As soon as she swallowed, Callisto felt the strain on her disappear, and she could think clearly again. The pill had worked!


"I'm going to try and stall the clam, you two try to get to the dragons," Callisto said. "I won't be able to use my shields while I attack her, but if I catch her, I think I can hold her down." Out loud, she called out her next move. "Vengeful Ursa!" This entire mission to Leviathan was getting worse and worse by the second, and she used that frustration to fuel it.

Now a bear, Callisto started running along the seafloor towards their enemy, wanting to tackle and hopefully pin her in place.

Dragon Riders Group


Feeling the others were fighting - discomfort and urgency washing through him - he filtered again so Sedna, Callisto and his conversation wouldn't unfocus the others. He would only make clear messages from the other team or important information. It unfocused him, but better protect the fighters in a way he knew how.

When he felt Callisto's mind clear from the pressure, now with only seven pressured minds annoying him, he frowned and looked at her, surprised when she suddenly called for her attack, turning into a bear. He took very little time to be admirative before he tried to make way as fast as possible towards the dragons.

If you feel like you are having too much difficulties with her, one of us can intervene. Maybe seeing you will make the adults try to help you despite the pressure.

The blast traveled outward, knocking her slightly, though the others closer seemed to be getting the brunt of the attack. She glanced at Nocturnus and Ribbon, the latter having not moved at all for a while now. “Stay here and protect her”, she told Nocturnus, “at least until she can move again.”

She herself wasn’t going to be any good to anyone like this, so Nix popped the pill into her mouth, feeling the pressure letting up almost instantly. She moved into the seed room proper, still invisible, and called her Arctic Blizzard silently, directing it toward their enemy. Most of her powers incapacitated; if she could immobilize the guardian in some way, the others would have a better chance at the seed.

Chaos Seed Group

Sailor Nocturnus

The energy crackled around them, but somehow she had done it—she had moved just enough out of the path. She continued to pull Ribbon, dragging the other woman as much as she could, feeling like she was moving them both through thick syrup. Sailor Nocturnus heard Nix's warning and agreed with it, although she longed to fight with them. Ribbon... She had to protect Ribbon! She did her best to move them both out of sight of the eel, watching for other danger, not sure of what she could do to relieve the grip that held the pink-haired woman so intensely.

"Please," she prayed, to the stars as always, even as she could not see them deep in the core of the planet Leviathan. "Please let them succeed."

There was so much more she wanted to ask for.

Achelois had hoped that everything would be solved when Leviathan attacked the seed.  Instead the pressure on the planet had increased and the guardian revealed herself by mouthing off at them and attacking.  First she felt the sudden increase of pressure on every inch of her body.  It took her breath away and she could feel her blood pounding in her head.  Then not a moment too late, the guardian had appeared and was sending electric waves towards them.  The sudden pressure change forced Achelois to bear part of the attack, though it seemed others had been hit worse.  Thankfully Nocturnus and Ribbon were out of the attack range. 

It seemed that the pressure wasn't only making Enya feel worse.  Achelois worried how much longer she would last as she dashed, as well as she could, forward and landed a hit on the eel woman.  She suddenly remembered the pill that the old woman gave them, to take when the pressure was too much.  Should she try it now or later?  She decided later, she didn't need to move to play her part, even if she took some damage.  

Leviathan, you should focus on the seed, I'll help Enya with this woman.  If it's too difficult too move, try the pill that elder woman gave us.  She projected her thought out hoping that Leviathan would act.

Now to move on to this electric woman...  She could try to throw energy spears at her, but it seemed the woman could move fast, at least faster than her, she might dodge it.  The pounding in her head came to the forefront of her attention.  It was so hard to think when she had a splitting headache.  The pounding increased as the question reverberated around in her mind, what should she do?  She began to feel irritated and as she looked at the seed's guardian, she had an idea.  

Achelois focused on the woman's whole body but the pounding was too distracting, she would have to start smaller.  She moved to the one thing on her mind, the guardian's brain.  She focused as hard as she could and began to use the same energy that she did to accelerate growth in plants.  She focused on the smallest parts of the guardian's brain with her accelerated growth energy.  The difference was, this time she let growth keep going, past the healthy reproductive stage.  The cells wouldn't stop multiplying.  They would keep going until there was no more energy left.  

