Nyx was glad to be able to get a proper rest without worrying about another creature suffocating her in her sleep. She was the first to excuse herself as well as the first to wake at some point in the middle of the night. With the storm subsided as well, the calm of the darkness made her feel refreshed and better focused.

She was ready for whatever they had to deal with.

As they began to depart, a young frog boy interrupted them. It did not take long for Nyx to put two and two together and realize who was his sister. Her heart sank, and instinctively, she glanced at her sister -- only to see her glance right back at her, which caused her to look away, pretending she wasn't thinking that, too.

But really, she couldn't help but wonder. What would she do if her own sister had died in this battle? All of a sudden, it became too real to her. Even though it was simple logic that this could happen, somehow she never truly considered this a possibility until now. Despite all the mishaps so far. Something like that just wouldn't happen.

But what if it did? What if it does? No, she was sure she wouldn't be able to handle this.

But she was here, so she just had to make sure she doesn't have to deal with such a possibility, right?

Their male companion apparently wanted to spill the truth, so Nyx felt relieved the boy left before he could open his mouth. The hope from those people was fading and it was fading fast, might as well accelerate this, right?

It's not like she didn't believe the boy had a right to know. But now was not the time. Now they needed all the hope they could have. Even fake hope. When the planet was saved, they could mourn in peace.

And if the planet wasn't saved... Well then they wouldn't need to know either way.

But this only strengthened her resolve. They would deal with this. Then they would return and tell the boy the truth.

That his sister was a hero.

Sailor Aldrin hummed and smiled contently. The experience with the villagers had been a good one. She had come up with dozens of new melodies. As they continued forward, she came very confused, however. What the others were talking about simply was misinformation. She clarified.

"The child will learn what happened to his sister when the others... feel, as you might say, when he is ready. Did you not hear the songs that we sang together? Those people know what happened to their beloved Sailor Cipriere. I learned of their adoration of her. The boy will learn the truth in time. Let us complete our mission to be sure of it."

She had been able to slept through the storm fairly well despite the constant thundering. She still felt a tad bit sore from her previous injuries when she had woken up in the morning but she couldn't deny that she felt considerably better. Her mood was somewhat brighter thanks to the hospitably of the natives and Cosima was beginning to think that maybe fate was on their side for once.

She had unfortunately spoken too soon. 

A little boy came towards the group right after they had left the village before disappearing just as quickly as he appeared. That wasn't what unnerved her: it was what he had said to them that got to her. He was Sailoe Cipriere's brother, there was no denying it. Yet Cosima didn't have the heart to voice what they all knew. She could only look at the ground while he spoke to them, almost as if she were ashamed to look him directly in the eye. She wondered if she were to die here would Jin or someone else tell her family? Would her siblings be just like him - constantly worrying and asking where she had gone yet getting no answers. She didn't like the thought of that.

"It was best that we didn't say anything." Cosima tried to reassure, although her voice failed to sound as confident as her words. "For now the best way to honor his sister's memory is to slay whatever killed her. We can tell him the truth afterwards."

As usual, Sailor Xtal-Diamante had little to add to their current debate. Whether or not they told the boy that his sister was actually a sailor soldier, who had fought for the freedom of this planet and died in the attempt... what good would it do? She had no one dear to her in her own life, so she couldn't understand the emotional connection between family and friends. Empathizing with the young boy was just beyond her current abilities. She could feel the tense vibrations from her travel companions and the sorrowful tones from the boy, but making sense of these things was too much.

Instead, she tried to keep her senses attuned to everything around them. They still followed the path of the compass; surely it would lead them somewhere soon.

Chalybs was going in blind, and she was not happy about it. For once, her scanners showed nothing of interest, and there was no way to see the path ahead. They were at the mercy of a compass. She hesitated when the nice clean wooden path ended again, but stepped down into the mud once more. At least this was thinner... The team was trudging through a small river when something massive moved behind her. 

SAM yelped and almost fell down the small waterfall as she turned around, and then her muscles locked up as she took in the view of a glowing, animated tree crawling towards them on its twisted roots. 

Her mouth went dry, and the air felt distinctly wrong, like this giant creature was suffocating her with its aura. Her arm shook, but she raised it, and pointed the Star-cannon's barrel at their new target.

"I-is...is this is?" she asked, unable to look away.

This... thing that rushed at them...!! She had just enough time to piece together a few pieces of their situation. This strange vine-wrapped tree was the source of the unsettling vibrations she had felt earlier while they walked along the route the compass directed. Every motion caused a great crashing as the massive semi-plant propelled itself along. Or perhaps it was just the echoes of the awful miasma around it.

The sudden drastic and oppressive air... that must be what they had been warned of. Evil. This tree-thing, with its branches and tendrils and the muted yet fiery red glow from within... It felt bad. The waves that flew through the air, echoing within Sailor Xtal-Diamante's core, recognized the malevolence of Chaos although they had never experienced it like this before. This she could, unfortunately, understand.

Earlier, in the swamp, she had thought of trying physical contact when she was next able to fight back against an opponent. But, faced with this enormous thing, that now seemed both unwise and difficult on such a small scale. Still, she looked around from her vantage point on top of the waterfall, eyes seeking rocks to throw or fallen branches to swing. She wouldn't have long to decide.

Action:

Sure, Nyx had had her own encounter with a chaotic creature in the past. But she still did not expect... that.

She knew it. This was what they were sent here to defeat.

This was what Sailor Cipriere attempted to face alone, in order to save her planet, her people. Nyx may not know her at all but her respect for that fallen warrior rose even more.

"Don't even think about going anywhere near that... thing," she called out to her sister. She knew Hemera was more comfortable with physical fighting, using her magic rod in several creative ways that were most certainly not the way it was intended to be used. But this seemed extremely dangerous, and it was not as if she did not have an alternative. "Believe in your magic."

With that, she sprang into action, quickly releasing her icy beams on the monster, hoping to possibly freeze it into place or slow its movement.

Attack:

Somehow, having ground solid beneath her feet felt strange now - when had she gotten accustomed to the foot-sucking swamp terrain? Still, Hadley was glad for it. It was certainly a lot easier to walk on hardened ground compared to what they had trekked through before.

Being towards the front, Hadley was one of the group who had already passed down from the waterfall when the movement caught her attention. Looking over, on guard, her green eyes widened as she saw what it was. A giant tree? How could she attack something so beautiful as a great tree? But there was something wrong, something terribly wrong.  

The air was thick and uncomfortable, seeping all around her, and although she had never felt such a sensation before, she knew instantly what it must be: Chaos.

She shivered, and a jolt of panic rushed through her. All of the mental preparation had not readied her properly for facing the real thing. The fear gripped at her, but at least she had the others to rely on, unlike poor Sailor Cipriere...

At least she wasn't alone.

Hadley reached out towards the plants near by and used Foliage Entangle, in an attempt to hinder the tree's movement forward, concentrating as much as she could to strengthen the control. Along with the pressure of Chaos, she felt the added pressure of wanting - needing - to protect her friends and to help in protecting the inhabitants of this world.

It was important that this work.

Action:

The creature bore down on them, racing towards them, it's unnaturally quick body galloping on two leg-like trunks whose roots tore the ground every time it landed, churning up the earth beneath its enormous bulk.

From its midsection glowed a blue light, as did a disjointed outcropping. It screamed something terrible from this second hump as it raced towards them, but its cry was met with one of their own!

Sailor Aldrin's attack whisked by, missing the incredibly fast creature; as did Nyx's Moonlight Lullaby, the icy shards hitting trees behind it, but Sailor Valdis, thinking fast, pulled together a mess of vines that surrounded one of its gigantic feet and held it fast to the ground, binding the creature before it could crush them beneath its great weight!

DM wrote:

It screamed yet again, and blue glowed in its great heart before shooting forth in a great arc, and striking Sailor Alshain in the chest!

Sailor Alshain falls off the log and into the rocky waterfall!

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante saw the ruckus below and looked for a quick route down towards the others.

