3951/Zodiac Rising: The Tomb of Zalmoxis

Zodiac Rising: The Tomb of Zalmoxis
Date of Scene:	26 October 2020
Location:	The Tomb of Zalmoxis, Southern Carpathian Mountains
Synopsis:	Daytripper, Pepper Potts, Elektra, Nightcrawler, and Phantasm face down Serpens and his Avatar minions in a last-ditch battle to stop him from releasing Set onto the world.
Cast of Characters:	Amanda Sefton, Elektra Natchios, Pepper Potts, Kurt Wagner, Michael Hannigan
Tinyplot:	Zodiac Rising

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Amanda Sefton has posed:
The Slopes of the Southern Carpathian Mountains, Romania.

The full moon on the night of All Hallow's Eve casts silvery light on the forested mountain slopes of south-central Romania. A handful of miles off of an old Roman road that used to run between the ancient forts of Acidava and Buridava, a dark, magical portal opens. Out of it steps a man cloaked in a green so dark it might as well be black and clad in green and gold scaled armour from millennias past. A black staff surmounted with a baleful eyed, golden snake is in his hands.

He is flanked by mighty creatures that once were recognized as great warriors of balance and order, but now serve the whims of the dark sorcerer who has corrupted them. There are eight of them. Aries, a ram-headed man armed with a broadheaded axe and stalwart shield, and Taurus, a minotaur woman who wields a mighty hammer that dwarfs Mjolnir in size and strength, lead the way towards the rocky mouth of a darkened cave. Behind the sorcerer, on his right, the tall wizard Aquarius strides, his bladed staff glinting in the moonlight. Pisces, a blue-skinned, water weilding woman of no small power, walks beside him, trident and net in hand. Together, the are the last fully-complete quartet of elemental power: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. These four are Serpens' chosen, this night.

Yet four others also take to the field. Virgo's plant-formed body encompasses the forest around her, drawing from its strength and using its foliage as shield and cover. Gemini, a living shadow, flickers from darkness to darkness beneath the light of the moon, impossible to see against the shadows that stretch out across the pathway. Saggitarius, a mighty cervine centaur with broad antlers and the countenance of the horned god himself, moves silently between the trees, his great bow in his hand, an arrow set to its string. Above them all, Libra's wings bear him aloft, a silhoutte against the white orb of the moon.

These are the terrible opposition Daytripper and her allies will soon face. Hidden deep within the tomb, the sorceress has done all she can to reinforce the wards Zalmoxis set into the walls and floors. She stands alone in an inscribed circle on the floor of the tomb. Beyond her, a second circle is carved into the wall, inlaid centuries ago by Dacian hands at the behest of the Ancient Sorcerer buried here. She knows she is the measure of last resort. If Serpens and his minions get this far, it will be her power against his for the fate of the world. For once, she is ahead of him in the fight. But she is not at all confident in the outcome. His strength, thus far, has dwarfed hers. Her apprehension is very real.

Nevertheless, while the gypsy sorceress stands alone within the casting circle, she is not alone in this fight. "They're coming," she tells her allies, communication facilitated by radios Stark -- via Pepper -- has provided. "They're on the slopes. Near the entrance." Her jaw sets with determination. "Do whatever you have to do to stop them. Remember: The Avatars *are* victims in this. So, if you can free them, if you can take their artifacts, that is best way to defeat them. But, if you can't... Do what you need to do."

She's not happy about giving that instruction. But, at the end of the day, Serpens -- No! His master, the Elder God Set! -- must be stopped. The fate of the whole world depends on it.

She'll deal with the guilt and consequences of their actions later.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
As these things go there is a reason that Elektra is often called a being of vengeance. And being controlled by a corrupted avatar is plenty motive for the assassin to join in the crusade against these creatures and Serpens itself. She had sent contact to Amanda through the Infinity Watch channels and had joined in the fight, bringing her own arsenal to help in the killing-I mean liberation of the avatars. It included explosives, blades that she helped fashion into traps among a few other tricks she had from her Hand teachings. Misdirection was the name of the game for the Hand afterall..

She comes dressed in her usual garb of black and red, long sash about her waist with her weapons, a mask up and covering the lower part of her face and her hair held up in a warrior's knot. On her belt and on a satchel at her back she clearly kept a few more tricks to go. She had been mostly silent, focused on her task of setting traps up for the fight. The occasional question about weaknesses and those who would be attending..

"Understood." She says in response through her radio when it's announced they are coming.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper is 'only human'. That, for some, would be considered a weakness, but she has her strengths. She's intelligent and resourceful, in all meanings of the word. Not only did the redhead bring gear for communication, but she's set out some sonic traps along side the elemental ones and granted the team some dampeners so it's little more than a whistle. The area had been studied by one of the most powerful AIs in the world, thank you JARVIS, to find the rises, the valleys, the best places to fortify, and the most difficult to defend.

So, dressed in (fashionable) black, she's got her flame colored hair back in a ponytail, and is with the others, watching Amanda as she lays her last wards. Pepper offers a ghost of a smile, a touch of bravery in the midst of the 'oh sh*ttery', "Wish Patrick was here." Still, while there are other places she'd rather be?

She's here.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Having numbered amongst Serpens' sidekicks not all that long ago, Kurt Wagner is very much in favor of rescuing whomever they can from the artifacts that have twisted both mind and body into something far more dangerous, twisted and corrupt. He knows why they have been cautioned to do whatever it takes to insure that Set is never released -- he even agrees with the reasoning. But he is not at all certain that -- if push comes to shove -- he could actually carry it out. No matter what the Avatars might look like, there are real people beneath that corrupted exterior.

