A Chained Memory

Tam frowned, but nodded towards Ix.
"Alright, but if it gets too rough for you, get out. We may well need you to help keep us in the fight." Tam commented.

She then glanced over at the space marine. "Oh really?" She responded, sounding slightly interested, and acknowledging him as an asset for perhaps the first time. "Well, perhaps there's hope for you yet, tin can."

Tam and Barchiel advanced towards the source of the sound, still ringing with dread in their ears. Was the monster calling them? They could never be too sure. Gauging the intelligence of their opponent was hard, considering most of them had never faced it before.

They were surrounded by darkness and uncertainty. Each house they walked past was a test of their will; they were all quiet, the doors were closed, the windows shut. What could be inside them? Just the thought was unnerving... but nothing happened. No matter how much they anticipated it, no matter how high the anxiety was, nothing came. There was no release, no confrontation.

The sound had stopped a while ago. They were at the edge of the village already, with one building standing before them: a barn. This was the source, there was no mistaking it. Barchiel cocked his bolter at what appeared in front of them. Foul xenos...

Conflict: Dark Beasts as Black as the Night

A black blob, just like it was described by Tix, much bigger than the parasite... and not alone. Two others lied by its side. Just like itself, they were made out of the same sickly black substance, but unlike itself, they possessed very distinctive shapes. One was a towering humanoid, taking the form of what looked like a dark, jagged suit of armor. Horns were protruding out of its head and a pair of massive bat-like wings grew out from its back. The other had a much more feminine shape, with long hair falling over her ample bosom. Her slender upper body was contrasted by a large snake-like lower body starting from her waist down.

Murmuring some incomprehensible words, the slime retreated inside the barn, leaving the two creatures in front of the door. Immediately they looked upon the intruders, having fully expected them...yet there was nothing. They did naught but watch, not moving an inch away from the gate.

---

Inside:
T-04: 20 stamina

Outside:
Tam: 30 stamina/willpower
Barchiel: 30 stamina/willpower
Queen's Retinue Ssaphi: 25 stamina
Queen's Retinue Lyra: 25 stamina

In the shadows:
Tix: 25 stamina/willpower
Ix: 30 stamina/willpower


Striking the back lines: Only long-range attacks from Outside can hit a target that is Inside and vice versa. As long as the Queen's Retinue is blocking the path, heroes cannot go Inside. Area of effect attacks are only affecting the section of the battlefields they were used in.
When a combatant enters the battlefield for the first time, their first attack is made at an advantage.

Barchiel glared from beneath his helmet. They found their prey, but it was not alone. As he stared, his mind went through several variables.

Gauging enemy targets. Armored creature seems to be the biggest threat. Engage?

Counter point. Feminine form. Creatures classified as 'Midara' use seduction in an attempt to defeat their foe. Serpentine half could also indicate a tendency to coil around foes, immobilizing. Could prove problematic.

Strategic value?

Moderate. Primary target is within confines of the building.

Engage primary target?

Affirmative. Allies show exceptional close range capabilities. Jump in only if needed.

A thought process that took naught but a few moments. A benefit of the countless genetic modifications that made him into a Space Marine. Aiming down the sights of his Bolter, he began to fire into the barn, his target the leader of this little nightmare. Whether he'd hit or not? Only the Emperor knew.

(Bolter)

Tam considered her options. It was clear that these things weren't going to let them through without a fight, but given that they seemed to be made of the same substance as the slime in charge, it was possibly, likely even, that they had a similar draining ability to the original. And the fact they were just standing there made it clear that they weren't going to make the first move. In fact, Tam suspected that if she just walked away, they wouldn't pursue. Of course, that was not an option here. Tam did, however, still have one trick up her sleeve. Illusions might fool it, but wouldn't harm them. They didn't seem all that sentient, so seducing them did not seem like a viable option either. And Tam was not particularly skilled a close combat without getting really up close and personal, but that basically was the same as throwing herself at them.

But she had Jennifer.

"Okay Jen. Hit it with everything you've got." Tam said, as she handed over control to her.

Jennifer's posture changed to a combat stance.

(Jennifer Stats:
Stamina: 30
Willpower: 15
Ki: 4)

Jennifer begins to focus her ki into her fists and feet, ready to dash forward. Then, she dashes forwards with a blur, and takes an attacking stance directly between the pair.

(Ki Ability: Ki Focus - Gain advantage on Physical Attacks. Costs 2 Ki points per turn.

