2015-01-22 - No More Meddling! Jadeite's Final Challenge!
| Title: No More Meddling! Jadeite's Final Challenge! | |
|---|---|
| Summary: After a dread-inducing silence, Jadeite has issued his ultimate challenge to the Sailor Senshi. Shitennou versus Senshi, no holds barred. | |
| Who: Jadeite, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, Dark Sailor Mercury, Queen Beryl | |
| Where: Verone Aquarium | |
| OOC - IC Date: 14 May 2014 - 01/22/2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
The message came through every channel - an address that could not be ignored.
The evening's troubles began with the radio - out of the blue, every single station was filled with static. Televisions followed suit, channel after channel winking out to be replaced with darkness and test patterns. Then, just as abruptly, the darkness faded into a face. Whatever the channel, whatever the screen, the face of Jadeite could be seen. Every speaker, every radio station, sounding out in unison.
"People of Tokyo. I am Jadeite, one of the Dark Kingdom's Four Heavenly Kings. This message is for those meddling witches who dwell among you - I speak, of course, of the Sailor Senshi. Enough is enough. Tonight, your interference comes to an end - I await you at the infamous Verone aquarium. You, and you alone - fail to show yourselves, or involve others in our battle, and I will ensure that this city pays the price." He smiles cruelly, and a strange chill seems to run through the streets. "You have one hour."
Verone Aquarium is a popular attraction for tourists, with exotic aquatic life and frequent live shows. Tonight, the area immediately around it is crowded; the day had seen record visitors for the year to date, and panic in the wake of Jadeite's grand announcement led to a massive traffic jam on every road. This is helped in no small part by the fact that traffic lights seem to have frozen up and stopped working, and technical difficulties have stalled trains.
It's a hub of simmering fear, with only the aquarium itself left free of the press of humanity. Indeed, it's almost eerily quiet - the PA system echoed the general's declaration, and no one wanted to be involved in the line of fire. Even the animals seem to have picked up on the atmosphere - those few that can be found at all are quiet, watching in fear. The sun is down, there's a dull roar of fear outside, and the stars shine brightly in the dark skies overhead.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Minako Aino was leaning over the back of the couch eating a croquette and watching "just a minute" of the drama her father had fallen asleep watching when the news bulletin came on.
"People of Tokyo..."
Minako's eyes narrow on Jadeite's oh-so-familiar face as he speaks. He barely finishes his speech before Minako is running, blonde hair flying behind her. She races out of the house just in time to hear her mother ask where she was going just before she slammed the door shut.
Minako reaches for the cell in her pocket as she runs, her usually deft fingers lacking their usual coordination. The message goes out to Usagi, to Rei, to Makoto:
JDITE AT VRONE
She somehow manages to hit send at she races through a crosswalk flooded with stopped cars.
Minako doesn't stop until she reaches the aquarium, eyes frantically searching for some sign of the others before she transforms.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Kino [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Makoto has been doing a lot of baking lately, even for Makoto.
This evening it's bread; Mako had the radio on, and with her sleeves rolled back and her hands and forearms dusted with flour was focused wholly on the mindless physical rhythm of kneading dough until Jadeite's voice broke through the airwaves and shattered any pretense of normalcy.
Her fist comes down against the countertop hard enough to rattle the cutting board as Mako swears under her breath.
Then she flings a damp kitchen towel haphazardly over the lump of bread dough and turns away in her rush, grabbing for her transformation pen and her phone and her keys in that order. Minako's text comes through moments after she's out of her apartment, phone still in her floury hand. She thumbs out a terse reply as she jogs: 'OMW'
On my way.
She spots Minako outside the aquarium quickly, and Makoto beelines toward that bright banner of long blonde hair with its red ribbon as soon as she arrives. "Hey," she says, a little breathless from the run or maybe just from adrenaline. Just that one word, for now. Her mouth is tight, and there's a spark of anger building in her worried eyes.
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
In spite of everything that's happened to her in the last few months, Ami Mizuno has a hard time ignoring a message for "the Sailor Senshi." When Jadeite's message hits the radio, she's studiously working on homework -- something of a change relative to the last few months, to be sure. Her neutral expression shades rapidly into a frown. A whirl of emotions clouds her mind -- something she'd been /hoping/, desperately, to retreat from.
Unfortunately, there's no retreating from this; it's on every channel, every station. With that in mind... Ami draws up to her full height, slow and sure, and starts toward the aquarium.
