Achelois watched as the last of the minions was defeated; all that was left was the minions’ boss.  Strange that he had sat back as all of his minions were destroyed.  It became clear that he believed he didn’t need them when he injured Enya, Shadow, and Sailor Bellatrix in one go.  Not only that but after being attacked multiple times in a row he was able to attack four of the Senshi.  Achelois frowned slightly; his attacks were hitting them hard.  She closed her eyes and once more a blue light surrounded her as she released best ability.  She opened her eyes and looked at the group; Enya and Bellatrix were in the worst shape.  Turning to Enya first, she concentrated her energy and sent forth her energy to heal her.  Then she turned her concentration to Bellatrix.  After scanning the room again she dropped a layer of energy of Sailors Io and Splash.  Then she dropped a layer over Shadow and Sailor Nocturnus.  Achelois sighed heavily as she crossed her legs and leaned her staff in her lap again.  She wasn’t used to having so many people to focus her healing on all at once.  Although it was difficult she was thankful for the chance to push her abilities to the limit.

Sailor Nocturnus

Sailor Nocturnus was glad she had braced for the blow, for the blow did come. The wounded enemy struck back, a blast of force sending her tumbling...but overall, no more hurt than she had been a moment ago. She hoped that the other two closer to the Mini Boss B would be able to finish him off. He looked like he was in rough shape. At this point, she didn't think she was close enough to successfully attack again.

Battle wrote:

Shadow attacks Mini Boss B for 2 points of damage.

Mini Boss B has been defeated.

---

Achelois attempts Best Ability and rolls a 1. Best ability fails. (( :(and it was so prettily written. ... i may have rerolled twice. ...and got a 1 all three times. x_x))

Achelois target-heals Enyalius for 3 hp
Achelois target-heals Bellatrix for 2 hp
Achelois wide-heals Io and Splash for 6 hp (3 each)
Achelois wide-heals Shadow and Nocturnus for 4 hp (2 each)

HP:

The enemy fell to the ground in an unconscious heap; Enyalius collected herself, standing and glaring up in the general direction of the disappearing door, wondering if it would open again to shower them in another wave of soldiers.

...but as she watched and waited, a strange sound reached her ear from the wall beside her - it was almost mechanical, like gears attempting to turn, a motor choking and sputtering...

A way out? 

If it was something the captor had intended for them, she would think it would not struggle so much, and coming from behind the bars...

The door opened overhead. 

She caught Sailor Io's eye, her mind returning to her fight against the General from her homeworld and how Io had been able to pull at his sword; if she could do something about those bars - and if someone could do something to help that machinery - they might not have to continue fighting until they were too tired to carry on. With a small nod of her head, she indicated the wall behind her, a clue to the orange-clad senshi, before she summoned her wings and shot off towards the open portal.

She'd stem the flow as best she could, and buy them time.

Battle wrote:

Enyalius attacks Minion O for 2 HP.
Enyalius attacks Minion P for 3 HP.
Enyalius missed Minion Q.


Minion O is defeated.
Minion P is defeated.


Minion Q enters the arena.

Sailor Nocturnus

The star-covered soldier felt bad for Sailor Achelois--it must be such hard work to keep healing everyone! Even now she continued to restore her companions. No one else seemed to have the same ability; it was unique and incredibly useful.

She saw more Minions enter, their armor-clad leader quickly stepping in to fight against them. Watching Enyalius enter into battle once more filled Sailor Nocturnus with awe and admiration. As Minion Q slipped past the older woman, Sailor Nocturnus was ready and waiting. She planted her feet firmly and summoned her attack, targeting it.

"Ecliptic Rotation!"

It was becoming so familiar; the energy, the tracing, the spinning, and then the wave. She hoped it hit Minion Q squarely enough, and braced for impact [defense] if the monster got past her. The dark-haired girl was not about to let the monsters continue to injure her if she could protect herself in any way!

Getting the hint, Sailor Io used the time the two senshi were buying her to start working on the door.

"Sparkling Magnet!" She magnetized the gears in the wall and tried to forcefully move them to get the bars out of the way, mentally fighting with the mechanism.

Sailor Nocturnus

Sailor Nocturnus had enough time to attack the minions that bypassed Sailor Enyalius.

With determination glimmering in her dark eyes, she sent her Ecliptic Rotation attack towards Minion T and Minion U, and took a defensive stance [defense].