The waiting is the hardest part. It is the one advantage in tending to be reactive in the face of threats. There's usually very little waiting. The fuzzy blue elf might not be psychologically suited for a siege, which is what they are basically faced with here. "Why is that these evil plans can never take place on a tropical island in the middle of the day?" he asks rhetorically. "Do evil people inherently hate sand, wamrth and crystalline waters?" he mutters over the comms.

He at least gets the chance to be outside the tomb they are tasked with protecting, his teleportation powers and the fact that he is all but invisible in the dark making him a natural scout. The numerous hillocks and tree limbs providing any number of sight lines to keep an eye out for the inevitable approach of their foes. Not that they're likely to resort to a whole lot of stealth. That is for those who don't have overwhelming force on their side.

Hopefully all the preparations they have made turn the tide in their favor.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike was not controlled by an avatar. He's been shot by one, threatened by another, and well, just the overall unpleasantness of their murderous methods for acquiring things has left a bit of distaste in the man's mouth. Perhaps, despite the less than encouraging results from before, that is sufficient motivation to keep trying to help. Plus he can be a bit of a stubborn bastard.

The radios are nice. And despite him taking to the unseen form once more, the radio remains on. Not visible but apparently still functioning. He has no brought weapons. But he is fully aware of the traps set in the area and a set gameplan should he happen to come across a certain centaur... "Got it." He shifts to the side, positioned separate from the others should the keen eye of the anti-illusionst be around. Hearing the observation by Kurt, he tilts hishead. "Hard to be evil when you're in a cheerful place."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The first to breach the mouth of the cave and step into the rough passage that slopes down into the tomb is Gemini. A being of living shadow, he flows through the darkness, acting as both scout and canary for his brethren. Saggitarius steps in behind the shadowman, bowing his head so his broad antlers clear the edges of the entrance. His bulk seems a hindrance in this place. But he raises his bow and shoots a long arrow of light deep along the tunnel, illuminating its length to reveal what mysteries may be hidden there. His form flickers. He steps into a long shadow cast by the edge of a rock and disappears, clearing the way for those that come behind.

A tangle of vines and flora creep over the threshold, burrowing into rock and flowing along the tunnel. Virgo eases through the darkness, the tendrils carrying her along like a leaf in the stream. Poison flows in those tendrils, thorns on strangling vines, stingers in the flowers, carniverous maws beneath the leaves.

Libra plumets towards the entrance, spreading his wings abruptly to catch himself before he impacts the earth. His wings wrap about him like a cloak and he raises his hand to stir up the air within the passage. A twister of dirt and debris, aided by Virgo's disturbance of the earth hurtles towards the far end, past his brethren, and into the forechamber at the end.

Serpens holds up a fist, causing the four that flank him to stop. He stands at the mouth of the cave, wating. Let the initial four take the brunt of any traps laid therein.

Amanda gives Pepper a tight smile. "I wish Tony were here," she replies. Patrick's all well and good, but the little bot would be less protection than Iron Man... or even just some of his suits via remote control. Especially since she *really* didn't want Pepper here in person. If those technological traps hadn't required Pepper's personal access (something the sorceress is pretty sure her friend purposely arranged), she'd have insisted the woman stay at the Tower in New York and simply do everything by remote control from there.

If anything happens to Pepper, Amanda will never forgive herself.

"They do it purely to spite you, Kurt," she says to her oldest friend. "They know how much you hate lurking in darkness all the time." There's teasing in her tone. She's trying to keep it light. But it doesn't reflect in her eyes. They glow with subtle power. "Here they come! Go!"

Pepper Potts has posed:
"They hate everything. Sunshine. Beaches. Puppies. Kittens. So they do it just to spite us," Pepper basically echoes Amanda's quip, but just broadening it a touch.

It is true, though... Tony would be a great deal more useful in this, but he's doing 'other stuff', no doubt tucked into his lab and workshop working on something that will make the world just a little better to live in. Green eyes look around their cave, and down towards the mouth as she finds cover deep in the tomb near where Amanda has her circle. The sensors have set off their warning in the com as a soft *ding* with each advance. Those eyes widen to see the Avatars in the flesh, and her breath catches in her throat. She swallows once to try and push her heart back down and sets her expression. She insisted, and there was no way she was going to let Amanda (and Kurt) take this on without her.

With their entrance, however, the first of the sonics should go off..

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Fighting shadows ain't exactly Elektra's strenth, at least until they decide to become tangible. So she chooses to perch herself up atop the entrance to the forechamber, almost a shadow herself and keeping herself out of sight. One hand reaches under her sash to take grasp of a few poison 'bombs', the other wrapped around the hilt of her Sai. It might not be that great against Sagittarius or Gemini, but might help in taking out a plant or two.

She takes in a deep breath and then exhales, focusing herself, slowing her breathing so as to be as undetectable as possible. She knew taking them by surprise would be the important part.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"They're at the entrance. First wave is headed in," Kurt murmurs over the advanced comm system, perched on a tree branch overlooking the tomb, little more then a black shadow with a pair of glinting, golden eyes cutting through the night's gloom as if it isn't even there. "If you keep telling me it's personal, I might start to believe you. And just because I'm made for the dark doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be sunning myself," he counters, his efforts at returning the light tone just a little hiddered by the fact that there are nine very bad, very powerful individuals about to decend up on them.

He can probably be forgiven. If ever there was cause to be a little tense, this is probably it.

Having numbered amongst the ranks of the enemy not too long ago those give him some advantage. He has at least some idea what they are all capable of. Even if his time as Leo is still somewhat hazy, as if a bad dream, or if having seeing it all through someone else's mind. Either way, the fuzzy blue elf tenses on his tree top perch and silently slides his rapier free of it's sheath. It feels a little like bringing a knife to a gun fight. But that's still a step up from being completely unarmed.

