[Previously on Those Left Behind...] [Our heroes are, with the help of Eternal Warrior, taking it to Centaurion. Abby has been pounding on his Soul, Christian has been pounding on his haunches, Horus broke free from her bonds and is firing away at him, and Jacky drove an explosives-laden car into him.] [Meanwhile, Redcoat, having overcome a delaying attack by Disco Ninjas, is on her way!] [EW presses the attack against Centaurion, but the gladius-wielding centaur manages to parry or move out of the way of the powerful axe strikes...] [Session Start] [Centaurion counterattacks EW, managing to knock him off balance momentarily. This gives him space to draw an ornate broadsword with his free hand...] * Christian is in battle-ready stance, fists outstretched and ready to pounce, his eyes looking for an opening through the heated EW and Centaurion battle. * Abby had just finished taunting Centuarion slightly, clonking him with the staff. She's still in the air as she flies past him after the swing. Best to keep moving! * Jacqueline , who was walking away from her explosion, will probably continue doing so for a few more seconds, because she has a gun and needs distance. Also because there's always some idiot with a camera or something at these affairs, and she could probably add slow motion or something later if she were so inclined. [With a sweep of the sword around him, he sends cutting blades of wind streaking horizontally at everyone but Horus, who is too high up!] * Horus is hovering far above the battlefield, bright as the sun, already drawing her hand back to ready her next attack. * Abby and her Kami both get knocked around by the wind. While Abby's just sent for a loop, the Kami are swept up of the ground, and stop moving entirely. * Jacqueline will /also/ be editing said footage, because all of a sudden she's tumbling along the ground and her hair is a mess thanks to being buffeted by winds strong enough to briefly penetrate her flickering blue force field. * Christian leans to shift out of the way but is just a bit too late and has the wind blades rip across his left side, tearing at his clothes. * Jacqueline will, at least, be able to fire lasers at some point during the rolling, because she literally has to do nothing beyond pulling the trigger. [Centaurion *almost* reacts to Jacky's attack in time to bring his magic armor to bear to try and reflect the beams back at Jacky, but he's just a split-second too late, and takes them too the side. The armor still absorbs a decent chunk of the impact, though.] * Christian knows not to go for the helmet now so he takes off sprinting and leaps after the fourth step over EW's head. He flips in midair, swinging his arm in a backhand against the side of Centaurion, landing on his feet at his side and continuing along his way. [Christian's fist slams into Centaurion's armored side as he flies by. Centaurion nearly pivots out of the way, but Christian's manages to catch him on the back swing. The armor, as before, reduces the impact, but even that glancing blow is still enough to send Centaurion stumbling.] * TheRedcoat swoops into play with a smudge on her cheek and a murderous expression on her face. She tosses out a preemptive handful of poison darts at Centaurion as she swings to a good vantage point with decent cover from which to surveil the situation. [Centaurion doesn't notice Redcoat until it's too late, and her aim is true. Unfortunately, the darts fail to penetrate his magic armor.] * Horus pulls a gleaming, golden broadsword out of thin air and throws it, point down, straight for Centaurion. [Horus' aim is true, and Centaurion, as skilled as he is, apparently can't handle the volume of attacks coming his way, as the broadsword slams into his equine 'back', his armor not preventing some burning of the flesh underneath and around.] * Abby hovers in the air, looking fairly beat up as she surveys the field and then balls her fist around her staff. "I know. There's only so much we can do here, kid." She points her staff down at the earth, broken from Centuarion's attacks as it is, and she whispers quietly, "Trampled underhoof and broken by one so filled with hate, who rended those who took succor from you, it is your turn to come to the aid of your people." [EW once again presses the attack against Centaurion, who has notably slowed down at this point, and takes a few solid hits from the Norseman. Still, he manages to counterattack, slashing across EW's face to drive him back, and then drawing a large bow...] [He nocks two arrows, and sends them flying towards Horus and Christian! As they fly, plants along their path for yards around wither and die, the air turns foul, and the earth beneath dries and cracks as if a drought had lasted for decades.] * Horus is