Log:Post-Apocalyptic Dwarves, Scene 9

Post-Apocalyptic Dwarves 2020/04/03 Ascendant Artemis Ellbeth Fauna Moonshadow Titan Thunder Stoutheart Stick-in-the-Mud

9

The heroes are assaulting the dwarven city to rescue the prisoners! They are in three groups. THe most advanced is Moonshadow, alone, who has reached the dungeon section at the heart of the volcano and is in the room where the dwarves are keeping the confiscated gear.

The second group is Ascendant and Artemis, in the Fifth Hall. Artemis, however, is currently dead, thanks to Ascendant. On a more positive note, this act seems to have shaken the dwarven morale, and they've ordered a retreat and headed back to the Sixth Hall.

The other heroes are in the Third Hall. Ellbeth has collapsed the way to the station, stopping dwarven reinforcements from that direction. MegaFauna has made Stick-in-the-Mud go splat. Titan and Thunder have put some of the aerial soldiers pursuing them, including Stoutheart, into the wall behind them, hard. 

Ascendant laughs and thrusts his free hand out towards the largest of the Dwarven Guards before him. His telekinetic abilities lash out towards him to take him in his grasp and pull him bodily towards him and his fallen Bloodbound.

"HAHAHA. You think me MAD?! Perhaps so, Little Curs. PERHAPS SO- this is what happens when you pray for the wrath of the divine!" The Ascendant Bloodlit says with a voice full of anger.

"You dare to treat us with such disrespect and expect nothing in return? Please. You must now receive your blessings."

Moonshadow examines the door to see if it can be unlocked/opened from this side.

The Dwarven leader suddenly finds himself an inch or two off the ground. Naturally he swings his feet, kicking for traction or purchase of any kind. His eyes widen in fear as he's pulled through the air. He manages to drag his armored toes along the ground, scraping the hard rock uselessly.

Nohrbor laughs, his voice becoming the embodiment of righteous fury & terrifying madness.

Moonshadow recasts Lunar Eclipse, steps Astride the Boundary, takes a deep breath, and passes through the wall, heading for the corridor on the far side of the door.

Beyond the door is, sure enough, a short corridor. The ceilings are lower here - only about 5 and a half feet. As well as the heavy door you bypassed there is another heavy door leading onwards. Off to the side, apart from the room you just left, are various others, with their doors open. Clearly this is where the dungeon guards eat, rest and hang out when not needed elsewhere.

MegaFauna moves her massive arm to crush still-awake dwarves against a still-standing wall.

The two dwarf soldiers who were already hit and Stoutheart lose consciousness under the mighty blow. The other two are still conscious, but stunned.

Ascendant leans over and picks up his fallen Bloodbound by the leg. His maddening laughter still rolling and bouncing off the cavernous room.

Then suddenly he stops, glaring at the Dwarven leader floating before him. "Never let it be said that I did not want my Sister to take part in your comeuppance. Her righteous fury shall be felt!" He says suddenly when the silence has built to its proper depth for the most dramatic effect.

He cuts off his telekinesis and swings his Bloodbound Sister to strike the Dwarven Leader with all his telekinetically enhanced might.

Nohrbor Nanuran Surryx summons his inner Babe and swings away, trying to send his quarry into the nearest wall so he might move on to terrorizing the next most powerful looking Dwarf before him.

He takes being treated so unsportingly very poorly and does not pull his punches for these fools he's been forced to suffer.

Artemis' immortal form cracks against their armored foe with a crunching sound that echoes as armor meets the Unbroken of Beta Orionis.

"AWAY! AWAY! AWAY!" He calls out as the Dwarven leader sails on- and into the cavern wall.

Moonshadow continues on after a quick glance around to verify the absense of dwarves, bypassing the next door in the same manner as the first

The second door can be bypassed in much the same way - though there's no side room to emerge in, so it takes a bit longer. A long corridor with heavy doors to the sides leads on. It's getting distinctly warm. Two dwarves are stationed here,

Titan flies close to the two remaining flying guards and tries to hit them both with a long arcing swing of his fist.

Titan knocks both Dwarves unconscious. "It would be great if they'd just...stop trying to kill us. I'd rather not have any casualties. On either side." Little does he know...

At least the civilian and even the police seem to have given up on trying to fight the heroes. They're leaving that to the military.

Fauna returns to her more manageable form, returning to where Titan is with a chirp.

Titan looks to Fauna, "We should keep moving."

Thunder calls up to Titan, "I think we need to move now." He turns, and high-tails it towards where the hopeful trail of chaos will lead to allies."

Thunder finds the Fourth Hall devoid of people: they've been evacuated.

