ic Fearsome Five by Five

[trollthumper]

Well. That just wan't fair. Temperance glared at the sorcerer who'd just escaped from her icy prison by turning utterly insubstantial, but swiftly reckoned there really wasn't much she could do there. The fire was still raging back in the lab, but Set had gone in to take care of any scientists still stranded in there - and while she could be pretty precise directing water to a conflagration, she was still carrying quite a few atmospheres of the stuff, and didn't want to risk hitting any magnesium or other volatile substance. Scanning the other attackers, she focused on the man with rage issues who'd just kicked a superhuman woman into a car. The perfect target to engage at this time. 

 

"You may want to cool that attitude," she said, breaking off a large chunk of water and rending it into large droplets. The droplets hung suspending in the air for half a second before crystallizing into hail stones the size of baseballs, which flew through the air at top speed and caught Diehard in the bread basket. It was only after the villain was catching his breath that Temperance realized what she'd said. Oh, God, I really did one of those puns, didn't I. 

[Gizmo]

"Ahaha! 'Cool'!" Set applauded with hearty laughter. "A moment!" Producing his smart phone from somewhere in his shendyt, tapping away with both thumbs.

Set, God of Awesome @readySETgo
Whosoever reads this tweet if you be hip inform Comrade Frost he misses cold puns most excellent! Tis on the LiveJournals, methinks? #banter

Between the sudden teleporting appearance of the godling, his boastful taunt and his disconcertingly incongruous behaviour, Guy Fawkes evidently decided he might have been better off out of the ally and back out on the street. However as he began to turn back around, legs muscles coiling under his cloaked frame, ready to spring back into motion, some two hundred pounds of ferocious lioness crashed into him, pouncing from atop a parked car.

Sekhmet threw the full force of her weight against the distracted arsonist, one paw squarely atop his painted mask. Claws drove into unyielding ceramic until cracks fanned out across its white surface like spiderwebs, chipping away the artfully rendered moustache and rosy cheeks as Fawkes' wide brimmed hat went flying off into the alleyway, landing nearby the startled scientists. Bringing her feline muzzle right next to her prey's covered face, she roared savagely, exposing massive teeth. "RRROOAWWWR!"

A flash of light and a faint click came from Set's direction as he preserved the moment for posterity. "Aaaaand uploaded! We shall have you trending yet, She Before Whom Evil Trembles!"

[Gizmo]

"Nngarh!" Khania let out a high pitched scream of fury and revulsion as she clawed at the sides of her head, massive tresses bunching up under her palms. "Grubby little mud fingers in my mind! Get out!" The alien princess' eyes abruptly shot open and twin lances on burning light struck Errant across his side, leaving parallel scorch marks across his Claremont uniform!

Blackfire, meanwhile, had decided to make good on his original plan and fought against the tangling shadows hanging about his robotic limbs long enough to heft the much abused car next to him over his head. "You oughta learn to look both ways!" he called to Temperance, an oddly metallic quality in the rough snarl as he hurled the vehicle toward her. Fortunately the agile elementalist was able to leap safely out of the way as the car's hood crumbled against the pavement with a thundering crash!

[Brown Dynamite]

The demigoddess  scanned the area for the one who had attacked her.  She wasn't able to keep track of where he had run off to in the chaos.  What she was able to notice, however, was out in the distance Errant clad in Claremont attire being assaulted by the aerial pain that had gotten under her skin.  Seeing a fellow's student's plight was enough to refocus her attention back towards her original target of interest.  Immediately the Atlantean teen sprang into action whilst the alien fiend was distracted by Errant.
 
Seeing as the vehicle Thaelia landed on was already pretty useless to its owner the Atlantean didn't think twice about lifting it up over her head and tossing it.  The automobile twisted violently through the air before making its way towards the maneuverable alien.  The Atlantean was adding to the wreckage on the scene, but the sea faring warrior figured that was simply an inevitability.  At the very least the Glamazon made sure that she could aid her fellow student.
 
"I apologize, I was trying to make her better looking on the eyes! I did not realize how much of an uphill task that endeavor was.  The dead in Tartarus would rather be subjected to torture than gaze upon it." The Glamazon shouting was directed towards Errant gauging if he was in a state to respond, but the spiteful barb was clearly meant for the air bound threat's earshot.