Flurry of Blows: Roll 3 times. For each success rolled, deal 2 stamina damage to every opponent that is close to her. Crits are only counted on the first roll. A crit fail ends the attack instantly, on top the usual crit fail effect. A crit success means maximum damage, and stuns those hit by it (with no additional effect). For the purposes of damage, this counts as 3 seperate attacks. Requires 3 Ki points to be in the Ki Pool, and costs 1 Ki point to use.

Ki Remaining: 1)

Tix was waiting in the shadows for Tam's signal, what she didn't expect was the sudden change; she knew that it was going to happen but so soon? Seems like the fox realized she couldn't match those things in combat without getting close and personal, it was a good plan, Jennifer was better suited for this fight now she only had to wait and then let her and Ix... Wait... Ix?

Before Tix could avoid it, Ix jumped out from hiding without waiting, she was following the damn tin can's example but this... This could be good, two attacking the monster inside and two fighting the guardians... Yes, that could work, as Tix was processing the plan Ix was casting her spell "Oh shining light, become the blade to protect those I care!" With the incantation, several blades of light appeared behind Ix as the girl quickly fired them towards the slime inside the barn.

Tix on the other hand remained hidden, waiting like a hunter for it's pray, she was going to wait for the right moment to strike and make sure those things regret even being born and once she was done with the ones outside she would make sure to correct her mistake and end the slime's miserable life...

(Ix - Dagaz, the light rain: Ix cast a light rune, creating several portals from which a rain of light bolts rains upon the target, 6 rolls, 1 point of damage per success.)
(Tix - From the Shadows)

Jennifer's speed was incredible; such a sudden charge should take anyone by surprise... Why were they not moving? The two slime guards kept their position as if inviting the kitsune for an attack, even letting the various projectiles fired by Barchiel and Ix fly between them - it was too late to stop now.

Before her eyes, with speed exceeding her own, the winged guardian jumped in front of the serpentine one, its armor becoming hard as steel. Jen had only a second to realize what was happening; this supposedly mindless foe had just caught her fist in its hand. Before she could use her remaining fist, the guardian punched her in the stomach with such tremendous force the kitsune struggled to remain conscious. In the same motion, Jennifer was thrown towards the naga, who handily caught her body with its slimy tail, wrapping it tightly around her.

Ix and Barchiel's assault was ignored completely, reaching Theta within the barn. The marine's bullets found their mark, piercing the blob's center. Ix's attack, while following the bolter's trajectory, was more spread out, attempting to both hit the slime and reveal what was inside. A passing thought was spent on the possibility of their attacks hitting innocents, but she could trust Barchiel's optical implants to do their work; he would have said something if there were any in shooting range.

Dagaz's light revealed glimpses of two people lying on the floor inside the barn. The slime was feasting upon one of them, disregarding the two blades that sliced it just as it did with the bullets. It seemed intent on finishing its meal at all costs.

Queen's Retinue: (Awareness + Lohengarde - auto-hit) (Follow-up: Sserpent's Grassp 1 - auto-hit)
Heroes: (Flurry of Blows - auto-miss) (Bolter - 28) (Dagaz, the light rain - 75, 17, 77, 96!, auto-hit, 59) (From the Shadows)
Monster: (Power Drain - auto-hit)

Awareness: This character will perform their actions before all others. Only useable in the first turn of the battle. (Result of Warning Signal)
Lohengarde: Melee counter. Deals 5 stamina damage and enables a follow-up from Ssaphi. If it succeeds, grants Lyra the Hardened status effect: Reduce damage taken by 50% (rounded down). Cooldown unknown.
Sserpent's Grassp 1: Binds the target, dealing 3 willpower damage and healing Ssaphi for 3 stamina. This is an Independent Bind.

---

Inside:
T-04: 19 stamina
Villager 1: 6 stamina + Mortally Bound
Villager 2: 9 stamina

Outside:
Jen: 25 stamina, 12 willpower + I-Bound
Barchiel: 30 stamina/willpower
Ix: 30 stamina/willpower
Pix: 10 stamina/willpower
QR Lyra: 25 stamina + Hardened(1)
QR Ssaphi: 28 stamina

In the shadows:
Tix: 25 stamina/willpower + Shadowy

Once Ix saw what was inside the barn her hands went to her mouth... She was... Draining them to death, she had to do something "Pix!" She called the tiny girl and the tiny girl nodded as Ix's magic channeled through her sending a light rune towards Theta inside the barn, she was determined to free the villagers no matter what, soon the light rune pops creating a ring of light "I will drag you out of there... Angel Ring!" With a gesture from the girl the ring tried to pull those inside the barn outside.