Ellbeth says, "looks up at the ceiling of the second hall just inside the doors between the fist and second halls, and selecting a spot she 'digs' into the roof causing parts to weaken and turn to dust in an effort to bring a large part if the roof down to block the doorway. "

The dwarf Ascendant has been abusing is too proud to give up. He climbs back to his feet and opens up his railgun vs Ascendant on full auto.

Ellbeth selects a suitable vital spot and digs into the rock of the roof with her Excavation ability, depriving the ceiling of support. For a moment or two there's just a trickle of dust where rock has become powder. Then a sharp cracking is heard as cracks appear, open wider, and the apex of the roof caves in bring down tons of rock into the doorway.

But for all his bravado, he's so wounded he can't aim straight.

Ascendant sees the Dwarven Leader is not down for the count yet.

"Ha-HA! Finally a worthy contender!" He announces happily, letting the wobbly dwarf take a couple of free shots. "Good. Good. Let us see how long you can stand against our fury! Let us see how long your mortal cast armor lasts against my Sister's immortal bones!"

The dwarf uses such language as perhaps one might expect of a dwarven soldier as he's again squeezed.

"Such language for one so small!" Nohrbor Nanuran Surryx says with a healthy laugh as his eyes burn with his divine energies.

Moonshadow steps away from the boundary between worlds, and quietly makes her way down the corridor, away from the dwarves.

The dwarf returns, "Aye. Perhaps I should moderate my tone around such a short-bearded youth!"

The heat gets more oppressive as Moonshadow moves down the corridor to the first of the side doors.

Titan lands...and hten leaps, moving onward, toward the interior where the others are.

Titan joins Thunder among the abandoned commercial stalls of the Fourth Hall.

Fauna rides Titan by way of clinging to his back and peering over a shoulder. Thunder keeps on running, still looking for some sort of armory, some sign of magic, or other things. He knows his sword is magic, so hopefully something will be seen?

Thunder reaches the Fifth Hall, where he sees Ascendant about to smack a dwarf with Artemis.

Ellbeth moves to catch up with Titan, Fauna, and Thunder, teleporting herself up to 40m forward.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with her!?" He calls towards Ascendant. Thunder looks a bit unerved that the guy's well... swinging an ally. Literally.

The dwarf doesn't struggle against the telekinetic hold, but waits for it to be released...

Ascendant laughs again, seeming to enjoy his quarry's sharp tongue.

"Aye! That's the spirit, Mortal!" He says before laughing again. "'Tis a shame your people lack honor so, we could have been great friends in a meadhall! But alas, you are but a memory, a deadman who does not know it yet- easily forgotten. While WE, well we ARE." He adds, speaking of his dead Sister as if she were still with them.

He hoists Artemis and swings her by the leg once more, timing his swing to impact with the released Dwarf once again.

His swing is a bit off kilter again, this time thanks to the thunderous shouting of the young pup, Thunder.

He turns around casually as the Dwarven leader flies back and impacts the ground- though this time not as far away as before.

NNS frowns but lets the momentum of his swing bring his Bloodbound to rest on his opposite shoulder.

"Why I am showing these spineless Mortals how we Bloodlit repay their hospitality my young friend! How fare your battles on this day?!" He asks excitedly as if they weren't int he midst of a battle.

Moonshadow will step Astride the Boundary once more and pass through the wall next to the door.

Thunder looks positively shocked at the scene. Then he looks at the others, "... w-what do we do about that one?" He points at Ascendant. The teen's not seen anyone swing their own ally around before, so... understandably a bit shocked there.

Moonshadow finds the magical resistance increases as she pushes through the wall. She begins to solidify again - but then makes it through. To be rewarded by being in freefall suddenly.

"With who? My Sister? She's fine. Merely sleeping off a fleshwound. She will rise again and with great ire if she did not at least have a hand in teaching this cowardly dwarves a lesson in humility!" Nohrbor Nanuran Surryx says with a boisterous laugh. "Now come, let us see how many of these walls you can knock down, Pup."

Finding herself falling, Moonshadow tries to step back from the Boundary and spread her Wings, but only succeeds in the first before crashing into the floor.

Moonshadow lands with an "OOF!"

The people chained to the walls in here seem to be of the fae persuasion. But not in good shape. They're likely pretty dehydrated in this heat.

Titan leaps with Fauna, clearing a fair amount of distance and getting into sight of Ascendant and Artemis. "What...the are you doing?"

Thunder rubs his eyes, then looks to Titan and the others for help on that one. "... should I try to knock him out as well?" He asks, moving to run past since they have angry dwarves on their tail. He admonishes Ascendant, "That is not the way to treat allies. Swing her one more time and I'm making sure you can't hear her for a good while!" He says as he moves to go past Ascendant and down the hall. "By the way, did you find an armory or something? Because I'd really like my sword back!"