And then he's simply not there any more, a rapidly dissipating cloud of inky black mist the only thing left at his former perch to suggest he was ever there at all. Instead he reappears on the back of Libra, clutching at the diving Avatar, perched between those wings. "I am most sorry for this mein freund. But I think you'll thank me later," he says, that rapier held aloft. He does not bring it down in any sort of killing blow. No, instead he *bamfs* again, the pair vanishing for just an instant...

... reappearing mere feet above the solid stone slab around the tomb's entrance. As momentum does it's work, carrying Libra downward the fuzzy blue elf launches himself from the Avatar's back, using the winged foe as a platform to backflip away.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The phantasm would share some additional banter but with the approach of the initial four to the entrance of the tunnel it's probably not best to be exchanging banter. But the word 'Go' is all the permission he needs as he moves quietly, gliding to a perch on the inside of the entrance, ready to pounce should anyone get past the tunnel o' surprises.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The sonic trap Pepper has laid turns the passage into the tomb into a disorienting echo chamber. The volume of the ricochetting sound increases as the soundwaves vibrate, echo, and repeat. Had she not provided dampeners for the heroes, every single one would be badly deafened. As it is, it's the avatars within who suffer that fate -- particularly Virgo, who has the greatest mass in the tunnel.

Of course, all that vegetative mass *does* dampen some of the sound. But the vines react to it as well, vibrating and thrashing with Virgo's pain. Chunks of rock are ripped from the wall, to fall haphazardly along the path.

Saggitarius steps out of shadow into the broader forechamber. His bulk is less of a hindrance in this larger space. He pulls back his bow and launches his arrow toward the ceiling, brilliant light flashing through the darkness like a flashbang grenade.

Gemini senses the minds within the forechamber as he arrives. He spins towards the hidden pair, heedless of the light meant to blind. His body swells and solidifies. Blond hair falls to his shoulders. A broad, well muscled chest and torso. In short, Gemini takes the form of the Asgardian Thunderer -- an image of Thor he has plucked from Elektra's mind. A hammer is in his hand. It *looks* like Mjolnir... He advances on the ninja, hammer raised high.

When Kurt teleports Libra off course, the birdman's trajectory is completely altered. He slams into the rock face with a mighty *THOOM*. His body slides and tumbles down the slope to land in a heap below. He is still conscious, however. Just stunned for the moment.

Amanda winces as those sonics go off. She eyes Pepper, grateful for the ear protection. "Gods, I've met fishwives with sweeter voices," she says. "You could shatter Patrick with that." And that would never do.

Still, she closes her eyes and begins to concentrate. Magic lights up sigils on the walls, flowing out of the tomb chamber, into the antechamber, and finally the forechamber beyond, casting an eldritch light and adding power to the wards.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Plan B. With Virgo staying behind and getting assaulted by those sonic attacks it means it's the shadow boys that come to play. Ugh... But Elektra will manage. She glances over at the one that chose to perch close to her, arching a questioning brow and just in time to catch Saggittarius getting in the room through the corner of her eyes. Sneaky.. But she had fought with the creature before when she was Capricorn. She remembers what he did.., somewhat. So she quickly turns her head to the side, closing her eyes.

"Evade your look!" She warns in a low tone to Mike, arm about her gaze protectively. As the light comes and reveals their forms, along with seeing a figure roaming their way she blinks when she notices who it is.

Might not be the best of ideas out of the creature either. She is still pretty furious with the God of Thunder. For wrecking her place, for reporting her to SHIELD. She is a respectful ninja that likes her secrets! So after a snarl and an hiss is given at this 'God of Thunder' she launches herself from her perch.

She flies towards him, undeterred, drawing out both Sais as she goes, a full out attack to engage in battle with him.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper is 'support'. She's not front line, never wanted to be front line, and really can't see herself as front line. So, the sonics that go off are a delaying tactic and something to damage the Avatars. After all, they're people underneath it all, and hopefully they can be saved from their fates. "It's not meant to be pretty," Pepper returns with a bemused smile, "But, apparently it does work. JARVIS got the frequency right."

Hunkered down in what she had considered to be some semblance of cover, the appearance of the great 'stag' of Sagittarius causes Pepper to gasp. The arrow, even if it's a short distance away, causes the redhead to duck her head and shield her eyes from the flash of light that is meant to blind them.

Outside the tomb, beyond the immediate (normal) hearing of those within, a soft *whrrrrrr* sounds; from high in the air, a small handful of drones begin to descend to offer support from behind.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Even with the dampeners, even outside the entrance to the tomb proper Kurt can hear -- no, nevermind that, he can feel -- the sonic trap go off and he can't help but wince a little for those caught in it. But again, it's better then the alternative. They have to keep Set from being released back into this world, Amanda has made that very clear. No matter the cost. And really, those of have been corrupted by those magical totems might actually feel better with just a headache -- a little pain to play counterpoint to the guilt of their actions while under Serpens control. Certainly he finds it to be a fair trade.

Even as Libra plows into the rock face Kurt lands gracefully just a short distance away, his tail lashing out from his body to catch a branch as he falls, slowing him enough that he can land in a crouch without any issues. Already he can see the other Avatar stirring. The collision might have taken care of another foe, but a bump on the head -- even one coming from plowing into a mountainside -- is apparently not going to cut it today. No more then was to be expected, right?

