Log:Army of Darkness, Scene 4

Army of Darkness 2013/11/06 	 Alistair Ebon Star Forge Lightray Mage Yameen

4

The diminutive robed figure of Ebon Star turns its darkened cowl toward the massive robot and stares intently for several heartbeats before its heavily distorted voice announces loudly. "There's a demon spirit inside the chassis! It absorbs magical energy to increase its power."

The war machine turns towards Forge. Machinery on it's right forearm shifts, with several concentric rings of silver appearing. The rings begin to glow and the air about the right arm begins to waver. CHOOM! The DEvastator fires a beam of superheated plasma at Forge.

The blast misses Forge and leaves a smoking, perfectly cut hole in the floor of the theatre.

Yameen is not about to stand back while it blasts at her or the others. When it turns to fire at Forge, she approaches the demon machine, returning to her approximate original location. Then she makes a quick assessment of the flexibility of its limbs and general balance. She reaches for one arm and attempts to bend it in a manner not generally accepted as proper while leading it (and the rest of the thing) towards the ground.

Servos whirr and the machine struggles against Yameen's fluid, twisting motion. It slams down onto the ground.

Well clearly, Alistair's last attempt to damage this thing was a total failure. If the chandalier isn't strong enough to do any damage, he supposes he'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. Getting himself into position through a teleport, he reappears just above his target, with enough space for gravity to help assist him as he falls downwards.

His right hand hauls back, and he swings it with everything he can manage to try to strike at the back of the armored demon's head, or at least what seems like a head. After all, even in armor, you hit something with enough blunt force and you can still take it down.

Alistair's strike is deflected mostly by the behemoth's armor.

Lightray beats his wings and flies over to the downed behemoth. He raises his hand and brings forth a blazing dword composed of sunlight which he brings down on the armor encased demon back in a two ahnded stroke. Throiughout he is silent, his expression grim.

The sword of light rebounds off of the Devastator's armor without leaving a mark.

Mage says, "If magic strengthens it, does anybody have an attack that *drains* magic?"

Devastator unleashes an energy attack on Forge. He dances back a few steps, katana swinging around defensively as he jukes abruptly to the side to evade the blast entirely. The metal man swings his katana around, keeping it in a defensive position as he tries to regain his footing and prepare himself for further attacks.

Yameen brought her opponent to the ground and hindered it. It is an advantage she continues to press. Before it can rise, she brings a booted heel down at the screen that displayed its face. She is not an expert of demonic anti-magic devices, but it seems a reasonable assumption that it might sense through the same transparent screen. Which she hopes some fractures will make less transparent.

Yameen's kick hits the monitor and for the moment the display is replaced by snow and static. The Devastator fires its thrusters, mounted its backpack and legs. It rights itself and drops back onto the ground. POOM. From it's chest it fires a pair of cannon balls connected by a cable towards Yameen, or where it thinks she is. Its like a bolo, with explosives in place of the bolo balls.

Ebon Star's darkened cowl remains fixed on the massive robot, impassively following the flow of action, maintaining the cloud of tiny oily dots that shimmer and coalesce around her in a protective sheath.

Yameen is obviously right next to it, and not so difficult a target even for the blind. Explosions only make it less difficult. She is still able to turn away enough to minimize the worst of the blast, but the concussion still hits her solidly.

Mage floats well above the battle, feeling useless against a creature that absorbs magic. He silently cheers Yameen's efforts against the behemouth. Seeing the explosive bolo impact her, he acts quickly. Words that can be heard but not remembered erupt from his lips and a green healing mist scented of Spring and growing things settles around Yameen.

After a moment's further inspection Ebon Star lifts her voice again. "The Demon is a summoning, it may be dispelled to its plane of origin, alternatively hs mind or that of the robot are susceptible to control but their minds are outside my ability to effect."

Well that didn't really work. Alistair drops back to the ground, and decides to fall back on his previous training, which is non existant, and go for the legs. Maybe if he can trip this thing up, get it off of it's feet. So he dives down towards the legs, trying to grab a hold of at least one of the legs, if not both considering the size, and maybe, eventually, pull them off of the ground, and take it down. It's worth a shot.

Alistair manages to pick up the armored robot and slam it down into the ground.

Lightray seems to concentrate on the blade of sunlight in his hand as if willing it to burn brighter. He then takes a few steps over to where Alistair has slammed Xercsin to the ground and thrusts the blade at the armored figure again.

Lightray's sword slices more deeply this time.

Yameen first voices a brief, but grateful, "Thank you" for Mage without shifting her attention from the target. A target that is now held by another and has a third stabbing it. All seem to injure it only mildly. "Does it have any other vulnerabilities? I cannot harm its mind." So she sticks with the body, and aims a sharp kick at what she hopes is a vulnerable section of plating.

Exploding bolas and (Thundarr's) Sun Sword are employed on the Devastator, amongst other tactics and techniques. Forge seems to regain his footing and his sense of timing as thin lines of metal encircle his legs. The metal man crouches down and then leaps, his super springy legs propelling him across the stage to where the Devastator has been slammed into the ground and beset by many an attack.