[TheAbsurdist]

In response he said nothing, yelled nothing, even as she let loose her searing beams of energy.  The touch of his mind still on hers, he fed on the anger, and drew on it for support against her attack feeding her rage into the telekinetic force he had thrown up in response to her attack, pushing harder as he felt the heat of her blasts scorching the uniform.  Pain adding fuel the effort until she relented.  Then he started to move, going to skin around a corner.  Errant reached out to scramble more of her senses, though he was working through buzz of the emotions all around him, and he couldn't quite grasp her thoughts.

[Gizmo]

"The gods...? Impossible!" Heka muttered to himself in a grandiose baritone easily heard by the rest of the superhuman combatants. "Bah! You play at things you could not hope to comprehends, striplings! A lesson on proper respect is in order!"

Sekhmet looked over her shoulder at the flying, translucent sorcerer, leonine head cocked to one side as she regarded him flatly. "Wait thine turn, charrrlatan. The Mistress of Dread tis occupied dispatching thine fellow."

"Charlatan?!" Heka snarled in arch fury, his substance solidifying abruptly as he gathered power about his fists. "Face the wrath of the ancient world's greatest magister!" Solid columns of arcane might blasted forth from his raised hands, striking the goddess like twin ball-peen hammers. The force knocked her off of her prey and into a pair of garbage cans in the alleyway with a clatter.

[Gizmo]

"Tsk. Stay down a moment, won't you, good citizens?" Set requested of the injured scientists, striding to the mouth of the alley and making a motion like rolling up sleeves over his bare arms. "Now, he of the blinding noggin, can you guess what claim you should not have made?" The godling stepped over the quickly recovering Fawkes, deciding to deal with one threat at a time, and raised his hands to the skies.

As he did the clouds overhead abruptly darkened, rumbling with thunder. Tracing a line in the air with his index finger, Set singled out the offending sorcerer drawing forth a bolt of brilliant crimson lightning that lanced down from overhead.

Diving to one side, Heka narrowly avoided the violent mystic attack, stumbling midair to right his flight and smooth his robes. "Bah! Your boasts mean nothing, boy, if you cannot even strike true at your target!"

Set, for his part, looked unconcerned as a smirk grew across his face and his wrist flicked in a new arcane gesture. So commanded, the lightning arced about before striking the ground and curved back around toward Heka. "Waaaiiit for it..."

[trollthumper]

Temperance watched as Set likely Tweeted her hideous pun out into the ether. One day, she'd find the person who introduced the young god to social media and do something wretched. But for now, she had greater concerns to deal with - and one of them weighed close to a ton and came at her at several miles per hour. She ducked out of the way of the car, letting out a brief sigh of relief as it soared past her and crumpled upon collision with the pavement. She knew her nature gave her a bit more resilience compared to the average being, but she really didn't want it to give it a stress test like that. 

 

"Oh," she said, "are we playing hardball?" The swirling tide behind her washed down into her hands, swiftly forming into a cat's cradle. Normally, she knew how to make a perfect sphere of ice by reflex, but this time, the ice... twisted. What should have been round and blunt gained little spikes, like the head of a mace - not sharp enough to pierce skin, but uncomfortable enough to add that extra little trace of hurt. With a flick of her wrist, the barrage of spheres tore towards Blackfire, with enough grace and discipline that nearly every one struck home. Joints, midsection, crown - if there was anywhere vulnerable on the mad cyborg, it got hit with a heavy dose of ballistic ice. 

 

"I never can get the rules right." 

[Gizmo]

The first few balls of spiked ice elicited a pained grunt from Blackfire but as the onslaught continued the unmistakable sound of metal denting and twisting out of shape creaked across the battlefield. "No way--!" the android sputtered around clenched teeth as one of his knees buckled and brought his toppling downward, as arm twisting at the shoulder at an angle that would have had an organic opponent crying out in agony. As it was, Blackfire fit the pavement face first with a resounding clang, managing to look up in Temperance's direction and mutter a resigned, "Unbelievable..." before the glow in his exposed optic powered down and the villain went still.

"N-nononoNONAURGH!" Diehard went berserk as Blackfire fell, clutching his head in both hands for a moment before launching into motion and sprinting in a zigzag pattern for Temperance. With the strength of madness the martial artist tackled the elementalist full on, catching her in the midsection and driving her backward.