shot through her right shoulder and tumbles through the air, sending feathers everywhere. [As Horus and Christian are hit with the arrows, they feel something attempting to seep in and rot them from within. Through divine might or sheer force of will, however, they manage to hold off the corruption.] * Christian grunts as the arrow thunks into his shoulder, but he reaches for it to pull it out before the corruption gets a second try. * Abby glances to Horus taking the hit and bites her lip before snapping her eyes back to the battle, where the earth kami she spoke to rises out of the broken land, a fist of rocks and roots already swinging around to smash right into Centuarion, with all the force a big fist of rock and dirt can deliver! * Jacqueline , once she's stable and on her feet again, is actually aiming at Centaurion the next time she pulls the trigger; rather than grossly physically impossible lasers twisting from the barrel, an impossibly energized ball of light is fired, sizzling the air around it away in its passage. [Centaurion is starting to get overwhelmed now, as he gets slammed aside by the rock kami, right into the path of Jacky's energy blast, sending him reeling. He's still standing, but he's obviously not in great shape.] * Christian looks suitably pissed, especially since Horus had been hit as well and clenches his fist. He starts running towards Centarion's side, making sure EW's out of the way and then sliding under him, slamming down his hand at the ground with a shockwave and landing a crater beneath him. [Centaurion tries to leap away as he realizes what's happening, but the beating he's taken has him a step slow, and he takes the brunt of the shockwave and debris. He does manage to avoid falling into the resulting pit, however.] * TheRedcoat finds herself a nice vantage point and flicks out her sash, trying to wrap it around one of Centaurion's legs, hopefully on the pit side. With her other hand, she wields her mighty gun o'grappling. [One of the grapples pings slams into Centaurion's side, cutting into a bit of exposed flesh. The sash manages to tangle around one of Centaurion's legs, but he's so strong that it's all Redcoat can do not to get pulled flying towards him.] * RDMgryphon has joined #tlb * Horus pulls the arrow out of her shoulder with her left hand, letting her right arm hang limply at her side. She frowns and spreads her wings, the gem in her mask flares, and a cold, silvery pillar of light appears beneath where Centaurion stands, shooting into the air. [Centaurion doesn't even come close to dodging that, and gets engulfed in the pillar of light. He's looking pretty damn ragged at this point.] * Abby presses against her hip and comms, "C'mon, Sis, if they're gonna do something, they're gonna do it soon." She then points her staff up at Horus and closes her eyes, a refreshing updraft blowing past her, whipping her own priestess outfit around, and then going up to ruffle Horus' feathers some. Healing-ly. [Meanwhile, EW surges forward with a flurry of powerful axe strikes. "Press the attack! Do not allow him to escape!" Centaurion rapidly gives ground as he furiously parries, quickly getting pushed towards the edge of the park.] * Horus stretches her right arm. "Thanks, Mizuki," she calls as she flies to keep up with Eternal Warrior and Centaurion. [As it looks like EW is about to overwhelm him, he again draws out Ame-no-nuhoko and plunges it into the ground between the two. A huge wave of earth lifts EW into the air, and surges towards the lot of you!] * TheRedcoat ducks down behind the decent cover she found for her vantage point, as mentioned earlier, and blindly sends her sash out at the nearest other ally to bring them in too, who happens to be Abby. * Horus tries to fly above and around, as she did last time, but instead is hit by a speeding boulder and is sent hurtling for the opposite end of the park. * Christian gets smacked in the face with the earth and goes crashing through a couple of trees before skidding to a stop on the other end of the park. It looks painful but likely not so painful he can't take it. * Abby yelps as she gets yanked around again, towards the ground, saying, "Agh--!" as she is. The earth Kami somehow doesn't get rocked, being rocked, and so just gets to keep with it. [When the dirt and debris clear, you all regain your senses... just in time to see Centaurion teleport away. Another large crater is left where he plunged the divine polearm into the ground, and after a moment EW emerges from under a pile of dirt and rock somewhere in the middlish of the park, about halfway between Abby/Redcoat and the rest.] * Jacqueline is, too, hit with a giant rock, which would probably be a lot worse if it weren't for the flickering forcefield. * TheRedcoat