By the time she arrives, she's Changed Over; it wouldn't do to arrive as Ami Mizuno -- not in this situation. She doesn't look for the others, save to avoid them; she finds a rear entrance, and stays there, for the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Hino [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Rei had been sitting in a meditative position by the shrine's pond, practicing her pronunciation of mantras, prayers, and chants by speaking along with a CD that she'd burned over. She had requisitioned her grandpa's boombox for this task, her own recorded voice sounding tinny and pinched over its speakers.
"Naniwa-zu ni...Sakuya Kono Hana...Fuyu-go--"
Her brow furrows at the hissing pop of static. There's no reason for that..the stereo has a radio but she wasn't using it. Standing in irritation, wondering if it broke on her, she's midstride as the voice breaks out. Cursing quietly, she listens until she hears the villain name a place. As soon as "Verona Aquarium" makes its way through the speakers, she's on the move.
She transforms first. If Jadeite really just blasted on all channels, then there's not much sense in hoping for a low profile..better to come wearing warpaint.
Then, she runs...she gets Minako's text on the way, although she doesn't reply to it. She can tell she's close when the roads pack up and back up with cars, bumper to bumper. Some people cheered for her, and some people stared at her, maybe resentful that they were in danger because of the Senshi. Mostly they just seemed scared.
Finally arriving, she spots Makoto and Minako, untransformed. She walks towards the entrance but doesn't act like she knows them. When she speaks, it's as Sailor Mars, to two hapless students caught up in a crisis. "You two shouldn't be here, it's dangerous. Try to get out of here, or at least find somewhere to hide. The Sailor Senshi will handle this!"
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
The commotion makes reaching the aquarium proper rather difficult; those few in a position to accept Jadeite's challenge are forced to fight against the flow of the evacuating crowds. It's fastest to go on the streets - with traffic as blocked as it is, passing between stopped cars is easy.
The building itself, however, is as silent and abandoned as a tomb. Having been evacuated in a hurry, half the lights have been left on - the halls and tanks are an eerily eclectic mix of light and dark. Here and there, a fish or other marine lifeform might be seen - but immediately cowering, trying to hide.
The central area, left open to the air, is another story. The stars may twinkle, but spotlights shine bright. Shadows and reflections abound, spots of light decorating the walls around. The pool, normally a venue for dolphin shows and the like, has been frozen and shaped into pillars of ice - like some grand temple or ancient castle.
Jadeite stands at the far end, atop the stands that provide seating. He descends slowly, false calm in his expression betrayed by simmering anger. "How many times has it been? How many times have you interfered in my plans, set me up for mockery? How often have those abominable speeches rung out?"
A sickly green light begins to shine around him, throwing his features into sharp relief, illuminating unadulterated hatred. "Enough is enough. My next return to the Dark Kingdom shall be one of triumph - you three dragged before Beryl's throne, that I might take a legion to hunt down your allies too cowardly to show themselves. Tonight, your meddling /ends/."
COMBAT: Jadeite transforms into Jadeite! COMBAT: Jadeite has fully healed himself. He is now ready to take on 3 opponents! COMBAT: Rei Hino transforms into Sailor Mars! COMBAT: Sailor Mars has fully healed herself. COMBAT: Makoto Kino transforms into Sailor Jupiter! COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has fully healed herself. COMBAT: Ami Mizuno transforms into Youma Form Dark Sailor Mercury! COMBAT: Minako Aino transforms into Sailor Venus! COMBAT: Sailor Venus has fully healed herself. COMBAT: Ami Mizuno has fully healed herself.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Minako nods at Sailor Mars, then looks at Makoto for nonverbal confirmation before racing to the side of the building. Minako digs into her pocket, pulls out her transformation pen, then raises it skyward.
"Venus Power, Make Up!"
Ribbons of orange circle the girl, transforming Minako Aino into the pretty sailor soldier, Sailor Venus.
It's only after Jupiter transforms that Venus enters through the same doors Mars burst through moments before.
"Jadeite...!"
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Ice -- Ami's natural environment!
Dark Sailor Mercury strides into the central area, taking a deep breath; even if she hasn't been at her best, lately -- she's not here to get involved. She's here to watch -- no more, no less. Walking evenly to the edge of the pool as Jadeite speaks, she brings a hand slowly up. At first, it seems as though she intends to form the blade of ice she's taken up since taking on her new duties, but instead...
... all that manifests is a chair, high-backed, with armrests. Even if she's not quite feeling it, she takes up a seat with a sharp little smile. "Don't mind me," she notes, with a wry smile. "I wouldn't hurt a hair on any of your heads... for now." There's not the tiniest bit of aggression in her posture; she seems downright settled, despite the situation.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
"Jupiter Power, Make Up!"