[Brown Dynamite]

Glamazon charged through what could be once considered a street.  The Atlantean teen cruising with a set purpose in mind.  Finishing off the airborn menace before she could recover.  Clasping her fist together tightly she would  try and come crashing down with a clenched set of hammer fists.  Unfortunately, Khania was able to easily maneuver herself out of the way.  Leaving the statuesque Glamazon's fist to slam into the asphalt instead.  The loud crashing noise of her fist echoing forth.
 
It was a missed opportunity.  A shame.  But not enough to slow her stride fully.  In response the boastful Atlantean would set both her arms onto her hips and stand forcefully.  "Oh most exciting!  It is akin to attempting to grasp a school of fish after they have already been startled.  Come forth little fish. I wish to reach out and haul myself a fine catch."   Her eyes darting around to try and find just where Khania had gone from her field of vision.

[Gizmo]

Out from under the vicious lioness, Guy Fawkes managed to pull himself together enough to stumble out of the alleyway and back into view on the street, one arm clutching the stolen android component to his side with the opposite hand held his cracked, clawed mask to his face. The acrobatic arsonist could barely keep his feet under him but even a fraction of his usual surefooted pace had him escaping the scene with considerable haste.

Spotting him from his floating position, Heka grunted in annoyance, keeping one eye on Set's seeking bolts of lightning even as he watched Blackfire fall. "Blast it all! Get the automaton wreckage clear, you useless jester! I will not have my plans fail!"

[TheAbsurdist]

Errant caught the movement, and he broke off his efforts on Khania.  Hopefully leaving the rest with a bit of an edge still, and he pursued after Guy Fawkes, especially after hearing his shout that he was holding what the villains were after.  He was not nearly as quick, but he didn't have to be, not when he could feel the villain.  Not when he could reach out and lash out at his mind.  Though the attack couldn't quite get hold on his mind.

[Gizmo]

"Be there any sight more wretched," Set mused loudly, bounding with a skip onto the hood and then roof of a conveniently placed vehicle, "than a villain too swine-headed to learn that evil must always fail?"

With a snarl, Heka drew himself up even as he continued to hover well above the bulk of the fighting, flinging another bolt of arcane power at the godling's head. "Be silent, duplicitous blasphemer!" Set had noted well the attack that had knocked Sekhmet from her prey, however, and an almost dance-like bob at the waist kept him clear of the sorcerer's wrath. "Bah! I need not sully my hands with your defeat, only play for time!" Heka decided, his form once again taking on the transparent quality that had allowed him to slip effortlessly though Temperance's ice. With a contemptuous smirk he watched as Set's earlier attack spun about and headed back toward him.

The youthful lord of the storm pursed his own lips. "Body of the Ghost? Truly?" Raising one hand high above his head, Set snapped his fingers, bringing a second stream of crimson lightning racing downward from the darkened clouds overhead, aiming at Heka from the opposite side like a pair of flanking vipers. "Little man, who do you think invented Body of the Ghost?"

Heka had only a fraction of a second for concern to creep into his expression before both attack struck, no more deterred by his phantom form than they would have been by paper armor. With a shriek, the immortal spellcaster shuddered violently as divine lightning racked his body. As the blinding red light faded, smoke rose from Heka's robes and he faltered, wobbling unsteadily in the air.

[trollthumper]

With the cyborg down and Set engaging with the sorcerer, Temperance turned her attention to the guy in the mask, who was booking it down the street with stolen goods in his hands. She took a few steps forward, trying to close the distance between her and the fleeing bandit. "Don't run too fast," she said. "Means you'll just have to cool off longer."

 

There it is again! Does Set have an aura that just brings this crap out of people? 

 

She decided not to focus on the quality of the jab and hurled some more of the mass of water. She aimed to have it wrap around Fawkes' feet and flash freeze, but he was too swift - it froze into an icy mass harmlessly against the wall of a brick building. Can't win 'em all... 

[Gizmo]

It was Sekhmet's human form that rose back to her feet as she recovered from Heka's blast, a look of murderous anger creasing her flawless complexion and bringing an unnatural, fiery glow to her golden eyes. Posture hunched and ready to pounce, the goddess was about to dash back into the fray when a pained groan from the injured lab assistant in the alleyway with her turned her head. Hesitating a moment, she took a slow, steadying breath and stalked over to the civilians, crouching down in front of them with a sober look that could have stopped a barreling train on its tracks.