Tix was still waiting for her moment to strike but the sudden bind on Jennifer made her have to rush her attack, coming out from Ssaphi's shadow, she rushed with her sword in hand creating a rain of dark blades aimed to the naga "Tsk all talking about the plan and you let yourself get caught the first chance the have, hey snake shit, time to die!" Aiming to free the kitsune, Tix fired the blades that rained over the criature.

(Ix: Angel Ring. Ix cast a poweful rune through Pix creating a ring of light around an area, said ring can be used to move a target to a specific location, deals 2 points of damage and binds the target. Requires to have Pix on the field, moves that require Pix to be present will consume Pix's action as well.)
(Clutches of Despair)

"Danger. Xeno seems to be consuming civilian."

"Chance of saving?"

"High, given the innocent one's apparent ability to transport."

"Likelihood of primary target being transported?"

"Possible. Unknown at time. Continue attack on foe.

"Understood."

Another internal dialogue, finished in mere milliseconds. Plans, theories, surroundings. All were taken in and processed at speeds no normal human could match. The fact that there were two civilians within the building complicated things.....

"Ix. If you are able to remove the innocents, I can try and finish this in as swift a manner as possible." Stamping his foot, he continued to unload a hail of Bolter fire upon the main slime.

"You two, let me know if you need my aid!"

This had not been the best start that Jennifer could have hoped for. She was not used to being taken by surprise by such a cheap trick. Most of her opponents from the past had been straight up fighters, and even those who'd been more sneaky with their tactics had usually been called out by Gweniverre before they could enact their plans. Say what you wanted about the bitch, but having a telepath on side sure helped with the countertactics.

Of course, this did not leave Jennifer with a lack of options. First, she needed to break out of this hold, then, she needed to take advantage of how close they were together. She could, of course, try and attack inside the building with her long range spells, and they would likely be rather effective, but her options were limited to something that would burn down the building, or possibly cause it to collapse. And neither of those were an option to Jen, regardless of what Tam had to say on the matter. However, she was positioned perfectly between two foes, without any allies beside her. If she could just break out for one second, she'd be able to unleash a barrage of flames on the foes, almost guarenteed to at least singe them, but hopefully enough to put a little distance between her and them. She turned off her Ki abilities, began to charge up her magic, then attempted to knock her captor off balance long enough to escape, and unleash a blazing inferno upon them.

(Ki Ability: Ki Channel - If no other Ki abilities are used this turn, gain 2 Ki points.
Struggle -> Fireball (Current Targets in Range: QR Lyra & QR Ssaphi)
Ki Remaining: 3)

It was time to strike! Leaving the cover of shadows, Tix used the element of surprise to launch a barrage of dark swords at the serpentine enemy, who held Jen coiled tight around her tail... or did she? With one focused push, Jen managed to loosen up the gooey tail, jumping up in the air and shooting a massive ball of flame downwards. The explosion hit the naga head on, burning away at her dark flesh, however the same could not be said about the horned warrior, whose armor protected it entirely from the fire.

Spreading its black wings, the armored one flew at Jennifer in the very next moment, catching her mid-air with unbelievable speed. The kitsune's body ached as she was pulled tight into a crushing embrace, her energy slowly flowing inside the opponent.

Barchiel's bolter bullets hit their mark with precision worthy of the Emperor's praise, tearing away at the slime inside. The continued fire finally made Theta drop the villager for its own life as it jumped on top of the ceiling to avoid whatever else was coming at it, such as a ring of light that did not manage to grasp its slippery form. It retaliated by firing a slew of projectiles at the attackers, managing to hit the Astartes.

With a worried expression, Pix pointed at the sky, where a winged monster was about to crash down on them. The space marine was quick to take action, rolling away from the impact zone. Ix wasn't as lucky, as her spell took a lot of focus and as such she was not able to avoid the impact, who Jennifer was the center of.

Yet their troubles were far from over. From the confines of the dark, Barchiel was quick to note the presence of two blobs waiting for an ambush but was not fast enough to avoid one of them sticking its tendril to his leg. The other tried to do the same to Pix, but Barchiel would have none of that; quickly shooting it out of the air before it even came close to the little one.

Tix glared at the snake woman, but more importantly, at the dark orb she had just conjured: it was quite big, larger than a head. Slowly it gained altitude, animated by a faint semblance of magic. For the time being, it was doing nothing, but that would soon change.