OOC:

Callisto growled and prepared to throw herself at the Clam again, enraged by her slipping out of her grip. Her thoughts were a little less coherent, but still understandable to Oberon. 

"I'll get her this time..." her simple statement could be heard over the near constant flow of dim memories she was recalling as fuel for her emotional state, like a raging river off in the distance.

As the yellow hair fell down through the top of the doorway into the impressively large room, Ribbon was still frozen, unable to move herself out of the way, but Nocturnus pulled her aside, taking her out of the line-of-sight of the enemy just in time, as an electric beam shot past and hit the wall near where she had been, along with many of their teammates. The senshi dispersed, Enyalius running after it, Nix disappearing completely - Achelois looked like she was concentrating hard, and Leviathan... Enoch had just thrown himself in front of her and took most of the damage. He was her friend, and he pushed himself in front of the blast... Ribbon squeezed Nocturnus's hand as hard as she could, recalling easily similar feats performed by Nocturnus in her defense.

She couldn't speak, but she was following the conversations; 'They might need your help,' she said to Nocturnus, 'I'll be fine, I'll stay here.'

Chaos Seed Group

Sailor Nocturnus

She hesitated for only a moment, the dark eyes searching her friend's face, and then she nodded. Her mouth was a firm line, her eyebrows serious. This was the final battle.

"I'll be back. If you need me, say my name. I'll be there," she said, her lungs protesting the speech. But it didn't occur to her to use the link, even as Ribbon had just done so.

The small sailor soldier-in-training sucked her breath back in, trying to replace what had been expelled, and dragged herself back through the heavy water. The doorway, the room. She needed to move into range so she could try and attack. The others were already doing their part.

She wouldn't attack the Chaos Seed. Not unless she knew it would be any different from on Andromeda. She couldn't willingly give it more power to hurt them and this planet.

"Ecliptic Rotation!" she called, trying to concentrate. Trying to send them flying true. Only to the enemy.

Attack:

Quote :

Nocturnus uses Ecliptic Rotation (4 MP) and attempts to hit the Eel 
Does it hit?
--5
How much damage?
--3
--MP 2
--CTRL 7
----Total of 12 points of damage!

 Having been hit and with a new, intense headache, the Eel turned and fired at Enyalius, her closest and, to her, most immediate target!
Eel uses Shock-punch on Enyalius!

Did it hit?
--5
How much damage?
--6 Critical!
--STR 11
--CTRL (1/2) 9
--Armor metal! +2
----Total of 28 points of damage!

Her sword in hand, Enya's chasing of the guardian at least didn't let her get another straight shot in. Ice flew past them - Nix - and then a bright shooting star hit their enemy dead-on. Enyalius smirked - Nocturnus had got a hit in, and by the looks of it, a pretty good one --- 

But then the eel turned and punched her in the face, her fist sparking with electricity that then arced down to her chest-piece and burned lines in her flesh again. She was thrown aside with the force of the punch; she didn't go far with the pressurized water, but the force was strong enough to knock her feet out from underneath so that when she landed, she did so on her side. Groaning, she started to pick herself up, her shield ready on her arm as the black-clad warrior approached her merrily, her hands behind her back, her face grinning, leaning forward eagerly. Should she lose the shield? The attack seemed to hurt her more for being armored, rather than less --

The Eel wrote:

"I like tag, don't you?" the eel teased, skipping closer. When she was within range she made a show of taking her foot back, preparing to kick Enyalius while she was down.

People left to attack this turn (round two):
Eel
Enyalius
Achelois
Nix (1st turn with pill)
Nocturnus
Leviathan
Ribbon
----
Callisto (2nd turn with pill)
Clam
Oberon
Sedna

Dragon Riders Group


Walking with the pressure and connected minds was harder than Oberon remembered. He was way too aware of the different dots in his mind to check where Callisto and Sedna were. The first should be able to take care of herself in this form and Sedna was protected by his magic as long as his body could take it. He trusted his own safety in Callisto's hands and he cared very little if it was revealed to be a foolish's errand.

His life had stopped being his a long time ago.

'When the pressure becomes too much'

He could probably take it a bit more. Nix was freed from the pressure and with two minds less constricting his own, he could breathe again. Or as much breathing as one could in such a pressure. When he finally arrived, his first goal was to try and see if whatever was linking dragons and clam was physical and if it could be severed by blades.

Would it be worth attempting to attack the space between the dragons and the clam woman? Sedna asked through the link. Perhaps even if they couldn't see the what was connecting them, it would respond to either magical or physical attack.

Sailor Leviathan felt someone push her and looked back only see to see Enoch shocked by the eel woman's attack. Fear gripped her being as her only friend on the planet dropped to the floor. She rushed over to him, completely forgetting about everything else, to make sure that he was alive.

"Enoch!" she cried. "Get up! Please! Come on!"

"Leviathan. I'm fine. Don't worry."

But she knew he wasn't fine. There was a strained look in his eyes. She had seen that look before. Enoch was hiding something. She was so tired of that look. She wished that he could be honest with her and not hid his emotions just to make her feel better. Of all of the people in the world, she hated it most when he lied to her. She was his sailor guardian after all. Wasn't she supposed to be the one protecting him?

Enoch shared a plan with her, a plan to distract the eel and put a stop to the Chaos Seed. She didn't like the plan, but she didn't see an alternative.

Leviathan used Leviathan's Illusion to turn herself invisible, just as Enoch said. She was extremely worried he wouldn't survive the battle so she had to destroy the seed quickly. If she was more alert, she would probably considering sparing the strange eel woman, but she was so frantic that it didn't cross her mind.

Like the others, she remembered what the crone had said about the seed relieving pressure. She took it, much like she would Guardian Leviathan's terrible vitamins she was regularly issued. She then attempted to drink the liquid in the vial she was given to wash it down.

She paused as she held the vial to her lips. She just drank the weird vial without thinking about what was in it. Her heart raced as she wondered if she just accidentally killed herself.

Enoch

Enoch remained still on the cold rock beneath him as his entire being felt like it was pulsing. He felt this feeling before, of being electrocuted, even though he was the first time in his life he had ever been struck by volts, but he knew he had experienced it before.

It was a feeling he had long suspected before but only now was he certain of it. He was just like Sailor Leviathan and her friends. It was why he had such strange powers his entire life. It was why he could transform into other people. It was why sometimes he felt more at home, traveling the electric storm surrounding Planet Leviathan than he did in the water. It was why that distant star in the sky, the one only he could see from the depths below, sang a familar song.

He knew the words in his heart. He knew exactly what he had to say in order to become like the others around him. But before he could even try to get it out, he heard Leviathan's voice.

"Enoch! Get up! Please, come on!"

"Leviathan," he said with a strained smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Looking up at his friend, he suddenly had an idea. Testing his powers would have to come later. They had to save Planet Leviathan and there was one good way he knew how. He quickly explained his plan to Leviathan and, despite some protest, she eventually agreed.

He morphed into a near duplicate of Sailor Leviathan, but with somewhat sparkley eyes. He tried desperately to run the opposite way from the Chaos Seed and shout to distract the eel woman.

"Hey! Chaos Eel!" he said in his best impression of Leviathan. "You missed me! Try again, idiot!"

Battle wrote:

 Leviathan uses the Pressure Pill! She will not be under any effects of pressure for the next 4 turns!

Leviathan uses an Invigoration Potion! CTRL +5 for duration of battle!

 Leviathan uses Leviathan Illusion (4MP) and becomes invisible!


Enoch looks like Sailor Leviathan!

---

Round Two Ends, Round Three Begins!

The Pressure recedes! DEX and PERCEPTION return to normal levels! Leviathan and Ribbon are able to move freely!

The Eel has 4 HP drained by Achelois's cancer!

Eel wrote:

 The Eel pauses and turns, looking aggravated to have been interrupted, but then a smile crept up on her face and she spins on her toe to face her new opponent, "Oh, you wanna play, too?"

Just as she was about to kick, Enyalius felt the pressure recede - she could spring away, or... she stayed just as she was, awaiting the kick, where she could throw herself backward to avoid the physical strike and latch onto her leg and twist to pull her down--

Hey, Chaos Eel! You missed me! Try again, idiot!

Who the hell -- Leviathan?! What was she thinking?! She knew what her role in this was! Gritting her teeth, with her speed back at her usual levels, she launched herself forward, grabbing for the stupid single leg she had pirouetted around, intending to pull it backward and make the grinning idiot fall flat on her face. 'Leviathan! Quit messing around - destroy the Seed!'

Phase Three wrote:

Enyalius attempts to trip the Eel! 
Did it hit?
--5
 The eel falls flat into the sand, unable to pursue Enoch for now!

Ribbon heard and saw everything that was exchanged between Leviathan and Enoch, and as the former turned invisible and the latter turned into a facsimile of the former and then ran off to attract the Eel's attention, Ribbon felt like she was watching the dramatic conclusion of a romance movie. She wanted so bad for Enoch not to get hurt, despite what he was trying to do --

And then the pressure was suddenly gone, and she fell, unsupported by its force, and breathed easily, her gills working normally and her lungs accepting the air they provided - she knew better than to try to gulp down water now, at least. As she recuperated, she tried to wrap her headache-free mind around what had happened, and try to look over anything she might have missed the first time around --

Like what might have happened to Shadow and Amatheia when the pressure increased. Had it crushed the rocks surrounding them? Oberon would have told them if something had happened to them, right? ... But then this telepathy thing was based mentally, and with that headache... could it have gone unnoticed?

...would mentioning that now be a distraction to Leviathan? Leviathan had wanted to stay and save them; if they could be dead because of the pressure... she kept the question to herself as she pushed herself back up to her feet and approached the mouth of the room, looking out to watch the battle unfold, ready to try to use her powers if she saw an opportunity to. She wouldn't leave - she had promised Nocturnus she wouldn't move, and she wouldn't. Not really, anyway.

Her first attack missed, but she kept watch on the eel woman. As Enyalius managed to bring her down, Nix decided to use this opportunity while their opponent was momentarily on the ground.

Holding her staff before her and focusing her magic on their enemy, she whispered, “Divine Winter Eternal.”

She wasn’t messing around anymore.

Achelois was slightly curious has to how her cell growth would turn out, but there were far pressing matters. Enya was being hurt, badly, even with her endurance.  Leviathan's friend was hurt was as well, but Enya was hurt worse.  She was glad that there wasn't much movement involved with her powers.  Achelois focused on Enya, sending as much as energy as she could at one time.

OOC:

Battle wrote:

Achelois uses Healing (3 MP) on Enyalius!
Does it hit?
--Enyalius isn't moving; Automatic hit!
How much healed? 
15 points

Nix attempts to use a Sneak Attack on the Eel! The Eel is stationary, chances of success increase!
Nix uses Divine Winter Eternal (10 MP) on the Eel!

Does it hit? Critical hit + Critcal damage = kill!
--4
How much damage?
--3
--MP 5
--CTRL 10
--Bonus 5 (Ultimate Attack)
----Total of 23 points of damage!


The Eel's body temperature lowers! Her dexterity lowers! She is unable to attack for the moment! And Enyalius's face is safe from boot yay 


Callisto attempts to attack/tackle the Clam! 
Does it hit? Critical hit tackles, normal hits attack!
--5
How much damage?
--4
--STR 15
----Total of 19 points of damage!


The clam, looking a little concerned now, is able to break free of the bear's grasp and hits the floor again, this time looking at Callisto warily.


People left to attack this turn (round two):
Eel
Enyalius
Achelois
Nix (2nd turn with pill)
Nocturnus
Leviathan (1st turn with pill)
Ribbon
----
Callisto (3rd turn with pill)
Clam
Oberon
Sedna

Enyalius held on tight to the enemy's boot, but was preparing to jerk the woman closer before she could be kicked in the face, when suddenly she felt Achelois's support, and the sand dug less into her open burns; now she was grinning. Before she could pull the woman back, a bright light erupted from beyond the seed and hit her dead-on; Enyalius quickly released her as the white light enveloped her and looked back across the field to see it had been emitted by no one - so Nix. She looked back to the creature and waited to see if that attack had finished her, else prepared to grab her again if it hadn't.

Chaos Seed Group

Sailor Nocturnus

She wanted to leap up with excitement when her attack hit its target as intended, adding more damage to the blue woman. The eel was further engaged by Enyalius and Nix, distracted as they had hoped from the Chaos seed that Sailor Leviathan needed to defeat... But she wasn't doing it.

This made Sailor Nocturnus feel a swirl of panic. Leviathan knew that she needed to use her power against the seed... Right? Yes, yes she did. So what was going on here? The coral-haired young woman could be erratic or casual at inappropriate times, but Nocturnus knew from their previous time together that Leviathan certainly wasn't stupid. This had to be intentional... Or at least Nocturnus would tell herself that it was.

Amid this, the pressure alleviated! The eel was still engaged with Enyalius, so she didn't think she could safely attack. But... She wanted to get that pesky enemy out of their way!

To Sailor Leviathan's surprise, she didn't kill herself. That was good to know. That could have been very, very bad. Instead, she felt a strange sensation, like she was floating. Everything was light and it wasn't just due to the effects of the seed. She felt like she had more power, more control. She knew what she had to do. She had to destroy the seed while she could.

That's not me, she mentally said, responding to Enyalius. That's Enoch. He can morph into others and use their abilities. He's trying to make that eel think he's me. Protect him if you can!

She used Leviathan's Wrath from as close a distance as she could. She intended to rip it apart with pressure from the dragon-like water she summoned.

Enoch put on the stupidest grin he could to poorly mimic Sailor Leviathan. He shivered at Sailor Nix's attack, mentally noting not to get too close to the action. His eyebrows twitched in fear as he placed his hands on his hips and boasted a fake laugh.

"Good job, my team! Put that ugly eel in her place!"

Phase 2 ends wrote:

Leviathan uses Leviathan's Wrath (10 MP) on the Chaos Seed!
Automatic Hit!
How much damage?
--4
--CTRL 11
--MP 5
--Bonus 5
----Total of 25 points of damage dealt!


The Chaos Shell disappears! 10 points of damage dealt to the seed!
The Pressure increases as the seed drains the energy from planet Leviathan faster! DEX and PERCEPTION decreases by 5 for everyone who has not eaten their pill!


Ribbon charges her Gamma Ray attack!


People left to attack this turn (round two):
Eel unable to attack
Enyalius
Achelois
Nix (2nd turn with pill)
Nocturnus
Leviathan (1st turn with pill)
Ribbon
----
Callisto (3rd turn with pill)
Clam
Oberon
Sedna

Round Three (for Chaos Seed group begins!
People left to attack this turn (round two):
Eel
Enyalius
Achelois
Nix (3rd turn with pill)
Nocturnus
Leviathan (2nd turn with pill)
Ribbon

As a neat-looking attack fell upon the black egg-looking-thing in the center of the arena, Ribbon knew that the real Leviathan was making her move! But then the pressure was back, locking her in place, creating a splitting headache she couldn't quite handle. She closed her eyes against the discomfort, but forced them open again, squinting at the seed.

She was here to help Leviathan. 

Leviathan was the one that had to defeat the chaos thing, but she could still help, right? 

'I'm going to blast it!' she warned, hoping Leviathan would know to get out of the way if she were in the way, and rolled her eyes up into her head as she concentrated on reaching the right frequency.

Oberon! She shouted. Why hadn't she protected him better? She knew that Callisto and Oberon had been sent to protect her, but she hated seeing a team mate fall. 

Maneuvering around Callisto, she used her halberd to attack the clam. 

The pressure was increasing but Sailor Leviathan couldn't feel it. She was far too focused on destroying the seed. If she did notice, she probably would have stopped her attack and thought about the consequences but it was far too late now.

She felt confident she could do it, but then realized that she didn't have enough magic to unleash another Leviathan's Wrath. She nearly screamed in the shock of it but stopped herself when she realized that it was a stupid shot, but if her magic could be unleashed outside of her body, it also meant that she herself was made up of that magic. She defeat the chaos seed with physical attacks.

She began to strike the Chaos Seed with her fists. She tried to ignore the pain of hitting such a solid object with her knuckles. She heard Ribbon exclaim that she was going to attack it mentally.

Hold on, Ribbon! she responded just as Oberon fainted. I don't think you can hurt this thing!

Little did she know, her thoughts would go unanswered.

Enoch

Enoch tensed up as the eel approached him. His face blushed bright red, seemingly attracted to the eel, rather than just being intimidated. He brushed his hair furiously out of nervousness and began to step back.

"Look, what I said before. I take it back," he said frantically. "You seem like an alright person, you know? What's the point of blowing up a planet and all that? Especially when you're on it? Doesn't seem right, you know?"