In a swirl of crackling electricity, Makoto Kino becomes Sailor Jupiter, and joins Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus in charging on into the aquarium building proper to meet the Dark General who's waiting to confront them.
She comes to a stop just a little behind her fellow senshi, hands closed into fists at her sides, and lifts her chin to stare defiantly up at Jadeite as he declares his intentions. Ami's arrival onto the scene makes Makoto flinch, however; her shoulders hitch upwards for a moment, and her eyes widen in surprise and alarm and - something. "Mercury--!"
One thing at a time, she tells herself firmly. They can't afford to split their attention any more than they can avoid. If Ami's not planning to get involved--
Sailor Jupiter's green eyes fix on Jadeite again, and her mouth curls into a scowl. "You're sure talking big, same as always," she calls to him. "Too bad for you--" Lifting her hands, she brings her palms together in front of her, and when they part again electricity stretches between them in a trembling arc. "--I'm really mad now!"
With no more warning, she flings her hand outward, a snap of her fingers releasing the lightning to streak towards Jadeite like a lance of quicksilver.
COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has used Jupiter Thunderbolt on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite narrowly dodges Sailor Jupiter's Jupiter Thunderbolt, taking 6 Fatigue damage! Jadeite is Quipped! Jadeite's Fade ability activates! Jadeite's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Sailor Mars is glad to see Venus and Jupiter..she isn't sure what's up with Usagi these days, and with Ami still afflicted, it's become harder for her to be sure that she isn't going to go into danger alone. The three of them can handle whatever may be in store, she's sure of it!
The aquarium has an eerie atmosphere..as a battleground, she has mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, all of the water makes it a little easier to hope that she isn't going to burn the place down. On the other hand, she's surrounded by countermeasures.
And then there's...the ice temple. It definitely earns a few rapid blinks. It seems he really isn't going to run this time..or at least he doesn't think he will. And..and Ami. Sitting and watching from her own icy throne. Her chest tightens a little..it can't be helped. She doesn't seem like she means to do anything more than watch, at least..
So Mars ignores her, or at least does a convincing job of pretending. Flinging her finger at Jadeite, her gaze is hard and her words are harder. "This is your last night, fiend! The last time you terrorize this city! In the name of Mars, I will chastise you!"
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used In The Name Of Mars on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite narrowly braces Sailor Mars's In The Name Of Mars, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Sailor Mars is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Venus. Mars. Jupiter. Three of the Senshi who have been troubling the Dark Kingdom for months on end, before him at last. Jadeite takes a moment to savour the moment - this is the chance he begged for, the opportunity to obtain revenge for every last youma fallen in Beryl's service. His enemies arrayed before him, with no interlopers to worry about.
Mercury's arrival is, frankly, not surprising - he has been plotting this assault on the Senshi for weeks now. He doesn't spare her a glance - only a handful of words. "Too right. If anything is left of them after Beryl has had her revenge - perhaps you can beg my Queen for a chance."
It's enough of a diversion from his mission that the Senshi are beginning to rally. He steps forward, toward the lightning bolt, hiding a flinch as it sears past his head. Mars chastises him, and he meets the words with a dark glare. And Venus - best act before she unleashes her reputed might.
"Oh, I assure you. There will be no more of my schemes ruined by you three - this war between us comes to an end tonight!" The enemy has set foot into the makeshift temple - and patience pays off. He gestures sharply, and the ice pillars nearest to the Senshi explode - cascading into a blinding, overwhelming tide of frost and sleet.
COMBAT: Jadeite has used The Devil You Know on Sailor Mars. COMBAT: Jadeite has used The Devil You Know on Sailor Jupiter. COMBAT: Jadeite has used The Devil You Know on Sailor Venus. COMBAT: Jadeite has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Mars narrowly braces Jadeite's The Devil You Know, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Tangle and Trap applied to Sailor Mars! COMBAT: Sailor Venus fails to dodge Jadeite's The Devil You Know, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Tangle and Trap applied to Sailor Venus! COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter fails to brace Jadeite's The Devil You Know, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Tangle and Trap applied to Sailor Jupiter!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Venus' jaw clentches at the sight of Mercury, watching from her throne. Her eyes don't linger long, as they fall back onto the Dark Kingdom general the moment he begins to speak.
And then he attacks; Minako attempts to react -- to move out of the way -- but fails; she's thrown back and to the ground, tiny ice shards speckling her skin.
Minako pulls herself to her feet, then wipes her lips with the back of her glove.
"I shall deliver love's heavenly vengeance! In the name of Venus, I will end this!"
Venus raises flings her arm out and then another, an orange heart spiraling widlly as it grows in intensity. "Rolling Heart... Vibration!"
With a single swift gesture, Venus flings the heart in Jadeite's direction.
COMBAT: Sailor Venus has used Rolling Heart Vibration on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Venus has finished attacking.
Huh? (Type "help" for help.)
COMBAT: Jadeite fails to brace Sailor Venus's Rolling Heart Vibration, taking 20 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Sailor Venus is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Seated on her icy throne, Dark Mercury -- no, Ami Mizuno -- watches the Senshi strike out toward Jadeite. She can't help them -- that she knows; even if her heart is no longer truly in it for the moment, it is her purpose in no small part to deal with them, in particular.
If they were to die here, she thinks, that would be ideal; what remains of the conflict in her heart would diminish -- become manageable, and ultimately, she could numb herself to it. She begins, in spite of herself -- in spite of the friends who have stuck with her for so long -- to root for the representative of the Dark Kingdom...
...but really would rather not, it seems, stand up and take the field alongside him. Best to simply watch. She says nothing.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
The trap springs, pillars erupting into a deluge of ice. It's too late for Sailor Jupiter to leap clear, and she doesn't try, just throws one of her arms up to shield her face while the other curls defensively in front of her. The shock of cold takes the breath right out of her lungs.
Ice crusted over her skin and clothes makes it that much harder to move; it cracks as with gritted teeth Makoto jerks her foot free of the layer of ice that threatens to seal it to the floor and takes one stiff step forward. She makes herself not look toward Ami. "You haven't won yet, Jadeite!" Mako shouts instead. "We're still getting started!"
She lifts her arms over her head, more ice flaking away in a shower of glittering fragments, and a wind picks up in answer to her call to swirl around her with the fragrant warmth of spring. A splash of deep pink blooms against the white of her gloves, scattering petals into that wind until the air is thick with them, a dizzying vortex that focuses itself on Jadeite. "Flower Hurricane!"
COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has used Flower Hurricane on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
As shards of icy shrapnel blow up in her face, Rei throws her hands in front of her eyes, a billowing bellow of flame bursting out to shield her from the onslaught. It works, but not perfectly. She takes a few cuts from the bigger chunks, the ones that didn't melt in the firewall, and it's certainly broken her advance.
Not one to let things go to waste, she doesn't dissipate the flames, but draws them back to her, collecting and concentrating the conflagration into something more precise. Loops of fire surround her forearms in vortexes, like a bunch of blazing bracelets.
Putting the heels of her palms against one another, her fingers fanned and outstretched, Sailor Mars draws her hands back, and then pumps them forward. Both of the flaming twisters rocket forward, looping around one another in opposing helixes, their fierce light casting shimmering reflections amongst the ice of the temple and the glass of the water tanks.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Searing Serpent on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite narrowly dodges Sailor Jupiter's Flower Hurricane, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Jadeite's Fade ability activates! Jadeite's Flash ability activates! Blind, Stun, and Trap applied to Jadeite! COMBAT: Jadeite fails to dodge Sailor Mars's Searing Serpent, taking 22 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Like falling crystal goblets, ice sculptures shatter musically to dust. Above the cacophony, Jadeite laughs. Revels, as his declaration of war bowls over his enemies. A celebration...cut short by a harsh orange heart blazing out from the storm to slam fully into him. The ice, dramatic as it is, does not provide solid footing, and the impact sends him sliding back - right into a storm of flower petals called forth by Jupiter. A swirling vortex of beautiful colours-
And then Sailor Mars sets him on fire.
Water drips from nearby ice pillars as the conflagration blazes - and then he emerges, face twisted into an expression of fury. "Vengeance?! You want to talk about vengeance?!" Green light gathers in one hand, then rockets back along the path the heart took - a straight-up blast levelled at Venus.
And he's still moving forward. "You all just had to turn up again and again. Every time! Every time I worked to serve my queen -" He closes in on Mars and Jupiter, throwing a point-blank blast at Mars's feet before moving to assault Jupiter with his bare hands. "Over and over, you meddlesome fools had to ruin everything!"
COMBAT: Jadeite has used Blasted Senshi on Sailor Venus. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Sublime Arrogance on Sailor Mars. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Grand Melee on Sailor Jupiter. COMBAT: Jadeite has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Mars fails to dodge Jadeite's Sublime Arrogance, taking 22 Fatigue damage! Sailor Mars is Quipped! Stun applied to Sailor Mars! COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter perfectly counters Jadeite's Grand Melee, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Counter! COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter's counterattack, Supreme Suplex, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Jadeite! COMBAT: Sailor Venus fails to brace Jadeite's Blasted Senshi, taking 44 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Jadeite is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"You're the one that's ruined things!" Venus snaps back at him.
The blonde might have had more to say if she hadn't been knocked to her feet a second time -- this time by another one of Jadeite's blast of green light.
Venus doesn't get up as quickly this time -- but when she sees Jupiter drawn into melee with Jadeite, she manages to peel herself off the ground.
She launches herself into the fray, leg swinging out to catch Jadeite's own and knock him groundward.
"Sailor V Kick!"
COMBAT: Sailor Venus has used Sailor V Kick! on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Venus has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite fails to brace Sailor Venus's Sailor V Kick!, taking 18 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Sailor Mars had never heard Jadeite rave like this. She hadn't expected him to able to aim so well with his composure so apparently compromised, but he dispelled that notion when he blew up her feet. "You can't fight as a team. That's why you'll never win!"
He's fighting like his back is to the wall..maybe it is. For all their many run ins, most of this man and his motivations are mysterious. It's hard to predict what may be going on in his head at any given time..but if he's feeling cornered then he'll be particularly dangerous.
His rampage is brought to a screeching halt by Sailor Jupiter's strength. As he's tied up in the grapple, it seems that Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus had similar ideas, both rushing up to flank the distracted deva.
Pressing an Ofuda to her forehead and whispering the words to empower it, the ink of the written characters bursts into flames, little lines of heat that don't expand beyond the borders of the words. As it stands, stiff and straight, casting off occasional embers, Sailor Mars lifts it high into the air, and slaps it at the back of Jadeite's neck, as hard as her hand can handle.
"Hyah!~"
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Evil, Begone! on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite narrowly dodges Sailor Mars's Evil, Begone!, taking 37 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Jadeite's Fade ability activates! Jadeite's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
"--Venus!" Sailor Jupiter calls out to her teammate in alarm when Jadeite's energy blast brings her to the ground. There's no time to go to either of the other senshi's aid, however - Jadeite is coming at her, and Jupiter's eyes narrow dangerously.
When the space between them closes and Jadeite's fists lash out at her, Makoto is poised and ready.
She's learned respect for the raw physical power that the Shitennou can bring to bear, and rather than meet the assault head-on strength for strength, at the last moment Jupiter shifts her stance and turns in place. Her open hands meet and deflect the Dark General's charge, redirecting all that momentum harmlessly away from her and turning it against *him* instead.
And then Venus and Mars are both there to press the advantage, giving Jupiter a chance to step back and gather herself.
"That's right," she states firmly, with a preparatory roll of her shoulders as one of her fists presses into the opposite palm. "And as long as you go on trying to steal people's energy like you think you can do whatever you want, we're going to *keep* stopping you!"
Energy sparks over her fingers as she lunges into motion, driving an electrified punch towards Jadeite with all of her might.
COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has used Lightning Fist on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite fails to counter Sailor Jupiter's Lightning Fist, taking 30 Fatigue damage! Sailor Jupiter is Psyched! COMBAT: Jadeite's counterattack, Grand Melee, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Sailor Jupiter!
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Jadeite's temper, already reduced to bare threads, frays further. Magical explosions ravaging the area, he goes to throttle Sailor Jupiter - but a swift exchange somehow leads to him tumbling through the air. Mid-air, as he tries to recover, a blindingly fast kick slams into his gut to bring him down to earth once more. Mars's talisman, he notices at the last moment - too late to avoid entirely, just soon enough to catch it on one arm instead of his neck.
As hot as the flames might be, the anti-evil inscription burns far worse. The man is forced to let out a yell as pain sears in - and meeting Jupiter's lightning charge with strikes of his own is terribly hindered by the disabled arm. With a thunderous crack, he's sent flying back into one of the ice pillars.
Even without outside interference, he's still outnumbered three to one. Perhaps he should have brought the other Shitennou - fought as a team, like Mars suggested?
...never. To allow them to overshadow his glory, to take the advice of one of the blasted Senshi? Never. Unacceptable.