"Know not fear, mortal, for while Sekhmet tis indeed She Who Mauls, ma'at demands that I be equally the patron of healers and physicians." Without further explanation, a disk of radiant sunlight appeared about her head, illuminating the darkened alleyway like a summer day at high noon. The goddess placed her hands upon the young man and immediately pain ebbed away and bone knitted together until it was whole again.

[Gizmo]

Diehard's single-minded assault on Temperance continued unabated, with reckless punches and kicks raining down from all angles as the unhinged martial artist bounded about. Eliza kept her composure, however, and each blow was met by a sweeping cascade of water or an icy bit of armor. Meanwhile, Khania refocused on her telepathic tormentor and let lose another blast from her eye, scorching Errants shoulder with enough heat to leave a hole with blackened edges in his uniform. "Yours will be a burning, screaming death, mud ape!" she screeched, one hand still clutching the side of her head.

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia honed in on the trail of the eye beams following the trail back to its source.  The Atlantean teenager immediately sprung forward in pursuit of the airborne villainess.  Noting that while Khania was howling her threats the alien could be deemed as exposed, the Glamazon decided to take it upon herself to take advantage.  Taking to Khania's blindside, Thaelia pressed forward to attack propelling herself towards the floating villainess. The Glamazon twisted her body so as to shift all her weight into a hook that landed flush into the side of the alien's temple. "I feel as if you are doing enough screaming for everyone."  The Atlantean royal wasn't sure how much of her statement Khania was able to make out during the assault but she still took the moment to confidently raise her head up as she.

 

Resilient.  But, no matter the vile rogue shall fall as long as her attention remains divided. Due to her single minded drive to attack Khania, Thaelia had almost forgotten to check up on Errant. A slight glance in his direction was done to check on the aftermath of the earlier eye beams. Making sure there wasn't nearly as much burning as Khania had threatened to include.

[Gizmo]

The demigoddess' blow was enough to send Khania sailing backward through the air, actually passing through the incorporeal but still dazed Heka as the air over the street was suddenly crowded with disoriented villains. Down below, Guy Fawkes saw the tide of the battle slowly but surely shifting out of his allies' favour and continued to abscond as quickly as the injuries Sekhmet had inflicted upon him would allow, small flecks of cracked mask trailing behind him as he scanned the growing crowds drawn by the commotion for an opportunity to slip away.

[TheAbsurdist]

Elias didn't scream in pain, he wanted to, even as he felt his skin sear along with his uniform.  So he flung his powers at Guy Fawkes, trying to stop him from moving, to prevent a get away.  A snarl on his face as the fleeing villain slithered though his telepathic net much as he slipped through the crowd.  Changing gears he took off after Guy, at a full tilt, as he felt it was more important to stop him from getting away with that.

[Gizmo]

With Heka momentarily reeling from the divine blast of lightning, Set finally had the presence of mind to scan the rest of the battlefield, his attention drawn to Errant's dogged pursuit of the absconding arsonist. "Ho, scoundrel! Fleeing from the Lady's tender ministrations tis understandable, but creasing the brow of the masked mentalist borders on boorish!" Jogging a few steps himself to keep up and get into position, the godling made a broad circular motion with both arms, twisting them through the air. In response, sand kicked up into the air from whence there had been no sand moments before, seeping out of cracks and crannies in the surrounding buildings.

The sudden sandstorm whipped about Guy Fawkes, surging unnaturally in coiling strikes like a scorpions tail but for a moment it seemed as though the acrobatic villain was yet again just slightly too agile to be caught by the heroes' combined efforts. Set, however, coughed pointedly from behind a set of snapping fingers and the seeking sands instead snagged upon Fawkes' ankle, dragging him back downward to quickly be enveloped in a determined dune. "I have cut him to the quick, yes? Quicksand, that is, haha!"

[trollthumper]

Temperance looked across the gathered villains, trying to find a new target. Let's see... V for Vendetta's off his feet, doesn't look like I can touch the mummy, that guy's down completely... oh, look, the gymnast's still up. Better do something about that. She turned to the acrobat, who seemed to be pacing like a lion. "Might be a good idea to cut your losses," she said. "You really don't want to see what it's like at the deep end of the pool." 