Unfortunately, the dwarves in the Sixth Hall have had time to regroup while Ascendant has been playing with their leader. All eleven, spread about the room so no two are close to each other, take aim at Thunder...

Nohrbor Nanuran Surryx looks thoroughly confused now. "Surely you recognize that I would not leave her behind while I dealt with these pusillanimous cretins? I only Honor her by letting her be my implement of divine wrath!" He says, starting to get annoyed- especially when he's threatened by his allies.

"Pup- you'd do well to mind your tongue lest it be minded for you. You of the Tauborn have no right to question the ways of we of the Shining City." He says with a frown. "When she rises once more we will celebrate and we will laugh- but not until these beasts in the bodies of little men are broken."

Titan points at Ascendant, "Don't swing your friends around like that. Even if they're unconscious."

"She's not unconscious. She's Dead. A thing of meat and unbroken bones. Her noble spirit will return come before the morn, Mighty Titan of Hollywood- but fine. If it pains you so to see her such....."

With a flick of his fingers he removes Artemis from his shoulder and holds her aloft with his telekinesis like a puppet- or perhaps like an alien Weekend at Bernie's.

Artemis dangles and drips.

Ellbeth plays it safe. She can't see what awaits us in the next hall but suspects it's something nasty. So she slows and drops a sphere of Privacy on top of the courageous but maybe overly impetuous young hero.

Ascendant sighs and lifts his legs into the air and takes a seat, drifting behind Titan. Meanwhile, Artemis' corpse flies towards his quarry, seemingly uninterested in the growing number of dwarves who have taken his playtime as a chance to bolster their numbers.

Artemis' fist cocks back and swings at the dwarven leader.

Artemis' body sails on and even boucnes from foot to foot before taking a puppet like swing at the Dwarven Leader while Nohrbor Nanuran Surryx suddenly looks very bored. It seems his allies have no sense of a good time.

Artemis' strung form is actually pretty good but despite that the strike it self is relatively light.

"How is this Titan of Hollywood- is this your preference?" He asks as he floats behind him.

Moonshadow stands up and becomes visible. "Does anyone here speak English?"

Titan blinks, "Titan thinks there is something seriously wrong with you."

Several of the fae say they do. The embassy has been on Earth a while now, so they've had time to learn.

"Are you from Earth, then? Is this a rescue?"

Moonshadow says, "Yes. And Yes. I'm going to try to get you loose from those shackles. After I catch my breath."

"The accursed dwarves have made them of strange steel, both strong and resistant to magicks"

Moonshadow says, "I can but try."

Though they've lost sight of their target, it's clear to the dwarves it must be somewhere in the darkness. They open fire!

The air is filled with projectiles, but none finds Thunder.

Titan feels a little numb. Despite Nohrbor's assurances that Artemis is going to be okay, he can't help but feel this is a second casualty. He sighs and flies forward toward toward the gunfire to make sure he doesn't collide with Thunder. There did seem to be a lot of it. He shouts a challenge at the gunmen. "I am going to crush you all! You...should...flee."

The 6th hall is clearly used by artisans of many sorts. There are worktables with tools all about the room, as well as workshops leading off through side doors.

Thunder seeing all the gun fire miss even after he brings his arms up ready to ward it off, raises an eyebrow. "You're lousy shots." He moves forward, out of the doorway and taking the darkness with him so the others can get past, then brings a hand back as he takes a full on martial arts stance, then unleashes a full on sound wave at the upper line of dwarves as he thrusts out a palm strike. "I'm only asking one time, then the rest of you are getting pounded. Where. Are. Our. Weapons?"

Nohrbor continues his pouting, stretching out on a cushion of nothing and laying back. He twitches his fingers and Artemis' vacant body, leaks and leaps at his telekinetic command.

She leaps up literally and attempts to stomp down on the Dwarven Leader. Ascendant continues his pouting, stretching out on a cushion of nothing and laying back. He twitches his fingers and Artemis' vacant body, leaks and leaps at his telekinetic command.

She leaps up literally and attempts to stomp down on the Dwarven Leader.

Nohrbor sighs.

Moonshadow recovers.

Ellbeth steps into the doorway and lifts noth arms as she shouts in Latin. Reciting one of Harry's recipes for mulled spiced wine. Using a psionic discipline at the same time. To appearance a huge rift forms in the middle of the sixth hall, and shouldering the rift even wider apart comes a 25m long anicant red ragon, smoke issuing from its mouth, claws running red with blood. "Yield or die. The choice is yours. But please, please, fight on. Draglous is hungry."

The dragon doesn't really startle them any more than Titan did - but it does mean that half of them are looking the wrong way now....