The Last Stand

[Sycho Rox]

Having missed whatever it was that had dropped the gun that had been momentarily suspended in mid air ((actually I forgot you were invisible))

The mini rock moster raced back to try once again to SMASH the control panel by the door with the war-hammer
((any piece of technology I have ever used never works flawlessly when pounded on.)) It was hoping either to cause it to fail and default to open, or smash it to non-functioning, and keep the EC grunts trapped inside.
_________________

Outside, the last mini monster was blasted into pieces just as it was running towartd the Holloweyes/Chain/Ravana tangle

The 10 foot metal-golem type rock monster also moved closer to it, but couldn't figure out who was what (it is none to smart, you know.) By now it is fairly pock marked with blast holes from the HQ defenses
((will it be moving out of range as he gets to Ravana? I have noticed they are not targeting Ravana as an enemy.))

Poised to strike with its massive metal bladed war-hammer, It roared: "I am here to help all enemies of the evil usurpers. How can I assist you?"

[EnDSchultz]

((Ah, my sincerest apologies! I was paying too much attention to my attempt at chopping TBS's tail off, I forgot about my Grunts! How iresponsible of me...I wouldn't necessarily say Ravana is out of range of the Grunts, they are just paying attention to the rock monsters, since they're the most immediate threat. The proximity sensors on the automated defenses, on the other hand, probably don't go out that far.))

The Grunts manning the outer defenses let out a whoop of excitement as the mini rock creature outside breaks apart and ceases to move. Their celebration is short-lived; from the main exit a loud crash rings out. The crash is the sound of rock contacting metal and electronics with great force, and is followed by the unmistakable electrical buzz of shorting circuits, as well as a pop of sparks. The large outer door spasms up and down momentarily, before grinding to a stop with maybe a 1.5 foot open gap at the bottom, only enough for personnel to go through prone, one or two at a time.

With Cloud moving behind the golem, the Grunts finally have a clear shot, and all dozen begin to blast wildly at it. Moments later, the other squad positions itself in the coridoor and joins in the hail of gunfire. They have given up on the iron golem for now, since it is moving away and they've only managed to shoot a few holes in it. With the combined firepower of twenty-four plasma rifles all converging on it, the rock golem by the main exit is likely to dicintegrate quickly.

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The Predator frowns behind his Mask as the tail moves at the last moment, causing him to nearly miss his mark, but he is satisfied as he spots the blood flowing from the wound. Then, the Enigma turns his head about and looks straight at EnD! He freezes in place, preparing to dodge or parry should an attack be directed at him. But, much to the EnD's surprise, Ravana returns his attention back to Hollow Eyes, evidently having still not noticed the Hunter's presence.

Just as he is about to make his next move, a large bubble appears around the Enigma. The Yaut'Ja jumps back a step, but is puzzled as the Combistick is wrenched from his grasp; a 1-foot portion of the weapon has been caught inside the time bubble. Without physical contact with the user, the Combistick's cloak fizzles away and it becomes visible to the naked eye. Not being able to fall to the ground, the staff hangs there in midair, motionless. EnD won't be able to use it again unless Ravana moves, allowing gravity to act on the trapped end once more.

A repetitive thud in the ground signals the approach of the iron golem. Reluctantly leaving his favorite weapon behind, EnD moves around Ravana a safe distance outside the bubble, towards the opposite side as the golem. He is finally able to see Hollow Eyes, a tangled mess of tails and chains...

((I'll pause and give other people a chance to catch up ))

[TheBlackSoul]

((I'll wait until 3kul posts again before I get Ravana's reaction in.))

[Coolpikaaa]

"I have no idea actually..."coolpikaaa said as he watched the girl put back the bloody dagger.Why was she walking around with it anyway?

-coolpikaaa

[Cloud]

((I'm invisible? This is the first I've heard of this))

While the rock monster is 'distracted' by the fury of the grunts, Cloud uses all his strength to pierce the beast. He didn't want to miss out on the action before there was nothing but dust left.

[Chronos]

((Not a problem, 3kul, it's easy to forget she's there.))

Her name had been called.

Mortracta acted quickly, as she had, by some perverse revelation of soil signatures, got the exact picture of what was going on. The parasitian was in danger of sinking. Some beast was trying to pull off a dangerous move.

To counter this, one of Mortracta's roots separated the chain column in one spot, allowing her to reach down in and grab Hollow Eyes, regrettably, by his throat, as nothing else was there to grab. She pulled as carefully as possible so as not to kill the SiC. That would not bode well for her. Two more roots pierced the chains and wrapped around HE's torso, pulling him to what she assumed was safety.

Only after she brought him up did she realize how she had just violated Caton as the Chains. She brushed the thought off her shoulder and yanked HE clear of the snow.