"Stay down please," the fuzzy blue elf asks, ever the gentleman. He doesn't step towards the downed, winged avatar. Instead he simply appears beside him, only that tell tale *bamf* marking his passage across the interveneing dozen or so feet. Again that rapier flashes in his hand, glinting in the moonlight as it dives towards Libra's throat. But again Kurt's intent is clearly not to kill. Instead the tip of that dueling sword flicks at the last minute, cutting a fine line not across flesh, but instead that collar that circle's the throat of Libra. He gives a small turn of his wrist, a little twist and then pulls back from the lunge, a collar dangling from the end of his sword. "Sleep mein freund. Your fight is over," he says, flashing a brief smile that reveals those slight fangs before flicking the collar back towards himself, catching it and stuffing it into a pouch at his side. "Libra is down," he says, turning to walk away and vanishing between one stride and the next, swallowed up by the night.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Oh thank goodness for the ear protection and for them being in the other room when it went off. Having a chance to acclimate to the electronic banshee cry it makes it a bit easier for him to react when others come in. As Saggitarius appears, the faint team courteousy outline of phantasm vanishes as he hops off the frame. Drifting back to invisibilty, he zooms around the turning Gemini towards his intended target, trusting Elektra to handle the other.

The sight of the drawn bow and the shouted command from Elektra does cause a bit of concern. As the arrow takes flight, his eyes close quickly, the equipment muffled bang hinting to when he's able to open them again.

When that occurs, the phantasm finds that he's off slightly, causing for him to arc in flight before ending up on Saggitarius's back. There's no presence of weight upon the centaur but there is the sensation of someone grabbing at the quiver strap.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The doppleganger of Thor possesses all his speed, strength, and durability. The replica of Mjolnir, though? That's just a metal hammer. Nothing can clone its power, save a replica made by its original maker, no doubt. Thus, when Elektra flies at him, Gemini proves to be both fast and stalwart in his defence. The one obvious difference between him and the Asgardian he impersonates, however, is the twin-faced amulet hung about his broad chest. He leaps to meet Elektra head on, heedless of her fury towards him.

The drones Pepper activate descend through the atmosphere to attack Serpens' honourguard from behind. Aquarius raises his staff and calls out in an eldritch tongue. A dozen flying imps appear in the air, swarming to endgage their technological foes.

The regal form of Libra begins to fade as Kurt skillfully divests the avatar of his pectoral display. Left in an unconscious heap on the ground is a young blonde man with a tattoo of wings across his bare back. His heartbeat is strong, but his awareness is gone.

Saggitarius lets out a bellow as he feels his quiver being pulled. He rears up, twisting in mid air, trying to dislodge whatever apparition it is that dares to assault the seat of his power. His antlers rake across the stone ceiling above him, setting off sparks.

Amanda lays her hand on the ground. A wall of stone with a small overhanging ledge grows up around Pepper, giving her slits to see through and a rearward means of egress, should it be necessary, but protecting her from potential flanking or direct attack.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Ooo, that's not good... A punch from Thor could certainly send Elektra to sleep, or worse. So better to play it safe. She hits him with a kick that really doesn't sound to do too much while she is flying before somersaulting back and away from the doppelganger, teeth still gritted. This will be harder than expected...

But she has her own tricks. She faints in, as if she'd be going for an all out stab with her Sais. She knows they are a weakness to the creature, perhaps more than a normal person would be by getting stabbed with those deadly weapons so she faints, attempting to get the creature off balance, taking note of that necklace, stopping her attack through the left and shifting her weight to her other leg. The hand in her sash brings out a smoke bomb, to misdirect, tossing it right into the creature's face to envelop them in darkness and she moves in.

The aim? To slide her Sai in-between the locks of the amulet and yank it out. Nope, don't go toe to toe with a God, no matter how furious you might be.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While none of the tombs defenders might be able to match the individual power of the Avatars, let alone Serpens, they have had the benefit of being able to prepare. The benefit of knowing who their opponents are and what their capabilities are. Of knowing exactly when and where they're going to strike. So hooray for good intelligence. Thus far it makes for a big difference. Forewarned is indeed forearmed.

Of course it is probably only going to get tougher from here. Bring it on.

Trusting that those back in thr tomb proper have things under control, the fuzzy blue elf takes up another perch, watching Serpens and his four honorguard intently. A direct assault on that lot feels a little bit like suicide and while Kurt is a big fan of movie dramatics, he's not off his rocker. Each passing moment only tilts the odds in their favor afterall. MAgic might be incredibly powerful, but it seems to come with certain big limitations at times -- at least when you want to do really big things. Needing a specific place, specific relics, even a specific time gives a lot of ways to mess with those ceremonies. So for now all Kurt truly needs is an opening.

An opening that he hopes is coming in the form of a drone swarm. Pepper's kind of handy to have around, isn't she? Even if Amanda didn't want to put her at risk like this. Of course even with the distraction this is a bit of a long shot. But this might be a chance to really tilt things in their favor. That's enough for Kurt.

He takes a deep, slow breath, his gaze intent, focused on Serpens and his honor guard. He waits as those drones approach, waits until it is most likely that the group is distracted. And then he strikes. *Bamf*

Appearing right behind Pisces, the fuzzy blue elf's free hand darts out, reaching for that laurel wreath crown, trying to snatch it and teleport away again before any of the Avatars -- or the evil sorcerer type -- have a chance to react. Just inches and they can put an end to the larger threat -- even if they're still likely to have some very angry, very powerful baddies to deal with...

Michael Hannigan has posed:
YEEEHAWWW YOU F-

If Gemini is still listening in on thoughts, he is in for a treat. For on the thought radio soundtrack for his battle with Elektra, there is a stream of rodeo styled profanity that would make his Gemimom blush for his sake.

Knowing what Saggitarius is capable of if he's in front of him, invisible or not, there is high motivation for Phantasm NOT to be thrown off the avatar. At least, not without the things Saggitarius needs to shoot him with. Securing the arrows in to the quiver, he twists it, doing his best to guide it to free it from the arm area first. Keeping the actual arrows as far away from the grabbing hand as much as possible.

