Owner	Pose
Jonathan Sims	The training room of the Velvet Room has been set to the "Tartarus, Thebel Block" program today, and Jon has gathered a group to explore it further and see what might lie in store beyond the door. The first room is a huge lobby of sorts, with concentric gold rings and white-and-black checkered tiles on the floor, high pillars, and windows showing a strange green sky outside. The only other feature of the room is a huge clock with a door in its face, about 20 feet up. A long staircase leads up to the door, on which a giant numeral "2" can be seen.     There's one more addition to the room this time: a young woman with pale blonde hair and golden eyes, wearing an elevator attendant's uniform in blue hues to match the rest of the Velvet Room. "Greetings, members of the Justice League Dark," she says in a smooth contralto. Her cadence is odd, as if she not only were not a native English speaker but not a native speaker of most human languages. "I am pleased that you have finally decided to climb the tower of night." She looks them over. "I am Elizabeth, a resident of the Velvet Room. I will be running the program from another location, but I /did/ so want to meet you all."     Jon... blinks at the woman. "Ahh... hello. I was thinking of remaining down here to... coordinate the others fighting in the actual program. Is that doable? Can the room... stretch?"     Elizabeth nods eagerly. "Oh, yes! That is /precisely/ how you're supposed to do it!" She beams, as if Jon had found the answer to a particularly difficult puzzle. "You can stay here and navigate, and the rest can climb the Tower and see what fate awaits them at the top."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien is looking at the tower, the stairs, and the clock face, all with a dubious expression. The young woman gets an even more dubious look, very nearly suspicious, in fact. She looks at Jon and murmurs, "You stay in contact, okay? If anything happens down here, don't keep it to yourself." Ah yes, there's the Howlett paranoia showing. She lets out a breath and looks back to the tower, "So I presume we simply ascend the staircase and enter through the door to begin the program?" This asked of the other blonde in the blue getup. Hands set to hips, like she's ready to turn thise whole group around if something starts smelling funky. There's a glance back to the others, and Rien pauses on Cael in particular, "Cael, since we're going into the unknown, would it be allowable for me to provide you with a bit of protection? Simple shielding spell, it won't hinder you, but it will help absorb the heaviest blows."
Cael Becker	"Want me to kill something for you, love?" Cael asks brightly, leaning in to give Jon a kiss, and wrap a slightly possessive arm around their middle. She studies the unfamiliar woman from this position, remarking simply, "You spoke to us yesterday."     At Rien's question, Cael's grip on Jon tightens a little as she remarks almost defensively, "I mean, Jon can do stuff like that, too." She pauses a beat before adding a bit grudgingly, "But sure. I suppose. We'll all part of a team, here."     Her attention returns to the unfamiliar woman as she holds out her hand and adds, "Can I have my axe, again?"
Robbie Reyes	Robbie's lurking at the rear of the pack, as he's prone to do. He's swapped out his usual leather jacket for a dark, worn hoodie paired with his usual shredded jeans and combat boots. While the others discuss and prepare to go in, he's checking out the clock face with a thoughtful expression. Is it alive? Does it have a soul he can eat? He's probably about to find out.
Chas Chandler	Chas looks up at the door at the top of the stairs and then at the strange young woman, Elizabeth. "Not what I imagined when I set this whole thing up... but here we are" he says with a wry smile. His focus shifts to Rien. "I don't think any of the residents would purposefully hurt us, unless it was mandated by some agreement." He shrugs. "At least that's the impression the last guy left me with."     He rolls a shoulder, not that his body needs it, and rubs the back of his neck. "Let's go ahead and see, as she put it, 'what fate awaits us.'" He looks at Jon. "You said you went through a bit of this before? What sort of opposition can we expect in there?" he asks, his eyes shifting back to Elizabeth briefly.
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney steps up to the familiar clocktower that she and Jon had examined once before. Before deciding that a larger group may be required to properly check it out that is. Though she listens to this 'Elizabeth' that has popped up to explain the situation, much as an explanation was given, her gaze keeps flitting back to Jon and Cael with a clear expression of 'awww'. It seemed Cael was in a much better mood tonight after all. That was good! Turning her attention fully back to the matter at hand she takes a deep breath, and flexes her gloved fingers experimentally. It never hurt having a little gear after all, and she'd opted for her gloves, and padded suit in black and yellow. The white and black one was for ... Different nights. "Hey, I'm up for whatever. I could use to let out a little stress as it is. Kind of cranky the past few days."
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn has a bit of knowledge of Greek Mythology, enough to know that Tartarus is a bad and scary place..But this is just a training exercise, right? Soo..Maybe not so scary..Hopefully! Well one can always dream. Either way she's ready for anything as she steps into the..Lobby..Peering around curiously as the attendant greets them. "Ooh, I certainly wasn't expecting this.." oh wait, they have to climb? She swallows, forcing a smile, peering up. "So, no sweat, we can do this! Let's get started."
Jonathan Sims	Jon nods aside to Rien, a suspicious expression on his own features. He cannot match the Howletts for paranoia, but he's got a heavy enough load of it for most people. "I'll be down here, love," he notes to Cael softly, but reaches down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Let Rien do the shielding and I can focus on guiding you all."     Elizabeth nods approvingly to Rien. She seems non-plussed by any adverse reactions to her presence. "Indeed. Simply walk up the stairs and go through the door. There are certain restrictions in place within the program to make it /seem/ as though you have been injured or even knocked unconscious, in order to better approximate actual battlefield conditions. While the training program will not harm you in any permanent manner, I /do/ suggest armor and shields both."     She claps her hands twice and the axe Cael's been using appears in front of her. "The opposition on the first few levels should be fairly easy for this group! There will be stiffer resistance further up!" She beams at them all. "I am curious to see if you can make it to the top of Thebel Block tonight. I'll be rooting for you!"     Jon shakes his head in bemusement and turns away from the group, waving the glowing green hand to create a floating screen in the air in front of him. There's nothing but static on the screen currently, but he says, "I should be able to see you and help you through any dangers once you're up there. Good luck."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien smiles faintly towards Cael and offers, "I can make it smell like Jon if that will make you feel better." Then she's concentrating on Cael for a long moment, gathering energy together into that particular light blue glow of hers, then waving a hand over Cael to coat her in a shimmery field that seems to fade after a few moments. It won't inhibit Cael's senses or movement, but when she takes a hit, it will be there to help cushion the blow. Then she flexes her hands to extend the nearly three-foot-long glowing bone claws and gives a nod, "Alright, I'll take point, then Chas, Megan and Cael in the middle, then Gabby and Robbie if you guys can anchor? If shit starts going sideways, Megan, you open a portal, Gabby you and Chas get the fuck out with Megan and Cael. I don't knoww about anyone else, but I know that there is next to nothing that can permanently take down Robbie or me, so leave us if it's not safe. Otherwise, we go until we reach the top. Fiftty bucks to anyone that swan dives off the top!" Having issued marching order, warnings, and incentives given, Rien turns and starts up the large stairway to the door!