((Feel free to edit that in any way you wish if that's not your idea of a rescue ))


Ensichrys squeaked with fright as he was pursued by the rock monster, but then sighed with relief as it attacked Cloud instead. As Cloud pulled off a fancy move and lifted his sword, Ensichrys could not help but cheer him on. "Go on, gut him!"

[EnDSchultz]

((Is anyone else interested in continuing this?))

[Chronos]

((I am. Totally, yea.))

[3kul]

((Sorry for the delayed response, I've been a bit busy lately and my regular computer is broken atm.))

Several distinct cracking noises alerted those close enough to hear them that HollowEyes' body was not meant to be pulled like this. Not to complain (as he was grateful for Mortracta's swift response), but he did wish that the plant monster had chosen a better place to grab onto.

The chains suddenly slackened, HollowEyes and Caton both realizing that they'd been broken by something at the same time. Hopefully it was just Mortracta, as things would go quite badly for them if yet another enemy had hidden itself underground. The breaking of the chains didn't seem to affect Caton, as he was only the Jaw - the Chains were created by the charm, and merely allowed HollowEyes better control. HollowEyes was more than just a little relieved that these were not his old Chains of Despair, as they certainly would have turned on him if they'd been released like this.

It didn't take the Second-in-Command long to realize that they were in a stalemate though - both Ravana and Mortracta had a good hold of him, and neither were loosening their grips. ~Caton, get him off of my legs.~ HollowEyes mentally ordered his minion, who was pleased to be needed once more. ~Yes, Boss.~ Caton replied, quickly diving into the snow. The frosty white slush offered little resistance to his superheated metal (a side-effect of the Ruby Dagger being incorporated into the Chains of Despair), and he made a beeline for where his master was, biting viciously at the tails holding HollowEyes down.

[TheBlackSoul]

Oh no, not again

Ravana noticed the chains at work, and he knew all too well what they were going to do. To avoid getting chomped and getting even more despair pumped into him, he loosened d the grip on the two tails closest to the vicious jaws and moved them out of harm's way. Meanwhile, the third tail began to work its way upwards toward's HollowEye's neck. Once there, the enigma planned on rotating it so the sharp spikes on its tip were facing inwards-up to this point, they were facing outwards.

He looked around to check for any more opponents, and noticed a 6-foot long, spear-like weapon had lodged itself in his time field.

Hello, what's this?

He reached out and grabbed the thing right behind its blade, and pulled it in. Upon coming into physical contact with the enigma, the time field stopped affecting it, and it moved like it wasn't even in it.

Ravana grasped the weapon by it's proper handle, and he twirled it around some to test its balance. He would've tossed it, but in this time-stopping field, it wouldn't have worked out too well.

He smiled. Even if he didn't salvage the Ruby Dagger from this fight, at least he got something of use out of it.

The enigma soon found out how to compact his newest weapon, and he threw it in his pouch for later usage. Then he turned his attention back to the fight raging outside the protective field.

This time, he lashed out with his two free tails at the CoD. He wasn't aiming for the jaw, but for the chain on which it was supported. He figured that somewhere on that chain was the thing that made it a chain in the first place. If he could smack that thing off, the chains would most likely return to their original state as that cat-creature, which he could easily overwhelm and take the weapon that was stabbed in its back. That is, if the thing could even be removed at all...[/i]

[Mitsukai]

((I'm sorry for the absense everyone.

Danikat: I'll redo Gweneth's answer... I'd like for her to go with the others to help with healing (if that's still going on)... if that's possible to arrange. ))

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(At the Citadel)

Gweneth had watched all of the proceedings somewhat silently, her blue eyes appraising the scene in front of her. She pouted her lips for a moment as she reviewed each option she had, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'll go where the others are. My strength is in healing so I'll be able to help the most there."

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(At the Dome)

Eve sighed as she failed to find Danikat and re-entered the ice dome, feeling thankful for the thick walls that blocked the chilly Arctic wind.

"What's the plan now?" she called out, though to no one in particular. Her mind was full of jumbled thoughts, and one could say that she was a bit disoriented.

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((For simplicity's sake, I'm just going to have Eve outside for this whole duration and had just came back in. It'll take a lil' while to get back to the RP'ing stride.))

[EnDSchultz]

((Don't forget about the Iron Golem standing there, TBS))

EnD can't help but let out a suppressed growl as Ravana steals his most prized weapon, and he is powerless to do anything about it. He remains cloaked however, very fortunate up to this point, with his barely-shimmering silhouette still not observed by the enemy. This Grendelian creature is proving to be extremely troublesome, four simultaneous adversaries not being able to put it into retreat.

Not knowing how to remove or counter Ravana's time shield, EnD continues towards Hollow Eyes, preparing to free him from the grip of the only tail still restraining him. He emits a characteristic Yaut'Jian purr softly, to signal to Hollow Eyes he is present, since the SiC is unlikely to have noticed the Predator yet, considering his current predicament...

Ravana, however is likely to have spotted the Predator's silhouette, being directly in his line of sight now. Nevertheless, he stomps on the tail protruding from the ground as best he can with it probably writhing around, his metal soles protecting his feet from the sharp spikes. Then he reaches down with his wristblades and pulls violently upward, once again attempting to sever the Grendel's tail.

[3kul]

The two tails smashed into the very final link of the chain, hitting as closely as they could without actually hitting the Jaws, and in doing so Ravana achieved something that HollowEyes did not believe to be possible - he broke the spell. Caton reverted back to his normal form, a smouldering black charm slipping off of him and hitting the ground, burning away to nothing. Judging by Caton's expression, this was something that he hadn't planned for either, and he found himself frozen for a few seconds in sheer disbelief.

~Master, it undone!~ He mentally exclaimed, his own mind at a loss for what to do. ~I normal again, what now?~

HollowEyes struggled as he felt the final tail sliding up towards his neck, his mind buzzing with a million possibilities and only a few more seconds to execute any of them.

And then, despite the thick layer of snow that seperated the Second-in-Command from the surface, he heard it. A very distinct growl, one that he knew belonged to a certain Elder. This was a big waste, HollowEyes thought to himself, all of these people here for one rebel? It shouldn't be so hard...

He suddenly realized why it had become so hard, where the problem lay, and he knew what he had to do. It was incredibly dangerous, stupid and had a fairly high chance of failing, but if he pulled it off then he'd be all the stronger for it.

~Mortracta, let me go, attack the rebel.~ HollowEyes mentally ordered the plant. He didn't have very much time to relay these commands so he hoped that she understood the first time. It added to the gamble, but what the hell, he didn't have much of a choice left. ~Caton, remember what I said about your abilities? How they aren't limited to control over fire?~ HollowEyes wasn't waiting for an answer, so Caton merely waited for his master to continue quickly.

~I'll be borrowing them for a little while. Don't screw it up.~

HollowEyes felt his neck stabbed by the huge spines on Ravana's tail, which had creeped up and underneath his arm blades. His throat slashed to ribbons, the Parasitian began to feel everything go black as his blood spilled out underground. It seemed far too simple, but HollowEyes was dead.

Caton didn't need to see this to know it, he could feel it. Not through the ceasing of the mental orders or through some deep mental link, but as though something had appeared there instead of his master. Now he knew what his master had meant, how he'd have to use his abilities. It would be tricky, as it wasn't something that he'd had too much practice at doing, but he had no choice - failure was not an option here.

Ravana would feel a huge pull on HollowEyes' corpse as Caton raised his arms upwards, invisible strings now connecting the minion to his master. The nekomata predicted that the time enigma would loosen his grip not too long after killing his prey, but even if he didn't this should be enough to bring him above ground.

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Of course, Caton was not the only one to notice HollowEyes suddenly dying. Moments after being noticing it herself, a furious Little Sister launched herself off of the Temple of Nothing, not even caring how many thousands of kilometres she was off the ground.

She was pissed off that her brother had gone and died like an idiot, but she'd be more pissed off if he'd done it in a way that had destroyed his body.

Her hair wove itself into a very basic set of wings, and she shot towards the Frozen North as quickly as she could, using Caton's mind to home in on where she assumed her brother to lie dead.

((Clearly I have some sort of plan going here, it's annoying that I have to do it in a non-cannonical thread but I guess it's a good way to test if it actually works ))

[TheBlackSoul]

Ravana couldn't believe his luck. First, he caused the chains to revert to normal, then his tail trick finished off the unfortunate EC SiC. Two victories in a row.

He was just about to roar in triumph, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain right where his tail emerged from the snow.

"ARRRGH!"

Shortly after that, an even sharper pain surged through his tail as the last 5 feet of it were severed. He quickly pulled it back, gushing up a fountain of his own blood. Soon, it would heal, and what was lost would begin to grow back. But it wouldn't be complete for a few days.

His lost tail unfurled around the corpse of the parasitian, thrashing around in the snow like an overgrown lizard's.

He turned his attention back to Caton, and saw HollowEye's corpse suddenly rise from the ground. Needless to say, he was shocked.

How the heck... Never mind. Your dagger's MINE!

He pulled his remaining two tails back, then stuck them under the snow again and wormed them towards Caton. Once directly underneath him, snow was sent flying everywhere as the two tails attempted to snare the nekomata. One came around Caton's front, the other the back. He made sure the spikes were pointing outwards-he didn't want to skewer the cat-like creature.

Suddenly, the time field that had been surrounding him faded out and disappeared. He knew that now time was short-he had to get the heck out of here before he found himself overwhelmed.

To help defend himself, he took out the spear he salvaged and extended it, holding it like he did the Shredick. It was time to start practicing with it.

[KC11]

((Okay, I am officially confused and doing nothing but lying half dead in a heap of cold snow. Could someone update me on the situation? I really want to get into this RP.))