Venus' voice brought him back from his own mind, eyes focusing on the eternal senshi. She was extremely beautiful, that much he could tell, but she was on a whole other level, that much was pretty obvious for anyone looking at her.

She was a seasoned warrior. She had the kind of look he saw in the older people following him into battle back home. She was more elegant than them, of course, but all in her said experience. Far more than them. Even if he had more years of fighting than most of his team, he didn't come close to her little toe.

He wondered what she thought of their team? Was she looking down at them beyond the facade of gentleness? For the way this travel scared Hadley, the way her voice had shaken. Crysdal's indecision. Would Venus judge it as pettiness for these children who had been thrown into war.

Not that he was much older even if of age where he was from.

"Amarachius Sworn." He answered with a small smirk, amused with the fact he knew the name to be challenging on the tongue. Or so he had learned with this team. "Pleasure to meet you... if you forget all the..." He gestured vaguely with his hand. "...circumstances."

He was expecting the cultural shock to hit him soon, and yet, he was still rather calm at the idea of meeting... aliens.

Not before long, they left that planet for good. About time. She hoped she would never have to see it ever again. Once again, they were traveling through space - it felt a bit rougher this time, but she did not particularly mind.

It was quiet, for the most part. Some of the team were talking with one another, but Nyx was not really listening in. She was just flying straight ahead, wondering what they would face in that planet, wondering if protecting that crystal would put a damper into Chaos' plans. Until the newcomer asked for their names, catching her attention.

"Nyx," she replied, saying no more.

There was a small relief in leaving Destore, a sense of leaving painful memories behind to move forward to a brighter future. Except, the future wasn't so bright. Heading straight to the heart of chaos, it was most likely going to be very dark. She wondered if it was chaos making the flight harder on her as she struggled to keep up with everyone. This flight was definitely harder on her than before.

Ari stayed near Hadley, having wanted to talk to her and check on her friend. On Destore, she could see her hesitation and while Ari was glad her friend had agreed to come, she didn't want her to feel forced. Unfortunately, gathering courage for the words to comfort and understand her friends feelings was a difficult task.

She had finally opened her mouth to speak but Venus untimely interrupted . She almost blamed her for interrupting her bout of courage but she couldn't. It's not like she could read minds and the more experienced Sailor Soldier had a point. They hadn't even introduced themselves to Venus.

Gabriel and Nyx gave their names and she noted had not given their civilian name so she followed suit.

"I'm Sailor Bastet," she paused wanting to add more but the pause turned into a full stop. It was now too awkward for her to say anything else.

Her thoughts turned to Nyx, who had been quiet and short in her conversation this entire time. She understood why but Ari wondered if she should have gone talked to her at some point.  Maybe it wasn't too late yet, before they headed into another battle. But what would she even say? "I'm sorry" felt so empty and not helpful at all. She wanted to comfort her and express how grateful she had been for her sister since this all began.

She rubbed her eyes in frustration at her lack of words and actions, pretending a piece of dust flew in. Speaking with Hadley was easy and often comforting. Why was it so hard and complicated for Nyx?

The question from their new leader barely registered through the general buzz of travel, space, and soft conversations. Unlike everyone with thoughts filling their minds, Xtal-Diamante's remained—to anyone else who could have glimpsed within it—unsettlingly empty. The past few days, although tough, had been occupied. Even now, this flight had her on a clear enough path, trailing behind the one with golden hair and uniform that reminded her of the sunrise she had woken to each morning. It wasn't as engaging as being on her home planet, tending to the work she could feel ought to be done, but it was much better than some of the waiting and uncertainty from before. She did not need to think, only to do.

The cloud of pale hair wafted about her as she continued on this path. She didn't mind the debris and dust. They were actually somewhat comforting and familiar, like that which kissed her tanned skin when she was on her home world. She sank back into what she knew back then, before her conscription, before Cipriere and Destore and these other living entities so different from herself.

Xtal-Diamante, she replied to Sailor Venus's inquiry. The crystalline eyes remained unblinking. She did not notice the lack of speech; it did not seem to be missing.

Now that SAM really looked at her instead of focusing on being possibly conscripted again, she realized that Eternal Sailor Venus reminded her of her sister. They had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, and even the sort of confidence she radiated matched in a way. Was this what an experienced senshi acted like? She kind of felt self conscious now...

When Venus asked for their names, SAM almost said her full serial number again. But last time, people had issues understanding what she meant. Maybe it was best to just go with her title...