Sailor Io grunted and tried again with Sparkling Magnet, wanting to push the door open even wider.

"Give me another second..."

Battle wrote:

Nocturnus used Ecliptic Rotation on Minion T and Minion U for 2 points of damage.

Minion T has 1 hp
Minion U has 1 hp


Minion T attacks Nocturnus, but Nocturnus defended!

---

Io used Sparkling Magnet to lift the bars higher and rolls a 2, the effort succeeds!

The bars raise to a height of 7 feet.

---

Minion U aims for Io!

---

Achelois uses Best Ability  on Enyalius! roll 2 - successful!
It works! Roll 2 = double attack strength
Enyalius's attack power will be doubled!

---

Enyalius attacks Minion V for 12 points of damage.

Minion W attacks Enyalius for 6 points of damage.
Enyalius attacks Minion W for 6 points of damage.

Minion V has been defeated
Minion W has been defeated.


Enyalius has 3 HP remaining.

She struck again and again, her sword stabbing and slicing through the enemies as they came through the door, but their attack styles were difficult to guess, and more than once she lunged when she should have ducked. Too many were getting through - but just when she began reconsidering her position at the door, a stopper in the flow of enemies, she felt something within her bend and break -

The power her transformation held back coursed through her; the true power of Enyalius filling her veins with strength and energy. She smiled, renewing her efforts; she had Achelois's confidence. With her friend behind her, she'd keep fighting for as long as possible.

She stabbed into another one, jerking her sword free and risking a glance downward to see one of her mistakes taking aim for Io. A quick look revealed that her hint had been taken - the bars were up, but the door - what could they do about that door?! How could they even know where it was, let alone how to open it?

She turned to find she had made a grave error as a curved blade sliced across her thigh. Angrily she punched the smiling fiend with her left hand, her gauntlet connecting solidly, and with the crunch of broken bone, she knew the one that had attacked her was dead. 

Hurting, blood pouring out of her wound, she readied her sword regardless, preparing for the next combatant. "Guard Io!" she called, her voice tearing, her wings beating hard enough to keep her airborne for now.

OOC:

Sailor Nocturnus

Sailor Nocturnus shoved Minion T back, away from her, and raised her arm again.

"Ecliptic Rotation!" she cried out, sending the energy spiraling towards Minion T and Minion U.

She kept on her guard [defense], prepared to keep fighting as long as possible. Sailor Io was steadily raising the door; if they could just defeat some of these lingering enemies, maybe they could continue onward!

Sailor Andromeda

She cut down the remaining minion easily, almost surprisingly. When he fell, Kira turned her attention to their ‘general’. A couple of the other senshi were attacking him at once. Somehow, he still remained standing. He got close to her at one point, but she had been ready for it. Easily blocking his blows, Kira managed to get out of the scuffle without a scratch. A few seconds later, he was finished off.

Standing there in the room that was suddenly so still, Kira took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe they had all survived that. Well… actually, not all of them. She realized that the pair of tiny senshi were missing. In the heat of battle she had completely missed their disappearance. Had they been taken too? Panic rose in her chest; they would need to rescue those two as well. Hopefully they’d be with the Solar System senshi.

More enemies had dropped in—were they ever going to stop, or were the senshi destined to fight here until they lost all energy and die? Kira looked up and saw their leader meeting them head on, while Sailor Io was working on the door. She was torn between helping one instead of the other, until she heard the command.

Without hesitating, she ran toward Minion U, stepping in his path before he could reach Io, and attacked him with her blade.

"C'mon, just a little more..." Sailor Io used Sparkling Magnet on the door again, trying to tune out the sounds of battle. This was the best way she could help them get out of here alive.

Sailor Nocturnus

She couldn't have done it without Sailor Andromeda's help; Sailor Nocturnus was so thankful for the other sailor soldier jumping in to battle. With the minions defeated for now, she quickly turned towards Sailor Io's predicament with the door. The soldier from Jupiter's moon was steadily raising the metal bars of the door, and the underlying wooden structure was starting to show stress. Sailor Nocturnus aimed at The Door and unleashed Ecliptic Rotation yet again. She wasn't sure how much she could do to help, but she was going to try! She also monitored the area for any other minions [defense], keeping tabs on the nearby Sailor Io.

Battle wrote:

Io used Sparkling Magnet! The metal grating raises to maximum height: 10 feet.