Heroes: (Struggle - 34 + Fireball: QR Ssaphi - 67, QR Lyra - 36) (Bolter - 70) (Angel Ring - 53) (Clutches of Despair[adv] - 34, 80, 44, 93)
Queen's Retinue: (Sky High - 96! + Darkblaze Dive - auto-hit, 61, 12, 56) (Condensse Gloom)
Monster: (Losing Mass - 46, 83, 11)
Clone Army: (Latch - auto-hit) (Latch - 23)

Sky High: Lyra spreads her wings, charging at an opponent and catching them in a painful bear hug. Binds the target, dealing 3/2 stamina/willpower damage and healing Lyra for 2 stamina. Only ranged attacks may be attempted against Lyra while airborne. If the opponent does not escape next turn, follow up with Darkblaze Dive. Cooldown: 3 turns.

Darkblaze Dive: Lyra dive bombs into the ground with the opponent she is holding, the sheer force of the impact leaving them incapacitated, as well as damaging nearby allies. Deals 6 stamina damage to the primary target, as well as 3 to every other enemy caught in the blast. Inflicts the Concussion status effect: Target must roll at a disadvantage, rolls against them are made at an advantage.

Condensse Gloom: Ssaphi summons a dark sphere floating above the battlefield. Effects unknown. Cooldown: 5 turns.

---

Inside:
T-04: 15 stamina
Villager 1: 6 stamina
Villager 2: 9 stamina

Outside:
Jen: 16 stamina, 10 willpower + Concussion
Tix: 25 stamina/willpower
Barchiel: 30 stamina, 28 willpower + Seeded + Tethered
Ix: 27 stamina, 30 willpower
Pix: 10 stamina/willpower
Clone 1: 5 stamina
Clone 2: 3 stamina
QR Lyra: 26 stamina
QR Ssaphi: 21 stamina + Shadow Flame(3)
Gloom: 7 stamina

The civilian was protected..of a sort. Unfortunately, the bolter fire had the unintended side effect of allowing the monster to escape to the ceiling, causing Ix's spell to miss. Before he could utter an apology to his Battle...Sister? They were bombarded with projectiles.

Warnings sprung up before his eyes, his gaze moving over to notice Pix's point. Rolling away from the airborne menace, he attempted to strike back, when...

WARNING. Unknown entity latched upon armor. Unknown as to reasoning. Theories created. Continue?

Do so.

Blob creature seems to be capable of leeching off life force of creatures via physical contact. Recommend removal of appendage.

Before Barchiel could reply, he noticed another tendril launching itself towards the tiny one, his reaction being to fire at it, making it withdraw. Anger bubbled within him...All he could see was Red....!

With an exhale, he tried to calm down. He would not allow his genetic defects to take over once more. Grabbing his Bolter, he began to fire again at the blob. Perhaps he could make this Tyranid-esque...slime thing, get away...That or be destroyed. Either one would work.

(Bolter)

The attack upon her had struck quite the blow against her, leaving Jennifer with an annoying ringing in her ear, and a level of nausea. Of course, it would take a little time, but she'd be able to recover if she took her time. For now, she needed to be a bit more defensive, until she got her bearings. She began to focus her energy, wrapping herself up in a faint, shimmer aura of Ki. As she did this, she felt a strange energy emanating from near her. As she looked up, she saw a strange... ball of darkness. What was it? Corruption? No, surely not. She'd rarely seen anyone summon up Corruption that easily, with the exception of Zara, of course. Additionally, it appeared to have some sort of magical effect surrounding it. Well, she was in the perfect position to mess up whatever plan it was they had for that ball, as she sent a spark of her Ki energy up towards the ball, disrupting the magical energies, and removing the magical effect from it. As she did this, she refocused her attention onto her assailant. She wasn't sure if she could hit her with the pounding upon her head, but she was sure as hell not going to let her take the initiative of the fight.

(Ki Ability: Ki Aura - Reduce stamina damage taken by 1. Costs 1 Ki point per turn.
Basic Attack, targeting QR Lyra - Deals 2 stamina damage, and Jennifer gains 2 Ki points.
Free Action: Dispel Magic - Jennifer is a master of removing magical effects. Once every 4 rounds, Jennifer can dismiss a magical effect, or counter magical spells, as a free action. Any additional dismissals of magic take up her action for her turn. Costs 3 Ki points to activate.
Ki Remaining: 1)

Ix turned around when she heard the loud crash. "Jenny!" Ix was about to run to Jennifer when Tix stopped her. "You and the tin can deal with that thing, I'll help the fox but remember, I'll be the one chopping her head off!" Raising her blade, Tix took a leap forward, unleashing a powerful explosion hoping to reach both, the naga and the sphere she had created.

After nodding to Tix, Ix looked back at the barn, the slime was inside, she would still need sometime to try and pull her out of there again. "Mr.Barchiel, hit her with all you have, I'll support you." Summoning a couple of runes, Ix started her chant to give the space marine a boost of power.