"I'm, uh, Sailor Chalybs..." she said. Maybe Venus would not ask for her real name at all.

Sam's reply was initially sweet, if completely unaware - if Sam didn't know how much she had done for everyone yet then she way be a little too humble for her own good - but then that little bit of happiness and curiosity dimmed as Sam continued. Before it's too late to do anything anymore. Crysdal looked forward, towards the region of space ahead and it's glittering field of stars, as a small realization set in. She thinks it's a suicide mission. Her brows furrowed slightly with worry - how many others thought this was a suicide mission? She didn't think their odds were all that great, or that it'd be a walk in the park, but she didn't think it was a hopeless exercise or that they would all die - they couldn't all die, or if they got to the crystal they'd immediately lose it anyway. They had to survive, and they would survive, if she could keep on top of her duties, which she would this time. She wouldn't let anybody else go. She'd move faster and think smarter than ever before - no one else would die.

She nodded, hearing and understanding Sam's comment, but she held her response as Sailor Venus slowed to fall back towards them, thinking some greater amount of information would be coming their way, but pleasantly surprised by the question and tone instead. The differences between her and Jin and their first meetings were growing more vast by the moment. 

Amarachius Sworn - she was certainly glad to have his civilian name available to her. His sarcasm and correction made her smile; she was happy to have him as a friend. Nyx, who had been much more open and talkative when they had first been introduced... Bastet - what had she wanted to add to her introduction? Chalybs - not 'Chaldybus' - another friend she was glad to be on a first-name basis with. Hex was looking directly at Sailor Venus directly and with interest... but said nothing. Crysdal waited for a few moments for her, but... Hex was an odd one. Should she make introductions for her? What would she say? 'This is Hex - Or I think that's her name? She doesn't talk much.' Way to sound on top of things, Crysdal. ... Crysdal. She preferred that over her senshi name, but what would someone like Sailor Venus think of that? 

... One way to find out. 

She smiled, "I'm Sailor Aegle," she introduced, knowing her planetary name wasn't nearly as difficult to say as Gabriel's or Sam's, but at the same time it was uncomfortably close to 'Eggley' or, potentially worse - 'Ugly', and continued on, "But you can call me Crysdal."

If Hex didn't voice her introductions after Hadley did, Crysdal would make them for her and eat crow pie after if she had it wrong.

Her uncertain bumblebee wings found it difficult to keep up at time through this strange atmosphere. She wished she were a better flier - the slower she went, the more she was able to keep her balance and poise. But she didn't want to slow down the pace, so off-centered flight would have to do.

Once more her hand found its way to the small pouch of seeds hanging from the amulet the Crone had given her a while back. The seeds had such potential within them, so full of excitement to someday grow into a beautiful plant. It calmed in a way she hadn't felt since landing on that forsaken desert planet. But, she couldn't hate it completely. It was because of its inhabitants that she now had this pouch, after all. She sent another silent thank you to the kind creatures.

Hadley wasn't certain they realized just how much it had meant to her.

She was also glad for Ari's presence. They had yet to truly talk to one another, things being as they were, but just being near the other girl made her feel better. When starting this insane journey, she'd never thought she would meet someone quite like Ari - and she would be forever grateful that she had met her. She allowed herself to get caught up in fantasies - ones where the two of them could go visit planets together, planets that just needed some help with their crops perhaps, and they could help out in a way that wasn't so life-threatening. That could be nice. Or even just exploring a lush green jungle, full of so many plants and animals. Getting to experience things together that did not involve any sort of death or destruction.

Just life.

Hadley's thoughts were interrupted as Eternal Sailor Venus's voice caught her attention. She listened as everyone began to introduce themselves. Hadley still didn't feel much like talking - she was enjoying escaping into her own thoughts and fantasies about the future, but as she listened, she allowed herself to remember the past. To recall memories that made her adore each of her comrades, and a small smile came to her lips in spite of herself.

"My name is Sailor Valdis," she said after Crysdal. It still felt strange, at times, to call herself that. She was just herself, and not at all like her wonderful and strong friends. So she corrected herself. "Well, my real name is Haedranilie, but I prefer to be called Hadley, please."

The first one who spoke up was the only male in the group. His name was a mouthful, and Venus made a mental note to ask what nickname he liked, because taking the time to yell Amarachius Sworn in battle could be the difference between life and death (for now, she would go with Sworn). She couldn’t read much into him yet, but he seemed pleasant enough.