mutters angrily, her accent coming out a little as she does so. "I will kill him. In the face." Then she looks at Abby. "Sorry about that. Are you all right?" [EW spits out a fair amount of dirt and what appears to be a chunk of limestone as he stands up.] * Christian groans and picks himself up. "Well, that's one way to end it. Goddammit, we *had* him." * RDMgryphon is now known as AFKgryphon * Horus appears in what seems an instant, a loud and echoing boom following a few seconds after. "Where did he *go*?" * Abby is down in a crouch, shaking her head as she stands up. "Yeah... fine, just gettin' pretty knocked around today." * Horus brushes dust out of her hair before flying higher, looking around for Centaurion. [EW calls out. "I suspect he took advantage of the same escape magic that Master Magus has granted all of his minions. A shame, truly, for we were on the verge of a decisive victory."] * Abby kicks off the ground and mutters, "When are victories ever decisive." * Christian walks back forward, pounding his fist into his palm. "He's toast, next time I see 'im. Fuckin' toast." He glances Horus-ward. "Y'alright?" [He grins widely. "And yet, you lot have shown yourselves able to not only stand against one of the most formidable warriors this world has ever seen, but to drive him back and bloody him. That is no small feat."] * Horus calls down, "Great! Where *is* that asshole?" Ported his cowardly horse's ass outta here. Oh, please--jury-rigging a vehicle to explode, striking an enormous target... /anyone/ could do /that/. Save your thick-headed praise for when he is captured. [Suddenly... something. Maybe the hairs on your neck stand on end. Maybe your mystic senses begin to tingle. Maybe you just have that feeling you always get, that sixth sense that has kept you alive in this business as long as you have.] * Abby starts floating towards EW, but gets interrupted by boxed text. * TheRedcoat 's plot-device sense tingles! [From each of the craters at the edge of the park, columns of blue-white light shoot out. Streams of energy break through the ground between them, connecting them directly and on the diagonal.] [Occult-knowledgable or no, the pattern is immediately recognizable: a penagram, with the Eternal Warrior dead in the center.] * Horus flies back from one of the pillars, glances around, and then yells, "GET OUT!" before reaching for the warrior. [As the lines connect, the lines in the center surrounding Sigurd glow brighter, and he suddenly goes stiff as he's lifted into the air. Meanwhile, you're all shoved to the edge of the pentagram by a powerful force, only barely keeping yourself upright/aloft.] * Christian crouches down low to the ground with the blast, planting his hand and tsshing out as he stares at the center of the park, looking pissed off. * Jacqueline , the moment she's at the edge of the pentegram, levels her gun and fires it again; sparks and smoke precede a massive, jittery ball of light that actually stops and hangs eerily for a moment when in contact with the repelling field on the magic symbol's edges before bypassing this resistance on a course towards Sigurd's chest. * Christian looks ready to pounce and does, charging for the barrier. It might be crazy, but it works. He forces his way through the resistance and although he's slowed by the buffeting forces of the 'gram, he's still charging his way towards the pot-shotted EW to grab him. * Abby 's eyes widen right before the magic starts, and she starts to whisper, "No--" before she interrupts herself, crouching down to the ground, staff flat, and hissing to herself, "No! We can do something!" She looks up from the ground towards EW, before she closes her eyes and starts to whisper something. [Jacqueline manages to overcharge her weapon, firing a huge blast of energy sufficient to break through the barrier. It leaves her weapon sparking and smoking, but it's of sufficient force to make it through to Eternal Warrior, knocking him from the middle of the central area to the edge...] * Abby whispers, "Kami... your protector fought so valiantly. The foul ones turn the earth's energy against him. It is... a horrible... we need you to change. We need the energy to go... elsewhere." Her eyes snap open, as she glows, then she yells, "Crack, earth, and let this sinful magic course through you no more!" [... where Christian, breaking through the perimeter field with willpower and determination he might not have known he had, manages to maintain his speed and stay on course amidst waves of raw magical energy and grab EW by the arm. It's a tremendous struggle to pull him free, and had EW still been in the center Christian would not have had time...] [But he does. Unfortunately, even though Eternal Warrior is free of the center of the