interesting. That the very notion of how these pitiful humans were heavily struggling and possibly dying by its hands... excites him. How will it turn out in the end? What sort of death will Envy get to witness? What would these humans' reactions be by then?
Just as the homunculus was already anticipating at what would happen next, the old crone had performed one of her 'magic' abilities and summoned what seems to be an armed chimera. Seeing this, Envy clicked his tongue in slight disappointment; already sensing that this battle will be over soon. He'd hoped that it would last just a bit longer, if only to see just how far will the group fare.
Ah well, he can always expect it later on as they went deeper into the complex. And besides, he can't have them die too early now, can he? Weak as they may be, they still have their uses.
At least... until they reached the orb.
Chun-Li
If she had not been expecting its speed, she would have been at the golem's mercy... If.
Chun-Li had observed how fast it was when it attacked Garland, so she anticipated that it would try to quickly attack her and hopefully smash its own head in when she moved out of the way... Unfortunately, that was not the case, as it had aimed to grab her leg, so while Chun-Li was able to move out of the way just in time, the golem was left unharmed do to the nature of the attack. Chun-Li gazed at the construct from a distance once she had landed.
"Strong, fast, and smart... I'm impressed," Chun-Li mused about the Iron Golem, biding time until she could think of another vector of attack. "How's Plan Quicksand coming along, Edward?"
edited 8th Mar '14 4:05:51 AM by GameGuruGG
Wizard Needs Food BadlyLeo, Versus The Golem
Leo assessed the situation from here. His blades seemed to do some actual damage. Good, perhaps he had found the chink in the golem's armor? After his attack, Leo stayed behind the creature, as per Nana Karas' warning that the gas came from the golem's visor. This kept him out of range of the gas, for a while at least.
Not only was their target fast for such a towering threat, its armor had effortlessly repelled attacks to its chest. A quick bruiser, this one. And the cyborg wasn't going to let it get another chance. While the sage summoned backup, and the minute alchemist worked on a plan, Leo sprinted towards the creature's back, blades outstretched, making sure the gas was clear by then.
His cybernetic precision allowed him to stop at the golem's vicinity for all of a few milliseconds, as he waited to react to the golem's move.
"Shake the dust." - Anis Mojgani"Still though, just in case - "
Sayaka then transformed and sped past the pony, following Sazh. "Oh, okay," she said and quickly followed. As she did, the pony noticed the skeleton on the way through the passage. She cringed a bit, only at imagining how that person might have died.....
She then entered the main chamber just in time to Sayaka firing swords at.....CUTE LITTLE LIZARDS!!!
"WAIT, STOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!" Fluttershy called out to the magical girl.
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!Tesseract'
Noel simply slumped onto the floor, not even Bolverk could supress the fear Omega had instilled in her just. And the sheer thankfulness that it was all over.
From her spot on the ground she looked blankly up at Yee, like he was some kind of god, not speaking, and just barely comprehending everything around her.
PM box is Closed, Indefinitely Friend Code: 3368-4181-6850The Catacombs
The green mist engulfed Garland. Though he tried not to inhale it, it somehow found it's way into his lungs nontheless, drying out his throat on the way down and leaving it burning and itching. He staggered for a moment, almost missing his opponent raising it's weapon, but the movement brought him back to reality.
He brought up his own enourmous weapon to block the incoming attack, placing his left hand on the flat to better take it. Even so, the force of the blow cracked the ground under his feet and may well have broken something in his left arm, if the sudden burst of pain was any indication. He struggled under the continued weight as the others attempted their own tactics.
Village of Threshold
Elizabeth's ears twitched ever so slightly at the sound of the shout. "Poison...? Oh my, it sounds like we should check back on them." As she said this, though, she looked regretfully at the alleyway, loathe to leave the mystery unsolved. "...it's not like we can gain anything from staying." she added, reluctantly. She set off back towards the hall at a hurried pace. I'll assume it took them a little while to get back, so they haven't arrived yet.
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in."It's going to happen, but on a much smaller scale." Edward said as he started collecting the phials of salt. "I saw some moisture, which means we have a small amount of water. We can't create a big pool of quicksand to trap the big guy over there, but what we can do.." He started moving around the golem, collecting sand. "... is create a small pool. Trap his foot or his sword if he tries to impale the ground."