The second one who spoke up offered even less. Venus looked over her briefly, committing name and face to memory, knowing there could be a thousand different reasons for her shortness and keeping any judgment for until she knew exactly what those reasons were.

Next was the one with cat ears. Sailor Bastet. That should be easy enough to remember. She was the one who’d… been passionate earlier. Venus noted that she was possibly driven by her emotions, quite like her own queen. Nothing bad about that.

The one in maroon was staring at her saying nothing. O-kay… might have to go back to that later.

Sailor Chalybs—the one in armor. And then, Sailor Aegle. She’d said she was a healer. That would be useful.

Both her and the next one, Sailor Valdis, offered their civilian names and in fact preferred to be called that. It was an odd notion to Venus simply because it wasn’t how she used to operate—identity secrecy was crucial to protect from enemies, but she wasn’t from their sector, maybe there were cultural differences, and anyway, she wasn’t going to split hairs over it. She liked the fact that only her closest friends knew who she really was, because Venus was an important façade for her. But for these new senshi, they might not be comfortable with shedding their true identities for war just yet.

She knew she felt more Minako than Venus herself until she regained her past life memories.

Nodding at each of them in turn, she smiled slightly. “A pleasure to meet you all. Here’s hoping we can find the crystal and get this over with quickly and safely.”

They had had enough trauma for a lifetime.

Hadley was smiling again, and that released some tension that Crysdal hadn't realized was there, and she felt better that she wasn't the only one who officially preferred to be called by her non-senshi name. She trusted anyone who would be annoyed by her continuing to use their given names would correct her.

She waited after Hadley's introduction, looking at Hex expectantly, but the hard-skinned girl just continued to look on with that blank interest of hers; She didn't want to keep Venus waiting too long and was about to intervene, but it seemed Venus had realized that Hex wasn't going to say anything and moved on with things. She nodded in agreement. 

DM wrote:

A burst of starlight erupted before them, its warm red glow enveloping them and halting their forward progression, dampening their inertia to bring all of them to an immediate stop, their attention drawn forward in a demanding fashion. "There isn't much time," a raspy old woman's voice echoed hastily in their minds and hearts, the way Senshi spoke to each other when in the confines of space. 

It was the Crone, the newer senshi could easily place that voice in their memories. For Sailor Venus, however, this voice would be an unknown, a little fact that the glowing red light seemed to give two shakes of a stick about. The light shot over to Nyx and the senshi's hand went forward of its own accord and accepted two small items; then it moved to Bastet and deposited a vial, then to Valdis and another small item, the movements of the light quick and gruff and to the point. As the last of the items were handed out, the light returned to be in front of them all and in a quick pulse, the potions Amarachius and Valdis had had with them on Destore glowed their red or blue colors and then quickly faded; another pulse and the MP Amulets of Valdis, Xtal-Diamante and Chalybs glowed to resonate in first the red color of the Crone, and then the hue of the guardian planet of the senshi to whom it belonged; another pulse and Bastet's armor glowed white. "Fata Redire ter; Mutatio Fate; Fortuna," she encanted, and the tiny dice that had been handed to Nyx and Valdis glowed white.

In yet another flash, the Crone appeared before them, no longer an orb of light but the old woman they had met once before. Her bright green eyes were fierce and strong, the way she held herself confident and daring, "I've done what I can for you; the items are reinvigorated and will serve you again this journey. You must succeed in this mission - the Tapestry Crystal cannot fall into Chaos's hands. It is hidden and well protected, but you - the lot of you - can find it again."

She sniffed in an almost annoyed way, "I'm needed elsewhere; watch out for each other."

And just like that, she popped back into her orb form and disappeared, her hold on them released as the red light streaked away into darkness.

She was immediately on alert when the light burst into being and their movement halted, fully expecting an enemy to appear. But instead, she heard a voice. Looking around, she could not see the source of it, which was unsettling. It was unfamiliar to her, and with trepidation she watched as the light darted around the team, though rather than hurting them, it seemed to be giving them things. There were glows on yet others, none of which Venus understood. What was going on?

She was never particularly good at ancient languages either—was that Latin?—though she understood enough of it to know that luck was involved somehow. And then a woman she had never seen before in her life appeared before them. She looked strong for her age, wise beyond her accumulated years, though just like her and Neo Queen Serenity’s court, the woman was probably much older than what she appeared to be. Her words seemed to suggest she was on their side, though not knowing her, Venus was unable to take it at face value; she appreciated the boost of confidence, though.