 

There could have been better lines, she realized, but she'd been busy devoting her attention to hardening the water around her into pellets of ice. She hurled them off at Diehard with the speed of a pro pitcher - and watched, with some sense of despair, as he dodged every one of them, sliding under the frozen barrage. And now he likely had a reason to want to kick her ass. 

 

This is why you either learn better insults, or keep your fool mouth shut. 

[Gizmo]

"Be thee well, scholar?" Sekhmet asked the lab assistant gravely, the light fading from about her head and hand as she inspected the healed limb brusquely.

"Er, y-yeah," the young man managed, not entirely sure what had just happened but glad to no longer be bleeding all over the alleyway. "Thanks, that was amazing..."

"Be most welcome. Now!" Standing back up to her full height, the goddess punched on hand into the opposite palm. "Those responsible for thy injury must yet answer for it." Bursting forward with inhuman speed, she sprinted out of the alley toward the remaining earthbound villain just as he eluded Temperance's barrage. Without fanfare she caught the back of his head in her palm and slammed it downward, face first into the pavement with her weight and momentum behind it.

One meaty thud later the blur of divine vengeance was still again, raising her arm to lift the unconscious Diehard off of the ground. "Hm. This one seemed more sturdy." Indeed, even as they watched the cuts on his face and exposed by tears in his bright red jumpsuit were closing, bruises fading almost before they could appear, but the unstable martial artist showed no signs of awakening. "Thy distraction was well timed, Temperance. Whatever sorcery stokes this warrior, he shall trouble us no more this day."

[Brown Dynamite]

Glamazon took off in pursuit of the flung Khania intending to bring her business with the woman to a close.  Mowing through everything in her path the statuesque demigoddess actually followed the path she had sent the alien reeling through.  Running through Heka herself until the distance between Thaelia and her target became miniscule enough.  Clenching her shoulder muscles the demigoddess pushed forward using the momentum to drive her shoulder into Khania's chest.
 
The Atlantean was able to catch her target dead center which led her to believe the brawl had all but come to a close.  Unfortunately the heckling alien was actually able to recover her footing quickly enough to divert the force of the charge downwards planting them both in place.  Taking the full brunt of the running shoulder block and coming out unharmed.  "Every second you delay your defeat shall only make the inevitable more enjoyable.  Come fiend, taste the vengeance of the Daughter of the Seas."

Edited November 15, 2013 by HG Morrison

[TheAbsurdist]

Seeing that his quarry was brought down, Elias darted behind some cover, in this case a sedan at the side of the rode, and targeted one of the people in the air.  Khania was an easy choice, given she was being assaulted by the bombastic thrown together teammate in Glamazon.  Plus he remembered the eyeblasts earlier.

 

So he reached out in the hopes of grabbing and pinning, not just her mind, but her limbs as well.  Unfortunately due to the escalation of the events right now her mind eluded his grasp, just adding to his frustration at his ineffectual attempts to help.

[Gizmo]

Watching events unfold, Heka let loose a vehement string of what the Heliopolians below at least recognized as particularly severe invective. "Unfathomable stupidity!" he added in sneering English for the benefit of the locals, still clutching the scorch marks marring his robes from the divine lightning strikes. Retuning to solid form he threw a haphazard blast of mystic force in the direction of the closest hero, Errant, and turned to begin flying away, evidently deciding to abandon both his allies and their foiled plans for the salvaged robotics.

"Now, now, I would measure your stupidity as quite fathomable!" Set called back, sprinting off in the direction of Heka's flight with a reckless grin, dashing across the roofs and hoods of a row of parked cars. While the flying sorcerer's speed well outstripped the godling on foot, as Set went the clouds above darkened further and a smattering of raindrops began to land about his path.

Within moments the drizzle had become a downpour across several blocks complete with howling winds shoving back in the opposite direction, slowing Heka's retreat to an airborne crawl and battering the still discombobulated Khania about. Set on the other hand continued forward unimpeded as rain water rolled across his bear chest and arms and wind tossed his brick red dreadlocks about. With a loud, infectious bout of genuine laughter, the sheik of storms spun acrobatically about a lamppost and continued after his quarry.