Nocturnus uses Ecliptic Rotation on the door for 3 points of damage.

the door has 7 hp remaining.

ooc:

Battle wrote:

Enyalius attacks Minion X for (roll 3, Best ability multipler of 2 ) 6 damage points.

Minion X has been defeated.

Enyalius, power thrumming through her, felt a presence coming closer through the door. Her breathing heavy, she prepared for what was to come, hoping that the senshi below would find a way out before it was too late. She had little doubt that they would be able to defeat whatever came next without her, but she would prefer to be there to help them, if given the option.

Sailor Io pushed the metal grate all the way up, and concentrated on holding it in place as the others tried to force their way through the door.

Sailor Splash was attacked by one of the mini bosses, and before she could even make a comeback attack, it had been destroyed by her fellow comrades. Quickly, she looked around, trying to eye up someone to help. She saw Sailor Io holding a door up while others made their way through. Sailor Splash thought quickly and ran over to Sailor Io. She placed her hands on the door, and concentrated her Aqua Power through the metal.

Bellatrix attacks [[the door]].

After the captain collapsed before him, Shadow paused to gather his breath as well as his senses. Defeating that opponent had not immediately improved their situation; they were trapped in the room with a source of endless enemy reinforcements! Enyalius was keeping the minions at bay for now, but there was no time to waste.

Taking notice of Io, Nocturnus and Splash's work to clear the obstruction, Shadow stepped closer to the doorway to ensure that none of the Senshi would be caught between himself and the forbidding portal. With the bars held up in place, the door was exposed and could be destroyed with the right application of force. He breathed in deeply and gathered his focus, the air around him shimmering and tensing in captive anticipation. It then snapped back to normal as he thrust his right hand forward, battering the obstruction with a burst of psychokinetic pressure.

Though he remained composed in his effort, Shadow was also looking somewhat more tired from his contributions; he was also relieved that these Senshi were strong enough to endure the Collector's sick pursuit of entertainment. Perhaps now, he looked more human to them than before.

OOC:

Arch Charges at the Door and Bashes it!

Battle wrote:

Bellatrix attacked the door for 2 points of damage.
Shadow attacks the door for 2 points of damage.

The door has been defeated.

With a resounding crack, the wall buckled in under the force of the combined attacks and a door-size hole was revealed as the rest of the wall fell inward, crashing to the ground to reveal a dark expanse beyond. They had a way out! 

The door fell as Enyalius forced her sword through the next enemy to pass the threshold into the room - 

Battle wrote:

Enyalius attacks Minion Y for 4 points of damage.

Minion Y has been defeated.

She pulled her blade free and let the body hit the floor, one more on the pile beneath her. Copper eyes returning to her duty, she prepared herself for the next enemy, hopefully the last as the team escaped through the opening they had created. The sickening smile greeted her in the soft light beyond the opening, but then her heartbeat faltered when she saw him. The blood in her veins ran cold, the grip on her sword turned brittle as she beheld the hulk of a creature that made its way slowly towards the entrance; more monster than man, rippling with muscles upon muscles, the gleam in its eye predatory as it stared straight at her; like a rabbit caught in the sights of a wolf, she was momentarily frozen.

"We have to go," she heard herself saying quietly, the sound of her own unexpected voice beginning to bring her out of whatever trance he had over her, "We have to go, now! We have to go now!" her voice gained strength and volume as the creature stepped closer - she wouldn't be able to stop him.

Arch was not about to leave Enya left for dead, "Senshi, book it, the Sol Senshi are counting on us! Enya, can you still run?"

He rushes past the doorway, Rayden on his shoulder. The next might be a turn for the worst, or better. Whatever the outcome, it was time to even the odds in the Senshi's favor!

Picking up on the urgency in her command, Sailor Io ran for the door, but stayed directly int he other side of it, still holding the metal grate up.

"Hurry so I can lock it again!" she said to the others, waiting for everyone to get through safely.

Everyone rushed through the door as quickly as they could, crossing the threshold into the dark unknown and moving far enough to make way for those who entered behind. The space was cold and dark, and with very little to be seen around them, their focus instead was on each other, on Sailor Io, who held the metallic grating open, and the new friends that rushed through to safety.

OOC:

Enyalius heard Arch's question but did not verbally respond before he rushed away for the door. Walk? With the power rushing through her body, she could run for miles. But to sustain that power, Achelois had to devote her full attention on Enyalius, and Enya would never leave her friend behind. 