With one last reminder, she returned to light and vanished, and Venus could move again, blinking in astonishment. She had not received anything from the woman, seemingly the only one left empty-handed.

“What… who was that? What just happened?” she asked the group, bewildered. She eyed the items each one of her companions held warily. Could they be trusted? What did they even do?

The little light surprised her, but everything after, while odd, was completely remniscent of when they had met the Crone on Cipriere, so rather than tensing about the newness of everything, or focusing on how she hadn't been granted any little trinket or bobble and trying to figure what that meant, Crysdal paid attention to the light's movement, the Crone's corporeal appearance,and her words. The items are reinvigorated - she had said before that the items would be of no use after some time, just as the Hermit had said of the potions in her pocket; then with her magic had she made their period of usefulness extend. That was really nice of her, but the old woman didn't seem to be the kind of person who did "nice", a realization that didn't sit too easily. Followed by the statement that they must succeed... Venus's mission was every bit as important as she had claimed it to be.

She wished she could have asked her more - asked how it was hidden, ask what its protections were - if not given a full out plan, a description of what they would find would be nice, so they could figure something out on the way, but before the Crone released them she disappeared, leaving them in the dark, both figuratively and literally, once again.

"That was..." Crysdal started, then paused, her words trailing off, wondering how exactly she could answer that question.

After Gabriel and Nyx, everyone else folllowed suit and introduced themselves - except for the rocky one. Nyx rolled her eyes. Naturally.

As the last of the girls decided to also share their civilian names, Nyx realized that she was choosing between the two interchangeably for some of them. How peculiar. How would she feel about being called by her civilian name? Did they mind?

Well, surely they can live with it.

Not long after, that old woman made yet another appearance, sharing some more of her magic items. Nyx received another vial, and more magic squares. Much help that they were last time. She sighed; she supposed they did carry significant magic, and even if they could not help with... that, they did prove to be useful with their plan against the archers.

The woman left, and the newcomer seemed to be confused. How weird than in all her eternal experience and wisdom, she knew nothing about a person with such strong magic. Unless the old woman is not what she appears to be. Who knows. Who cares.

Nyx continued flying forward. Aegle began offering an explanation; she might as well let her go for it. It did not really matter either way.

The burst of bright starlight would have made Hadley stop of her own accord - her coordination was not nearly good enough to deal with a surprise like that - but she found herself stopping in a way that was not of her own volition. It frightened her - was there something wrong with her wings? But a quick glance around showed that she was not the only one affected.

The voice that spoke was raspy, crinkly like old parchment ladened with the ink of too much knowledge. Hadley felt a smile come to her lips at the sound - she knew that voice! She was unable to give a proper greeting, however, as her attention was drawn to the glowing pulses coming from various items, and the appearance of new ones.

She glanced down at the tiny item she had been given by the bright light - it was multi-sided, though she couldn't be certain what it had been made from. Hadley ran her fingers over the smoothed edges, and wondered.

But another flash pulled her away from the new item as she saw the Crone appear in front of them. It was the Crone's eyes that drew most of Hadley's attention. A beautiful green, they reminded her of the leaves that grew at the tops of the tallest and strongest trees on Valdis. Those leaves were revered for their healing properties, but were difficult to get to due to how tall the trees grew. It made her miss home even more, but comforted her at the same time.

Hadley wanted to get a greeting out then, but before she could say anything - not even a thank you for this newest item she'd been given - the Crone spoke her words, and then was gone.

A small frown came to her lips. Hadley had hoped that the Crone would stay for a longer period of time, but it seemed she was far too busy. She tried to not feel too disappointed by it, and instead continued to inspect her items once more. She felt slightly more at ease, to know that she had gifts from the Crone to aid her.

But she felt unsettled as well. You must succeed in this mission, the Crone had said, and the pressures weighing her down only became heavier.

She was thankful for something else to think about, when Eternal Sailor Venus asked for clarification. Crysdal began, but Hadley felt the need to continue for her friend. It felt like Eternal Sailor Venus was their impromptu leader now, and it felt important to Hadley to make sure Venus understood that the Crone was a kind lady, someone who had helped them in the past.

"An ally," Hadley said to finish the sentence. Her voice was certain this time, as she thought back to the strong woman who had just left them. "She's given us gifts before, and they've always helped us. She never stays long, and she's kind of mysterious. But she's so kind to give us these gifts. We can trust her."

For a split moment, she was reminded of another person who had given them gifts. Potions that had sapped away her strength, killing her in increments so slow she hadn't realized until it was too late. She had felt so certain that she could trust him, too. Hadley looked down once more at the new item she held in her hand, letting the small object roll about across her palm.

A moment later, she slipped the object into her little seed pouch, gave it a gentle caress, content in her decision, and readied herself to continue forward.

The Crone came and went, granting them with new gifts. Ari eyed the little vial she was given, wondering what sort of the effects its contents withheld, before stashing it away under her collar where she had the little die. Seeing the Crone made her smile slightly. It was comforting that she believed in them. It helped to drive away the dark thoughts and fears she had for the battle ahead, if only temporary. Ari found it curious that Venus had not heard of the crone before but she had said she wasn't from this sector. Ari knew a little about space; back on Bastet scientists were beginning to be able to see further into the universe with more advanced telescopes. They had been able to send a Bastien into orbit and even had satellites. Just how vast was this universe? She pondered to herself as the group continued forward.

Suddenly, Ari felt tense and her ears twitched. She could sense some sort of magic. It felt dark, much like the magic she felt in the battle with the Great Worm. Unfortunately, she hadn't sensed it fast enough as several in the group were hit with the dark energy beams, including Hadley, who was next to her. Her heart quickened as she watched her friend get hit a second time before she could even react.

"Hadley!" she pulled her close, holding her protectively while trying to see badly she was hurt, "Are you ok?"

She looked around the group to see who else had been hit...Hex, Sam and Aegle. She had to do something quick.

"BASTET ENERGY BARRIER!" The group was spread a bit further apart than she thought. She wondered if her shield would reach an d if they could get to her in time before another attack. She couldn't even see where the beams came from. They were like newborn kittens out here.

"Everyone get close to me!" She looked back to Hadley, frantic worry on her face, but she did her best to keep a calm voice, "We need to get in the middle of everyone. Just lean on me if it hurts, ok?"

OOC:

Sailor Valdis—Hadley—was the one who ended up explaining it to her. An ally? Maybe she was some kind of… cosmic figure in this sector? She made a mental note to ask the other senshi back home if any of them knew or had heard of this woman who apparently gave out gifts that helped senshi. What kind of gifts? Venus still had a lot of questions, and she couldn’t quite trust her just because one of her companions said so, but that was because it was how she operated. For the time being, until there was reason to believe otherwise, she would tentatively let it be and wait to see what the items actually did.

And it wasn’t like there was much time to talk about it. Right there in space, before they even reached their destination, beams of energy shot by her right and left at the group, and Venus was immediately on alert, her adrenaline racing as she looked at who all had been hit. The quiet senshi whose name she didn’t know, Hadley, Chalybs, and… Crysdal. Her panic increased at the thought of losing their healer. “Shields up if you've got one!” she instructed, automatically taking the charge.

Then she assessed the situation as well as their options quickly in her mind. They didn’t know how many enemies there were. They couldn’t see the enemies. They could try to run for it, while within the shield if someone could muster one, but how long could that shield hold? And if it wasn’t particularly big, movement could be difficult… And how long would the enemies pursue them? Would there even be a safe place to reach if they run? There were too many risks.

Gathering her power, she summoned Crescent Beam Shower to light up the area where the dark energy had come from, in the probable event that it might either hit an enemy, light up the space around them to let the senshi see where they were, or both.

“If anyone has any powers that can light up or show where our enemies are, that would be great!” she called to the group. If not, no matter. Maybe she could stay here and fight them while the group continued on or something.

OOC:

SAM hadn't expected the Crone to even make another appearance, but the fact that she did made her think that joining Venus was the right decision. But she really wanted to ask her about the potion effectiveness. 

The sudden attack on the group interrupted all thoughts of the Crone, and she faltered in the air when a beam of energy struck her armor. It crackled with electricity on impact, and SAM could tell it was weakening. Others had been hurt too, but from what she can tell, everyone was still able to move. She jumped at the chance to do something when Venus asked for help.

"I'll try to locate them!" SAM activated her Energy Scanner and started to look for the source of the attacks.

The intervention of the Chrone was welcomed, but soon there was more urgent matters than answering Venus - everyone's answers were probably enough, really. The attack broke and despite the heavier atmosphere around the frame of his wings, he cast both shield and sword, moving quickly toward Crysdal, putting himself on the opposite side from Chalybs, trusting her to protect their healer if need arose.

If they moved toward Bastet's shield he would follow, but he preferred to avoid for his friend to take on more damage.

He silently cursed the fact he was only a fighter. Nothing magical in him. Nothing useful like Chalybs.
Damn, he didn't have so many things to compare himself to back on his planet.

It was a bit annoying. And distracting.

Then it kinda settled in. Would Hemera's fiery light have helped in this situation?

He clenched his fingers around the handle and waited. In this situation, he felt like Venus was leading and unless she asked of them to jump into the sun, it probably would be wise to listen.

The impact hurt the most. Her hands had only just left from lovingly patting her seed pouch when it struck. Her entire body seized up, muscles spasming in surprise and pain, as the dark energy crackled against her skin and fuku. It faded away moments later, leaving her breathless and somewhat confused.

What just happened?

She didn't have a chance to ponder when another burst of dark energy lashed out at her. She could feel the heat from the attack searing into her, crackling, before it disappeared an instant later, as though it had been all in her head.

Able to move once more, Hadley could feel her wings stuttering in their effort to keep her steady as she tried to catch her breath. Her whole body trembled from the aftershock of the sudden attack, tremors of pain echoing throughout her muscles and skin.

Ari calling out her name helped her mind refocus, and she looked up to her friend and nodded. She was okay - she was hurting, but she was okay. When Ari brought up her barrier, it only then occurred to Hadley that they were under attack. Of course, how could she have not realized? A part of her had just thought it was some sort of strange natural energy that had latched onto their group as they passed by.

But she should have known by now that nothing of this sort ever happened by chance.

She looked to Ari again, taking a single moment to admire just how in control the other girl was right now, before nodding once more, following Ari in the effort to reposition themselves in a better place for everyone to reach the barrier.

She couldn't see any enemies right now but had no way of helping light up the area to aid the others. Her body still trembled, but she reached up and grasped her seed pouch, just in case she needed them. She drew strength from the little seeds that lived inside, thankful for what seemed to be the millionth time that she had them with her.

She's a random stranger who's giving us great gifts just because she's nice to random people.

More or less, that's how Valdis' description registered in Nyx's mind. Was she trying to convince Venus that she was a trustworthy ally, or the most sketchy person in the universe? How naive. If the blonde woman is the seasoned warrior that she appears to be, there's no way she will trust that old crone based on what she had been told. It would be much more probable to consider she's fooling them.

And who's to say that this isn't the case? For all Nyx knows, maybe the Hermit is her ally, pretending to "out" him in order to gain their blind trust.

No reason to dwell on this at the moment, though. All they could do now was go with the flow.

The peaceful flight finally came to an end as energy beams found their target at some of the other girls. They were too fast; Nyx did not see them in time, either, and it was only by luck that she was not hit. Venus asked if there was someone that could summon a shield, or light--

Yes. There was indeed someone.

The light that balanced out Nyx's darkness.

But that light had been put out. Forever.

Nyx flew towards Bastet's shield as the feline senshi called out to them. "I do not believe anyone in the current group has control over light-based attacks," she stated.

Battle wrote:

15  Venus uses Crescent Beam Shower (5MP) and attempts to hit an enemy!
How much damage if hit?
--1
--CTRL 11
--MP 5
-----Total of 17 points to be split
--6 potential enemies; 3 points damage possible each!
Does it hit ???
--5
-----3 points of damage
Does it hit ???
--1
Does it hit ???
--5
-----3 points of damage
Does it hit ???
--4
-----3 points of damage
Does it hit ???
--4
-----3 points of damage
Does it hit ???
--2

Quote :

Venus's beams seem to strike at the darkness itself, only briefly illuminating dark faces just enough to show that they were immediately moving after being struck.

6  Aegle uses Aegle Kiss (1MP) on  Valdis 
How much healed?
--3
--CTRL 11
--Affection -1
----Total of 11 HP restored; Valdis is fully healed


4  Bastet uses Energy Barrier (4MP)
Shield Strength:
--2
--CTRL 6
--MP 2
----Total of 10 points

4  Chalybs uses Energy Scanner (1MP)

Quote :

6 Enemies, moving fast and erratically in any direction but towards them!

battle order:

Crysdal's breath escaped in a hiss as something incredibly cold and painful shot her, hitting her squarely on the bone of her right hip; she quickly looked out ahead of them, covering the wound, feeling for blood or any other sign as she tried to see what had attacked, her voice ready to say that she'd been hit but everyone else was already reacting, apparently already knowing - and by Ari's cry of concern, she knew at least Hadley, too, had been hit. The blonde swapped her attention to the redhead as Venus called for shields, gauging the angle -- she was about to kick off when Gabriel shifted his position to cover her, his sword and shield out and at the ready, and rather than leave him she reached out and grabbed at the bicep of his sword arm and pulled him along with her as she beat her wings once, appreciating how much easier it was to overcome inertia without gravity or friction to contend with. They drifted, his body squared to the direction of attack, hers pointed towards Hadley and Ari, and as they approached she released him and reached out with both hands for Hadley and slowed by spreading her wings wide as bright light erupted from Venus's fingertips and spread out into the inky black of space like shooting stars. She glided in beside Ari and Hadley and took the smaller girl by the shoulders, using her momentum to draw in close and kiss her cheek. 

'I do not believe anyone in the current group has control over light-based attacks,' Nyx replied, and as Crysdal pulled back from Hadley she looked back out into the darkness, seeing several of Venus's glowing streaks continuing on without striking anything. She knew what Nyx meant, her head putting more emphasis on current than the vocalization had, her thoughts on Elysande and her fire, wondering how much good it could have done here. Could fire even work in space? But without anything to add, she stayed quiet, attempting to be alert in case another wave followed the first.

SAM could barely follow the energy signals with her eyes as they darted around the group, though they seemed to favor staying out of close range.

"I...I see six of them! But they won't hold still for very long..." But there was no way to show anyone what she was seeing, they didn't have visors like her. "Uh...just try to focus on where I'm aiming!"

Chalybs moved to be more in front of Venus, summoned her Star-cannon, and started tracking one of the signal's movements by pointing at it, though she didn't fire anything. Instead, she used Steel Defense to make up for not standing behind Bastet's barrier.

With frustration she watched as her beams managed to light up their enemy’s faces only briefly as they moved away again. Then Chalybs announced that she could detect six of them, moving fast. She told Venus to focus on where she aimed, and Venus didn’t hesitate.

She launched her second attack in the direction of Chalybs’ cannon, twice in succession. “Rolling Heart Vibration!”

“Try to aim at the ones closest to us first!” she added, worried about an ambush if she couldn’t take care of them fast enough.

OOC:

Once Crysdal healed Hadley, Ari felt instantly relieved. Keeping a hand resting on Hadley's arm, she turned her attention towards Venus and SAM. She cursed under her breath at her inability to help with locating the unseen enemy. What good was sensing magic energy if she couldn't pin point its actual location? It made her wish she had studied that more diligently while in school. At least SAM had her sensors, Ari could do nothing.

While considering her options, she paused remembering something from back on Ciperie. It was a faint memory, but she recalled a feeling as if she had found another ability, like it had been magically unlocked, after they had saved the tree. She hadn't thought to call upon it in the fights leading up until now. Maybe that will be useful?

"Bastet's Wisdom." she whispered, not sure what the results would be.

OOC:

She made it to Bastet's shield uninterrupted. Aegle went on healing duties, and Sam was able to locate the enemies, pointing towards their general direction, so they could focus their attacks.

Approximately.

What could possibly go wrong with it?

"Moonlight Lullaby," she whispered after an inward sigh, directing her attack towards the path Sam indicated. Perhaps they would succeed in slowing them down. But they should really push forward, eventually - they can't keep on fighting blind. There were many of them - almost as many as their own team - and they had a significant advantage if they remained unseen.

All in all, it seemed like a typical for them battle.

The soft warmth from Crysdal's healing kiss still lingered as Hadley smiled her thanks to the other girl, before she turned her attention back to the situation around them. She felt much better now, though the fact that she couldn't pinpoint their enemies kept her on edge.

She listened as others in the group reacted with their own attacks, and so she decided that it couldn't hurt to throw her own powers into the fray. She had to do something. Too often had battles gone by where she lingered on the edge of uncertainty, letting her friends do all of the work while she struggled to aim properly.

That same uneasiness pulled at her now - how could she hope to land an attack this time when she couldn't even see the target? - but she had to try.

Following SAM and Venus's lead, Hadley raised an arm towards the same area as the other senshi. "Verdant Spikes!"