Cael Becker	"Fine," Cael remarks - her tone slightly grudging. She gives Jon a squeeze before letting him go, picking up the axe and giving it a few testing swings. She smirks in amusements at the shields - and the faint scent they give off, giving Rien a nod of acknowledgement. "And a few of those pistols, and a heavy military rifle?" These all get tucked into holsters - with the rifle slung over one shoulder, resting near the hip of her unmarked armored fatigues.     "I'm not fucking swan - but are we keeping score? Loser buys the first round of drinks?" she suggests - a grin on her features as she starts up the stairs (never mind that drinks are free, here). "You know. This tower isn't ADA compliant," she notes with amusement, as she waits for the others to join her.
Robbie Reyes	The call's given to armour up, and that's Robbie's cue to let the Rider take the wheel. It's painful, the transformation, as it always is; each and every time, he has to re-experience being burned alive like he was the day they shot him and incinerated him and left him for dead. But he lets go, gives in and allows the transformation to happen. Allows himself to be consumed in the demonic fire, escaping like a plume from the armoured skullplate that forms over his hellish countenance. Flaming, scythe-tipped chains are wrapped around his gauntleted hands for some extra spice. With the orders given, he nods once to Rien and prepares to follow the group in from the rear along with Gabby.
Chas Chandler	Chas' question is ignored but he lets it slide and shrugs. He glances at the enthusiasm of the strange young woman. Something about her strikes him as disconcerting, something dangerous in her lack of hesitation. But then Rien is giving out orders and he nods. "We're right behind you" he says the shorter woman. But then again, everyone in the room was shorter than he is. Still, he was certain none of them lacked for courage.     The blue glow starts to cover his body as he releases the barries holding back the energy of Heaven within him and his eyes glow with the same pulsing glow of ancient stars. He looks to Cael, the flames in his eyes not hampering his vision and smirks. "Enough firepower to wipe out an army. Just make sure you don't hit one of us. I don't think friendly fire is off with this one."     He raises a hand and a beam of blue light splits the air before coalescing into a massive sword of the same blue fire that pulses around him in an aura. He follows Rien up and looks to her. "Let's do it" he says a grin turning his features into something nearing beatific in his angellic majesty.
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney watches as Rien sets up the ward around Cael with an amused grin at the pair of love birds stepping away from one another. Lightly clearing her throat she looks forward, about to make a remark aside to Chas about how they were becoming outnumbered by the couples here. It doesn't happen. Instead a cold chill steals her smile away to be replaced by a scowl at Rien's orders which sounded oh-so-reminiscent of how she was treated at the school in spite of her experience, and abilities. A little grumbling of anger warms her face as she blurts out, "Why do I got to run? I can heal too! Not like I haven't died before." A little huff of breath is let out though, and she closes her eyes just a second. Tonight was not the night to get upset at stupid little things. It was just training after all. When Robbie flares up she glances over toward the newly en-flamed Rider giving him a simple, solid nod. "Yeah, we've got anchor." So saying she flicks her wrists with a firm snap letting her claws pop out through the back of the custom tailored gloves meant to allow them room.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn blinks as Rien barks out orders, "Huh? But I thought it was just an exercise..We can't really..Die, can we?" still, when people start armouring up, she summons her dagger, not really armed with much more than her Xmen uniform which offers at least so,e protection with the oversized gauntlets and boots and Kevlar body suit..Thankfully this is the black stealth version which doesn't make her stick out like a sore thumb. "Right, I'm ready, let's go!" and she starts to climb the stairs, if only because she doesn't want to be lazy and depend on her wings too much. Who knows when she might need to conserve her strength for later..? When Robbie flares up, she blinks slowly at him, "Geez, how many of you ghost riders are there, anyways?" she shakes her head and decides to focus on whatever is up ahead..
Jonathan Sims	"The tower will adjust for your particular special abilities, and 'friendly fire' is indeed off." Elizabeth notes as they all head up. "I suspect you will do just fine. Good luck." And then she turns and takes a couple of steps... and she's gone.     The space beyond the door continues some of the motifs from below. A hallway stretches off before them, looking almost like a hall from a school or hospital. The hall has checkered tile floors and a weird sickly green light overlaying everything, and there are splotches of blood on both walls and floors. As soon as they step beyond the door music starts up, a slow track combining piano and electronic beats. It's all quite familiar to Cael, at least.     Also, the door disappears the moment the last one of them is through.     "Alright," Jon's voice resonates as if through a comm link. "I can see you now... it looks like I'm more cued in to the group than I am to any specific place in the Tower. The idea of this exercise is to learn to work as a team, and that means avoiding dying if possible, however fake that death may be." A pause. "Now, then. You'll want to find a set of stairs going up. And... there's some of those shadow-blobs converging on your position."     Indeed, there are several strange black blobs coming at them, like three-dimensional pools of shadow. As soon as anyone attacks one or even gets close, the shadows break apart to reveal a gaggle of strange creatures inside. About half of the shadow-blobs become pools of shadow, though more clearly defined, with little arms sticking out and blue masks on their faces, each bearing a frown. Interspersed with these are floating creatures, each wearing a large pink crown and a red butterfly mask. Below this, the shadow-bits hang as writhing hair or maybe tentacles.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien nods to the sounds of Jon's voice and looks towards the incoming shadows, "We have eyes on the targets. Everyone, keep a lookout for the way into the next area!" Then she's springing into action! The first one is taken out with slashing claws, though when she realizes that only makes them split into more, smaller versions with creepier faces, she switches up tactics. Switching to magical blasts that will help take out more of the smaller ones, leaving the larger blobs for the others to take down! Fighting their way through, she calls out, "Chas, Robbie... light 'em up! Cael, you got two incoming! Megan, watch your back! Gabby, show 'em what honey badgers do!" Helping more to herd the group further through the room while providing support and trying to step in to take hits for Cael or Megan if things get too close for comfort. "Anyone got eyes on the way out?"