pentagram, Christian cannot maintain his speed while supporting the Norseman's tremendous weight *and* fighting against the magical currents. There's no way he can get clear in time.] [Eternal Warrior realizes this as well, and as the magical energy reaches its crecendo, he grabs onto Christian and tosses him bodily clear, sending Christian flying through the air and through the magical barrier at the edge of the pentagram, and leaving himself to his fate...] [Fortunately, Abby and Cheryl don't give a fuck 'bout no fate.] [As Christian turns from the rescuer to the rescued, the Earth kami drives through the barries and plunges itself into the ground at one of the craters. The energy there flickers, and then fades, just as the spell goes off, and the world fades to white.] [When you vision clears, the area in the center is gone, a massive crater all that's left of the ground. Christian, thrown clear, is apparently unharmed by the magical energy.] [And EW... is down on one knee, not moving, magical energy flickering around him] * Christian lands down on one knee too, cursing a little and looking towards the center. Since it died down, there's nothing for him to charge recklessly into so he doesn't. * Abby is shaking weakly as she holds herself up off the ground with one arm and her knees, the mixed Horus and Abby glow fading as she looks to EW and says quietly, as she floats to her feet, "Come... on Sigurd... you don't get to go that easy." * Horus swoops down to where Christian and Eternal Warrior are. "The fuck were you thinking, throwing him out like that!" [After a moment, Eternal Warrior struggles to his feet. He's still surrounded by that flickering magical energy, and he looks... wrong. Aged. Shriveled. Skiny chalky.] * Horus looks about to yell some more, then stops herself. "That don't look good." * Christian just whispers as he notices EW's features. "Shit..." [After a moment, though, he begins to look healthier... then reverts... back and forth, as the energy around him flickers more violently.] * Abby flies that way, saying softly, almost managing a smirk, "Being heroic's a terminal condition, you know." Funny. Hey, Hyde, I know you hate his guts and all, but is there any way you can superscience this out? * Christian sighs, rubbing his head. "Sorry, I just reacted." [Finally, the energy seems to be absorbed into him, and he stablizes in his normal form as he collapses down to his knees.] * Christian takes a cautious step forward. "Yo. Big guy. Y'alright?" Of course I can; fortunately, it isn't my problem anymore. [EW tries to push himself back up to his feet, but fails miserably. "I am... the magics attempted to strike at my very core, tear away that which made me eternal. They did not succeed... but I am not as I was. Something is missing."] Fuck. That mean the other side absorbed some of your power or some shit? * Horus decides now is a bad time to crack a joke and instead says, "It'll be cool; we'll get the priestess to look at you." * Abby looks around a moment, then just says quietly, "Be glad you've still got your looks, Warrior. You wouldn't have liked what I saw." * Abby kicks off the ground to float in a direction. "Going to do a civvie check." * TheRedcoat sashes (not sashays) in and looks EW up and down. ["It is possible... but I do not know." He looks up at the lot of you. "There are not many... I owe you all my life. Thank you." He pulls himself upright on his knees with a great deal of effort, and bows his head to each of you in turn.] * Christian blinks at Abby's statement. He completely forgot about civvies. "Uh. Yeah. That'd be good." * Christian then looks a bit uncomfortable at EW's thanking. "Hey. Don't sweat it, yeah? We're a team." * TheRedcoat looks like she's about to say something, then breaks off, cocks her head to the side, and says, "...do you think it was targeted specifically at you? Or do you feel it may have taken the power from anyone who had it?" [He shakes his head. "I feel as though I was the intended target, though I do not know for certain."] Well, that probably wouldn't be too hard to figure either way. Considering as how you are the primary responder to this sort of thing. They probably didn't expect anyone else to show up for Centurion, yeah. What was this whole thing they had set up here? It looked very complicated. * TheRedcoat looks to Abby to answer the question, then, when she realizes she's gone, to Horus. [Horus is able to tell Redcoat that this area is stocked with powerful laylines, as is much of NYC, but that she isn't sure what kind of prep would be needed to set this up.] That's a pretty advanced trap. Does our side not keep track of these things? [That certainly is a good question.] [But it'll have to be answered... IN ARC THREE!] [Session End]