As Sam helped Venus, Crysdal quickly kissed the back of her own hand, preparing for the worst.

Battle wrote:

15  Venus uses Rolling Heart Vibration (3MP) and hits ???!
Did it hit? DEX check: >2x dex of opponent: Automatic Hit!
How much damage?
--3
--CTRL 11
--MP 2
----Total of 16 points of damage 
How much damage?
--5
--CTRL 11
--MP 1
----Total of 16 points of damage 

The enemy is defeated!

6  Nyx uses Moonlight Lullaby (3MP) and attempts to hit ???
Did it hit?
--The enemy is defeated!

6  Aegle uses Aegle Kiss (1mp) on  Aegle 
How much restored?
--5
--CTRL 11
----total of 4 points restored

Enemies wrote:

The enemies, faded into the darkness, are able to attempt another sneak attack!
A sneak attack heads towards  Valdis
Perception Check: 10; Valdis Perception: 3 The attack goes through!
How much damage?
--5
--CTRL 5
----Total of  10 points of damage absorbed by Bastet Shield! Bastet Shield is exhausted!

A sneak attack heads towards  Amarachius 
Perception Check: 10; Amarachius: 5 The attack goes through!
How much damage?
--2
--CTRL 5
--ARM -5
----Total of 2  points of damage

A sneak attack heads towards  Aegle 
Perception Check: 10; Aegle 4 The attack goes through!
 Amarachius is defending! Amarachius intercepts the attack!
How much damage?
--3
--CTRL 5
--ARM -5
----Total of 3 points of damage


A sneak attack heads towards  Chalybs
Perception Check: 10;  Chalybs 5 The attack goes through!
How much damage?
--3
--CTRL 5
----Total of 8 points of damage; suit has 8 points remaining

A sneak attack heads towards  Bastet
Perception Check: 10; Bastet 3 The attack goes through!
How much damage?
--1
--CTRL 5
--ARM -4
----Total of 2 points of damage

4  Chalybs uses Steel Defense (3MP) 
Chalybs' Armor creates a shield with defense of:
--5
--CTRL 4
--MP 1
----Total of 10 points of defense 


4  Bastet uses Bastet's Wisdom (2MP)
Party's Perception increased to 
--4
for
--3 turns!

3  Valdis uses Verdant Spikes (4MP) and attempts to attack ???
Did it hit?
--Automatic miss! DEX<0.5x enemy dex

battle order:

Chalybs and Venus came up with a good idea to attack their visitors when he felt Crysdal's hand on his biceps, gently pulling him towards the direction she was set on following. His wings offered no resistance to the pull and the lack of gravity made for a rather easy motion.

As she set to healing those around them (and they found themselves right inside Bastet's shield as well, how convenient), Gabriel kept himself close to her.

He couldn't attack. Not really because of Crysdal. Really, she could survive one or two hit, but he couldn't see his opponents and unlike the others, who fired at the void with confidence, he couldn't do that. He needed to see what he fought, or at least, needed to know where they were.

Charging in while the others were firing their powers would only lead to sad consequences.

And Chalybs technique only abled them to aim one creature at a time.
He got hit twice and hissed from both small pain and frustration, then look around to see how they others fared.

"Are they surrounding us Chalybs? How would you say our chances are to hit something if we fired in everything direction around us?"

At this point, he wasn't beyond flinging his sword all around aimlessly.
Because if they kept firing on them like this, their energy would drop fast. So would Crysdal's if she kept on healing them.

Sailor Venus summoned a blast of golden energy and quickly took out the hidden enemy she had been pointing out. She couldn't do much as more slipped around them and attacked again, breaking Bastet's barrier completely. This was too slow of a method for dealing with these things, but she couldn't think of anything better. But now...they seemed to be backing off.

"I think they're retreating," she said, though she still tracked and pointed at the nearest one in her sights. "They're moving ahead of us!"

Ari flinched when her shield cracked and faded away. If that blast had hit one of them, it would have done severe damage. However with her shield broken, more attacks came through, one hitting her. She grit her teeth as it stung, but it just barely singed her flesh. Hadley's had been much worse and she kept herself together, Ari could certainly do the same. Even though SAM said they were flying ahead, she wasn't going to take any chances and besides, this seemed the only thing she could do for the group.

"Bastet Energy Barrier!"

She hoped the attacks would lessen and her shield would hold out.