Cael Becker	"Would I do something like that, Chas?" Cael asks at her driest. As the man prepares for battle, she can practically feel her hackles rising, as her hands tighten on her axe.     No, Cael, you're fine - and you're NOT going to attack Jon's best mate tonight. You're fine. There will be plenty of things to fight.     She barely even glances towards Robbie as he flames, up, remarking to Megan instead, "Don't worry, this one isn't an asshole." As compared to other Ghost Riders she knows, apparently. ...there's a story there.     As their enemies start to appear she warns, "Watching out for the pink ones. They shoot fire. I mean - I guess unless you're Robbie." She doubts the fire will bother him much.     Though she'd rather be going up close and personal - she does have ranged capabilities, so she lifts her rifle. She holds the axe in her left hand, using her left forearm to steady the long weapon, with her right hand on the trigger. She starts taking carefully aimed shots at any pink she can spot - before dropping the rifle abruptly as two of the shadow creatures close on her, swinging with her axe in smooth, decisive movements.
Robbie Reyes	Megan's remark gives the flame-headed, leather-clad demon brief pause as he's about to ascend the stairs. He watches her for a moment or two as she moves on ahead, then follows along after a look askance to Gabby and her unsheathed claws. For now, the Rider seems to be behaving himself. Then he's climbing up nimbly, moving like the predator he is. Eyes on the prize. A larger shadow-blob floats toward him, and he incinerates it with a touch of his talon-tipped gloves. Then another shattered with a chain-fisted hit. "Behind you," that metallic, groaning shriek, informing Gabby that she's got one on her six.
Chas Chandler	Those who have seen Chas fight aren't likely surprised by what he is capable of. Those who havent, might find the massive man's ability to move uncanny in the speed and efficiency he employs to destroy his foes. There is no wasted movement when he attacks, the sword acting as if a part of him (which in a way it is) as it hews through the shadow monsters.     The blue fire of his blade seems to flare with each strike and though it's shape is that of a sword there is something more to it. With each strike the blade doesn't so much as shear through the creature as obliterates its existence, the flash of the strike washing out the hall and its inhabitants (native and alein) in photonegative light. The creatures' fire and blows press in against the blue aura around him but if it troubles him there is nothing to show for it, the boiling hydrogen fueled aura around him negating the severity of the blow to something closer to brief discomfort than anything resembling pain.     Not long into the journey he turns a corner and finds an open area with a set of wide stairs going up. "I've got stairs here!" he calls out, skewering and destroying another of the creatures that sneaks up on him and tries to overpower him. "Next level!" he calls waiting for the others to catch up so no one is left behind before he retakes his position close to Rien.
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney flashes a quick, and hopefully reassuring smile toward Megan when she begins to question things. "It is training, but... Serious training. No one will get hurt or die for real." Though she doesn't know the level that the room might proximate that reaction out of people who end up on the wrong side of an attack. Following into the darker room her eyes scan around quickly using the light from Robbie's flames, as well as the moonlight glow of her claws, to see better. That was part of the reason she wanted glowing claws: Ability to see without the need of accessories. Flashlights were a pain to juggle. When one shadow-mask gets too close she ducks down, swinging a punch up at it which sends her claws slicing through. Then the warning of what's behind her comes causing her to spin in place throwing out a kick. It might not work, but it didn't matter: The momentum carried her in a full spin letting her slash out with those claws again. "Thanks," she blurts out toward Robbie-Rider only to incline her head forward. Time to keep pace with the others and make sure no one sneaks up on them from behind while going up those stairs.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn smirks at Cael, shaking her head, "Oh Daniel's a real treat..Not like I ever stopped trying to be his friend, mind.." she gives Robbie a thoughtful glance and a friendly wave before turning to focus on the real threat at hand. And frowns. "Ooh, this is sooo spooky...." she shivers a bit, using the glowing pink dagger to light the way as she searches for those stairs while keeping a wary eye out on those shadowy blobs. One gets too close and she slashes out with her soul dagger, which tears through the sac thingie, releasing more blobby thingies. "Huh what? That's Soo No fair!" Making a face, she spreads her wings and climbs into the air, deciding on a new tactic.."Right, I'll dust em instead.." looks like they've got enough firepower and so she will focus on support, summoning a cloud of fairy dust to blind and confuse the creatures with illusions, setting them up so others can knock 'em down quicker. And when Chas leads them to stairs she nods, flying after him, watching him fight with wide eyed wonder. "Ooh nice.."