Pepper Potts has posed:
The drones. Now, if it was Tony that was behind them, there'd be something to the effect of an AC/DC song to herald their arrival. Pepper is more the 'Flight of the Valkyries' sort of girl, but sadly, they don't have a 'theme song' within which to appear. It might only matter for the aesthetic after all, because when they do descend, the little flying robots begin to tear off in order to engage the imps. It almost looks like it could be a scene from Star Wars, the way the drones dip and move. They've locked on to their targets, and the first shots of little lasers (initially installed for cutting metal!) surge out towards those summoned imps.

One, with red racing stripes, dips and moves, hard on the tail of an imp before it immediately shoots vertically into the air, 'dodging' a second imp that was coming for it from the flank side, and effectively burns the wings of both before looking as if it tumbles away to find other targets.

Pepper has her head down, the light dissipating soon enough for her to lift her head, her gaze moving towards the outside of the tomb. There's a quick, thankful glance given to Amanda, complete with, "The drone cavalry is here." There aren't many of them, but there are perhaps enough to give those without a run for their money.

"If you need any of the drones in place, tell one. They'll respond." Just in case they're needed as individual backup. "And no, they don't have names." Just in case anyone was wondering!

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Gemini is a clever and skilled fighter. He is NOT Thor. Thor, who could backhand Elektra away with superior speed and strength (but probably wouldn't, 'cause he's sweet on her), or bowl her over the same way. He swings with his hammer, but they are wide, sweeping gestures that the nimble ninja can evade with practiced timing and misdirection. Even the real Thor is a more straightfoward fighter than the clever ninja woman. Thus, her sai slides expertly between the links of the amulet, allowing her to use the fake Asgardian's own momentum against him as she pulls the talisman away.

As Kurt's fist wraps around the laurel wreath, a great wave of water swells up out of the ground, breaking the mountain side and threatening to wash the elf away. The woman's body flows with the water, through the wreath crown, maintianing the artifact's contact with her body.

Aries the Ram bellows. Fire shoots from his eyes at the blue furred mutant and the ground begins to shake as Taurus stamps her feet to set the entire mountainside to trembling. Serpens raises his staff and sends a strike of power into the tomb, clearing away the debris that litters Virgo's plant form, the tendrils of her limbs creating a net to hold back the walls' collapse.

Saggitarius bucks like a wild bronco as Phantasm holds onto his quiver. It's like riding one of those crazy bull rides at a southwestern bar... but tougher because of antlers and arrows and the darkness that swells up around the creature, throwing the entire tomb into pitch black.

As the drones swarm the imps, a pitched battle worthy of a Star Wars film occurs over the heads of avatars and trees alike. When imps begin to fall, their brethren regroup, two or three at a time transforming into larger creatures, absorbing the smaller bodies into the bigger before going after the plucky drones with renewed vigor. It's like... Voltron Demons vs Rebel-Piloted Tie Interceptors.

Amanda senses Serpens desperate power. She closes her eyes and responds in kind. She doesn't need light, in Saggitarius' darkness, to see the life energies of her friends and the humans that are possessed by the Avatars. Electricity ripples over the walls, avoiding her allies entirely, but lancing into their enemies. The energy doesn't affect Gemini... but the others inside the tomb certainly feel its effect.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Elektra feels the wind of that hammer's passage near her face. Dancing with death, as usual. She knows a swing of that could take her out in permanent fashion. But she has been a terror out in the world for a long time. Surviving is in her blood.. She dodges one last strike that is just a bit above her head, ducking in and slipping that Sai in. She twists then, placing a foot against Gemini and pulling back with a foot. It comes free, she snatching it out with one hand as she flies back to land on the ground some feet away from the figure..

That should do it.., she hopes. Her eyes go around again to the fight going about her, the darkness where Sagittarius and Mike are fighting, the various drones up in the air against the imps. It's a chaotic fight... But she does strive in chaos..

She jumps back up to her feet nimbly and begins to advance out to the fray, calling out one of the drones, "I need backup." she states. She watches one of them come by and reaches to slap a few of those poison bombs on it. "Go ahead and fly through those plants.., this should do the work." she murmurs.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It was a long shot.

He understood that from the get go, but distraction, misdirection and lightning swift strikes are about all that they have in their favor afterall. Nothing wrong with playing to your strengths, though.

The fuzzy blue elf expected to garner a reaction. Indeed, he was counting on it. Of course expecting and counting on something are one thing. He still has to SURVIVE it. Which seems to be just a little in doubt right at the moment.

It is all Kurt can do to twist away from the assault, and for the next few seconds it is like Kurt is in a half dozen different places at once, little inky clouds and hints of brimstone all fill that air around Serpens and his honor guard as the mutant teleporter puts his only advantage to the test, moving about the battlefield swifter then the eye can follow -- but all in a very tight circle around Serpens and his Avatar honor guard.

*Bamf* His last jump brings up right in front of Aries, right about shoulder height as the kicks a foot out, right at the fierce Ram's face. This time he doesn't *bamf* away, instead pushing of the Avatar again, backflipping his way to safely, a taunting grin on his face. He waits for that fiery gaze to sweep his way -- and only then does he vanish from sight leaving behind that inky cloud... and Pisces standing right behind it.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Ands so the wild ride Phantasm's on continues but now with some mood lighting! So, the antlers are getting to be a dang problem as Saggitarius continues to buck around. It's like a game of Operation gone horribly wrong, there's just no way to get the strap over the head and the buzzer's just going off continuously. How the HELL do centaurs get things like these on in the first place?! There aren't buckles and unlike him they probably don-

...Crap.

Well, he's an idiot.

Bouncing about on the wild ride of darkness Phantasm maintains a death grip on the quiver. After loaning some of his to the object, he gives a hard tug, intent on pulling it through the centaur's body.