The tiny girl on the other hand looked worried at the kitsune, searching her pockets, Pix pulled out a cookie and threw it to Jennifer, to help her regain some strength.

(Tix. Shattering Darkness, targets: Ssaphi & the orb
Ix. Critical Eye Rune, target: Barchiel
Pix. Cookie Time, target: Jen)

Using the temporary cover of smoke, Jennifer began running, hoping it would give her enough time to concentrate on reinforcing her ki aura. The winged monster flew towards her like a homing bullet, for it did not need eyes to see. She could not outrun it, she could not hide anywhere, the kitsune's very energy was giving away her position. It seemed Jennifer's hope did not come to pass after all, but she was prepared for it.

Despite the power and speed displayed by the monsters, they were just that: monsters, puppets of a mindless beast. A predictable assault was met with a swift counter-attack as Jen ducked under the armored warrior, striking its stomach with both of her fists conjoined, launching it skyward. Plummeting next to her, the creature was met with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head and was sent flying face-first into the earth.

With the last momentum from the move, Jennifer spun once more, kicking the air behind her. The smoke was split in half from the force, revealing the black orb who had fallen out of the sky, its feeble magic completely destroyed by her ki. As if on cue, Jennifer finished her graceful act by skillfully catching a tiny cookie flying at her from behind.

Tix smirked, now she could hit both the orb and its summoner. Not wasting this opportunity, she released a wave of darkness at the two. Proving to be as quick as her partner, the snake woman wrapped the orb around her tail and jumped out of the way. In a swift motion, she lobbed the sphere as high as possible, right over the ashen-haired woman.

She briefly glanced at the orb as it flew past her, being too fast for her to intercept. As soon as Tix looked back at her opponent, she was already close, catching her in a sudden embrace. The swordswoman shuddered as sharp fingers were digging into her spine, pressing her body against the naga's. She felt the naga's cold lips devour her own, and the long, slithery tongue of a snake invading her mouth.

Barchiel was not faring any better, as deciding to ignore the clones had once again proven to be a bad decision. No one could blame him. He had seen the monster resume its meal, engulfing an already dying man into its black body. If he wouldn't have tried to stop it, he could not call himself a protector of mankind. Yet his brave attempt was trounced when the other clone shot a tentacle at his arm, diverging his near-perfect aim just enough for him to miss.

They gave him no time to recover, reeling themselves on top of his armor. Barchiel's sensors lit up - the armor was losing power. Was there nothing those xenos couldn't drain? He underestimated them and was now paying the price for it.

Ix shifted her gaze between the villager and Barchiel as they were being engulfed by the dark abominations. The two clones assaulting the Marine appeared to have combined into a much bigger monster, becoming the same size as the originator. This was not good. Her efforts have failed and her friends were in danger.

Just as the gravity of the situation began to set in, a black rain of despair washed over them all. The orb had exploded - and with that, the entire battlefield was drowned in cursed slime. Amidst the chaos, Jennifer rushed to aid Tix, when she felt something tug away at her ankle; a dark tendril coming from the monster she had just knocked away...


Heroes: (Ki Aura + Dispel Magic + Basic Attack[dis] - 88! + Basic Attack - auto-hit) (Shattering Darkness - 59, 89) (Bolter[adv+dis] - 39) (Critical Eye Rune - 63) (Cookie Time)
Clone Army: (Latch - auto-hit + Power Drain Duo)
Queen's Retinue: (Shackle[adv] - auto-hit) (Ssweet Embrace - 40) (Doom - auto-hit)
Monster: (Facehug - auto-hit)

Shackle: A stronger variant of Latch. The clone thrusts her arm forward, releasing a dark tentacle out of her palm that sticks to the opponent's skin. Deals 2/2 stamina/willpower damage, heals the clone for 2 stamina and inflicts the Tethered status effect: the Tethered character and any other character can spend one turn to break the tendril. Tethered characters are not restricted in their actions.
- If an opponent is affected by any status effect, Shackle is considered an auto hit.

Ssweet Embrace: Ssaphi springs towards her opponent, gripping them with her arms and sliding her long snake-like tongue into their mouth. As the deep kiss continues and the grip gets tighter, the opponent gradually loses air from their lungs until their consciousness fades.
- Drains 4 willpower from the opponent in the first turn, and 6 in the second. Releases the opponent after 2 turns.
- This ability has a 3-turn cooldown

Doom: Ssaphi's orb explodes in a rain of thousands of small projectiles, covering the entire battlefield in black goo. The slime sticks to all opponents, slowly draining small, unnoticeable amounts of energy until ready to grow into a parasite at the queen's command. Automatically applies the Seeded status effect to all opponents: Character must roll two successes instead of one in order to hit. This effect lasts for three turns, afterwards, the pieces of T-04 drain 2 willpower from the every target and return to T-04 if not turned into parasites.