Jonathan Sims	The masked creatures fall and do not split further, dissolving into nothingness as they are defeated. Despite their sheer numbers the party's making short work of them. It takes a few twists and turns, but once Chas spots the stairs it's mostly just a tactical retreat up them and they're up to the next level.     "This looks much the same as below," Jon notes, and indeed, it's the same motif throughout. "I feel like... I can get a sense of the Tower's size as you go further up. There's a largeer presence further up, but I can't quite tell where. You've got a ways to go."     The group battles on up level after level, facing new foes as they go. Some of the shadow-blobs on the floor gain red masks and shoot fire. There are hands that dance on their fingers and have blue-masked faces, that throw ice at the group. Tiny winged cupid-like creatures use whirlwinds and /heal/ the other enemies which just isn't fair. There's even, once, a large beetle that resists most efforts to pierce its shell but proves vulnerable to being knocked on its back.     Jon provides guidance and assistance, and moral support. A couple of times he's able to map the whole level they're on as soon as they arrive, and guides the team swiftly to the next set of stairs. As they climb, his estimation of the "large presence" gets more precise, until he's saying definitively that it's on the 14th floor.     As they find the stairs from the 13th floor to the 14th, Jon says, "Alright, it looks like... what I thought was a single large presence is actually several, all of them new and more powerful than anything you've faced. It looks like they're near the center of the floor above. Be careful, alright?" They've been okay thus far, but clearly whatever's on the next floor is the real challenge.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien helps to keep the group moving along, trusting Chas' better sight to keep finding those stairways while she focuses on tanking the harder-hitting blobs for the non-healing folk in the group. That way everyone can remain relatively 'fresh' and in good fighting form for when they reach this 'big boss' that Jon has been warning them about. She calls out directions now and then, "Focus fire on the specials! Take out the healers first! Doing great everyone!" As they continue on, the hits Rien takes just keep on closing over within moments of having been taken. It's a little strange to watch the burns from one of the fire-spitting blobs just disappear, the hair growing back perfectly within moments. And still, they just keep pushing forward. "Hey Jon, can you get an approximate number on how many to expect?" Rien ushers Gabby and Robbie through the doorway with a smile for them both, a wink for Robbie, then she's heading back up to the front with Chas. "Okay guys. Lets take a second on the stairs. Adjust any armor, reload weapons if you need to, have your strongest attacks ready to go. We want to hit these guys hard and fast. Be ready to pull back and regroup, and watch each others' backs. Cael, Megan, since you guys don't regenerate, try to stick to ranged and be ready to dodge. If you need to close in, be careful and don't hesitate to call out if you'r hit. That goes for everyone, if you take a debilitating hit, drop back until you can heal or be healed and try to provide support." She flashes a grin towards the group, "We ready to go kick these blobby asses?"
Cael Becker	The further on they progress, the more consumed Cael seems to grow by the combat - until the guns are forgotten entirely. She dives into the thick of things, swinging with her axe, and giving little heed to the trouble that seems to land her in more than once, with fire, and ice smashing into her shields in turn - but she can still feel some of the pain from each blow. It's particularly frustrating when the creatures she has maimed get healed.     By the time they make it to the stairs leading to the fourteenth floor, Rien has had to order Cael out of trouble on multiple occassions - including a particularly brutall attack that has left her left arm dangling in simulated uselessness - but that doesn't seem to slow her one bit.     "I'm ready," she remarks with determination, and a hint of defiance.     Any bets on whether she'll actually pick up her guns again?
Robbie Reyes	The Ghost Rider is an indefatigable presence at the rear of the party, hellfire arcing in bright gouts off his dual chains as he shatters the shadow blobs into fragments of flaming ash with lightning-fast attacks. And once he spots the healers, they're quickly prioritised as high value targets. KABOOM goes one and then another with a shower of sparks, and up the stairs he goes again, lean and sleek as a jackal. After what feels like countless more floors of this -- including a beetle he cheerfully lights on fire once the others manage to get it on its back -- the Ghost Rider pauses to wait for Rien's orders. Maybe he's getting concerned at the number of hits she and Cael have taken; hits *he* could have taken for them. But he's learned enough about working with others by this point, that it seems he isn't going to press the issue. Not publically, anyway. His assent is given, though, with a very slight nod.
Chas Chandler	Chas stops and listens to Rien's instructions with a nod. He has always found those with a natural healing ability fascinating in a way. There was a morbid interest in watching the flesh knit itself together or watching hair grow with suprising speed back to a fixed state as if reversing time in it's progress. Rien and Gabby were no different and he has had to keep himself from spectating with too much interest a few times.     As they take a moment on the stairway to the next floor and whatever foe awaits them he conjures another sword of holy fire and after a flourish with either hand -combines- the two into a massive greatsword the general shape and size of the blade resembling an oversized Zweihander. A few more flourishes, with more grace than the massive weapon should allow and he nods. "I am ready" he says, his voice carrying a more authoritative cadence in it.     He too has started to begin to become consumed with the battle and the angellic forces inside him have taken a step forward to guide his actions with the same purpose and strength that the implacable soldiers On High employ.
Gabby Kinney	The music that permeated this tower was... Not unpleasant, but it also wasn't the sort of music Gabby would prefer to listen to, ultimately. It doens't stop her from falling into a rythym with the music however as she fights. It honestly becomes a sort of dance as she moves, limbs flying out to kick away blobs, smash masks, or stab and slash as needed. Anyone else would likely start to be getting winded at this point but though her breathing has picked up a notch from the exertion, she just seems more energized if anything. There were a few close calls where several shadow blobs started to converge at once, attempting to seperate her from where Robbie is in an effort to divide and conquer. It resulted in a few cuts along her face which bleed only for a few moments before they heal over, and she's forced to swipe at some of the blood to keep it from dripping in her eyes. As for those poor, unfortunate blobs, she deprives them of their masks by shoving her claws up through their... chins? To rip the masks off and throw them to the ground where they're crushed beneath her boot with a rough stomp. She's gathering her hair back away from her face with a quick twist and tie when Rien ushers them inside. The wink she sees given to Robbie earns a roll of her eyes though she's grinning again with amusement. At least getting to blow off some steam seems to be helping her mood, and she was working REALLY well with the team. This was what she was used to after all. "Got it. I'm ready when everyone else is," she assures.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn is pretty squishy, but she's also incredibly fast and agile once she's in the air..And of course that handy dagger of her's seems to tear right through any magic thrown her way, practically disintegrating it upon touching the glowing pink blade. Still she doesn't remain totally unscathed, occasionally getting zinged in the arm or grazed on a wing with a little Yelp of pain. Once or twice she thrown to the ground, where she is briefly a sitting duck for another blast of flames headed her way..Before her trusty dagger slices through it..Well mostly, anyway. It's not near as big as Illy's sword, only enough to minimize the wide path of flames headed her way, not nullify it completely. "Ooh..My hair!" she yelps as she struggles to put out the fire in the ends of her hair. "Thats it, now I'm mad..Sihal Novarum Chinoth!" she exclaims, opening a portal between the next round of flame attacks and herself, rerouting the flames back on some of the shades to at least reduce some of them to ashes.. Finally they make it to the next stairway and she pauses, grabbing the wall for the support as she tries to catch her breath..All that flying around at break neck speed takes up a lot of energy. "Sure..Just gimme a minute..Or fifty.."