Pepper Potts has posed:
The drones learn. They do. They learn, adapt their performance, and change tactics where and when necessary. The point wasn't to make larger imps! It really wasn't.

As a result?

Instead, they're not 'killing them' per se, but they are taking them out of the battle so Aquarius has to expend some energy in order to pull them from the fray to make more. The little guys are, then, making the imps follow them in a merry chase, leading them in and around, taking the occasional pot-shot at the Avatar that created them.

Elektra gets a little drone with a yellow flame painted across its body, and upon request, it's flying towards her, leaving the chase of the imps behind. It hovers before her, and when the poison bombs are placed, there's a *beep* of 'understanding' if not acknowledged. Off it goes, dutifully, its path towards where it was asked to go. A 'bot on the move!

The little yellow racer drone moves off on its path, the poison bombs attached- it's a crop duster!

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Gemini collapses as the chain is ripped from his neck. His form solidifies, and a dark skinned young man lays unconscious in the middle of the forechamber.

Amanda's energy causes Saggitarius pain, which distracts him from Phantasm's attack. Then, of course, the hero gets smart and uses his powers to finally disarm the great beast. The quiver slides effortlessly through the cervine form. The avatar collapses on the ground. The darkness around him dissipates, and soon a fit, middle-aged man in old fashioned leathers lays unconscious on the stone.

The little yellow racer looses poison over Virgo's form. The plant woman writhes from the electricity spell Amanda released. Acidic spores explode from blossom clouds in the passage way, threatening to engulf the little flier.

Kurt's teleporting abilities, Amanda knows, are an edge very few can beat. And his improvisation on the field is legendary. Aries and Taurus both swing their weapons at the bamfing elf, trying to hit him. But he is there and gone too quick. When Aries releases his fury from his eyes, the fire boils into Pisces. The woman screams and flings out a stream of water at the Fire elemental. He is swept back into the rocks near the entrance. She colapses into a more compact, humanoid form, wreath askew on her head.

Serpens reaches out to take her wrist and pull her towards the tomb's entrance. At his command, Taurus follows and Aries tries desperately to rise and join his master, even while Aquarius retreats after them, leaving his imps to fend for themselves.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Elektra isn't the type to play savior, or protect innocents. Really, not in her DNA... People have been trying to change her but .., she knows when to spot weakness, and to take advantage of it. And right now, that's Virgo... The bot serves as crop duster first and now is as bait. Poor thing! But it serves her purpose. "Going to take out the plant girl." she speaks on comms.

She slinks into that tunnel, running fast and around the tendril. She jumps past a reaching plant that tries to hold her then ducking under razor-sharp vines who still slash across an arm, spilling some of Elektra's blood.. Not that it deters her, and while her bot is getting assailed she jumps in, outreaching with one hand to try and get that shawl out of Virgo's shoulders.

She spots the others nearing the entrance. Well, she will be in big trouble if this doesn't work.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Oh no.. this won't do.

There's a *beep* that sounds from one drone, and each responds in kind only milliseconds after the first. Only a few, and they aren't immune from some of the hits from the imps. In some cases, one, two of them are taking ones 'for the team' to be sure they are holding the imps' full attention. Only now?

Aquarius is moving away, and that is just not acceptable! The drones begin a chase, after a fashion, only their flight path is one that would serve to annoy the Avatar. Noting like buzzing the troup, only to have somewhat larger imps mindlessly following the drones' paths.

The little yellow racer, though.. the little guy is hit, and the acid wash begins to burn into the metal, giving it more of a 'washed' look. In return, those 'bombs' drop, and the little drone rises up and begins its path back to its bretheren, a little slower, and worse the wear. The laser on it works... sporatically as tested as it emerges from its own little battle.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
This time Kurt finds himself perched on the very edge of the tomb, hands and feet both clutching the stone overlook as he pants for breath just a little balancing there in what would surely be a precarious crouch for most others. His teleporting doesn't have the same negative consequences for the fuzzy blue elf as for those that he carries. But he has been *bamfing* around a /lot/. It takes a toll and while exhaustion might not be setting in -- at least not quite yet -- he would just as well not have to try and do that rapid fire dance again tonight if he can help it.

Of course, with the stakes being what they are he might not have a lot of choice.

He watches Serpens start to drag the downed Pisces towards the entrance to the Tomb, watches as the rest of his honor guard staggers to fall into some semblance of guard position. "They're entering the tomb. Pisces is down but I couldn't get her crown," he reports quietly, a slight note of frustration in his voice. The tension is definitely rising and each second is becoming increasingly critical.

For a moment he pauses, closes his eyes and tries to visualize the entrance to the tomb beneath him. But when he moves it isn't to teleport. Time to conserve a few resources for when it counts. Instead he swings his body off the edge, using momentum and that acrobats training to hurl himself down and past that threshold below. Right up behind the bad guys. Flying feet first he tries to use that momentum to push Taurus off balance, to try and make him crash into the others. He's not counting on that however.

As soon as he's made impact, he finally teleports again, appearing in a crouch where Elektra and the downed Virgo lies. "My apologies for the presumption. But I think this is not where we want to be," he says lowly, with a tight smile. Then, laying a hand on each of them there is that *bamf*, that stench of brimstone, and then all three of them are back in the main antechamber.

And with luck? Serpens and his friends are about to deal with a whole lot of falling rocks.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Phantasm blinks at the collapsed man ...interesting choice of attire. Well sir. If it wasn't for whole situation as a whole. This entertainer may have saluted your fashion choices. "Saggitarius is down." He glances over to the body Elektra left behind, "Looks like Gemini too." He speaks over the com, "That means Aries and Aquarius are viable too, right?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The force of Kurt's kick into Taurus' shoulders is enough to throw the taurine woman's balance off. She stumbles forward as he hurtles by to bamf beside Elektra.