Keeping a distance from the golem, Edward reached for the moisture under the stairs, spreading the sand and the salt together before clapping his hands. The objective of this transmutation was simple- use the three elements (salt, water and sand) to create the quicksand he wanted. It wouldn't be too deep, but it would provide enough distraction for them to hopefully land a killing blow to the golem.
"Here!" Edward yelled when he saw the blurry pool barely the size of the golem's feet appear in front of him. Not that deep, and not that big, but at least it would do something. "Some quicksand!" He repeated, before clapping his hands and touching the ground, a rock pillar sprouting from the ground next to the golem, trying to push him towards the quicksand pool.
Luigi huffed and puffed as he ran as fast as he could, but as he heard the sounds of a scuffle, he stopped. The world around him went into slow motion as he started thinking. Maybe he should try and be the hero again. Maybe he could valiantly jump back into the fray, take care of the lizards and save Samus. And then maybe...
My hero!
Images of Samus giving him a kiss on the cheek followed by the team declaring him 'the best leader of all time' filled his mind, and with newfound determination- and a little drool on his mouth- Luigi turned around, ready to jump back in... only to find himself face to face with the backside of Samus' metal suit, just as the shockwave passed through them, causing Luigi to get shocked (not that much, though). He fell on his back, still 'frizzling' from the shock, slowly raising his finger. "Give me a-one second to recuperate..."
Pride's glare followed the Urizen as he made his speech. What an idiot. Didn't he know how this job worked? He needed the child disguise to be a part of the group, to know which step to take and which step to avoid. It wasn't something you could just get back after revealing your true self. One step out of the line, and nobody trusts you anymore.
One step out of line. Pride heard the Urizen as he continued his speech, going as far as to touch his shoulder. One step out of line, and his cover was blown. Pride never stepped out of line. Through all the years he was working for Father, he never stepped out of line. Every day, the same routine, the same illusion of a normal child.
Every. Single. Day.
He had never stepped out of line. He had always watched as the worthless humans walked around, spreading their filth throughout the world. Every day, he wanted to watch them burn, watch them beg for mercy, watch them recognize his greatness, watch them get on their knees and plead for their lives as he cirurgically removes every one of their limbs and forces them to watch as he sews them together in a mad cacophony of body parts, a never-ending torture as the entire planet falls to an era of shadows where the only thing, the only higher being, is him.
Just one step out of line, and he could have that moment he desired.
"Yes." Pride said, nodding. "I see your point." He tapped his chin, trying to look like he was doing the Urizen a favor by accepting his point of view. "I will show them pain and suffering, the kind they have never witnessed before." His finger twitched, as a small smirk almost found its way to Pride's face. Oh, the fun he would have...
edited 11th Mar '14 8:39:56 PM by Stratofarius
Crystal Tesseract
Yee stepped back from Tron, letting the rest of the Challengers approach her. His chest ached with sympathy. They were battered. Bruised. Weary.
"I am sorry that you had to suffer so," he said quietly. As long as it is in my power, such a thing will not happen again."
He fell silent. There was nothing more to say. The White rippled as he gestured with his cane. Another shift, another translocation in some incomprehensible direction - then they were all standing in the hexagonal corridor again, like they were before all the madness started. Cold metal beneath their feet, doors stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Here you may find rest and comfort, and the familiar things of your homeworlds. Simply shape the White with your minds. You may select whichever room you please."
It was a feeble gesture, he realized. But he could do nothing more. He knew too much of what the insane mind could do, and too little of how to treat it. And the passage of time had dulled him.
"If anyone wishes to talk," he ventured, "I will be here."
And that was that.
edited 15th Mar '14 2:26:22 AM by troydenite
"WHOA, what was that?!"
"I have no idea....."
"Sure about one thing, though - "
"Never wanna go through it again?"
"F*** yes."
Over by one corner was a large cage containing what looked like literally balls of fluff with large eyes. To others it sounded like they were making random squeeking noises, but those whom are more observant would realize they were having something akin to a conversation.....
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!Owain pushed himself up to a kneeling position to watch the spectacle Yee put on to rid Omega from the Tesseract. He was awed and intensely relieved by what had taken place, but despite Omega's riddance, he couldn't help but still feel sick. Sick from letting Omega twist his mind and falling prey to his manipulations.
He tried to reassure himself by thinking of this as merely another trial in his long path to carving himself out in the eternal walls of legend, but he still felt a great disappointment weighing down in the back of his head. He wanted to shake it off as soon as possible.
He shakily got to his feet, sheathing Missiletainn and dusting himself off. He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to his face, adopting his typical pose in an attempt to regain his composure.
"I... can confirm that I am perfectly fine, Yosuke! It will take more than a little madness to bring one of legends' breed down for the count!" As confident as he made himself out to be, the part of his face that wasn't obscured made it quite clear he was still as beaten and rattled as everyone else.
"Yee," he said, as his sights shifted over to him, "You have my eternal gratitude for setting us free from that monster's grasp, and for restoring life unjustly taken." He glanced at Tron and looked back at Yee, gratitude and admiration indeed shining through his battered eyes. "However," he continued, "Before we retire, I just wish to ask... Why have we specifically been brought here?"
"I understand the... threat, Omega carries, and I pledge my service to you to stop him," he said, "But surely there must be others far more powerful than us to confront him, isn't there?"
mario is red, i am green, i try my best, but everyone's meanXigbar raised an eyebrow at Saren's unique method of travel. Well, as long as they didn't endanger themselves needlessly, that's all that mattered. He nodded at the Turian's suggestion and vanished into a corridor of darkness. Soon after, the Nobody reappeared further down the pathway, hoping he made it in time to catch the agile runner. He readied himself by aiming his guns towards the other end where the lizard may appear.
[DATA LOST]As Noel finally began to return to lucidity she noted that they were back. The void made by Omega was gone and Yee was standing there. Slowly getting to her feet she went and queitly stood by the others, still pretty rattled by recent events.
PM box is Closed, Indefinitely Friend Code: 3368-4181-6850The Gogol Plains—Burial Complex, BF1
Struck head-on by the pillar of rock Edward had conjured up with his alchemy, the iron golem staggered back half a step. It did not topple backwards down the flight of stairs, managing to keep its balance; it did, however, step right into the trap the fullmetal alchemist had prepared for it.
The automaton’s right foot stepped into the shallow pool of quicksand and sank rapidly, sinking almost to the knee. Forced into an awkward position by this, the golem glanced at the ground swallowing up its leg in what could have passed for confusion. The automaton jerked once, twice, violently attempting to free itself; its efforts were futile, however, and it was stuck fast.
But while the golem may have been immobilized, it was not defenseless. The construct lifted its head to stare at the Champions in front of it, and with a sound like a rusty valve turning it expelled another cloud of poison gas from its visor slit. At the same time it brought its massive sword up into a guard position, ready to slash at anyone foolish enough to attack from the front.
The same could not be said of its back—on that side the golem was wide open. The red-skinned, dog-faced humanoid that Nana Karas had summoned a moment before reached the golem, and brought his sword down across its back in a two-handed blow; the blade carved a shallow gash into the metal, damaging it slightly.
“Do not relent!” the creature barked. “’Tis tough, but not invulnerable. Strike until it can move no more!”
Unnoticed by all, a few faint sparks flickered in the brazier where Edward had found his salt…
The Marshes of Ia-Kong—River Ziggurat
Sazh started as Sayaka shot past him, nearly slamming into the passage wall as he leapt aside. Damn, he thought to himself, wearily shaking his head. I’m too old fer all this runnin’ around…
Nevertheless he pressed on, though he would only arrive a little after the Puella Magi did.
Eastern Passage
As Samus would discover, staying out of the shocker lizards’ range would not be easy; the passageway itself, though long, was barely twenty feet wide, leaving her well within the radius of their deadly electrical blasts.
The lizards themselves continued to trill in alarm and run about, desperately trying to avoid the missiles streaking towards them. They soon found that difficult, however, as Sayaka’s ring of scimitars hedged the dangerous little reptiles in. The swords were just far enough that two were able to wriggle between the curved blades and escape the trap, but the other two weren’t as lucky: one was struck full-on by a missile, and let out a brief squawk as it disappeared in a small explosion; and the other croaked as one of Sayaka’s swords pinned it to the ground like a butterfly on display and lay still, dead as a doornail.
Now there were only two left of the original six, and the overmatched reptiles quickly began to flee.
It was at this point that Sazh arrived, slightly winded. He took in the situation at a glance, noting the electricity crackling around the lizards with a raised eyebrow. “Huh. I was expectin’ whatever made that explosion ta be bigger…”
He trailed off then, eyes narrowing as he noticed something slink into view at the far end of the processional. “Now, what the hell’re you?”
The creature that had just rounded the corner was a bizarre and gangly thing, five feet tall at the hips and seven feet from snout to tail, its scaly body supported by a pair of slender legs like those of some flightless bird. Its head was a misshapen cone rimmed with fleshy tendrils, sporting a sphincter-like orifice on what would have been the forehead of a human being.
◊ It was joined moments later by two more.
Letting out warbling, alien hoots, these new creatures came at the Champions at a swift run. As soon as they closed to within twenty feet of the group the sphincters on their heads dilated, and each monster sprayed cones of acid twenty feet long and twenty feet across at their widest point. Once they had fired their caustic fluids, the creatures converged on Samus—perhaps identifying her as the biggest threat—and began to kick at her with their wickedly clawed feet.
Western Passage
As Saren sprinted down the hall, his passage set off more traps; numerous darkened sections of the floor shut up in his wake with lightning speed, smashing into the spiked roof above with resounding bangs.
Though he was fast enough not to be caught in any of these deadly traps, the repeated impacts against the roof were having unintended consequences. Jarred loose by the earth-shaking impacts, dozens of those steel spikes began dropping to the floor like a shower of deadly metal raindrops. Now Saren would need to dodge these as well. Worse, some were striking patches of darkened tile ahead of the turian, setting off traps and creating a veritable obstacle course for him to work through.
Further ahead, Xigbar materialized in the stretch of passage just beyond the bend. The landwym scampered into view just as he appeared, and as the creature caught sight of him its cruel eyes went wide in an almost cartoonish display of surprise as it skidded to a halt.
Then its gaze narrowed, and it broke into a swift charge at the Nobody. “Comin fhrou, human!” it called, its words muffled by the book in its mouth.
Riverrock—Vagabond District, Saucy Jane's
The woman behind the flophouse’s reception desk took in Johnny’s story with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s not the wildest story I’ve ever heard from a boy wanting to see Evening Mist… but it’s definitely up there.” Shrugging, she jerked her thumb towards the back. “She’s in room four, kid, though you probably won’t get anything out of her; poor thing’s shut herself up in there and hasn’t said a word since last night.”
Between the Planes
The Urizen’s smile widened. His grip on Pride’s shoulder grew uncomfortably tight for a moment, the talons on his fingers pressing into the Homunculus’ skin through the fabric of his shirt with just enough pressure to draw blood. “Good,” he rasped, his voice the low, wet growl of a tiger about to pounce. “I had a feeling you would see things my way.”
Releasing Pride, the elf straightened up to his full height. Icy vapours gathered around him, filling the air with the knifing chill of a moonless winter’s night; the hems of his robes began to billow as he looked down at Pride, caught in a sudden, driving wind that swept in from nowhere.
“Go then, Pride of the Seven Homunculi. The silver lustre of his scaled robes faded, swallowing up what little light existed in this dark and dismal boundary plane until nothing could be seen but his monochrome eyes, glowing like a pair of cold, dead suns in the blackness. “Go and indulge your lust for violence; teach the mortals to fear the beast that walks in their midst.”
The wind intensified, howling, lashing at Pride from all sides. Beneath the fabric of his shirt, droplets of blood welled up from where the Urizen’s metal claws had broken the skin. In marked defiance of gravity the blood slid upward in five trails, trails that quickly met and coiled around one another in a tangled morass to form a peculiar sigil as they dried…
The Urizen’s voice was no longer in front of the Homunculus, instead seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “Rend. Slaughter. Devour your erstwhile allies. Feast as you will, but remember; leave the chieftains alive.”
Those dead suns were rising into the air, the distance between them increasing noticeably, as if their sockets were now farther apart than they’d been a moment before. The baleful light of the Urizen’s stare shone down upon Pride, seething with power and knowledge; to meet that unholy gaze, to stare into those inhuman eyes for more than an instant, would be to court madness.
“Serve me well in this, Pride, and you will be rewarded properly,” the Urizen promised. “I shall provide you with purpose and power, both greater than anything your creator could have intended for you.”
The voice’s tone turned cold. “Fail me… and I will make you yearn for something as simple as what we put you through just now.”
With those words, those silver suns abruptly winked out—
The Scaled Nations—Village of Threshold
Nodding, Tethrasur began to follow Elizabeth… only to pause as the sound of howling wind reached his ears.
Turning towards its source, the First Shaman immediately tensed. “What devilry is this?”
Before his eyes, the shadows at the back of the alleyway deepened, flowing across the walls like an oily tide to form a rippling, shimmering oval of murky blackness. Frigid wind gusted from this orifice, carrying fronds and wisps of icy vapour markedly out of place in these warm environs.
Almost as quickly as it appeared, the portal collapsed in on itself and was gone… but not before disgorging the small, childlike figure of Selim Bradley from its depths.
“Then I will attempt to identify it myself,” Shinuaq’tan said, rising laboriously from his throne. All in attendance looked on as the venerable chieftain made his way to the center of the floor, his posture hunched, his steps low and laboured. Stooping, he picked up one of the sais Khex had been wielding and held it up to the light.
The chieftain’s brows furrowed, cataract-afflicted eyes narrowing. He brought the weapon’s tip to one nostril and took a deep sniff.
His scowl deepened. “This is hyacinth,” he said with certainty. “A dangerous and natural poison, this; even the bulbs are hazardous to touch.” He swept his gaze across the chamber. “Only a shaman would have the skill to handle and apply such mortal blooms.”
The Danse Macabre Codex“That narrows the list of suspects,” muttered Ranmaru. He rubbed his chin and looked around. “My lord,” he said after a while, addressing Shinuaq'tan, “are all the Shamans of your kind assembled here?”
On empty crossroads, seek the eclipse -- for when Sol and Lua align, the lost shall find their way home.Leo, The Gogol Plains, Burial Complex
Leo smirked as he stood right behind the golem.
The time had come to let loose.
Slashing with his blades, he intended to leave a gash on the back of the golem's free leg. Then, not unlike Chun-Li before, he jumped up on top its back, clinging on by sinking a blade directly into the golem's shoulder.
Immediately he began hacking away at the back of the golem's neck with his free blade.
edited 15th Mar '14 5:17:59 PM by LatverianBadger
"Shake the dust." - Anis MojganiBurial Complex, Guilmon's back!
Guilmon walked along with the group inside the Burial Complex but remained quiet while the others talked, not really understanding what they talked about.
As a metallic clank stopped the group, Guilmon prepared for the worst, and indeed that noise came out of a huge metallic man walking towards them, stopping them from moving forward, Guilmon survived through its poisonous breath, and shot several fiery Pyro Sphere towards its Visor.
Edward jumped back, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt just in case he didn't get to a position far away from the cloud of gas. He waited a few seconds to clap his hands and touch the ground, yelling "MOVE ASIDE!" to the creature Nana Karas summoned as blue, lightning-like sparks travelled from his hands to a spot right behind the golem.
The alchemist smirked as that spot glowed, a sharp, almost spear-like pillow sprouting from the ground, leaving a crater around it as it grew and grew at fast speed, until it would eventually attempt to stab the golem through where his heart would be. Hopefully that move would at least do some kind of damage to the mechanisms inside the golem that controlled the cloud of gas.
The Marked Ninja, however, stayed behind with Tron, watching her. When they returned to the Tesseract, he held out her hand to her, not to help her get back up on her feet, but to help her walk or do anything else. She had just died, after all... it seemed like the right thing to do.

Xigbar gave very little reaction to Saren's guidance, having witnessed the traps' reaction to the pebble on the designated tile. "So" he drawled, his face slowly grinning at the bipedal avian beside him,"do ya think that it'd be easier if I simply moved us to the other side and not risk our hides with the hidden path you showed?"
[DATA LOST]