---

Inside:
T-04: 20 stamina
Villager 1: 1 stamina + Mortally Bound
Villager 2: 9 stamina

Outside:
Jen: 17 stamina, 8 willpower + Tethered + Seeded(3) + 4 Ki
Tix: 25 stamina, 21 willpower + Bound + Seeded(3)
Barchiel: 28 stamina, 23 willpower + Heavily Bound + Seeded(2) + Seeded(3)
Ix: 27 stamina, 30 willpower + Seeded(3)
Pix: 10 stamina/willpower + Seeded(3)
Clone 1/Clone 2: 11 stamina
QR Lyra: 24 stamina
QR Ssaphi: 25 stamina + Shadowflame(2)

This was bad. This was really bad.

Amidst the Chaos, Amidst the blaring of his armor's systems as energy was siphoned, the Space Marine felt aggrevated. He could not allow them to lose. Not if he was going to protect mankind. Already, one man was being practically devoured.

In the name of Sanguinius....He would triumph!

"They are my Space Marines...AND THEY SHALL KNOW NO FEAR!" With a roar, the armor clad warrior attempted to break the bind he found himself in. As he took in the surroundings, he noticed that one of his allies, the soldier of shadows, seemed to be dealing with a make out session....If he could just break free and get his Chain Sword...

(Struggle + Chainsword@Ssaphi.)

Tix cursed to herself, she let her guard down and now was trapped. Feeling her energy being stolen, the ashen haired girl tried to retired into the shadows to regain some terrain.

Ix on the other hand was starting to panic, everyone was in danger, she didn't knew what to do... Who to help... "It's my fault because I'm not strong enough... I can't do anything..." It was then when she felt a tiny hand on her leg, looking down she saw Pix worried and that made her steel her resolve. She couldn't give up, she had to help the others, drawing her sword and sunking it into the ground, Ix kneeled and started to chant an incantation.

Seeing Ix's resolve return, the tiny girl smile and jumped happily before looking back at the situation, it didn't look good but the tiny girl wasn't going to falter, first thing? Help the fox lady, pulling a tiny hammer from her pocket, Pix ran past Jennifer, towards the fallen Lyra and jumped, trying to hit her with her tiny hammer.

(Tix: Into the shadows.
Ix: Eternal Shine, preparation
Pix: Tiny Pow Hammer)

Jennifer was beginning to feel faint. She knew she couldn't continue this fight much longer. She knew that, if she had to, she could swap out with Tam, and let her continue the fight. Perhaps she'd have better luck, or at the very least, she'd have enough energy to get everyone to safety.

Everyone.

That's when she realised just how dire the situation was. The space marine was being held down by a pair of clones, Tix was trapped in a... compromising position with the snake slime, and one of the villagers inside the building appeared to be on death's door.

Much like Ix, Jennifer was suffering from decision paralysis. She could only assist one of them, but which one? From a strategic perspective, Barchiel was the obvious choice. He would have the hardest time breaking out, his weapons allowed him to attack enemies in any position, and he would be the best option for a fast retreat. From a personal perspective, Tix was the best option. She knew she'd have to swap out at some point, and Tam would likely be demoralised if Tix had gone down, and would be too distracted to think clearly herself.

But Jennifer couldn't pick either of these options. Barchiel and Tix had both chosen this fight, knowing the consequences. But the villager was an innocent. Anything she could do to try and save them was worth attempting. She began to channel her magical energy together into a beam of force, and took aim inside the building, at the monster holding down the villager, hoping to knock that thing off.

(Ki Ability: Ki Channel
Lance of Force: Targetting T-04
Ki Remaining: 5)

She could not let that monster kill him, she had to act now. Ignoring the tendril attached to her arm, Jennifer began channeling her magic... only to be stopped by the very thing she chose to overlook. Much like the creature's armor, the tendril too became like steel. Pix tried to help, but was swept away by its hardened wing, hitting her head on a nearby house.

What was once weightless now pulled her like the heaviest of chains, right into the arms of the winged guardian. Its helmet morphed into the head of a fanged woman, who bit into Jennifer's neck as if kissing it. As much as they looked like they should, the fangs did not pierce her skin, nor draw any blood. Yet the grasp was firm and her life was being drained at an alarming rate. She was powerless to escape it. In a few moments, Jennifer's eyes would close... the death of an innocent being the last thing they would see.