Jonathan Sims	"Looks likes there's... six of them, maybe? Two each of three distinct types. I can't tell much more. You'll just have to go on up and see." There's a vague strain in Jon's voice; he's likely worried about Cael, but he'll let Rien handle things for now. But his girlfriend can surely expect a talking-to later on.     The 14th floor is different than those below. Where the other floros they've been through were twisting, sometimes non-sensical mazes, this floor is mostly open. There's an open area ringed with pillars and windows looking out to a green-lit night, an alcove with a strange contraption off to one side that starts to glow as the party passes, and another hall that's the only other exit. As the party starts to approach the hallway, six shapes appear.     No shadowy blobs this time. Instead, there are two each of three strange types of creatures. There are a pair of birds with black wings, pink ruffs around their necks, and peach masks bearing a crown and the numeral III. There are two larger versions of the "hands" seen below, these decked in what look to be pink gloves and sporting diamond rings, in blue masks with a I on the forehead. There are also two creatures that look to be something like large robots, with four legs and "arms" that look more like giant spear heads, wearing yellow masks bearing a VII.     "Finally getting readouts," Jon says with relief. "I'm getting names, too. Venus Eagle, Dancing Hand, Rampage Drive." Well, now they can call out what the creatures are at least. "Nothing yet on weaknesses or abilities... I think you'll need to engage first."     The creatures seem to be waiting for the party to come to them, but once engaged, the battle will move to the large open area in the middle of the room.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien passes a last glance over the group, lingering on Cael, then Megan. The latter, she reaches out and tries to give her a bit of a 'refresher', letting the energy flow from Rien into Megan, then smiling, "That should hold you through this fight at least. And if you start flagging, don't hesitate to find one of us to stick near, okay?" With everyone else giving assent, she grins, "Alright, lets go do this." As Jon starts naming off the bad guys, she glances at the group, "Chas, Robbie, think you guys can handle the Rampage Drive guys? Gabby, you and Cael go for Dancing Hand. Your agility is probably gonna be needed there." She pauses and murmurs something to her sister, then smiles and squeezes her shoulder. To Megan, she smiles, "Venus Eagle for us? Since we fly, and I'm going to assume they do too. I can also offer you a bit of protection if you need it, so don't hesitate to ask." Pausing, she looks to Chas and grins, "Yes I know you can fly too, but you're a heavy hitter, I want you going after a heavy hitter." Then it's game on. Rien herself launches herself after the Venus Eagles, claws forward and taking swipes as soon as she's within range. That blue glow around her letting her stay aloft as she engages with the enemy!
Cael Becker	"Dancing Hands it is," Cael confirms.     At least she's playing nice with that order.     Using her axe with just her right arm was tricky - but she was loathe to set the weapon down. There's a moment of indecision, as she tries to figure out how to put one of her guns to use, while keeping her axe close to hand - with only one useable arm. She grits her teeth, shaking her head before she charges forward towards one of the grotesque gloved monsters - with her axe held in her hand, and a determined, feral expression on her features.     She swings the weapon decisively, using the top of the axe at one point to shove the thing back, opening up enough space for another swing as she attempts to hack her foe to pieces.
Robbie Reyes	Even the Ghost Rider's starting to get a little worn out, by the time they reach the tower's topmost level, and the intel about what they're going to face finally comes through. There's no idle chatter from the demon-possessed young man, though; he's all business as Rien calls out targets.. then launches herself into the fray. If he had much of a face under that metal mask, maybe he'd be smiling. But there's only smooth, alien silver, and narrowed slits where his eyes should be; and the way his corona of flame intensifies as they're called to do battle once more. Brandishing both chains like fiery whips, he dashes forward to engage with the nearest Rampage Drive. And where Chas can employ sheer mass and destrucive force to his advantage, the Ghost Rider fights like a sleeker, more nimble hunting cat; viciousness instead of raw strength.
Chas Chandler	Chas' wings flash into visibility for a moment at the suggestion of flight; silver hued and feathered but slightly transluscent. They fade as he inclines his head to her directive and lets the speedy Rider jump in before he goes to engage his own fore; a jaguar to his polar bear. Robbie's understanding of the unshackled angel's abiltiies is not understated.     Chas' movements, graceful as they are, are backed by unrelenting strength. The flame blade slashes at his foe, one, two, three quick but brutal strikes with the oversized two-handed firey blade. Against the onslaught of his foes size he braces and takes the strikes with gritted determination. The blue aura about him grows brighter to provide adequate shielding against the creature's own formidable strength.
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney glances over toward the Fingies-of-Doom that were showing off all their enlargened bling trying to get a good look over them for potential weaknesses. It's a breif assessment--This thing was far larger than the smaller variants but with that many 'limbs' speed would be necessary. A slight pause comes when Rien leans over to murmer in her ear earning a quick nod in response. "Roger." With that small exchange she runs forward to catch up to Cael as she was already running to slash at the creature. After that first slash of the axe Gabby leaps to the side of the dancing hand taking a swipe with her claws at a far closer range in the hopes of distracting it enough for Cael's follow up attack to hit. And hopefully to keep any retaliating strikes from going Cael's direction.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn glances at Rien in surprise as she heals her wounds, recharging her with renewed energy. "Oh, wow..Cool,trick!" she smiles and nods, straightening from the wall. "Thanks, I'll be alright..Just needed a breather." As they reach the (hopefully) final level, she narrows her eyes upon their new enemies. But of course it seems only natural to go after the flyer given her own increased agility and speed in the air. "No worries, I've got this!" dark eyes narrow as she summons her dagger once more, and uttering a battle cry, she rushes at the nearest eagle, slashing at it with her glowing pink weapon..