Forge whirls his katana around one more time before he holds it up in a backhanded grip, blade pointed down. His other hand grips the very end of the pommel and helps him as he *DRIVES* the katana blade down into the monstrous mechanation's mid-section.

Forge's blade cuts into the Devastator, almost as deeply as Lightray's.

Ebon Star finally acts directly, pointing a finger at the creature. The creature's mind is not human but at some point in its distant past perhaps it was and it is to that sliver of humanity she speaks. "We are not your enemies, return whence you came."

The Devastator flexes its mechanic might and is able to escape from Alistair's grasp.

Ebon Star's distorted voice rings out again. "Fall to defensive posture, let it leave." This time however the voice lacks the firmness of her previous order ro the Devastator.

Defensive posture? Alistair lets go of the mechanical monstrosity at the same time that it manages to break free, and scrambles backwards a bit, so that, assuming that it is actually going to leave, it can.

Lightray's face is a mask of concentration as he raises the sword above his head and holds it. He askas in a calm detached voice, "Is the demon still inside of the machine, Ebon Star?"

Yameen is not immediately convinced that the mechanized demon will submit or withdraw, but will allow it the opportunity. She remains were she stands, and ready, but not outright threatening.

Ebon Star's cowled head bobs. "The demon is still there but I think that I have reached it."

Lightray says, "Ah. No." And attacks it.

The Devastator fires its jets to rise to it's feet. Once it's upright, it turns its plasma cannon on Alistair.

Yameen remains ready for a threat... such as a weapon turning to point at someone. The moment it does, she reaches up to grab for the weapon, stepping in close. She then wrenches downward, stepping back and crouching at the same moment. This uses her (minimal) body weight to help pull the limb down and forward and her crouched form as block and fulcrum at its lower legs.

The Devastator clanks to the ground, tossed there easily by Yameen. From the ground, the Devastator tries to blast Yameen in retaliation.

Seeing the Devistator's cannon point at Yameen, Mage gestures and a lesser magebolt lazer shoots down to interrupt the demon's beam. Unfortunetly, he hasn't ever actually practiced this kind of maneuver and his blocking beam goes wide.

Mage mutters, "This is pointless. We can't hurt it this way." In a louder voice, he yells "Forge, can you move that thing if I gave you someplace to put it?"

Lightray notes what Mage attempts to do and when the mage's attempt goes wide, the winged warrior steps over. His blazing sword swings down just in time to strike and turn aside the plasma bolt that comes from the demon armor.

"I don't know, maybe? Alistair's a hell of a lot stronger than me," calls Forge in return, whirling his katana in hand as he considers his next move.

"And where do you propose we move it to?" Alistair asks, as he looks to Forge, "I think I should just punch it in the face screen repeatedly until we can get at the gooey insides." Secretly he's glad that Yameen jumped in to save his butt, even though he knows he could have taken the blast without too much issue. Or at least, he assumes so.

"We need to figure something out, though. This thing doesn't wanna stay down for more than a few seconds every time we knock it down."

Mage says, "The moon sounds good to me."

Lightray says, "Assault its mind, Ebon Star. Not with pain or fear but with positive emotions: hope, love, empathy, faith. These are anathema to it. OVerwhelm it."

Abruptly, Forge swings his katana-wielding arm out to the side. He drops down low, legs still covered in springs, and narrows his eyes as he sights on the Devastator. Forge launches forward at high speed, both hands gripping the metal blade as he sails past the giant demon robot. When he lands, Forge hopes to have carved a trench through Devastator's mid-section.

Forge lands, katana held behind him as he twists to look at Devastator. Nothing appears to have happened, save the two of them threw up a lot of sparks. The metal man sighs and shakes his head. "Never should've looked back. Screws up the whole thing," mutters Forge to himself.

Ebon Star again attempts to manipulate the vestigial human part of the Devastator's mind, her hand sweeping from left to right to blur the demon's perception

At Lightray's words each and every one of the heroes pauses and smiles at the demon and instead of fighting they sway back and forth slowly for several beats before Mage starts singing a wonderful baritone version of 'Kum Ba Yah' with a capella flourishes and supporting vocals provided by Alistair and Forge. Oercome by the sudden burst of beneficence Yameen seems to wrap Devastator in a warm hug. "We love you Xerczin, you're the cuddliest demon in the whole world"

In his mind, Xerczin is merrily blasting the singing heroes to smithereens. In the actual world, the robot has a fit on the main stage of the opera house.

Ebon Star watches the possessed cyborg crash to the stage and twitch, maintaining the illusion while Forge works to disable the device and retrieve the data card. Once the contents are accessed the tiny figure's distrorted voice muses. "If this is not the portal through which the Reaper enters then the only reason to defend it is to prevent the Reaper's opponents passing through. Perhaps the Reaper intends to attack in such force that it's native realm will be undefended and its power can be attacked directly."