The naga's kiss sent shivers of pleasure throughout Tix's body, her arms laying down motionless as more of her energy was being stolen. Feeling her body go limp, the snake woman released her, resting the ashen-haired warrior on the muddy soil.

Barchiel's shouts fell on deaf ears as the amalgam continued its assault. The weight of his armor was turned against him when the abominable slime had finally stolen enough strength to topple the space marine.

Ix continued her channel, desperately hoping her Eternal Shine will turn the tide of this dire conflict. She dared not open her eyes just yet, lest the view of utter hopelessness break her concentration.

Heroes: (Ki Channel + Lance of Force[dis] - 13!) (Struggle - 79) (Struggle - 92, 27) (Eternal Shine Preparation) (Tiny Pow Hammer[dis] - 9!)
Clone Army: (Power Drain Duo II)
Queen's Retinue: (Vampiric Drain) (Ssweet Embrace II)
Monster: (Power Drain II)

Vampiric Drain: Lyra embraces her opponent, letting her suppressed desires loose. She sinks her fangs into their neck, indulging herself in the sweet taste of blood - no drop wasted. After enough blood has been drained, the bat girl moves her lips towards her prey's, leaving a trail of kisses along their neck. With one long, final kiss she finishes the act, keeping it going until the opponent passes out.
- A stronger variant of Power Drain:  If a target is Tethered or Bound by Lyra or Ssaphi at the beginning of her turn, she will automatically do this move. Drains 3/3 stamina/willpower, and +3/+3 more every turn unless interrupted. This ability disables free actions on the target.

---

Inside:
T-04: 21 stamina
Villager 2: 9 stamina

Outside:
Jen: 14 stamina, 5 willpower + Heavily Bound + Paralyzed + Seeded(2)
Tix: 25 stamina, 15 willpower + Seeded(2)
Barchiel: 24 stamina, 17 willpower + Heavily Bound + Seeded + Seeded(2)
Ix: 27 stamina, 30 willpower + Seeded(2)
Pix: 10 stamina/willpower + Paralyzed + Seeded(2)
Clone Amalgam: 17 stamina
QR Lyra: 27 stamina
QR Ssaphi: 31 stamina + Shadowflame

Body... heavy...

Jennifer tried to struggle against the grip of her opponent, but her muscles felt weak.

Must... move...

Jennifer tried to put thoughts together, focusing on her energy. If she could release enough ki from her body, perhaps she could put this thing off of her.

Must... focus...

As she gathered the energy around her body, something felt wrong. The magical energy she'd prepared to release was stopping her from gathering Ki across her body, as if they were fighting each other, and cancelling each other out.

No...

Jennifer's heart sank as she realised what was happening. The magic from her lance hadn't released properly, and her ki was too busy trying to cleanse her of the foreign energies to be focused on any task. Jennifer's heart sank.

What are you doing, you idiot? Switch out with me! Tam yelled out into her mind.

No... point... Jennifer responded, believing herself to be out of options. No... escape... Trapped...

Dammit Jennifer! Snap out of it! If you don't swap out with me now, we're going to DIE!

Jennifer did not respond. She had resigned herself to this fate. What was the point in fighting anymore? She couldn't save the villager in front of her. She watched as they shrivelled on the ground, drained of all life. Tears blinked in her eyes, her eyelids heavy.

Darkness's embrace was coming. Soon, she wouldn't feel this fatigue anymore.

After being released by the snake, Tix got back on her feet with some dificulties to find Jennifer being drained by the other being, her blood boiled, she didn't even grabbed her sword sank in the mud next to her, she unsheated Muramasa and rushed at the being holding the kitsune with her burning blade.

While Tix was going into a rampage, Ix kept focusing her energy to cast the spell. "Defend my brethen, my light! Hope shines with me... Eternal Shine!"

Tix: Obsidian Ashes
Ix: Eternal Shine

His suit was running out of energy. It was getting hard to move, or even think, the suit blaring alarms via it's neural interface. As the Blood Angel fell to the ground, he made a note of several things.

The tiny one? Slapped away.

The monk/fox combo? Sapped of their essence.

The shadow? Angry.

And the innocent.....

Fury bubbled within the Space Marine. He had failed....He had failed to protect Humanity from the xeno threat. And his allies were next....

No...No! He would not stop!

"We are the Gods of the New World Order....."

Was this what he trained for? What he went through centuries of grueling augmentation and combat for?!

"We are the Soldiers, the Legion of Light..."

Lesser men would have given up, or perished, or gone insane from what the Marines had dealt with. He didn't come this far to simply give up! For everyone he had met, and cared for....!

"We are the Center, the Depth of the Sun!"