Jonathan Sims	Cael and Gabby leap at the Dancing Hands and manage to dodge what amount to 'slaps' from the creatures, the one that /does/ land hitting Gabby but not keeping her out of the fray long. The two women shortly find that while their slashes work well on the things, /punching/ them is far better. A strong stab from Gabby's claws still downs one of the Hands, but Cael takes the butt of her axe to the other, beating it into submission with relish. Just like that, a third of the problem is out of the fight, dissolving into nothingness.     The Venus Eagles? An even easier problem to solve. Rien seems to have their particular weakness with her claws, and gets one pinned down easily, pulling it out of the sky. Stabbing it until it dissolves works /just/ fine. Megan has a bit of a harder time with the other, but stabbing rather than slashing, again, helps.     The Rampage Drives prove far harder to damage. The slashing of Chas' sword seems to do nothing at all, though the fire /does/ leave dark scars across the metal. And while the fire from Robbie's whips get through to the other, the chains seem to bounce right off the metal, threatening to hit Robbie himself if he doesn't dodge them. The Rampage Drives themselves swipe at both Chas and Robbie, then pause for a moment, spin their "arms," and channel electricity through their bodies that strikes out at random, potentially hitting just about anyone in the party.     "Shit, those Rampage Drives are pretty much immune to physical damage," Jon calls over the 'comms.' "Holy damage and dark... Hellfire I guess...? Doesn't work either. And they're resistant to fire. But I think you could trick them, and they appear to be able to be hurt by just about anything else. I'd suggest ice or electricity. Maybe knock them over with bursts of wind."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien turns as she and Megan make short work of the Eagles, giving the girl a high-five. Then she's turning just in time to throw up a shield to deflect one of those big electrical blasts away from herself and Megan. There's even some crackling along her hands and arms from the force of it. "Shit. Okay. Ice and electric." She looks to Megan and grins, "Try to dust them, see if that will confuse them, maybe they'll zap each other." Then she's looking to Robbie and Chas, "Portals! When they do the big electric blast, open a portal to reflect it back at them!" Over to Gabby and Cael and she calls out, "Try to draw their attention, but get the Hell out of the way when that electric attack starts!" She lands and throws out both hands, focusing hard on the floor beneath the pair of Drives and mutters, "I think I can... get them both but... this is going to take a minute. You guys bust them down as much as you can and I'll see about finishing them off!" The floor beneath the two Drives is starting to take on a frosty, crystalline sort of look as Rien channels the energy into a large, focused attack for botht he Drives. This won't be an attack she can complete before they let loose again, however, so it will be up to everyone else to fuck them up as much as possible!
Cael Becker	Cael, in fact, bashes the glove several time more - after it's stopped moving - before she climbs to her feet, with her left arm still hanging limp. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do against them, then?!" she protests, letting out a cry of protest as one of the bolts of lightning arcs towards her. She hits the ground abruptly to avoid it.     "Oh. I have an idea!" she remarks, before running at one of them - jamming her axe forward, haft first, to try to mix it up with its legs and immobilize it.     It was something at least. And it would probably get their attention - as ordered.
Robbie Reyes	Resistant to dark damage, whatever the hell that is. And resistant to fire. Just fucking perfect. The Ghost Rider prowls slowly at the periphery of the Rampage Drives' range, flicking the chains in his hands with clear agitation, like a big cat pacing the edges of its enclosure. But then Rien tosses out an idea, and she might just be on to something. It's one of his lesser used, and somewhat more risky abilities, but what's life without a little spice? To Chas, "Hey. I'm gonna try to portal their fuckin' energy beams right back at 'em. But I ain't very precise with this thing, so I need your help.. uh.. pointing them at it, yeah?" Right. Great plan, Reyes. No chance of going horribly wrong. Without waiting on an answer, he dismisses the chains and starts focusing intently. Possibly in order to establish a link with the Hellcharger. His body flares brighter, hellfire billowing-- then guttering out almost entirely as he channels the mystical ley lines in some primitive manner he doesn't even *understand*. And then, using one gloved hand to sketch it, he draws a flaming portal.. that appears on the other side of the room, warping the space around it like a wormhole.
Chas Chandler	Chas is immenently thankful for Robbie's suggestion, because portals wasn't something he was aware of the -how- to do with his power. When the air warps with Robbie's portal Chas rushes toward one of the Rampage Drives. The massive sword vanishes, the energy of it going to bolster his own defenses, because he's sure this is going to hurt.     He slams into the creature and pushes. At first there's no movement, the things are incredibly heavy and beyond that their rotating legs provide quite a bit of leverage against the direction he wants to move it.     Lightning flashes along his vision and he feels the energy bite into his flesh, feels the skin part and open to reveal... more blue-white light. It's more damage than he's sustained in before in this form and the lack of blood is something he'll examine when they're not in the midst of combat. And then suddenly he feels his own strength winning out over the creature's and it's getting pushed back. Closer; a little closer; just a bit further and he's there! But he has to keep it in place and that proves to be an issue as the reversed bolts not only strike the monster but him as well. More arcs of lighning tear open his skin in a myriad of glowing blue Lichtenberg figures.
Gabby Kinney	THe hand goes down relatively easily along with the other. A bright grin comes over her before it fades just as quickly realizing that the heavy hitters really WERE having issue with the larger ones. Jon's own information coming over the comms doesn't really help out there since she was in a similar position as Cael. A quick flick of her wrists has her claws slide back into her hands, and she wriggles her fingers which had been clenched a little too long to ease the stiffness from them. "We should just--" she begins about to suggest simply throwing something at the mechanoid creatures to distract them when Cael attempts to tangle their legs with the axe. The metal-head of the axe is what causes her eyes to widen as much as Cael having to get in THAT close in the first place. Rien had urged her to pull Cael away if she was getting in over her head so she barely thinks about the judgement call at this point. Ignoring what else is going on she flat out runs toward Cael. At the last moment she spins on the ball of her foot letting her arm swing out to catch at Cael's waist. Using her momentum of the spin as well as the stronger muscles she'd been working on, she throws Cael away from the bot interposing herself in between it and Cael in the process. It wasn't the nicest way to do it. It was efficient and hopefully effective.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn blinks as her first couple of slashes don't deal as much damage as she had hoped. Drawing in the dagger, she tries instead to stab it, finding more success with a deeper strike..And with that done she grins and nods to Rien, returning the high five. "Awesome!" But while she's busy trying to finish off the eagle, those Rampage drives unleash waves of electricity before she even notices what hit her..Thankfully, Rien's shield protects them both from the bolts. She smiles and nods to her again. "Okay then..Here goes nothing!" fluttering her wings at blinding speeds, she summons a cone of glittering faerie dust, using her hands to keep its trajectory as focused as possible, trying not to hit the entire room with her hallucinogen as she aims primarily at the robots, "Get a load of this!"
Jonathan Sims	The Rampage Drives try to hit the people that come at them, but there's too much going on for them to be very effective. Cael manages to bury her axe in the gears of the one she's going after before it gets the blast off, but Gabby's worry is not entirely unfounded. The mutant manages to pull the human away from getting stomped on by one of the legs even as the thing falls over on its side.     The one Chas starts manhandling swipes at him, but the angel keeps it wrapped up, pushing it toward the portal. He's getting close to falling, when it sets itself in place to throw out its electricity attack. And that, of course, is when Megan's pixie dust hits the two creatures and they both falter. The one Chas is holding in place stops trying to hit him, and the one Cael knocked down stops trying to struggle to its feet and instead lays there toppled over.     It's not quite in time to stop the electricity attack, but that's actually a good thing. The tactic Rien suggested and Robbie perfected works /perfectly/. The portal redirects the electricity so it hits both Rampage Drives. They're not 'dead' yet, but they're teetering and surely Rien will be able to finish them off.     "They're almost down!" Jon calls. "Rien, whatever you're going to do, set it off!"
Rien D'Arqueness	"Nggggggggghh... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This particular attack takes a LOT out of Rien, magically speaking. But as she clenches her hands and jerks them upwards, the growing patches of ice forming under the two Rampage Drives become more apparent as a pair of giant spikes of ice drive up, into, and through the two creatures. to add insult to injury, smaller, but no less chilly needles of ice spear out from the main icicle and deeper into the bot's innards. Panting lightly, Rien lets out a breath and straightens, looking to the group with a tired smile, "Great job everyone. Really great teamwork. Drinks on me in the lounge after, kay?" She scans over everyone, "Everyone good? Healing needed? Yes, no?"
Cael Becker	"What the fuck, Gabs?!" is the immediate response from Cael as the pint-sized teen pulls her clear. The strength on the girl was- well. It was unexpected, honestly. She shoves the girl with her one good arm - and then steps away from her, just in time to see ice drive into their foe. She's breathing heavily, as her hand reaches across to clutch at her injured arm. "I'm.... good. If the fight's over, then- well. The injuries should fade. They're not real," she states flatly.
Robbie Reyes	The portal conjuring looks to have taken a fair bit out of the Ghost Rider. He wasn't kidding when he says the ability is fairly imprecise; just ensuring he didn't obliterate anyone with it, or drag them to some unknown dimension, was taxing enough on him. He watches, fascinated, as Rien creates ice spikes out of seemingly nothing, severing mechanical servos and wiring like a knife through butter. Then the Rider, having sated itself enough for tonight, relinquishes control. The burns recede, his flesh begins to heal, and the first thing he does is make a beeline for his girlfriend and attempt to lift her off her feet and into an overzealous kiss. Yes, he still smells like ash and char and brimstone, and yes, she was in the middle of a speech, but them's the breaks.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn watches Rien's display of power with wide eyed wonder and curiosity.."Wow.." she murmurs, wondering if she's just found a potential new mentor in her. "That was sooo lush.." and finally they've beat the baddies and hopefully there's no more. Because that was quite the challenge. "Yayy teamwork! So uh..Did someone mention drinks?" she grins sheepishly, wondering if anyone will realize she's underage. Only by a year but still..Fake IDs and a little fairy dust go a long way..*cackle*
Chas Chandler	The shard of ice coming up from the ground blows Chas back a few feet. It's enough to save him from getting skewered with them. But he doesn't look good. The jagged fern-like patterns over his skin glow with blue-white fire and he is definitely in pain. He moves to stand but staggers and falls to a knee. "I think I might need some myself..." he says in response to Rien's question.     The aura of star fire that surrounds him is still there but it's greatly diminished in brightness and it seems to be flickering slightly. A testament to how much damaged he sustained during his part in the ordeal. His glowing eyes fix on Robbie. "Nice job there, man. We really beat the hell out of them..." he chuckles and then falls over onto his side. He's still conscious but he just doens't have the strength to keep himself upright any longer.
Gabby Kinney	"Sorry," Gabby offers to Cael after the fact though it was obvious at least to her that the action had been necessary. Starting to move away from the downed foes herself she ends up finding it hard to do. Why? Because ICE was on the ground beneath her feet, and she ends up slipping and tripping forward catching herself on her hands. Gingerly she gets up while glancing at the group converging to hug or congratulate each other. "... No one saw that," she mumbles looking just a bit embarassed. Ice was not something she had a lot of experience moving on, darnit. Getting out of the icy spot she moves to join the others starting to feel a bit tired herself at this point. Healing factor or not she was still getting tired. "Great job, everyone. Let's get out of here so those who are hurt can get un-hurt." A glance is tossed to Cael sheepishly.
Jonathan Sims	As Rien's ice attack hits the Rampage Drives, they jerk and spasm and then disappear, leaving the room empty save for the group. "Excellent teamwork, everyone, I agree," Jon calls, relief in his tone.     "Yes, very good teamwork, Justice League Dark. The Queen of Strength and Justice of Ma'at provide fine leadership for this group. I am particularly impressed by the way the Hellcharging Devil and the Chariot of Heaven worked together, given their natural animosity." Elizabeth has appeared before them, smiling. "Unorthodox tactics for this place, but quite effective. I look forward to seeing how you all fare in higher levels."     She gestures toward the glowing contraption in the alcove. "Today you may leave via the portal over there, or if you like you may climb to the highest level accessible to you and portal back from there. It makes little difference, however. You can come back and re-visit the lower floors whenever you like. These creatures will no longer block your way should you return. The next block will be unlocked after you have faced the mystery of the High Priestess."     And without another word, she gives them all a slight bow and then fades away.     "Well, points for enigmatic, I guess," Jon mutters. "Rien, I think you should bring them back down. It looks like there's a hard barrier on Floor 16, but there's no enemies on Floor 15 that I can see, so whenever we come back we can probably get through those pretty easily." A pause. "Also, Becker? We need to have a talk once you're back down here." Ohh, that is /not/ the boyfriend tone. No overzealous kisses for Cael.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien reaches out a hand towards Chas, that warm, light blue glow surrounding him, closing the fissures and revivifying the man so he isn't laying there in pain. She's just barely finished when she's swept up, laughing in delight before being quite thoroughly kissed. Rien grabs the back of Robbie's head and tugs him in closer, kissing him back. Then Jon is talking again, and she breaks from the kiss with a smile for Robbie and a nod for Jon, "You got it." To Robbie, she smiles, "Want to help Chas up while I get the girls? Then I'll take you home and we can..." Whatever else she says is lost to a whisper in Robbie's ear before she winks at him and pulls away to gather up Gabby and Megan, looking to Cael with a faint smile, "How's the arm? Feeling better? That was a ballsy move with the axe, but it worked beautifully." Looking to Gabby, she wraps an arm around her sister's shoulders and smiles, "You did so great. And trust, I didn't put you at the back to keep you out of harm's way. I put you and Robbie at the back to watch our asses. Tactics... tanks up front, tanks at back, with the high damage, support, or medics in the middle. That way we can protect them from both sides." She ushers the girls through the portal, waiting for Robbie and Chas, slipping her arms around her man's waist as they head back through and out of the Tower. Once out, she looks for Jon, "So it seems like we'll unlock a new group of levels after each door. Which means the first floors were just the Fool. We haven't even touched on the Magician yet. This is going to be a tall tower." She flashes a grin, looking forward to it.
Cael Becker	Jon's tone gets a roll of Cael's eyes - hopefully he can't see that from where ever he's standing. "Yeah, yeah. See you in a minute, Archivist," she counters. Without hesitating, or waiting for the others, she starts towards the portal leading back down from the tower, now that the fight was over. She was still feeling the afteraffects of the adrenaline - but she was starting to come down from the high.     It's only when Rien talks to her that she pauses, looking back towards the woman."Oh. Uhh - arm'll be fine." Then with a shrug she adds, "It was the only thing I had to work with. Don't know how much it helped. Good fight, everyone." It's very much as an afterthought, before she steps through, and finds herself facing Jon - crossing her arms, once her injuries are restored.
Robbie Reyes	Okay, so Robbie got a little one-track-minded for a minute there. But the fervour reciprocated from Rien is *so* worth it. He sets her back down on her feet, dimpling her a grin at whatever she whispers to him, and backs away two steps before turning to go give Chas a hand up. Clearly whatever blood rivalry exists between the two men, he's getting better and better at setting it aside for the good of the team. "You too, man," he tells him sincerely, once he's got him hauled onto his feet. He'll help him toward the portal too, if needed, while Rien handles the girls. Then.. through they go, with that familiar sensation of reality warping and twisting them into a new space and time.
Chas Chandler	The healing energy from Rien seems to jumpstart the native abilities in him and it's only a little while before he looks as good as new. At Robbie's offer up he takes it and the two men get him to his feet. "This is going to sound weird..." he says with a wry grin. "But I could go for a nap..."     Once they're back at the ground floor the fatigue doesn't go away. "More developments..." he says with a shake of his head. He's going to see exactly where the finite line of his power happens to be. Since he's been going nonstop since he woke up, nearly 2 months ago.
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney glances over in time to see the rather heated kiss between Robbie and Rien only to quickly look away. Instead she works on getting Megan up, hefting an arm around the girl to help her portal-ward. It's with a hint of surprise that she looks up when Rien wraps her arm around her shoulders, too, and offers that explanation. She grins with amusement, shaking her head. "Oh, I know. I wasn't upset by that and Robbie and I have fought together before so we kind of know how to work together already. It made sense." An eyebrow lifts as she adds, "It was your earlier remark about leaving if things got tough." Hmph. Even so after she'd worked off most of her annoyance she couldn't really be angry anymore. So she follows after through the portal letting Megan go so she can find her way home or do whatever. "Man I could go for a burger. Or pancakes." Two entirely different things. A grin is offered to Robbie and Chas along with a nod. "You guys did great out there! In there?" Hm. Semantics. It's Cael that gets a worried look when she's squaring up with Jon.
Jonathan Sims	Once everyone's back down, Jon looks them over, and nods to Rien. "I heard that much. I can see and hear everything you're doing from down here." He waves a hand to dismiss the screen he'd been looking at, then glances around and says, "...Elizabeth? End the program, please."     The room obligingly goes back to stone and dirt. Injuries disappear, but fatigue does not. Jon nods again, glancing to Rien, then looks to Cael. Hesitates, then says, "In the other room. I'm sure we could all use a drink." And with that, he leads the way out of the training room.