Once the shawl is ripped from Virgo's shoulders, the plant woman cries out. But then Kurt is there, teleporting both her and the ninja out of danger. Because without Virgo's tendrils holding the collapsing walls back, the ceiling of the passage way begins to fall in. Serpens raises his staff and shouts a word of power. Both he and his remaining avatars are sheltered within a dome of magic completely surrounded by rock.

As they appear in the back chamber where Amanda and Pepper are, the sorceress throws a ball of light at the ceiling. "He's not out, yet," she tells her small team. "He's got portal magic and shields. Just like me." She's speaking quickly. "Kurt, you and Phantasm concentrate on disarming the avatars. Elektra, distract them. Pepper... it's show time." Because she knows her friend has prepped all sorts of booby traps in this room -- shrapnel throwers and laser mines among them.

Amanda stands in the middle of her circle. "I've got this." Her eyes begin to glow and eldritch light surrounds her as she conjures the last protections against the incoming villians...

...just as Serpens steps from a portal in the doorway of the chamber and plants his staff firmly in the earth, remaining avatars arrayed around him.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
As Elektra is teleported back out to the safety of the others she lets out a sigh of relief. Too taken in her bloodlust she had forgotten to make sure she had room to escape. So a nod of thanks is given to Kurt, brief and swift, another towards Pepper for the drone.

But then it's show time. The avatars, along with Serpens, have breached into the room. She steels herself, eyes narrowing at the central figure. Distraction ... She can do that...

So she runs forward ahead of the others, almost as if heedless of the danger in front of her. She tosses herself to the side before taking in a mighty punch from Taurus, dodging away and throwing a smoke bomb into it's face as distraction, not really making a run for the artifacts herself. More smoke starts to fill the room as she throws in a few more of her little grenades, along with a few knifes sent towards some of the avatars, doing some hit and run, using the shadows and the cover provided to keep out of their way while still providing enough distraction so the others can rush in and handle the artifacts. She is breathing heavily now though, and already a few more blows have landed, cuts and bruises about. This is turning out to be an hard fight. But all in the name of vengeance! And fine, saving the world is important too ...

Pepper Potts has posed:
The girls had prepped this, right down to the 'hard points' within the tomb, thanks to JARVIS' scans. If there was a place that could retain some of its structure should everything come tumbling down, Pepper's there. She's got her wall with arrow slits so she can see, and the moment Serpens steps to the doorway, glints of metal exude partially from the either side of the wall (and threshold) and a *PFFT* sound accompanies a burst of metal flechettes, gleaming, metal bits of shrapnel made to tear into flesh.

On the ceiling of the chamber itself, there's another bit of tech tucked away in the center. An unblinking red light emenates from it; it's the trigger for those mines she's placed on the ground by the entry and feet behind it. They won't go off unless instructed by the 'eye' up top.

To be honest, Pepper doesn't really want to watch this fight, and the urge to rest her back against the wall and sink to the ground is almost, almost impossible to resist. But, resist she does, and glancing towards Amanda, she tries to look more confident than she feels. "After this? I think we deserve some sort of break."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
So this is it then. Stop them now or deal with some angry, evil Elder God. Kurt is a pretty optomistic, fun-loving sort. He generally looks on the bright side of things and doesn't mind laughing in the face of danger. Even gleefully.

But stopping an Elder God released into the world? That doesn't sound like the fun sort of danger. That sounds like the wet your pants sort of danger. And Kurt would never be able to live that down. So yep, time for Maximum Effort!

With their instructions given, he glances briefly towards the rest of their impromptu team, giving a little nod and another tight smile. "Agreed. Party at Pepper's," he says, that unspoken 'if we survive' entirely too palpable, hanging in the air.

And then he's gone, back out into the thick of things, quick, murmured words shared with Phantasm so they can coordinate on their task. All they need is for one of them to succeed. Just one.

But taking out all four would be nice too.

Realistically there is no way that Kurt is getting that belt off of Taurus. But the other totems? Each of those is a possibility. He does not go for the simplest of the targets first though. Instead he engages potentially the toughest, appearing out of nowhere behind Aquarius. And then he *bamfs*. And *bamfs* some more. A half dozen, a dozen times, rapidly about the room, all in seconds. Even the hardiest of constitutions tends to end up violently ill after only a few rapid trips. Of course Kurt isn't feeling so great either by the end but he snatches at the Avatar's cuff, trying to pull it free while he recovers himself.

Then it's back into the frey. He also snatches at Aries' cuff as well as he grabs the Ram and teleports him away from ground center. And then it's back for Pisces and her crown with her guardians removed to other parts of the room.

He's racing a big, big bang he knows. But he's pretty confident that they've got their timing down...

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Phantasm nods unseen to the order coming over the comm. "Got it." He replies, moving towards the chamber. Portal magic... probably not going to travel halfway if he's using that. As Elektra does what she can to distract them, Phantasm flies after. As the Taurus's attention is focused on the ninja, he slips behind the Avatar, laying a hand upon the belt before reusing the technique that turned out to work on Saggitarius. Ability loaned out to it, he tugs the belt back sharply like a tablecloth trick. He watches Kurt, intent to run over to yank off what Kurt couldn't.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
It ocurs to Amanda, as her friends swing into action and Serpens' baleful eyes fall upon her beneath his serpent crown, that she is very, very lucky to have such staunch allies. It also ocurs to her that if she doesn't take the sorcerer down in this instant, it won't matter how valiant her friends may be.

She stands her ground and raises her hands, chanting in Ancient Thracian -- a spell Zalmoxis himself once uttered within these very walls. Fire leaps up from the circle at her feet. Water files channels in the floor. Air swirls like a cyclone, within the circle, whipping her hair and coat tails. And Earth trembles shaking the very foundations of the tomb.

Pepper's hard points remain secure, but the rumble is nearly deafening in the enclosed space. Serpens echoes Amanda's chant in an ancient, demonic tongue. He has the crown. He will pit his will, his *master's* will, against hers any day. He has prevailed before. Why should he not prevail now?

The answer, of course, lays within the glowing, technological eye embedded in the ceiling of the chamber. As Serpens advances, Peppers traps trigger and Elektra's distractions hit home. He is bombarded with resistance he never anticipated.

Meanwhile, all around him, his avatars fall -- one by one -- as their artifacts are stripped from them before they can martial their powers and come to his aid.

Amanda throws her hands forward. The elements she channels surge forth, sweeping over the dark mage with terrible power. He screams as the wind sweeps the crown from his head, shattering it against obdurate stone. Water sweeps the fragments away while fire burns his flesh to blackened char.

The stench is sickening.

In the end, the sorcerer dies in a fury of flame and storm. Amanda collapses to her knees, hands slapping the stone floor as her body collaspes under the strain of maintaining the conduit. But she does not faint. She remains on hands and knees, eyes glowing until there is nothing left of Serpens but muddy ash in the dim light of the firelit tomb.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
There is a reason why Elektra hates mages... When she throws daggers at them they have those force fields about them... Always better to get them when they are sleeping... So her attempt on attacking Serpens himself doesn't exactly work as the rest of the avatars are starting to be taken out.. Though just as good for her as shortly after the dark mage is burning out into cinders.. A gruesome spectacle..

The woman falls down to a knee as well once they have all been taken out and peace again returns to the chamber. She is breathing heavily, bleeding out of a few wounds, tasting blood in her mouth. But vengeance had been had tonight. She was pleased..

Eyes go to the rest of the group and she rasps out. "Not bad..." she finally lets herself fully sit down on the ground against the nearby wall. She casts a look down at the necklace she tore out of Gemini, still tucked into her sash, thoughtful..

Pepper Potts has posed:
The rumble of the stone temple around her, and the magical fight that happens right before her is enough to push Pepper back a step or two, just to put more distance between her and that entry. It's when that red eye in the ceiling opens fire, setting off the detonations that happen at Serpens' feet that the redhead actually begins to believe that this may very well be winnable. Giving Amanda the edge, supporting the others in their fights is part of that victory.

Somewhere in that battle, however, Pepper does succumb to crouching down and becoming a great deal smaller in that chamber, hidden behind some of the taller and thicker spots of that wall that Amanda created for herself and doesn't move. She's got her drone posse outside, no doubt hovering and fussing at the rubble, wondering how to get in and get her out. There are small bits of blasting, but too far to be heard beyond a dull pop.

When it's all said and done, however, and Pepper is a whole lot messier, thanks to the dust and debris that scatterfalls, she emerges from her spot. Immediately, she's hit with the stench.. and it physically pushes her back. Her arm rises to cover her nose and mouth in a double attempt to not breathe it, and not vomit.

"Oh.." she says disgustedly, her stomach churning. She shakes her head quickly, and takes the few steps to cover the distance to Amanda, her one arm still across her face. "Are you okay? 'Mands.."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
One last burst.

Dragging people along with him is exponentially harder then just teleporting himself. It's one of the reasons that it can be so extremely effective at incapaciting anyone he drags with him -- and why he never takes friendlies more then a single jump. At least not without a rest, a break for them. But sometimes, well, you just have to push the limits. Even as he is bamfing about the room, swiping magical totems from their 'victims', he is also depositing those victims back behind the barriers that Pepper made sure were in place. It very well might be the only safe place left in mere seconds and even as he drops the last person off and falls panting behind the safety of those prepared defenses he hears, feels the explosion of that mine trap rip through the tomb.

Not that he's really in a position to worry about it. Their safeguards hold or they don't. He's not teleporting anywhere, not for a couple of minutes at least and ideally after about a gallon of water. And besides, he's not about to abandon anyone behind. He really couldn't live with himself then.

So he lays there, on cold stone, eyes closed as the tomb shakes around them, as dust settles down over there and the rapid-fire of debris impacting against those secured points finally ceases that terribly accompaniment. Only then does he crack an eyes open, one golden eye peeking about, seeking out the rest of them, seeking out Amanda. "Is that it? Are we done? Please say that we are done," he offers out breathlessly.

With great effort he manages to unstrap that pouch around his waist, holding out the collected totems within to the Sorceress.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Successful in removing the belt and seeing that his assistance would not be needed for Kurt, he steps back, wrapping the belt around the quiver to make the items more managable to carry.

As the visual of ther sorceror burning up and of the reactions of his teammates. It is quite clear that the scent in the area is much to be desired for. Phantasm is momentarily glad that smell is one of the senses given up when using his current ability.

The belt, like the quiver remain unseen as they remain in his hands. It's probably a good thing he didn't have to grab at a third item. "So." He asks, "What now?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Like Elektra, Amanda spends a few moments sat on the cold stone floor, catching her breath and, in her case, recovering her power. She glances up to Pepper and smiles. "Yeah," she nods. "I'm good." When she is sure she can stand without swaying, she rises slowly to her feet. "Bring me the artifacts," she says. "There should be eight."

And, thanks to Kurt and Phantasm, they're soon tucked away, safely locked away in a warded box in her rune-warded satchel. She smiles at him. "We're done. We just need to get out here."


Of course, 'getting out of here' actually includes rounding up those bodies Kurt thoughtfully teleported and pushing them through a portal onto the slopes beside the entrance -- where the drones fret and Libra lies unconscious. However, once all is finally sorted, bodies, artifacts, and allies alike, she spins up a final portal... this one to New York.

And home.