---

Valdis wanted to grin at her success - the leg was being held in place, which meant just one less thing they all had to worry about - but she couldn't spare the energy. She knew her grip on the great limb was tenuous at best, and she needed to continue concentrating to keep her vines in place. She hoped that the others would be able to figure out something to do against the rest of it.

---

The pathway looked treacherous and slippery. She wanted to join them, but maybe there was something Xtal-Diamante could do from where she currently stood overlooking the group. Her comrades below... Her eyes darted from one to another, trying to determine who to focus her attention on.

---

Still locked up in fear, Sailor Chalybs watched as their first volley of attacks missed the huge target bearing down on them, and then vines sprung up and tied it down by one thick wooden leg, and it was halted. SAM released her breath slowly, and then squeaked again as it glowed a strange blue and fired a wave of energy. Sailor Alshain fell down to the waterfall's bottom, struck by the beam. But she wasn't dead...right? SAM swallowed hard and took a few steps farther onto the log. "Chalybs Beam!" ((3 MP)) Her Star-Cannon hummed as energy built up, and then she fired a burst of it at the tree's head lump.

---

Sailor Bastet stared in shock at the creature as it bounded towards them. Her friends attacked swifter than her and Hadley managed to entangle it with her vines. Bas made a quick whack on her head to remind her to act. Ari transforms into her cat form ((6 MP))

---

It was so quick! Crysdal had barely turned to see the great thing come crashing towards them before her teammates had rushed into action, throwing magical attacks at a distance; her eyes grew larger in fear as the attacks missed, until suddenly it stopped it's approach, vines leaping from the ground to bind it, but as it stopped its forward momentum a flash of blue light tore from its midsection, aiming towards them.

Her stomach lurching, she looked up, just in time to see her friend falling off the outcropping, into the rocky waterfall below. "Elysande!" she screamed, forgetting the notion that they should stick to their pairs as her black-haired friend disappeared into the mist formed by the falls, and immediately ran over to her, barely careful of her own footing as she reached around where Elysande fell to search for her.

---

Some of the others had been quick to attack the large tree-like creature while others simply managed to fall in the water. Currently, she was standing on a large rock overlooking the waterfall and while she could've jumped down to join the others she wasn't sure if she could make the landing safely so she turned around to try and look for a safer way down.

---

Battle wrote:

[Bastet will be in Cat Form for 2 turns; DEX increased to 6] 
[Chalybs's attack misses the target!]

---

As Sailor Aegle fled towards the fallen one, leaving the group near the tree-beast an even smaller number, Sailor Xtal-Diamante took a deep breath and started down, trying to be mindful of the rocks. She would observe them again when she could. She felt fairly certain that the correct course would be to use her powers on someone... but right now, determining who was too distracting.

---

It was huge. His sword was shining like crazy, but he was fairly certain nobody needed to be told this was their foe. It made him wonder about why his sword wouldn't lit up much before, but having a giant tree rushing in their direction fairly made that thought short.

He tried to take a moment to think. What could he do really? The tree attacked and Alshain fell down the waterfall. Crysdal went for her.

He could try and chop this tree into pieces of wood... but what good would it make?

"Stay as much out of reach as possible, hide if you must and those who can attack from afar, don't get close for no reason."

It might be useless, but at least... well it was said.
He looked at the tree and sent caution out the metaphorical window. Crysdal was far from the tree, the other healer was up on the waterfall... so he sprinted to the tree, trying not to come directly face to it, running to the left toward Leg 1.

---

Hadley didn't want to ruin her own concentration by looking at the other - or by worrying about the others - but she couldn't help but to glance around and take in the situation. Alshain... she had been hit but Hadley couldn't see her anymore. The others seemed to be executing their own plans, but she didn't allow that curiosity and worry to take over for too long. She had to keep this leg in place, and so she continued to concentrate on keeping the vines in place around Tree Leg 1 ((3MP)), even as she wished she had enough power to do the same to all of the limbs attacking her friends.

---

Bastet felt her body shapeshift into her giant cat form. The transformation still felt strange but she was adjusting to the overflow of power. Transformation done, she roared as her wild fight instincts took charge. Seeing the leg bound by Hadley's attack, Bastet charges the tree creatures LEG 1 and attempts to bite it.

---

Battle wrote:

[Aegle finds Alshain]

---

Crysdal finds cloth against warm skin, and forcefully pulls with all of her might in an attempt to dislodge Sailor Alshain, but she was too weak to do so. With a cry of frustration, she grabbed her friend's wrist, wedged her boot between two rocks, and pulled with all of her might, but her friend's body barely budged. "Help!" she cried, "I can't --" She groaned with the effort, her breathing quicker as panic mounted, the falling water rushing over her own arms and head. "Help me, please! She'll drown!"

---

She heard the cries from the blonde one having reached her friend's body and diverted her path slightly, trying to reach them.

---

Battle wrote:

[Bastet attempts to bite LEG1 - Auto-hit - Bound;
Damage dealt: 5+0=5]

---

Carefully, Cosima made her way down the slippery slope as fast as she could. Being further down, she could truly see how terrifying the creature was and silently prayed to herself before pulling out Starshatter. Lifting the whip up high with her right arm, she began to swing it in the air as hard as she could before hitting Leg 1 "We should try to bring the legs down quickly so we can aim at its core."

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima attacks with Starshatter - Auto-hit - Bound;
Damage dealt: 6 + 7 + 1 = 14 points of damage]

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante barely noticed the water rushing around her as she wrapped her arms around as much of Alshain's body as she could reach and attempted to dislodge her.

---

Gabriel saw the cat pass by him and walked toward the back of the creature so it wouldn't be able to shoot at him, or so he hoped, mindful of the creature that was Bastet. He jumped on the leg 1, trying to stab his sword through the wood. (+2 WPN)

---

Battle wrote:

[ Xtal-Diamante STR check passed; Alshain is dislodged]
[ Sworn attacks LEG1 - Auto-hit: Bound
Damage: 5 + 10 + 2 = 17 points of damage]

---

Ari's large fangs clashed with the trees bark. She felt them sink into its leg and she shook her head to do as much damage as possible. She heard someone shout to bring down the legs and was glad that she had gone straight for this one. In the chaos around her, she had missed that Alshain had been thrown into the waterfall and heard from the distance Aegle crying for help. If she had not rushed into the attack she could have helped and her heart sunk for having missed out on helping one of their own, but if they didn't take this thing down...it wouldn't matter if onesurvivedd because this time they all could die.

---

Thankfully, she was able to lift the girl. In fact, she barely noticed the weight, compared to the rocks she typically carried on her homeworld. What a strange thing these creatures were, so oddly soft. Sailor Xtal-Diamante looked around for somewhere to set the prone figure. They didn't have time to stay here while the others fought.

---

Battle wrote:

[[LEG1 is bound!
The great tree shifted its enormous bulk to balance on its bound leg, and kicked outwards with its free limb!
LEG2 attempts to hit Bastet! Hit!
Damage: 4+8-3=9 points of damage!
Head uses an Energy Beam and attempts to attack Sailor Aldrin !
It hits!
Aldrin is knocked off of the precipace, falling nearly onto X-tal Diamante below!
Aldrin has 1 HP remaining
Heart unleashes a blue beam, which hits Sailor Nyx and throws her backwards!
Nyx falls to the ground, prone!]

---

He looked down, seeing the cat being hit by the big leg, hesitating a bit.

"Are you alright?" He called to her, seeking an edge with his free hand to be able to grip it and swing his sword to stick it in the wood higher up, well bound on climbing this tree from the back of it. He looked back down again to measure where Bastet was now. "Don't stay in the middle of its legs!" (+2 wpn)

---

Her blast of charged plasma fired off into the tree tops, missing its intended target by an unacceptable margin. Chalybs caught her body temperature climbing a degree in her own shame, and aimed again. She'd keep firing until she hit something. "Ferrum, load another shot," she said to her A.I., her voice dead. She had allowed herself to sink into the battle entirely. All distractive thoughts were pushed aside, and emotion was replaced by adrenaline and statistics.

"Plasma is being loaded." She lined up her barrel with the tree, her mind barely registering Aegle yelling for help, or the tree firing two more times, hitting more senshi. The group was dwindling in size, and being so high up was eventually going to make her a target. She should drop to lower ground and advance.

Chalybs kept her gun up as she ran to the edge of the log, and then with no hesitation at all, jumped off it, aiming for the riverbed below. She tried to hit the ground in a roll to lessen the impact, and then lined up her Star Cannon and used Chalybs Beam on Leg 1 ((3 MP))

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante didn't gasp or make any reaction to having nearly been collided with by the falling form of the blue Sailor Aldrin. Instead, still holding the dark-haired girl in navy and yellow, she directed her attention to Sailor Aegle. The voice sounded devoid of emotion, not even a hint of panic from the immediate attacks that had just been launched.

"We must assist the others. Must we move them both?"

It was clear that "both" involved Alshain and the slightly-jiggling remains of Aldrin.(édité)

---

Ari felt herself being hit hard by the trees other leg and roared out in pain. Oh spraybottles! She forgot about the other leg. She released herself and dropped to the ground shaking herself, trying to regain her balance. The winged boy shouted at her to stay out the middle of the legs and with that she bounded around to the other side of the leg and prepared herself for her next attack.

---

Eyes focused ahead, Hadley saw as Bastet was hit by the unbound leg, and she cringed, hoping that her friend was okay. If only she had more power, maybe she'd be able to keep both legs bound at once. But she could feel her energy draining in just the attempt of holding a single one down - there was no way she'd be able to handle both.

She didn't dare look away as the tree continued to attack, knowing that it was likely more of the group had been hit. Hadley felt torn about what to do next. The bound tree had been hit a few times, perhaps she could focus on holding the free one in place. Would the previous attacks be enough to keep the currently bound one out of commission?

Hadley hesitated, uncertainty and inexperience slowing her decision, before letting go of her concentration of the vines on Tree Leg 1, and attempted to summon vines to hold down Tree Leg 2. ((6MP))

---

Relieved, Crysdal gave Hex room to move, and as she effortlessly pulled Elysande out of the water, she breathed a sigh of relief. The other seemed to be looking around for somewhere to put her, but as Crysdal stood, trying to help find a spot, she saw first that Nyx was knocked to the ground, and she gasped - only to have a body fall from above and nearly hit them both!

It was Aldrin!

Fear for the other overwhelmed her - she had falled right onto rock! Her skull - her bones - and yet... Aldrin seemed alright? Or whole at least. She knelt down to get a better look, fearing to see blood on the rock but finding quite nothing there; Aldrin was in one piece. When Hex spoke, her voice devoid of emotion, Crystal took strength - she wasn't flustered, so Crysdal shouldn't let herself get flustered, either. She nodded, "Towards Nyx - I can take care of them there."

---

Battle wrote:

[ Chalybs uses Chalybs Beam (3 MP)
Auto-Hit; 1+2+1=4 points of damage!
Amarachius uses sword!
Auto-hit: bound
Damage: 3+10+2 = 15 points of damage]

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante nodded and moved to where Aegle directed her, looking for an appropriate place to set down Alshain. She could bring Aldrin this way, as well, once her arms were less encumbered.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Valdis uses Foliage Entangle on Leg2
Does it hit? It hits!
LEG2 is bound and unable to move!]

---

Her attack had hit the tree's leg and it seemed to be stuck making Cosima her heart swell with pride. There were shouts all around as the tree attacked in retaliation, hitting the feline hard and knocking her backwards. She felt a flicker of concern before focusing back on their enemy; she couldn't distract herself from the task at hand. Lifting her whip again, she aimed it at Leg 1 and lashed the whip across its thick bark.

---

Aegle attempted to pull Aldrin along, but it was no use; she eventually gave up and hurried to follow Hex, following Alshain down as Hex lowered her, and started looking her over to check for damage.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima uses her whip and attacks LEG1
Auto-hit: Bound
Damage: 2+7+1=10]

---

As Xtal-Diamante turned back towards Aldrin, she saw the battle continuing to rage on in the distance. Her options seemed... There. The one with wings. Sailor Xtal-Diamante concentrated for a moment, using BOOST ((3 MP)) on Amarachius Sworn's STRENGTH.

As the glimmer across her eyes faded, she attempted to pick up Aldrin to carry the jelly-person towards where Aegle, Alshain, and Nyx remained.

---

The other leg was bound and she watched as Cosima attacked the leg she was next to again. Taking the opportunity, Bastet lunges again, biting at the tree.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Xtal increases Amarachius' Strength by 5 for 6 rounds of battle!
[ Bastet attacks LEG1
Auto-Hit: Bound
Damage: 2+0+0=2]
[the Head attacks Celestal ! 
Celestal falls to the ground above the falls!
Celestal has 1 HP remaining!
the Head attacks Hemera !
Hemera falls to the ground!
Hemera has 1 HP remaining!
Leg1 is still bound!
Leg2 is bound!]

---

Gabriel was gripping the tree still, trying not to fall off and having in mind to stay on the tree until it died, when something hit him. A wave of energy washed over him and though he wasn't sure where it came from, the sensation he felt was enough to revigorate him.

It actually felt worringly good.

He saw them fall, all of them, so quickly and his heart went down his feet, clenched. He hoped someone would take them out of the line of fire and dislodged his sword again to swing it and plant it into the tree a bit higher up, using it to lift himself at the same time. (+2 wpn, +5 str)

---

The attacks that continued were barely observed by the one with dark and stony skin. She reached again with gloved hands and picked up another exhausted comrade, carrying Aldrin back to Aegle swiftly. Xtal-Diamante set the blue-skinned one down near the others, eyes scanning the fallen Nyx. So many of them were sleeping now... Would they be able to strike back?

---

She checked Elysande and Nyx over, but found nothing to be wrong with them, thankfully; she didn't even feel the need to heal them, but just as she breathed a sigh of relief, Hemera was thrown backwards to join them, skidding right next to her sister, and a soft sound somehow tore through the air, and she looked up to see Celestal fall.

Celestal. The competent healer, was down.

Up there. At the top of the slippery waterfall.

As the notion sunk in that Crysdal was the only healer they had, she grit her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits about her. Alshain and Nyx were down; they looked unconscious. Aldrin was hurt badly, and so was Hemera - those two she could work with. Hemera had proven herself to be good to have in a battle, so she leaned over and kissed Hemera on her forehead, (1MP: -2 to bonus) affording her what healing ability she could, before standing and staring over at the fight transpiring at the tree.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Aegle heals Hemera
Healing: 1+10+1-2=10 points healed
Hemera remains unmoving, but can wake up!

Sworn attacks LEG1
Auto-Hit: Bound
Damage: 2+15+2=19 points of damage]]

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante brushed her hands together, the dark maroon gloves swishing as the fabric rubbed against each other. Her eyes turned outward again, to the others. She still had the stick close by, although she had to hold it strangely when she carried the others. Now she returned it to her grip, attempting to prepare.(édité)

---

Hadley felt relieved to see that her plan worked, as uncertain as it had been. And as far as she could tell, the first leg was still caught under the lingering vines. Her small sense of victory was short lived as she saw the tree shoot attacks towards her comrades again. Hadley winced, but still refused to look back. She couldn't help them, even as her heart hurt just thinking of what damage those blasts could be doing to her comrades - her friends. But she wasn't a healer, she wasn't strong, and so her own powers were better spent here.

The best way to help was to keep fighting and to keep the limbs from being yet another attack they would have to worry about.

She could do that much, at least.

Feeling that her previous plan with the first leg had worked, Hadley decided to try again with this one and concentrated on keeping the vines in place around Tree Leg 2 ((3MP)).

---

Ari bit down into the tree once again but this time her bite didn't feel as powerful. She must have weakened from being kicked. Her focuse was strictly on the tree's leg trying to take it down. She could hear the cries of her companions as she knew some of them must have fallen. She wished there was something she could do...

---

Her visor confirmed the hit, adding to the damage Cosima was doing. Valdis wrapped the other leg up, leaving the tree beast stationary for a moment.

"Multiple allies are down," Ferrum said as Chalybs watched the smoke and energy dissipate from the end of her Star Cannon. More of a distraction was needed then. Her visor was a solid green color as it glowed with calculations, her eyes barely visible behind the glass.

"Load again." The legs needed to be removed as quickly as possible. She knelt on one knee and fired another round of Chalybs Beam at Leg 1.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Valdis strengthens the vines!]
[ Chalybs uses Chalybs Beam on Leg 1 for 3MP
Auto-Hit: Bound
Damage: 1+1+2=4 points of damage]

---

Things were happening fast, almost to fast for Cosima to comprehend. She could see some of the others began to fall, one by one as Aegle and Hex tried to tend to them. It wasn't looking good for their group...but she couldn't give up yet. She boy was climbing up the tree, slashing wildly at it to all the way and Bastet was fighting bravely as well. If they could still fight so could she. Slamming her bracers together, she charged towards the tree, screaming wildly "Cosmic Surge Attack!" ((4 MP))

---

Now the fiery-haired one was attacking as well, her own work assisting with the winged one. Xtal-Diamante's expressionless face seemed to be impartially observing, but her mind whirled with smaller decisions about what she must do next. Healing those that she had moved from further danger did not rank as a priority on her list. If this thing that slashed and shot at them was not defeated, the entire group would have no chance to survive. They could no longer run, for they'd have to leave so many behind.

Sailor Xtal-Diamante uses BOOST ((3 MP)) on Sailor Cosima's STRENGTH.

Her crystalline eyes flashed twice as she concentrated once again on her powers.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima attempts to attack the Heart!
It hits!
Damage: 2+0+2=4
COUNTER
The head fires a beam at Cosima , countering her attack on the heart!
It hits! Critical hit!
Damage: 5+6-3=8 points of damage]
[ Xtal uses Boost; Cosima's STR increases by 4 for 5 turns!]

[[LEG1 struggles!
LEG1 is unable to break its hold!
LEG2 is unable to break its hold!
Heart rests!
Head rests!]]

---

"You should move from between its legs, Cosima!" He called down before looking back up.

He tried to move his wings, feeling them able to beat despite the trees around and got his sword out of the tree before kicking under his feet, taking off to hop a bit higher on the tree, plunging his sword in the wood once more and quickly finding something to grip with his free hand. (+2 wpn, +5 str)

---

Hadley saw the great tree struggle against her vines, and she worried that they would not hold - but a moment later, it appeared that they could not get through the vines, even the ones that she was no longer strengthening. Hadley knew she was beginning to weaken - spending her energy holding the vines in place felt important, it felt like the best use of her own powers - but she was worried that she would not be able to do so for much longer.

But she had to keep going - had to be helpful. So many of them had already been hit, she couldn't let the legs be another way for the great tree to attack them. But would the vines be strong enough, even without her holding them in place?

If she used the rest of her energy to hold the vines, she wouldn't be much help in the rest of the fight - but would it be worth it, if the legs were not able to attack?

She just didn't know.

Hadley hesitated, staring up at the great tree ahead of her, and then at her friends who were still there, still attacking. They were so close to the legs, Ari had already been attacked by a kick, and she couldn't let that happen again.

She continued to concentrate on the vines. ((3MP))

---

The head barely seem to flinch when it was hit, instead it turned it's head towards her and fired without a second guess. Cosima was pushed back by the force of the blast but she didn't need a healer...yet. As she struggled to stand back on her feet, she could feel another power, one similar to the feeling she had felt during the gator attack, began to overwhelm her and she felt herself growing stronger once more. Gripping her ancestral sword, she began to continue to slash at Leg 1 relentlessly eager to see this creature dead beneath her feet.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Amarachius hits LEG1!
He gets more than the remaining 6 in damage!
LEG1 HAS BEEN DEFEATED

The tree locked up, its leg no longer mobile, its weight pressing into the mass in such a way as to continue to balance on its dead limb!]]

---

Cosima had been hit.

Crysdal kissed her hand and rushed forward, moving lightly across the rock-strewn, mossy ground towards the battle raging at the tree-monster's feet; she heard Gabriel's call of warning and tried to anticipate which way Maenyra would choose to move, pressing off in one direction and raising the hand with the energy kiss, preparing to tap her ally to heal her. "Aegle Kiss!" She called in warning, and tapped Cosima with her energy kiss! ((1 MP; -3 to bonus))

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Cosima's sword bites deep into leg1!

Aegle heals Cosima for 2+10+1-3=10 8 HP]]

---

As Ari held on to the trees leg with her teeth, she began to feel her transformation weaken and soon it was just little tiny Ari clinging onto the trees leg, no longer a giant cat. Her magic had worn off...However, the leg went down! She jumped off the leg, getting a grasp of the situation around her. The winged boy was up, flying near the trees middle and Cosima was on the other side of the leg. She needed to save some power if she needed to transform again. Ari ran towards Cosima. "Bastet Energy Barrier!" Her barrier went up as she got near Cosima. ((4 MP)) Ari breathed heavily as she was getting tired from the fight. "If we stay close we can take down the other leg from behind my barrier...I hope..." She gulped trying to get rid of her dry throat.

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante adjusted her grip on the stick and ran out towards the second leg. She reeled back, then whacked the sturdy leg with a sturdy stick!

---

Battle wrote:

[[Shield erected with strength: 6+6+2=14 points
Under Shield Protection: Bastet , Cosima , Aegle ]]

[[ Xtal attempts to hit LEG2
Autohit - bound!
Damage: 6+4+1=11 points of damage!]]

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante felt her blow connect, then ran back, hopefully preparing to strike again next turn!

---

He heard Crysdal's voice and smiled, using his wings and body to throw himself up again, quickly running, flying and climbing up that tree. That wounded leg would maybe slow it down, but they needed to keep it from continuously attacking the others back there. Keeping to the back, he managed to get up there and paused a moment, thinking.

He never had to fight a tree before. He didn't know trees could move and hit and attack and be mean.

He looked at his sword, still shining.

This tree was evil.
He couldn't doubt his sword, no matter how vague it had been.

He gripped his sword with both hands and let himself fall to the head, blade first and wings open behind to avoid falling to his death. (+2 wpn, +5 str)

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Sworn attempts to hit the head!
He misses!

The head swerves away from the encroaching attack!
Amarachius's wings catch him before he could hit the rocks below!]

---

Cosima felt a small flutter against her back and glanced back to see Aegle healing her. She nodded in thanks before little Bastet had came up beside her and mentioned something about a barrier. Whatever. It all sounded good to her. "Stay close to me." She advised as she stood in front of her to lead the attack towards the second leg and also to guard. She also just didn't like the idea of one of the younger ones getting hurt around her, "Rupturing Radiation Strike! ((4 MP. No effects))" She cried, raising her sword before stamping it deep into Leg 2.

---

His wings beat in time for him to balance himself enough not to break every bone of his body against the ground, back to the front of his foe while he tried to take some altitude.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Cosima uses Radiation Strike!
Auto-Hit
Damage: 1+11+2+2=15 points of damage]

---

The tree's movement slowed as Amarachius and Cosima stabbed at it again, and then a flash of bright color moved past her. Chalybs turned without moving from her position to identify Aegle. She touched a (possibly spit covered) hand to Cosima, healing her, and then the smaller beast that had been mauling a leg morphed back into a senshi and summoned a shield.

Medics should be kept in the far back of the formation, but the shield would protect her until she retreated again. A satisfactory strategy for now. Things always seemed to go smoother when she just stopped thinking beyond what was necessary.

That appeared handled, so she switched to the next viable target. She fired Chalybs Beam at Leg 2 ((3 MP))

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Chalybs uses Beam!
Auto hit!
Damage: 6+1+2=9]]

[**LEG2 attempts to free itself!
It is unable to!
HEAD attempts to hit Amarachius Sworn with a beam!
It hits!
Damage: 4+6-3=7 points of damage!]

[[The Heart starts to glow!]]

---

The first leg was down - Hadley could see the way the great tree shifted in order to compensate for the damage done - and as she saw her friends focus their next attacks onto the other leg, Hadley let go of her concentration against the vines. Feeling a little dizzy, Hadley stumbled back, losing her footing and falling to her knees. From the corner of her eye she could see the fallen figures of her comrades, and she shuddered and looked away. Hadley pointedly ignored the painful grief squeezing against her chest.

She felt drained. She had never used so much magic so quickly or so strongly, and she wasn't sure if she could even muster enough energy to send another attack. It was good to see that the legs were being taken down though - at least she had done something useful.

But now what could she do?

---

Gabriel was thrown back with a noise of pain but kept himself in the air, his wings beating with the rythm of someone who got confused in the motion. He then tried to quickly fly back to the protuberance atop the tree's back to stay away from its head and regain his bearings.

The heart was glowing and he wasn't sure why.

---

She frowned up at Gabriel - he was too high over head, she couldn't possibly heal him from there! Unless... but would that even work? But as she looked up at the flying warrior, her eyes caught the distinct change in light. "It's glowing!" Crysdal warned, darting backwards to give the tree greater distance, while angling sideways to close the distance between herself and the fighters.

The vines strained to hold the creature's leg in place, and Crysdal wondered why she thought it was so odd to her to see that little twitching motion, but with the glowing section of the tree to deal with, she wasn't making connections easily.

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante heard Aegle call out to the flying one, and she also looked over to see the suspicious glow from within the core of the creature. In some ways it seemed... familiar. She didn't quite acknowledge the parallels between this creature's heart and her own crystalline structure, but she felt the curious sense of unexplained sameness.

The difference was, of course, that the creature sought destruction.

---

Ari summoned her quarterstaff ((+1 WPN)) and ran in whacking and stabbng the leg as hard as she could. She heard someone should something about glowing. But what?

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante tightened her grip on the sturdy stick and darted in, as much as a rock could dart, aiming to hit Leg 2 again.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Bastet attacks LEG2
Autohit: bound
Damage: 2+0+1=3 points of damage
Xtal-Diamante attacks LEG2
Autohit: Bound
Damage: 6+4+1=11 points of damage]]

---

Hadley saw the glowing before Crysdal spoke, but the urgency in her voice struck a chord - the glowing couldn't mean anything good for their group. But she had nothing she could do - perhaps she had been stupid to use up so much of her energy with the legs. No, no, she had to do it, it had been important. This was no time to start getting second thoughts - not when there was fighting to do.

"I-I'm sorry! I have nothing left in me to do anymore magic!" Hadley yelled to her comrades. Guilt pulled at her, but she ignored it.

For the first time, she turned her attention onto the fallen beside her. At the very least, she could protect them. If nothing else, she could be a shield of sorts if it came down to it.

---

Cosima heard Aegle make a shout about something glowing but she stayed focused on attacking Leg 2 along with Bastet. Hopefully her barrier lasted long enough for withstand whatever the tree was preparing to do. Hopefully.

---

Ari looked around and noticed Xtal was attacking as well. Whatever was glowing wasn't good... "Hurry get inside my barrier!" she shouted at the rock girl.

---

Once again, the blow connected. This stick truly was a sturdy weapon! She did not expect to find something so useful in this mysterious and mostly dangerous forest. Sailor Xtal-Diamante retreated, her eyes now turning back towards the glow of the heart. There was no way she could hit it with her improvised weapon from this distance.

Battle wrote:

[[ Cosima attacks LEG2
Autohit: bound
Damage: 4+11+2=174 points of damage

LEG 2 is completley immobile]]

---

Aegle, hearing Valdis's lamentation, glanced back to see the girl looking towards the fallen, and felt sympathetic - but Hadley had done a great job, and --

And...

And she had a potion that could help her!!

"The Hermit!!" Crysdal cried, turning to run from the tree and towards Hadley, her hand moving to the pocketed belt at her waist and quickly unsnapping the holsters, fishing around inside for the correct vial as she stopped before the redhaired senshi. She was all smiles as she pulled a handful of the tiny glass bottles out of her pocket, laying them in her hands, "Magic... magic... I think that's the blue one?" she said quickly, glancing back over her shoulders at the tree's odd blue glow to make sure nothing else had happened.

When she looked back, she and Hadley were no longer alone! Elysande and Nyx were up! "Elysande!! Nyx!!" she cried in relieved welcome as she offered Hadley the potion and angled around to not be in their way to see the battle against the tree. "We could use your help! The legs are down, but the two glowing areas are still shooting lasers and..."

But something was off about Sailor Nyx and Sailor Alshain.

---

Something made extremely apparent as fire engulfed Alshain's fists, and she raised them to attack Crysdal.
Nyx swung her staff around, attempting to knock Hadley off her feet.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Alshain attempts to attack Crysdal !
She Misses!
Nyx attempts to knock Hadley down!
She hits!
Hadley has her legs knocked out from beneath her!]]

---

He had his two arms up, reading to plunge his sword into the tree's head when sounds made him look down to the others. Just in time to see Alshain and Nyx attack their own. He lowered his sword and flew off again, landing between their awoken companions and the rest.

"Those who can, keep to the tree!"

He looked a bit lost, looking at Alshain, wondering if it was even worth it, or if it counted, or if it could work in this situation.

He was new, he had never use it on senshi... or... in these kind of fights.

He rose a hand, pointing it to the girl's heart. "Eleutheria." (-3MP) He called, expectant.

---

Focused on her fallen comrades, Crysdal's cry and quick arrival took Hadley by surprise, but the other girl had such a beautiful smile, Hadley felt a little comforted, and couldn't stop herself from returning the smile even as she continued to be confused for a moment. She glanced down at Crysdal's hands and saw the potions. Of course!

As she accepted the blue potion, Hadley held it in her hands, but her attention was taken by both Alshain and Nyx. They were awake! Hadley turned a smile towards them.

Nyx returned it by knocking her down onto the ground.

Hadley grunted, eyes wide as she processed what had just happened. It must be the great tree and the glowing - she may not know these members of the group as well as some others, but she knew this was not normal behavior.

But her depleted energy still made her ineffective in this. She was glad she still held the potion tightly in her hand and, pushing away any reservations of drinking an ultimately unknown substance, she downed the blue potion in one gulp.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Alshain looks to him, a blue light shining within her pupils, and her brow twitches. The fire on her hands flickers. With his support, she's fighting the hold!
The Head is still glowing!
Alshain is not yet freed.]]
[[ Valdis drinks the potion!
Valdis feels good! Like invincible good!]]

---

Ari heard the sounds of fighting from behind and she quickly turned expecting to see more enemies but...it was two of their companions attacking. The winged one shouted for them to keep to the treeif they could but...Ari looked to Cosima and Xtal conflicted on what to do. "Should we continue with our attack or should one of us go to help? This leg is down...but..." She looked up at the head and what she thought was the heart, where the glowing had been. She wondered...was that what caused their fallen comrades to stand again? "I think we need to destroy its heart."

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante heard and then saw that some of the other sailor soldiers were no longer down... but instead of assisting with the battle, they were interfering. Alshain had turned against Aegle, despite all that the blonde had done for her friend. Nyx, normally calm and reasonable, fixed her actions on Valdis, knocking the other girl to the ground.

She felt the weight of the stick in her hands and rushed forward, attempting to smack Nyx upside the head with it, possibly rendering her unconscious.

---

He frowned, looking at her, waiting for her to strike again or to be freed, but she seemed to keep to a state in between, worrying him. She didn't seem to attack, the fire flickering. "Please, fight." The blue light in her eyes made him look at the tree.

He wondered if he could stop Nyx too or put her in the same in between state or if he had to stay with Alshain.

"I think the tree has them..."

He looked back at Alshain.

"I don't know if I can leave."

---

"The creature's center is glowing." Chalybs lowered her weapon and looked to what Ferrum was talking about. Aegle had yelled something similar, and she was right. It could potentially fire another beam, but she could only speculate. She took a few steps back to be safer, and watched the Tree for its next move. What she didn't expect was nothing to happen. The tree glowed and didn't fire anything. Was it an invisible attack? A sound behind her, where the other senshi had retreated drew her attention, and she turned around to see Sailor Nyx and Sailor Alshain awake and attacking them.

"Two allies are no longer down." There was a faint glimmer of annoyance at the AI stating the obvious, but why were they attacking? Was this the result of the Tree's glow? She hesitated to fall back and join Amarachius, but he had just said to focus on the Tree itself. She could not do anything to assist beyond restraining or attacking the other senshi.

Chalybs was not a healer, she was a mercenary. This was, again, too much overthinking.

She moved forward and fired a Chalybs Beam at the Tree's Heart.

---

With one final slash the tree was dead! But unfortunately their success was short as she heard a cry behind her and then saw Valdis and Aegle on the ground....attacked by their own people?! What in the world was going on? She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly in anger, barely restraining a rough growl when she heard Bastet speak.

"The last time I tried to attack the head it immediately attacked me in return....but your barrier is protecting us now." She quickly remembered. Shaking her sword out into its whip form, she took a swing at the tree's heart.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal-Diamante attacks Nyx !
She misses!

Sailor Nyx evades Xtal's attack, side-stepping the effort and squaring her shoulders as though to raise her staff and call upon a magical attack!]]

[[ Chalybs uses Chalybs Beam!
It hits!
Damage: 6+1+2=9!

COUNTER
The Head shoots out a beam towards Chalybs , immediately countering!
It misses! ((Chalybs could roll aside, etc., or just say it missed XD))

The glowing fades!
Alshain snaps out of it, and immediately faints!]]

---

Following Cosima's lead, Ari decided it was time to attack but this time, transformed. She was tired but she had to do it. Ari concentrated and summoned the magic to transform her once again into a cat beast ((6 MP))

---

He dropped his sword and caught her, slowly putting her down.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Cosima attempts to attack the heart!
It hits!
Damage: 1+11+2=14 points of damage!

COUNTER!
Head attempts to attack Cosima !
It misses!]]

---

Drat, she had missed~! Xtal-Diamante recovered as quickly as she could and turned, wondering if she could attempt again before Nyx could act—her posture implied that she would act soon. Otherwise she would have to do her best to get out of the way.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Bastet is a cat!]]

---

As soon as she swallowed the potion, everything changed. She felt good. More than good, she felt great. Was this really the way it felt to have her magic reserves return to her? She wished she could have this sort of feeling all the time.

It almost made her want to fight insanely large trees every day if it meant she was allowed to drink potions like this.

Hadley turned her attention onto her friends, seeing that others had come to help but Sailor Nyx was still at large. She attempted to call upon her Foliage Entangle to hold Nyx in place. ((3MP))

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Valdis attempts to control her Vines!
It fails!]]

---

He turned again, ignoring his sword, rising his hand again toward Nyx this time, walking toward them. "Eleutheria." He tried again, his voice shaking in the uncertainty. He felt uncomfortable and couldn't wait for his sword to be back in his hands and his focus back on the tree. This felt... wrong, ridicule. (-3 MP)

---

Transformed into a cat again, Ari jumped up, aiming for the tree beasts heart with her claws, hoping to grip and climb up on to the beast

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal's Boost wears off of both Amarachius Sworn and Cosima ]]
[[ Nyx freezes, her brows twitching as Amarachius's powers aid her will to fight back against the mind control]]
[[The Heart is not glowing; Nyx is freed! Nyx faints!]]


[[ Ari's claws find purchase; she is easily able to climb!]]

---

He tried to catch her as well, his hear unclenching but still uneasy, his wings twitching. Was it good? Was it okay? Would they live? Had he done something right or had the power killed them? They seemed unconscious rather than dead, but the worry took him anyway.

---

The vines... they didn't listen. She had never had such an attempt fail before, and Hadley stared down at her hands. She could still feel the wonderful feeling coursing through her, but was this different than getting her magic back?

"Crysdal, I don't think this was the right potion!" she called to the blonde girl. "I can't control the vines."

Another thought came to her, one that threatened to override the potion's effects - what if, somehow, her ties to her plants had been severed due to this crazy potion?

---

Ari nearly purred in happiness as she found a grip onto the trees bark. She climbed as swifty as she could and bit down onto the heart which had stopped glowiing. But killing its heart should kill the best right?(édité)

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante could barely consider future actions against Nyx before Amarachius Sworn interrupted... and soon Nyx had fainted. But then... she felt something else. A faint echo internally, some kind of warning. Her crystal eyes looked again at the winged one now so close to her. Xtal-Diamante took a deep breath and concentrated again on that strange well of power within her core. Her eyes flashed again in that tell-tale way, directing her power (Boost, 3 MP) towards Cosima (Strength).

---

"Incoming counterattack." Chalybs rolled to the side to slip past the beam that fired at her as she shot at the core of the Tree. It was protective of that particular spot then, judging by how it fired on Cosima as well. And if they kept up the pressure, it could further impede whatever magic had trapped their two knocked out allies. The center was no longer glowing, to confirm her thought process. She would take another shot, but there was Ari turned Cat Creature attacking it at close range, and she did not want friendly fire. Instead, she called on her Energy Scanner ((1 MP))

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante reached out, pointing the stick at the winged one. He could maneuver better than the others. Especially herself.

"The glow. Prevent it."

---

Seeing Bastet..."change" never gotten any stranger but she stayed focused on attacking, this time slamming her wrists together hard towards the heart again, "Cosmic Surge Attack! ((4 MP. Can cause RADIATION SICKNESS, 2+d4 damage per round))" She screamed, praying that it would be more effective than her first try.

---

Crysdal didn't - she couldn't - she had no idea what to do at that point. Elysande was aiming to attack her; she had just barely ducked out of the way, falling to her behind and dropping a few of the precious vials on the way down. She scooted back, eyes wide as her friend's fire was brought to bear against her --

Until Gabriel landed and spoke a soft, beautiful word, and Elysande froze. Crysdal didn't know what was happening, but as sounds of battle raged behind them, she could not tear her gaze from Elysande, hoping that whatever Gabriel was doing was helping -- and then she fell, and Gabriel caught her, then turned his attention to Nyx and performed similarly, catching her, too.

What happened? What caused them to turn on them like that?

Hadley drew her attention and she turned, grateful for the distraction, and shook her head, coming to her knees to collect the vials and then her feet. "You can leave them here," she told Gabriel, "I'll keep an eye on them." She nodded, as though to punctuate the idea and banish the fear that they may rise again as someone other than themselves, and fiddled with the vials until she produced a red one. "Maybe this?" she said, offering it to Hadley.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Bastet attempts to attack the heart!
Hit!
Damage: 6+0+0=6

COUNTER
Head beam attempts to attack Bastet !
It hits!
Damage: 6+6-3=9 points of damage!

Xtal uses Boost on Cosima !
Cosima's STR is increased by 3 for 4 turns!

Chalybs energy scanner: two sources - head and heart! they seemed to be all that was left!

Cosima uses Cosmic Surge and attempts to attack Heart
It misses!]

---

Hadley looked to Crysdal, her words of 'maybe' not exactly giving her the greatest confidence, not after the first one turned out to be so confusing. But she trusted Crysdal, knew that she meant the best, and so Hadley accepted her suggestion and took the red potion from the other girl. "Thank you," she said, before quickly downing the potion before her own thoughts stopped her.

---

He blinked at Xtal's inexpressive voice, looking at that being that look more like an alien that most others. Her words finally reached his ears and nodded, looking at the stick for a moment before he looked at Aegle, hoping his eyes wouldn't show his inner battle. He nodded again. "I leave them to you." He looked back at Alshain, then Nyx. "Don't be dead." He whispered at her, searching his sword and quickly taking it back before he pushed of the ground with his feet, darting away, though a bit more weakly due to his mind being so unfocused, to land on the tree's protuberance again.




He rose his arms and slammed his sword down on the head this time. (+2 wpn)

---

Battle wrote:

[ Valdis downs the potion!
She feels better!!

Sworn attempts to attack the head!
Hit!
Damage: 5+10+2=17 points of damage]

---

She was glad he had headed off. She would send a parting gift his way. Xtal-Diamante uses boost ((3MP)) on Amarachius Sworn's STRENGTH.

---

"The head and chest area are the only life sources in this creature." The Tree fired again, striking Bastet, but not fatally injuring her, and Chalybs decided to risk another shot. She used Chalybs Beam on the Heart again, still as quiet as before.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal Boost - Sworn STR +5 for 4 rounds]]

---

As the last trail of light strobed across her eyes, Xtal-Diamante turned her attention towards Aegle. "For magic?" she asked, glancing towards Valdis consuming the potions. Perhaps she could continue to assist in this way.

---

Her attack had missed and she hissed in frustration. What good were these senshi abilities if they barely worked most of the time? She gave up on using her attacks and made another attempt to simply hit the core with her whip again.

---

Hadley wasn't certain what this potion did, but she felt better somehow. Coupled with the potion from before, she felt absolutely great, even as she felt uncertain what was currently going on with her body right now.

She looked to the others, saw how hard they were fighting - she hadn't paid as much attention as she should have, with everything that had gone on before - but now she hoped to help. Focusing on aiming at the heart, Hadley attempted to use Verdant Spikes ((4MP))

---

Battle wrote:

[[Head uses beam on Xtal
Hit!
Damage: 6+6-3=9

Chalybs uses Chalybs beam
Hit!
Damage: 5+1+2=8 points of damage

COUNTER
Hit!
Damage: 6+6-3=9 points of damage

Cosima --> heart
Hit!
Damage: 5+10+2=17 16!

The heart cracks!

COUNTER
Hit!
Damage: 3+6-3=6]]

---

Aegle looked back at Hex, puzzled, but quickly understood and handed over a red one, wondering how she could have so poorly misremembered blue for magic.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal has a blue potion]]

---

A wave hit him again, the energy coursing making blink again, his wings twitching.
He didn't know where it came from, but the universe knew he didn't care. He felt it. It felt good. It was well enough for him.

They were working together.
It felt more like a team than it had since their landing.

He had to ignore the bodies laying there far away in front of him, however, his eyes going automatically to Alshain and Nyx. He couldn't get them out of his mind. His sword still embedded in the wood, he pointed his open palm to the tree, unfocused and unthinking as he whispered: "Eleutheria".

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Valdis attempts to cast Verdant Spikes!
Nothing happens!]]

---

Xtal-Diamante continued to stare expressionlessly at Aegle as she took the potion and quickly drank it.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal drank the red potion]]

---

The heart cracked beneath her teeth and Ari let out a roar of glee at the success of their kill. However, it seemed the best wasn't completely down for the count yet. She began to climb, snarling towards the head. She sunk her claws into the trees bark and used it to push herself into a lunge at the head. Once again, she bites with her fangs into the beasts head.

---

Battle wrote:

[[Bastet --> head
Hit!
Damage: 4+0=4]]

---

Hadley stumbled, looking down at her hands. Nothing. Nothing happened! What was going on? She saw her hands tremble. Were the potions poison? Taking away her powers? Were they simply placebos? Making her feel good, but in fact doing nothing at all?

"I-I can't cast anything." Hadley was so focused in on her own inner turmoil, she didn't even know if any of her friends were nearby to hear her words. This was wrong, this was not right.

What was she going to do?

---

It was too bad that she had no current use for the stick. Still, she continued to carry it, only in one hand for now, as she contemplated her current actions. She thought of the attacks that had been made (seemingly indifferent to that which had hit her) and her crystalline eyes flickered again with light. Xtal-Diamante uses RECOVERY for 6MP on Amarachius Sworn and Sailor Cosima.

---

Crysdal looked back towards the fight; the middle wasn't glowing anymore, and little Ari, as a panther, launched herself onto the last glowing part of the creature and bit in, hard; surely it was almost done - surely this nightmare would soon be over!

"You can do it!" she called, rushing forward a few stepps before stopping, "You can save this world!! You're almost through!"

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Xtal uses Recovery
Healing: 4+3+3=10/2=5 per]]

---

Chalybs wasn't fast enough the dodge the next counterattack, and she took the energy beam full on. She was knocked back into the riverbed, her visor's displays flickering with static before they recovered.

"Armor systems are partially damaged. Biological system bruised, but still functional." She groaned and stood up again, dripping wet, but very much alive. Chalybs watched Bastet rip into the heart one final time and begin working on the Tree's head. One more target left. She fired Chalybs Beam at the Head. ((3 MP))

---

She could hear the sound of the heart cracking as Bastet sunk her fangs into it. Sweat was beginning to pour around her brow as her muscles ached from her earlier injuries so she paused to take a deep breath before rising her arm and hitting the monstrous tree across it's rotting face.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Chalybs --> Head
Miss!
Cosima --> Head
Hit!
Damage: 5+10+2=17 points of damage]]

---

Ari continues to bite and tear at the head with her fangs and claws, while clinging on to the creature the best she can.

---

He was barely aware of attacks being thrown this way as he got his sword out of the wood and made it disappear, a small thread of resistance calling on to him. He wasn't sure, he doubted too much to bring himself to call the others to stop. He knelt one knee down, pressing his hand against the wood this time, "Eleutheria." (-3MP) They didn't need him. If he was wrong, if his senses were fooling him, well it wouldn't hurt a soul.

---

Xtal-Diamante watched the others continue to fight against the tree... but she felt a strange sense of disorder. Her power was exhausted. ...But was that not why she had consumed the liquid? It was Aegle she directed the comment to.

"There was no magic."

---

"Uh --" Crysdal turned, looking back at the pair, "It could be the wrong one again," she said, looking worried, "There's a green one left? Hadley, did the red one help?"

---

She continued to swing and lash her whip at the head, the force of each blow steadily increasing.

---

A miss. Chalybs felt weaker, but not physically. This was more of an... internal drain. She knew that her shots were powered by whatever energy made her a senshi, but maybe she was beginning to run low. She shook her head and aimed. Whatever energy she had left, she'd use it now. "Chalybs Beam!" She was digging so deep into her reserves that she had to call the attack to focus it enough to manifest, but the shot fired at the Head again.

---

Desperation clung to her. What could she do? Hadley spotted one last potion, one last try she could do. Surely the Hermit with the kind face hadn't tricked them, right?

Right?

She hesitated for a moment, before reaching out and grabbing the green potion. A part of her believed she was being stupid and foolish, but she clung to the belief that the Hermit had been kind, and had wanted to help them all. She heard Crysdal ask her a question, but Hadley didn't know how to answer. "I don't know what it did," she said. "I can't use my plants, that's all I know."

That was all she cared about. She turned her attention onto the green potion in her hand.

Green was a good color. She loved green.

She drank it as quickly as she could before she could convince herself not to.

---

Xtal-Diamante saw Valdis take the final potion and watched intently as the smaller girl consumed it. What would be the effects this time?

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima
Hit
Damage: 2+10+2=14
Chalybs
Hit
Damage: 6+1+2=9
Valdis drinks the green potion!]
[Bastet
Hit!
Damage: 6]

---

Still ignoring everyone else, he kept on whispering, his open hand still pressing against the wood. (-3MP)

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Valdis starts to feel a little heavier]]
[[Something within the mind of the stree stirred, strengthening, moving towards Amarachius Sworn . Almost as though it gained strength as its physical form weakened...]]

---

Had the tree groaned during that last attack? Could it possibly be getting weaker. Unsure of what was has happening, Cosima raised her voice towards Bastet, "Bastet, I think it's getting weaker. Keep up your attacks!" With that said, she took another hard swing towards the tree's head.

---

Ari is still biting and chewing on the head. Nom nom nom is heard as she growls through her bites.

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima
Miss
Bastet
Hit
Damage: 3+0=3
[ Ari detransforms back into a human!]

---

His mouth opened in a silent command that died under his hesitation. Should he tell them to stop? Or did they have to kill it?

He tried one more time and would push them all off the creature if he felt it was starting to wake up in its last moment. (-3MP)

---

"Your energy levels are extremely depleted," Ferrum said as her beam landed. Chalybs was breathing hard now, and she didn't bother aiming again. "I advise that you stand down until your reserves recover."

"O...okay..." The self imposed battle haze retreated, and she blinked a few times to clear her head.(édité)

---

Hadley frowned. Something was strange with this potion. She couldn't place what it was, she couldn't tell what had happened. A part of her wanted to try to use her attack - she had to try - but her legs suddenly felt as though they wouldn't support her weight.

She stumbled down to her knees.

---

Battle wrote:

[[The magic would not respond to Gabriel's command; he was spent, but the spirit within the tree had heard his call, and fought back against the chaos gripping its soul.]]

---

Ari's transformation wore off on her again and she felt herself begin to slip from the creatures head. She reached adn grabbed on to anything she could. "H-help!" she screeched as she felt herself fall.

---

Aegle's brows knitted together in concern as Hadley fell; she moved forward, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Were they not supposed to mix the potions? Was this a side-effect of too much of the elixer in her body?

Should they induce vomiting, or was it too late?

---

Her attacked missed and she tried to back her agitation? Things grew from bad to worse as Bastet suddenly retransformed and was falling towards the ground. She looked back to see the winged-boy doing nothing and yelled to catch his attention. "CATCH HER BOY!"

---

Xtal-Diamante reached out as if to catch the other girl, but suddenly became aware that she herself felt... exhausted.

---

Ari's scream was enough for him to throw himself off the head, trying to at least, if he couldn't get to her up in time, bring himself under her.

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Amarachius Sworn is able to catch Sailor Bastet !]]

---

He caught her despite his own expectations, forcing his wings to get them both up, shakily bringing her to safety on the tree's head. Once there, he forgot he should probably let her go.

---

She reached a hand towards her forehead, brushing her soft cloud of pale hair aside, and wavered slightly. She glanced over at Aegle, then Valdis, and then Aegle again. "I do not recommend you consume..." She paused and inhaled deeply. "The liquid."

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Valdis loses her transformation]]

---

She could hear Crysdal's voice, and Hadley tried to focus on it, to hear it above the own panic gripping at her. "I don't know!" She felt tears sting her eyes, but she didn't know how to explain what was going on when she felt so confused herself. "I feel heavy."

---

"Th-thank you..." she squeaked out as he caught her. This certainly was new...she sighed in relief. She felt weak but like she could transform once more into a cat, "I...i think i can transform again...Throw me on to his head! NOW!" She began concentrating on the magic to transform for her last time ((6 MP))

---

"No... wait!" He called, looking down at the tree.

---

Crysdal looked from Hex to Hadley, confused by their reactions, still gripping the vials from the Hermit tightly to her chest, afriad of what all of this could mean. The fear in Hadley's voice was breaking her heart, and she stepped closer, wanting to know how to help her, how to alleviate the pain. "Heavy?? There's - The last one - the black ink - he said it was for speed --"

---

"Just do it!! I can't stop it now--"

---

Battle wrote:

[[ Bastet transforms into a cat!]]

---

Sighing in relief when he caught the girl, Cosima turned back to the tree and went back to attacking the tree's head.

---

The strange, stony girl in the dark red uniform shook her head. The motion seemed to take even more of her fading energy than she had expected. "It does not work. Do not."

---

He put the cat down on top of the tree's head. "Please!"

---

Her tiny voice once again turned into a feriocious roar as she felt her body transform one last time. There was no way she could do it again after this. As soon as she was on its head she went straight back to biting and clawing away at its head

---

Battle wrote:

[ Cosima
Hit!
Damage: 3+10+2=15

Bastet
Damage: 2

The tree rumbled, shaking on its roots, as a clean, green light erupted from the holes of the head of the tree.]

---

He took the cat and flew off the head, taking Cosima with him on his way there.

"Stop!"

---

As she munched on its head, she felt herself being picked up like a kitten. The tree had began to grow bright green. What was this...? She blinked very confused at what was happening. Did they stop it?

---

He dropped both of them on the ground far from the tree so Cosima wouldn't be able to hit and flew back up, his feathers ruffled by his stress.

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante fell to the ground near Hadley, the weakening increasing.

---

Hadley wanted to look up to Crysdal, but she couldn't muster the energy. She felt her transformation leave her, unwillingly, and her heart raced painfully in her chest. What was going on? She felt so wrong. So heavy and lethargic.

---

Cosima suddenly felt herself being lifted from the ground before realizing she was being carried by Sworn. Figuring there was nothing she could do until he dropped them off safely, she mumbled angrily under her breath.

---

Ari had no idea what was happening but the winged boy didn't want them to attack so instead she looked around. It would be a while before hte transformation wore off. She suddenly remembered her friends and looked towards them, only to see Hadley and Xtal laying on the grown in pain. What was going on! Did they get injured byt eh tree and she hadn't noticed? She couldn't heal them but...

Ari ran over towards her friends, whining in concern. She nuzzled Xtal's cheek and purred, licking her face. What could be done? She groaned in desperation, not knowing what to do.

---

It doesn't work? The potions - were they doing --

But the Hermit.

He had been so nice. He had been the only person to give them advice, and to offer them something to help them; why would he do this? How could he have done this? Was it really his doing? Had she stored the potions incorrectly? Was it her fault?

Hadley's Senshi uniform faded away, and Crysdal sobbed once, throwing the tiny vials far away, and fell to her knees, doing the only thing she could think of to help. Haldey felt heavy - she could relieve that, right?! She wasn't dying, right?!

Carefully she took Hadley's head between her hands and Butterfly kissed her hair, praying that it would work, and that, somehow, it would make up for having given her the potions.

---

Battle wrote:

[[The tree burst into a thousand sparkles of light, as a green whisp escaped what was its mortal prison. It hovered in the air before Gabriel for a moment, even twith him and those he carried with him, before escaping, rushing off into the sky and disappearing far, far overhead.

The evil had been purged.]]

---

Sailor Xtal-Diamante's breathing slowed as she laid there... No thoughts filled her mind... The echoes in her core dimmed...

---

Ari paused from her concern over her friends to watch the tree burst into a beautiful sparkle of light. She stared at it in awe. They had did it. The chaos was gone. Ari collapsed in her cat form next to Xtal, purring in happiness, hoping she could bring some comfort to the ailing rock girl.

---

SAM was powerless as Amarachius told the two senshi to stop attacking the creature and pulled them away."What are you doing!?" she yelled for the first time, snapping completely out of her daze, and then watched as the tree burst into light, releasing strange wisps into the air. Was it defeated? The pressure in the atmosphere was gone now.

---

Gabriel felt the light traveling with him for a while, a smile stretching his lips automatically, unable to hold it. He stayed in the air, wings slowly flapping behind him, just so it would keep him elevated, but unmoving. He wondered if killing it would have changed anything or if it would have freed it sooner, but he hadn't wished to risk it.

He looked at his sword, after all of this, relieved to see its light dead.

---

Cosima was confused before understanding of what was happening finally dawned on her. They had did it....they had truly did it? The chaos presence had been defeated and they had saved this planet. She could feel her knees beginning to grow weak before she finally collapsed under her own fatigue. "What...do we do now?" She asked looking towards the boy as he seemed to be somewhat aware of what was going on compared to the rest of them.

---

Battle wrote:

[[But just as the green spot of light disappeared, another orb of white light appeared suddenly among them, hovering above the ground and whipping about, almost in an annoyed manner as it surveyed the bodies of Celestal, Hemera, Alshain and Nyx, and those gathered near Xtal-Diamante and Hadley. In a flourish it circled the area, paused, and popped into existance --

Revealing an old, haggard crone, who stared disapprovingly out of her mauve cloak at them, her eyes young and bright, completely at odds with the rest of her ancient features. "Do you always drink whatever's handed to you?" she croaked condescendingly.]]

[[The End]]