Now then....For the Emperor. For Sanguinius. And for mankind! He would not go down without a fight! With great effort, he attempted to get up, to break free of his binds, and attack the creatures that assaulted his allies!

"FIRE AND FLAME! WE ARE ONE!"

(Struggle -> Flamer)

They struggled, but nothing happened. They tried again to struggle... but nothing happened. Strength would not come to them, luck had long since abandoned them. Perhaps this was their fate, to become one with the darkness, consumed by the devourer of life. Not even Tix's roaring flame could make a dent in the creature's armor, her blade shattering into tiny pieces upon impact. The naga wasted no time, trying once more to catch her prey by wrapping a tendril around her ankle.

And then came the light. Ix's magic, carrying with it her boundless hope. It phased over the entire battlefield, rejuvenating all who were to be under her protection. The light stayed with them, shielding their lives, if only for a few minutes as the slimes would no doubt feast on it as they would any other form of energy.

Yet the hope was momentary. Little did it take Ix to realize that somehow, somewhere nearby, something had awakened. All who still had their wits about them soon experienced the dreaded, gut-wrenching anticipation of new despair... the pulsating sound of a beating heart.

Heroes: (Obsidian Ashes[dis] - 99) (Struggle - 1) (Eternal Shine)
Clone Army: (Power Drain Duo III)
Queen's Retinue (Vampiric Drain II) (Latch - Auto-hit)
Monster: (Power Drain)

---

Inside:
T-04: 24 stamina
Villager 2: 11 stamina + Mortally Bound + Eternal Shine

Outside:
Jen: 13 stamina, 4 willpower + Heavily Bound + Eternal Shine + Seeded
Tix: 28 stamina, 17 willpower + Tethered + Eternal Shine + Seeded
Barchiel: 23 stamina, 12 willpower + Heavily Bound + Eternal Shine + Seeded
Ix: 30 stamina, 30 willpower + Seeded + Eternal Shine
Pix: 10 stamina/willpower + Seeded
Clone Amalgam: 23 stamina
QR Lyra: 31 stamina
QR Ssaphi: 33 stamina

Tix's eyes were wide open the moment her blade shattered into pieces, she didn't noticed the cracks on her blade before trying to strike the creature. As the blade shattered, Tix felt like a part of her was torn apart and intense pain coursing through her body. "AAAAAGH!" Tix fell to her knee, breathing heavily, doing her best to hold back the pain as she tossed away her broken blade. "Fucking winged monster I'll-" Before she could finished she felt something latching on her ankle, turning her head, she saw the other criature trying to pull her over, she knew what was coming but she also knew that Jennifer was in danger and with her, Tam. "Wait... Your fucking turn..."

It hurts... This pain... Feels like someone ripped my arm...

That was when Tix felt a power, it was dreadful but she couldn't care about it right now. Getting back on her feet, Tix prepared her blade and and lunged forwards to try and free the bound kitsune.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ix heard Tix scream of pain and her blood froze, what did just happened to her? She saw the red blade shattering into pieces, followed by Tix falling to her knees in pain. As she was about to go to her side something, a powerful feeling stopped her, her gaze going back to the barn... Something was in there... And it wasn't the same slime as before, she started to panic, what was going on in there... She needed to act and quick. "Pix, hurry, we need to... Pix? Pix!?" Ix looked around but she couldn't find the tiny girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After waking up from her being smacked against the wall, the tiny girl wandered dizzy inside the barn, not knowing what she was doing or where she actually was, all she know it that it was dark.
_____________________________
Tix: Shattering Darkness
Ix: Turn pass (Panic)
Pix: Free Action (Wander around)

It was a momentary reprieve. He needed to use it. Barchiel slammed his hands onto the ground, trying to push himself up, to break free of these demonic entities, and figure out whatever was within that damnedable barn.

If he could just..reach..his Flamer!

(Struggle+Flamer on Lyra.)

Just as the light began to fade from her eyes, a brighter light began to shine around her. The feeling began to take hold of the darkened depths within Jennifer, and breathe life into them. This feeling was exactly what she'd needed. Hope.

I'm... sorry. I lost myself... Jennifer apologised, as she began to struggle against the hold Lyra had over her.

It's alright. Just hand over control, and I'll try and get us out of here.

But... what about Aura...? And that thing?

This battle is lost. The only hope we have now is to retreat, regroup, and bring more power next time. Tam reasoned. As much as she hated it. As much as it frustrated her, how useless she had been in this battle, she knew that if they did not, their deaths would be in vain. And there'd be no-one left to protect Aura.

(Switch: Tam -> Struggle -> Prepare to Escape (not alone))