Run? No, she thought, glancing below to see the room emptied. She would glide. As the last smiling being approached the elevated doorway, she flew forward and kicked it hard in the chest, sending it backwards towards the hulking monster in the room beyond, her own momentum sending her flying backwards with the kick. Quickly, before it could recover and give chase, she turned, slung an open arm around Achelois's floating form, and locked her wings into a glide that would take them straight to the opening. As soon as her body collided with Achelois's, the rushing power within her faded, leaving immense pain in its place, but they were aimed correctly; they would make the door. 

OOC:

When Enyalius and Achelois launched themselves into the next room, Sailor Io dropped her Sparkling Magnet attack and slammed the grate down. She slipped to her knees with a sigh of relief.

"Please tell me there's nothing to fight in here," she said wearily.

Battle wrote:

Achelois healed Enyalius for a total of 12 HP.

Enyalius has 15 HP.

Enyalius offered her friend a thankful, if a little guilty, smile, and sat up, looking around the room.

"Not exactly..." an ethereal voice softly replied as the room suddenly illuminated, the walls glowing with a soft, creamy light. 

They found themselves in a long corridor; it was windowless, the floors were covered in plush red carpet, and along the right-hand wall were elegant glass cases with velvet linings, a beautiful yet random assortment of items sat protected behind the glass, all seeming to glow with inner light. Try as they might, however, they could not locate the owner of the voice, nor pinpoint its location. 

"Senshi..." the voice continued, enveloping them from all sides, "We've been watching you,"

"We remember you..."

"We know you!"


Other voices, just as airy, just as warm, joined in with the first, and eyes were drawn to specific items in the cases that pulsed with the syllables uttered. 

"We know why you are here, and we wish to help you!"

The glass cases exploded, but rather than send sharp shards through the air, the panes seemed to turn to glittering dust and fall peacefully to the floor as these items with an inner shine suddenly jumped up off their velvet settings to hover feet off the floor. Eight items rushed forward, each claiming a Sailor Senshi, floating before her, or just above her.

"We were once senshi of this galaxy,"


"And of systems within the Milky Way, too."

"The Collector harvested us all,"


"Kept us as display pieces until well past when we should have moved on."


"This is all that is left of us."


"Our bodies have faded,"


"Our minds and hearts have not."


"While our planets and stars have gone on without us, we still contain some of their power."


"Their strength."


"Their grace."


"And we have been waiting,"


"Hoping,"


"Praying,"


"That Sailor Senshi might find this place of their own will, and defeat this ancient evil force that has lived on the brink of civilizations for millennia."


"Watching our fights, our wars, our times of peace."


"Waiting for savants, for masterpieces, for opportunities."


"Collecting all he thought was unique or special."


"And bringing it here, to Castrum Acerbus, for his own pleasure."


"His entertainment!"


"His enjoyment!"


"He manipulates those he can, offering eternal lifespans."


"He paralyzes those he cannot, keeping us in crystalline states until our bodies fade away..."


"He must be defeated."


"We will help you!"


"We can see your hearts, and know them to be pure!"


"Save others from our fate!"


"Do not let this monster continue!"


"Set these captured souls free!"


They were silent for a moment, hovering in place before them, until the original voice continued, "Please, let us help you. Let us be of use to you. Let us battle this evil that has kept us captive for centuries... let us finally rest in peace."

Lost Senshi wrote:

Before Io hovers a silver quarterstaff, electricity seeming to dance through its interior. ((Silver is the best conductor))

Spoiler:

Before Nocturnus, a small metallic globe of constellations and stars bobbed up in down before her, begging to be utilized.

An amythyst amulet hung before Bellatrix, emitting a feeling of calm and focus.

Spoiler:

Before Achelois, an Iolite bangle, its affinity for healing already making itself apparent.

Spoiler:

Sailor Enyalius had been approached by a shield.

Spoiler:

Splash had before her a ring-to-wrist bracelet, hovering more to her left, giving off feelings of stamina and control.

Spoiler:

Before Andromeda was, perhaps, an unexpected sight: the trident from the trophy room, bedecked in blue jewels... the lost Battle Trident of Andromeda. 

And before Skaro, a strange contraption that might fit over her laser-firing arm... a beam splitter?

Spoiler: