Unstuck In Time! (IC)

[Quinn]

Three figures met in a cave. One looked at a small cauldron, at the image of a great city with glass towers. At the images of mighty warriors and evil villains, doing great battle. At six images that passed in quick succession of very special individuals, indeed.

"Yes...these will do nicely." said one figure.

"Very nicely indeed." said the second.

"Shall we begin?" said the third.

"Yes." said all three simulaneously.

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April 5th, 2011.

4:30 PM.

Lazarus Auto Repair, Midtown.

Push flopped into his chair, still in costume. He was beat. Bushwhacked. Exhausted. All the meanings of the word. What was it with this city and crime? There was never any shortage of heroes, you'd think they'd flatten it out in a heartbeat? The kineticist pulled his scarf down, yawning, and hoofed it over to the refridgerator. A nice, tasty sandwich would do the trick...perhaps ham and cheese? Or roast beef? Or giant whirling vortex?

Wait, what?

A windstorm erupted in the small underground room as the vortex in Push's refridgerator clawed at his body. The hero tried to leap backwards, but the sheer pressure was already upon him! One hand reached out to grab the side of the appliance, and for a moment he nearly pulled himself in...but the force was too strong, and his fingers slipped one by one. Shooting his other hand forward, his messenger bag and hammer leapt to his outstretched palm just as the last finger let go, and he was sucked in! The door to the fridge slammed shut behind him, leaving an empty room.

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April 5th, 2011.

4:30 PM.

Rooftop, City Center.

Atlas looked out over the city streets, smiling as he saw the people going about their buisness down below. It had been a quiet patrol, very little crime in the streets, and many folks would look up and wave as they saw a hero leaping from rooftop to rooftop with mighty bounds. Indeed, it had been a good day to be a hero.

The mighty hulk backed his legs up to one side of the roof, then pounded the concrete as he ran forward and took a great running leap!

The wind resistance was as nothing to Samael, and he relished the brief moment of hang-time...right up until a portal appeared directly in front of him, and his momentum carried him right into it! The vortex winked out just as soon as it appeared, the people below unknowing of what happened directly above their heads...

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April 5th, 2011.

4:30 PM.

Freedom City Limits

Fulcrum did a little spiral in the air as she circled high above Freedom City, laughing as the breeze ruffled her hair. A few no-account crimes here and there kept her busy this afternoon, and the idea of a coffee break was sounding more and more welcome. Perhaps she would call Viktor, the two could meet for lunch if he wasn't busy at the lab?

Her cape billowed behind her as the sound of a siren reached her ears, and she reflexively turned to investigate. As she passed over a single cloud, preparing to dive, a great vortex erupted right underneath her as she began the descent! A moment of surprise turned into horror as the vortex pulled her in completely, and winked out a moment after!

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April 5th, 2011.

4:30 PM.

Freedom College, Southside.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, cracking his neck from side to side. It had been one long day. A really, really long day. He'd only arrived from patrol a few minutes earlier, having chosen to do a quick round-about of Southside before getting down to work. The students'd be expecting him in class soon, and he hadn't even changed out of his costume yet! Truly, today wasn't going to be one of his better days. And it wasn't going to get any easier...

The sonic controller got to his feet and opened the door to his closet, throwing back his hood and yawning...just as the vortex's pressure abruptly sucked him through! Wind rushed through the small room, kicking up papers and other accoutrements. His arm shot out, and for a moment he felt an object in his hand. The only problem was? It was the doorknob. The door slammed shut, leaving nothing but an empty office behind...

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April 5th, 2011

4:30 PM

Claremont Academy, Bayview.

Marcus leaned back in HIS chair, cracking his neck. Exams were only two weeks away, and he'd been hitting the books even harder than normal to get it all finished. The Beast Rune gave a small rumble as he stood up, scratching at the only spot in his back he couldn't reach. The Claremont teachers really knew how to get their students to put nose-to-grindstone, that was for sure.

Idly, he started rummaging through his drawers for some fresh pens and paper. In one, a few snacks he'd smuggled from the cafeteria. In another, a...leftover sock? How did that get there? He sighed and pulled open the last drawer on the bottom, reaching in before he could note the bright blue energy and wind pressure abruptly sucking him into said drawer. In what should have been impossible by any level of physics or laws of space, the teen was sucked into the drawer and into the vortex, the small shelf nicely sliding back into place as he disappeared.

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April 5th, 2011

4:30 PM

Pyramid Plaza.

Elena Guerrero stretched her arms wide, yawning as she woke up from what had been a most excellent nap. It had been a while since she'd felt so refreshed, actually. She sat up on the bed and looked at the empty space on the other side, vaguely disappointed. A buzzer on the clock rang out a moment later, and a wave of amusement crossed that she'd woken up right before it had rung.

Many plans for the day crossed the heroine's mind as she swung her legs over the side and stepped onto the rug. For a moment a twinge of curiosity crossed her mind. The distance between the bed and the floor seemed somewhat greater this morning, perhaps she was still a little sleep-addled. The reality of her situation hit approximately two seconds later, when she was up to her waist through the portal. And then...poof.

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Fifth of Harvest

Kriegsnacht

Battleman's Field

Six heroes. Six vortexes. The spell was complete.

Fulcrum fought her way free as the portal closed behind her, but an unfamiliar red-tinged sky greeted her. Looking down through a cloud, she saw a great city spread out beneath her, a huge edifice of a wall stretching high to protect the small stone buildings, fields, and orchards within. A stone fortress loomed on a hill in the centre of the city, but it was not that which caught her eye. Stretched out before the gate of the strange city was a great flat field, where two armies did battle. Battle cries could be barely heard at her altitude; one side were men, at least, she thought they were men, clad in brown armor and wielding swords, axes, maces, and shields against...

Monsters. Inhuman creatures. That was the only word she could use to describe them. Great gangly green things with arms like tree-trunks, who would swing and smash at any of the warriors who sought to fight them, accompanied by truly massive four-footed beasts, with huge tusks and fanged maws. Some blades would strike home, only to stick in their gelatinous flesh. Others would be simply overwhelmed and crushed underneath booted feet, but those instances were far too few.

What became readily apparent was this: the armored warriors were losing.

Five other portals appeared at different spots around the field as she looked on...

Push. He flew out of a portal, rather unceremoniously crashing into an armored warrior and sending them both to the ground.

Atlas. He descended from a vortex near Fulcrum, falling swiftly and landing on one of the creatures in the centre of a gigantic mass of them, squashing it into the dirt.

Arcturus. He flew out from a portal and slammed into the ground hard, as three armored men came running up to stand over him. As he looked up, it became apparent that the four were ringed by the creatures...

Gabriel. His portal spat him out at the very edge of the fight, wounded and dying lying on the ground around him. A small group of the creatures looked over from where they stood, then chittered in some strange language and began approaching, cracking their...knuckles? loudly.

Scarab. Her portal dumped her (luckily) onto some soft, unblooded grass. She rolled briefly before coming to a stop, landing beside what looked like a tree trunk. Looking up revealed a most unwelcome sight. One of the huge war beasts was looking down at her with a surprised expression on it's tusked face, before opening a giant fanged maw and lunging at her!

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel managed a soft landing, despite the rather haphazard nature of his transport here. Being able to fly had some distinct advantages.

He gazed around the battlefield, his eyes narrowing as he observed the monsters. He glanced at the wounded men arrayed around him, and took several steps forward. He spoke to them without taking his eyes off the monsters that approached.

"Anyone who can move, help the rest. I'll keep these...things...from getting to you. Please move quickly."

Finally, he was past the cluster of misery, and on empty ground. The grass at his feet flattened out as a barely-audible *thrum* slowly went out from his person, and he rose into the air, his hands distorted beneath concentrated sonic energy.

"You have one chance. Whoever, or whatever, you are: Leave now. Quit this battlefield. Or you will regret your actions dearly."

[Geez3r]

Atlas had the bad habit of closing his eyes when he went on long leaps. He liked feeling like he could fly. Of course he could do that now if he grew wings, but he was always aware of the effort to keep flying. He liked the weightless sensation. So, he had no idea that he had gotten sucked through a wormhole until he heard the sounds of battle.

All he managed was a baffled "Vhat ze-?" before he goomba stomped a weird gelatinous critter. "Sorry about zat, are you al-" started Atlas out of habit, but stopped himself once he got a good look at the creature. At which point, he punched it in the .... face? deciding that it was something he didn't want to get back up again.

Standing to his full considerable height, Atlas was quickly able to survey the battle grounds and decide things looked bad. He came to the conclusion that when outnumbered against an unknown foe bent on the destruction of mankind, there was only one thing to do: make yourself the target.

He clenching his hand into a fist and beat his chest twice before letting out a full gutteral roar, announcing his presence to the horde. If they wanted a fight, he was going to give it to them.

[GranspearZX]

Marcus hated studying under pressure. Normally, he was methodical enough to actually plan his study time, but there had been a lot going on. He'd joined a gym, he had a part-time job at the docks, and on top of everything else, he was poking at designs for the Parkhurst Manor's library; who knew one had to brush up on dimensional spaces for something like that? As a result, he knew exactly what a portal looked and felt like.

He'd have to ask later how someone managed to get it inside his terribly unorganized dresser drawers.

Upon landing, rather heavily, at that, he groaned. Impacts like that were rather unpleasant in his human form. As he stood up, his first thought wasn't even one of surprise; he'd been through so many portals and such over the past six months that his initial reaction was wondering just where he'd been dumped now. A quick survey of the situation revealed just how serious his situation was. He rapidly came to the conclusion that the armored men weren't the threat. No, there was a much, much large concern...

The Beast Rune pulsed at his back and Marcus smiled. It wasn't often that the two beings were in sync in thought or mood, but studying had apparently run its course with both. "...don't worry, fellas; I'm on your side," was the only warning he gave before his entire form was engulfed in several bands of light, forming an amber-hued sphere around him. It only obscured his changing form for a second before bursting like shattered glass, leaving the man behind and the bear on center stage.

"Alright. Who's first?"

[N/A]

Scarab. Her portal dumped her (luckily) onto some soft, unblooded grass. She rolled briefly before coming to a stop, landing beside what looked like a tree trunk. Looking up revealed a most unwelcome sight. One of the huge war beasts was looking down at her with a surprised expression on it's tusked face, before opening a giant fanged maw and lunging at her!

Elena kept her knees bent and braced herself against the ground, sliding backward half a step as she rose to a standing position. Her camisole, at first seemingly composed of unremarkable scarlet-dyed cotton, quickly melted and unfolded into a series of overlapping metal plates, enveloping her in the crimson and gold armor of The Scarab. The beast could neither feel nor hear a breeze, yet The Scarab's massive cloak was buoyed aloft behind her.

She thrust an open hand toward the colossal beast. Twin bursts of golden light exploded forth from the palm of her hand and the center of her forehead, each expanding into a a rapid succession of concentric circles toward the beast. When the waves of light reached the creature, they coalesced into spectral swarms of scarab beetles, crawling across its face, then under its skin, under its skull, into its brain, biting and tearing and eating every step of the way, yet leaving no mark. Every nerve in the beast's body flared to life with sensation, and that sensation was overwhelming pain. It was as if it had fallen into a bottomless pit of hypodermic needles.

[Dariusprime]

"What the hell?" was the only approximation of a reaction Fulcrum could muster.

The sudden appearance of a portal, and being sucked into it, was bad enough. That the very same wormhole vanished amid the appearance of even more, only added to the shock. Portals spewing forth others from her world by the judge of it. Atlas? The Scarab?! Who were these others? What was going on here?

Enough thoughts! As Atlas let out his tremendous bellow, Fulcrum triaged her allies and dove boots first into the fray. A visible shock wave washed over Arcturus' ursine form as the 700+ pound heroine cratered a green monstrosity!

Now facing one of the human warriors, she addressed them as well as Arcturus, "Need a hand?"

[Quinn]

Scarab

The war beast screeched in surprised pain, rolling on the ground and causing it to rumble as it sought to shake off the illusory bugs. Such was it's state as ten burly warriors came charging up to ring the Scarab, swords and spears drawn and pointing towards the beast..

"A war beast felled with a wave of the hand! How in..." "Magic, you fool!" The second speaker, obviously an officer of some kind, backed into the ring and turned to the Scarab, bowing respectfully before picking his sword up again. "Master Magus, while I do not question the need for your aid, I am surprised that the Order has permitted your leave! My thanks for halting that beast..." "Incoming!"

Five of the monsters, standing a good two-three feet taller than the soldiers, were racing towards the ring, heedless of the war beast's bellows of pain. The soldiers pointed their weapons towards them, holding their ground.

"Stand firm!"

[N/A]

The Scarab reached out to touch the minds of her acquaintances with her own. A chorus of one-hundred voices from one-hundred lifetimes, all speaking as one, echoed in their minds.

[bg=#BF0000]Atlas. I haven't seen you since Jack and Taylor's wedding. I'm glad to see you've recovered from your ordeals during the invasion. I wish our reunion could have taken place in more pleasant, and familiar surroundings, but I'm relieved to have your considerable might at our back.

Fulcrum. We haven't been formally introduced, but Viktor speaks very highly of you. I regret that we could not meet under better circumstances. But with your strength at our side, we cannot fail.

From what I've been able to glean so far, some fell magic commands these creatures to kill, indiscriminately, and they've taken to those instructions like a shark to water. They aren't people, with hopes or dreams or families waiting for them back home. Don't hold back. I'll leave this channel open. If you require aid, you have only to think it, and it will be given.[/bg]

"A war beast felled with a wave of the hand! How in..."

"Magic, you fool!"

"Master Magus, while I do not question the need for your aid, I am surprised that the Order has permitted your leave! My thanks for halting that beast..."

"Incoming!"

"Stand firm!"

[bg=#BF0000]"I will not stay my hand for the sake of decorum while innocent lives lay in harms way. But we will have time for mutual clarification later, when the danger is not so immediate."[/bg]

The Scarab turned her attention to the pack of greenskins, glancing back and forth between them in a quick appraisal, searching for any who seemed even slightly larger, stronger, faster, or more ferocious than his comrades. She glared at her chosen target and raised her fingers to her temples. Another burst of golden light exploded forth from above her eyes. The light expanded into a series of expanding rings just as last time, but they quickly evaporated.

[bg=#BF0000]"Their fury is like the raging waters of a river during a flood. The currents of their bloodlust cannot simply be dammed up. But their flow can be redirected..."[/bg]

A charging beastman's eyes and forehead glowed scarlet for a moment, and then he felt the voices of The Scarab behind his eyes.

[bg=#BF0000]Master commanded you to "Destroy." Master does not care whose blood you spill. Only that it flows freely. Why attack the humans, when they are so far away, and others are already within reach? Why wait another moment? Destroy now.[/bg]

[Quinn]

Scarab

The words flowed off the beast's mind like water on rock, the word "Destroy" remaining in it's meagre mind above all things. The five barreled into the line of warriors before the Scarab, sending two flying past her to hit the ground in pain, while another was trampled underneath the monstrosities' feet. Great green claws from one of the beasts filled the armored psychic's vision for a moment...

"Protect the Magus!"

The captain that had spoken to her lunged forward, planting his shield into the gut of the creature and knocking it back as his brethren pushed forward, blades singing in the air. Two blades bounced off the skin of the gelatinous creatures, but one spear struck home as the attacker roared a mighty battle cry.

"No quarter! Drive them back!"

Atlas

The landing of the great red hulk had surprised even the monsters, and a great mass of them circled warily. In the distance, Atlas could see a small group of warriors trying to punch their way through the bulk of the horde surrounding him, but the sheer number was impeding their progress. The clicking of clawed hands grew louder as a few began approaching, all gnashing teeth and vicious eyes...

[Geez3r]

Read you loud and clear. responded Atlas telepathically to Scarab. Something that likely caught her off guard, as he used his own brand of telepathy to do so. Despite the initial surprise, Scarab's mental expertise quickly deduces the source and the fact that it is incapable of determining her inner thoughts, due both to design and her own impressive mental fortitude. Ve vill have vords after ze battle. It vill be fun. finished Atlas.

Eying the surrounding area, Atlas smirked, seeing he had attracted quite the crowd. Good, that would make things much easier. And even better, there were no soldiers around that could get in the cross fire. Hunkering down, Altas suddenly leap high into the air, nearly a full 60ft! As he reached the height of his arc, he pulled his arms back and unleashed a mighty clap, sending an absolutely tidal force of air hurtling towards the ground. It rippled throughout the battle field, stirring up dirt and debris, but for those who were unfortunate enough to be caught under Atlas, it was as if they were being crushed into the ground by the very hand of god. And an angry one at that. A moment later, Atlas touched back down onto the battlefield, in a now wide open space.

[Quinn]

Atlas

Three monsters leapt forward just as Atlas made his mighty jump, their claws flashing in the sunlight as they slashed through open air. And thusly, they were at the epicentre when the shockwave descended onto the mass of monsters. For a moment, they seemed to stagger, a couple even standing...but after a few seconds of pressure, the mass of them buckled and gave in, their gelatinous bodies flattening into the grass and melting into small pools. When Atlas hit the ground, he saw the warriors that had been trying to reach him marching forward slowly, some looking absolutely stunned, others frightened. Many took up their weapons and kept them pointing at the mighty hero. The leader of the band stepped forward and eyed Atlas with a critical gaze, before speaking in a surprisingly stable...and feminine voice.

"You descended from the sky, flattened those monsters as if it was ease itself...yet you look as if you should march by their side...what manner of man are you?"

Gabriel

The five monsters looked at Gabriel, then one let out a harsh laugh. These ones seemed unlike the others fighting on the field, armored and wielding weapons along with their vicious claws. And, unlike the other creatures on the battlefield...this one spoke.

"Foolish man-thing. Our master has given us orders, and we shall obey. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy!"

It's fellows took up the cry with vigor, gnashing their teeth and smashing weapons onto crude shields. The men behind Gabriel stared at the floating figure, some muttering words; "A master magus..." "But the Tower said..." "Stow it! Get the men onto stretchers, MOVE!"

The final speaker, an armored warrior with no helm, stepped up beside the floating hero. Several others who had followed him over to the wounded began carrying them away, others holding weapons over their brethren, on guard. As for Gabriel's new comrade, he wielded an ornate greatsword in thick, muscled arms, and his face was grizzled and scarred. His hair and beard were as white as Gabriel's costume, but still carried himself with a proud bearing. He spoke, and his tone brooked no argument.

"These monsters wreaked havoc on my men. I know not from whence you came, stranger, but permit me to aid you, and deliver unto them in kind."

[KnightDisciple]

"These monsters threaten the helpless. They crave destruction. I need no other reason to stand against them."

Suddenly, his left hand flung towards the creatures; there was a sudden loud sound. The man next to Gabriel would hear what sounded like a clap of thunder from just a couple miles away.

To the monsters, it was as if the thunder was within their very ears!

"Now, foul beasts, you shall feel the true measure of righteous wrath!"

Gabriel floated above the (hopefully) disoriented creatures, focusing himself for a moment...before unleashing a terrible wave of sonic energy down upon them! It twisted and dug its way into their hides, seeking to make them as vulnerable as crippled lambs.

"Strike now, brave warrior! Their defenses should be lessened!"

[Quinn]

Gabriel

The monsters reeled under the sheer barrage of sound, clutching at their ears and screaming in defiance as Gabriel's powers struck again and again. When the second barrage hit, all except one were driven to their knees, and the last stared up with furious eyes as the blessed hero hung in the air above them. It was that one who the warrior struck at, leaping forward with his greatsword in a scything arc...which the monster caught. It stared at Gabriel's new ally with those angry eyes, then savagely thrust it's claws into the man's belly as another one sought to slash across the man's back. The back-blow missed, but the claws themselves went right through his armor...which was promptly replied by a thunderous blow as the fighter boxed the creature's ears, causing it to let him go.

But neither was Gabriel immune to danger, as three of the monsters swung their arms back and flung wicked-bladed spears into the air. Two arced by Gabriel without a problem, but the last struck clean on his shoulder. Fortunately for the hero, his coat fell firm and he rolled with the strike, causing the spearpoint to slide off and fall, clattering to the ground as the monster cursed. The monsters began to reform, the three who threw their spears unsheathing wicked-bladed swords...

Arcturus & Fulcrum

As Marcus lay on the ground cogitating, three warriors in full armor, one bearing a mace and shield, one a halberd, the other a greataxe, took up positions around him, swinging their weapons at any creature that dared to come by.

"What the bloody 'ell...how'd you get 'ere?! Where's yer armor and weapons?" "Ask 'im later once we're back at the wall, let's bleed these bastards!"

The ones with the halberd and greataxe started pushing outwards, expanding the circle somewhat as the one with the mace stood over Arcturus, both guarding and berating him.

"You sure as hell don't look like a City man, but now's not the time for questions. Stick with us, we'll get you safe..ty...whoa."

It was about that point that they noticed the fact that Marcus had transformed. Towering over the already impressively-sized armored men was a hirsuite beast that looked ready to tear into their enemies with tooth and fang. The man with the mace and shield summed it up nicely.

"Damn."

Fierce smiles could be seen under the three helmets. And the arrival of Fulcrum a moment later did absolutely nothing to dampen their spirits. In fact, they grinned even wider. More beastmen began to circle around the five of them, claws slashing and ready, unknowing of what exactly they were facing.

[GranspearZX]

"Weapons? Tch, yeah... right. Weapons."

Arcturus looked at Fulcrum--it took him a minute, but he did at least recognize her from their encounter with the dragon in Freedom City. He couldn't help but wonder if that little incident was at least in part related to this. There certainly was a lot of dimensional activity in the past few months; Arc could at least say that his dabbling in dimensional magic had nothing to do with it. If it had, he was sure a stern talking to from the Master Mage would come next. As she offered a hand, Arcturus smiled. With his sharp teeth, it looked almost sinister.

"I ain't gonna say 'no'."

As the beasts began to circle, Arcturus stepped forward, his toothy grin growing wider. He seemed to brace himself... and then he charged right into one of the circling monsters. For someone his size, he moved with astounding agility; he wasn't even using his claws, simply hammering fists and elbows into beastmen before they could suitably react to his presence. He still managed to look outright feral as he charged into and through one adversary after another, making the warriors on his side cringe once or twice at the brutal nature of the black-furred hero.

[Quinn]

Arcturus & Fulcrum

Contrary to Arc's expectations, the two warriors did not cringe. In fact, they cheered wildly and followed him into the fray, bellowing war cries at volumes almost equal to Arcturus's roars. The third man, obviously the leader of the three, facepalmed. Although his grin didn't disappear. Soon the two warriors had reached the ursine hero's side, covering his flanks as they literally flattened the monsters before them.

"Now this is more like it, eh Gunnar?" "Hell or plunder, Jakob!" Halberd and greataxe rose and fell as the three wreaked havoc on the enemy forces, and soon the only remainder of the beastmen were the usual gelatinous smears on the grass. The warrior wielding the mace and shield shook his head and turned to Fulcrum, offering a hand.

"Name's Lorr, and my brothers there are Gunnar and Jakob. We're the fiercest fighters in the City, some even call us the Wolves, but by the Gods! I've never seen such a sight! Where the devil did you two spring from?"

[Geez3r]

Atlas surveyed his new compatriots for a moment before answering. "Ze answer to your question vill create more questions zan answers." said Atlas rather truthfully and slowly. He stooped lower so that he didn't have to shout as loud to be heard over the din of battle. "For now, I vill tell you zat I am a friend to good men vho fight vith vigor not for zemselves, but for ze ozers vho can not fight for zemselves."

He took a knee, crouching down to look the soldiers in the eye. "I vill give you a better explanation once zis battle is over. And zis is a battle I vill end, zat I promise." he said as he extended his hand to the soldiers.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum's mind unconsciously flinched at the intrusion. After a few words, however, recognition set in and she related her mind, listening intently. Outwardly the only sign was a mild twitching of an eyebrow. Mentally, she replied while watching the were-bear rampage into the beastmen. Nice to meet you too. We'll have to properly introduce after the battle.

At which point her attention turned fully to Arcturus laying waste to the troll-like beasts. "Wow...," was all she managed before absentmindedly shaking Lorr's hand, "Not what I had in mind but good meeting you, Lorr. I'd like to know where we are actually. Anyway, you seem to have things well in hand..."

Taking off, she witnessed the carnage wrought by Atla and nodded her approval. She needed an area where aid was needed. No, the sonic-manipulating man seemed to be doing well also. But the warriors assisting the Scarab were in a bad way! Swooping down the heroine landed amongst the brutes, crashing her mighty fists atop two heads before descending into a blur of jabs and kicks!

[Quinn]

Scarab & Fulcrum

One of the beasts simply exploded underneath Fulcrum's mighty fists, the gelatinous mass making up it's monstrous body melting to the ground under the barrage. Another fist caught one of the monsters in the gut, it's graveyard-esque breath blasted from whatever lungs it had as it flew backwards, away from the warriors. The remaining knights let out a cheer as what appeared to be a blue-and-gold clad goddess descended from the heavens to aid them in the fight, and charged forward with redoubled fury. The captain stood by Scarab, his shield and sword upraised as one monster in particular tried to push past him towards the psychic...

[Quinn]

Push

The kineticist clutched his head, groaning. Looking up at an unfamiliar sky, several thoughts ran through his head, all of them unfit for public hearing. The warrior below him cursed mightily and shoved him bodily off, Push giving an "oof" as he hit the ground. As he sat up, he became very much aware of a sword-point at his throat, and he froze in place.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?! I had that beast in my sights, and you knock me down before I can slay it? I'll hand you your head, outlander!" Push's vision was filled with the blade, and as he swiftly tried to get his feet under him...another warrior raced up and seized his brother's arm, halting him in mid-swing.

"Stop! He's a Malleus, can't you see!?" The second warrior pointed at the hammer, lying on the ground beside Push, and the attacking warrior's face contorted with fury...then he curtly nodded his head.

"Just stay out of my way, witch-hunter. The battlefield is no place for your kind!" He charged off, crashing into a pair of the monsters as the other extended a hand. Push, mightily confused, took it and pulled himself up, dusting off his coat and slinging his bag over his shoulder. He noted with some disgruntlement that his head didn't even reach the warrior's shoulders as well.

"My apologies for my comrade's actions, master Malleus. His temper is quick to rouse, and battle only exacerbates it. Why are you not in the tower, guarding the Magi?" Push's sole response was a confused look, and he looked at his hammer, then back at the soldier.

"Wait, Malleus? Witch-hunter? Magi? Look, I think I fit the second, but I have no clue what you're talking abo-look out!" Push swung his hammer up and crushed in the skull of one of the creatures that sought to attack the two of them from behind, as the other warrior leapt aside and thrust a spear into another one. Then both of them noticed that while they had been talking, a rather sizeable number had encircled them. Push took another swing to keep them back, his mind awhirl. Ok, let's take stock. I don't know where I am. I don't know when I am. I don't know what I'm doing here. There's a monster staring me in the face that probably wants to eat me. I've got a reject from a Peter Jackson film at my back. I'm in a battle that wouldn't look out of place as a heavy metal music video.

These thoughts ran through his mind for several seconds, his confusion mounting steadily. He looked at the warrior, who had taken his back and drawn a greatsword, staring at the creatures with determined eyes. Back to back. In the center of an army of monsters. His hand gripped the haft of his hammer, and a wry smile creased his features.

"Well, nothing for it then..."

His hand clenched, and the ever-familiar sparks appeared in his eyes.

"Bring it on!"

[Quinn]

Meanwhile...

The battle raged around the heroes as they took stock of their situation. A mighty press nearly swept the mass of soldiers towards the wall, but the efforts of Atlas in particular broke the battle line before they could form and charge. With fresh heart, the native fighters charged forward and took the fight to the creatures...and then the ground shook. And it shook again. And before anyone could react, a massive cloud of dirt and soil spat up from the centre of the field, beastmen and humans spiraling through the air from the epicentre. What could only be described as a gigantic version of the war beasts fighting here and there climbed out of a hole in the ground, slowly stomping it's way across friend and foe towards the walls of the city!

[N/A]

[bg=#BF0000]"Blast! The fell magic that yokes the will of these creatures is too strong for even my formidable powers to redirect, let alone break."[/bg]

The Scarab turned to the green-skinned ruffian laying into the captain. [bg=#BF0000]"But my will is strong, Marauder. And your flesh..."[/bg]

She raised her arm toward the creature, her fingers splayed open, her palm facing downward. Then she squeezed them closed into a fist as she pulled her arm in a semicircle back toward her body. The creature jerked up off the ground, slowly spinning in place through the air like a flower petal borne aloft by the wind.

[bg=#BF0000]"...is weak."[/bg] The Scarab turned back to the human soldiers. [bg=#BF0000]"I appreciate your concern, but I beseech thee, look to your own safety, and that of your men. I have too many bodies on my conscience already. I'd rather not add yours to the list. And my own defenses..."[/bg]

She pointed to the gigantic monster which had just burst forth from the ground. The troll flew toward it as if fired from a cannon.[bg=#BF0000] "...are more than adequate."[/bg]

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum stopped mid swing for a split second, investigating this new beast's appearance. The fierce cast to her face spoke volumes: these beastmen were dangerous, but that, yes, that thing, far more so. Someone, whether Fulcrum or another hero, must move quickly to avoid catastrophe!

To the Scarab, so attuned to the emanations of the mind, she perceived impulses of anxiety for the warriors and civilians alike, particularly those sequestered behind the walls. But equally strong came an undercurrent of desire. The desire to hunt a worthy foe. A primordial feeling familiar to her hundred lifetimes.

But first things first. A casual backhand sent a lunging beastman reeling, and a knee to the chest buckled another. Those of martial persuasion recognized a brutal and efficient pragmatism to her fighting style, or lack thereof. If nothing else she knew precisely how to leverage her tremendous build into crippling strikes using a minimum of force.

"We must intercept that thing before it hits the wall!" she yelled while watching a living projectile fly true. Silently she hoped it would turn aside the warbeast.

[Quinn]

Scarab & Fulcrum

The flying beastman shot off like a shell from a cannon, the speed at which it flew causing a small sonic boom to erupt over the field, making both beastmen and soldier look skyward in bewilderment. The impact was such that even Scarab and her comrades could see the rippling of the siege beast's skin where it hit, it's leg nearly completely blown out by the strike of the flying brute. With a roar of pain that nearly deafened everyone in earshot, it stopped and began listing to the side, shaking it's massive head in pain and confusion.

As for the warriors around Scarab, they let out a great cheer as they saw the beast fly away, and an even greater one when the results were shown before their eyes. Fulcrum's savage barrage on the beastman before her brought them back to earth, and the captain waved his men forward. One man, wielding an axe and shield, leapt up and brought the blade down on the brute Fulcrum had thrashed, cutting it neatly in twain. Two more apiece struck at on the other two beastmen, sending them reeling away. The captain, a satisfied look on his face, snapped a very neat salute at the Scarab.

"Your defenses are indeed formidable, lady Magus. Very well, my men and I are at your disposal. We will rout these abominations from our city! For the Three Sisters!"

Atlas

The leader of the warband stared at Atlas with a piercing gaze from under the helmet, then reached up and removed it from her head. She was a handsome woman, short-cut black hair, with a regal appearance, features that would have landed her several suitors, and a hardness to her expression that would have scared away all but the most determined. She took Atlas's hand in a surprisingly strong grip (although nowhere near the mighty hero's), shaking it gravely.

"Then your timing is perfect. My men are some of the best shock troops of the City, we go to punch through their lines and strike at the sorcerer commanding this portion of this monstrous army. With your assistance, we may reach his camp without losing a single man!"

Her men shook their weapons, banging swords on shields and thrusting spears in the air, ready to do battle...and then the monster erupted from the ground. The soldiers behind the female warrior blanched as the beast appeared from the earth, gripping their weapons tightly as it began to clump towards the city. Surprise was writ on their faces shortly thereafter, when an impact from seemingly nowhere caused it to halt and wobble on it's mammoth legs.

"My gods...a monster that size would bring down the walls in seconds! The sorcerer will have to wait, we have to stop it! Now, while it's weakened!"

[Geez3r]

"It vill not get ze chance." said Atlas as he stood up again to get a better view of the beast. "Focus on ze sorcerer, leave ze beast to me." he continued clapping a hand on the commander's shoulder. "I vill rejoin you vhen I can. Good hunting." and without further ado, he leapt through the air headed straight for the giant beast.

While he was getting hang time, he contacted The Scarab telepathically again. Zere is a sorcerer controlling part of zis army on ze field of battle somevhere. he said simply, trusting a hero of The Scarab's power and expertise would put that information to good use.

But he had more pressing matters to deal with. Like the fact that when the beast recoiled, he was no longer on target. Atlas instead skidded to a halt in front of the beast, looking up at it, wondering how he was going to get a good shot in. Thankfully, the beast was about as sharp as a marble, so it though Atlas was the one to hurt it so it lashed out at him, which conveniently enough put it right into knuckle sandwich range. And Atlas was nothing if not a man who knew how to dole out the sandwiches.

*CRUNCH*

[Quinn]

Atlas

*CRUNCH*

The punch took the siege beast straight in the face as it bent down to sweep Atlas up in it's massive jaws, malevolent red eyes crossing as it stared at the impact area. For a few seconds the entire creature shook, tremors all over it's skin as the shockwave from the punch traveled up it's body...and then it just collapsed. With a colossal thud that shook the ground, it's legs gave way and the beast's body hit the dirt in front of the hero, completely out cold. For a moment, the entire battle simply stopped, faces both human and bestial turning to stare at the toppled giant before returning to the fight.

As for the mighty hero, it became readily apparent that while he had defeated the mighty beast...well, the sizeable numbers of beastmen charging around the sides and from the rear to attack him did not seem as pleased as he was at the situation.

Gabriel

The grizzled warrior leapt back as the lieutenants began swinging their swords, deflecting them with deft swings of his great blade and others bouncing harmlessly off of his armor. With speed surprising for the man's age, he shifted his feet further back, using sweeping blows to harry them as they sought to regroup and push forward towards him. A great bass rumble erupted from his mouth, and he began hurling insults at them.

"Hah, I've slain stronger than you before my breakfast, monsters! Come, come forward and meet your dooms!"

With a glance at Gabriel, he jerked his head towards the creatures, who seemed to be pushing forward in a very tight formation to overwhelm the armored warrior...