"...like I /think/ I can do what I want? Understand this, girl - by Queen Beryl's authority, I hold dominion over a quarter of this planet. Can you say the same? What grants you the right to oppose your betters?!" Ice splinters, cracks, erupts into spikes tinged with a sickly green aura. To the left, a storm to envelop Mars; to the right, a larger spire to menace Venus. And in the middle - with both hands, Jadeite unleashes another energy blast to hammer Jupiter.
Now, he's keeping his distance, gathering his full strength.
COMBAT: Jadeite has used Vicious Barbs on Sailor Venus. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Vicious Barbs on Sailor Mars. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Blasted Senshi on Sailor Jupiter. COMBAT: Jadeite has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter narrowly braces Jadeite's Blasted Senshi, taking 6 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Jadeite is Psyched! Sailor Jupiter's Block ability activates! Sailor Jupiter's Parry ability activates! COMBAT: Sailor Venus narrowly counters Jadeite's Vicious Barbs, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Sailor Venus's Reverse ability activates! Jadeite drains 4 fatigue from Sailor Venus! COMBAT: Sailor Venus's counterattack, Love-Me Chain Bind, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Jadeite! COMBAT: Sailor Mars narrowly braces Jadeite's Vicious Barbs, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Jadeite drains 4 fatigue from Sailor Mars!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
As Jadeite levels his assault, Minako reaches for the chain at her waist and with a flick of the wrist, sends it flying towards him, intending to bind the dark general with the chain of hearts.
It's not enough. Her chain whips against Jadeite's attack, knocking it off course -- but still, Jadeite's blow lands true.
"Earth isn't something that can be possessed by anyone!" she argues. But there's no time for talking; they absolutely can't lose!
"Mars! Jupiter!" Venus looks at both of them, then nods.
She's the one to start. Raising one gloved hand, two crescent moons sitting back-to-back form over a single pointed digit.
"Crescent..."
Then she directs the finger at Jadeite--
"Beam!"
--sending a penetrating beam of yellow light towards him.
COMBAT: Sailor Venus has started a combo targeting Jadeite!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
As Jadeite levels his assault, Minako reaches for the chain at her waist and with a flick of the wrist, sends it flying towards him, intending to bind the dark general with the chain of hearts.
It's not enough. Her chain whips against Jadeite's attack, knocking it off course -- but still, Jadeite's blow lands true.
"Earth isn't something that can be possessed by anyone!" she argues. But there's no time for talking; they absolutely can't lose!
Raising one gloved hand, two crescent moons sitting back-to-back form over a single pointed digit.
"Crescent..."
Then she directs the finger at Jadeite--
"Beam!"
--sending a penetrating beam of yellow light towards him.
COMBAT: Sailor Venus has used Crescent Beam on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Venus has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
The fight proceeds -- and Dark Mercury begins to get the very real sense that the Senshi might yet lose it. Minako seems to be flagging a little bit, despite her forceful stand. Could this be it, then? Could the Senshi lose at least one of their number here? Even a single loss -- that might be enough to push her away...
The back and forth between the Shitennou and his opponents has Ami more on edge than she'd care to admit. Given the circumstances, though, she does her best to remain calm, cool, and imperious in her seat. "Are you sure you don't need any help, Jadeite...?" she calls, with a knife's edge of a smile. It's not as though he /totally/ lacks the chance to fight together with someone, rather than alone...
COMBAT: Jadeite fails to dodge Sailor Venus's Crescent Beam, taking 28 Fatigue damage! Jadeite is Quipped!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
The blast of energy pushes Sailor Jupiter backwards, the heels of her boots gouging furrows into the ice as she grits her teeth and braces herself against the force of it. It leaves her uniform singed, steam curling up from her arms where the last of the ice has evaporated, but despite the pain she manages to keep her feet and glare defiantly back at Jadeite.
"What gives *us* the right?" she repeats him, tone almost incredulous. "We are the guardians of love and justice! We protect the people of this planet. And *you* have dominion over *shit!*"
The golden beam from Venus is followed by a flash of lightning, another of those slender arcs of bright energy flung from Makoto's fingertips to seek her enemy.
COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has used Jupiter Thunderbolt on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite narrowly dodges Sailor Jupiter's Jupiter Thunderbolt, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Jadeite is Quipped! Jadeite's Fade ability activates! Jadeite's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Jadeite was piping mad and doing some damage, but he seems to be getting increasingly unhinged. Sailor Mars has tired herself out a little more quickly in this fight than she'd have hoped..it's exhausting staying ahead of all this fury.
She tries her firewall again with the new flak attack..it helps, but less so. Metal thorns don't melt as easily as shards of ice unfortunately..at the edge of her perception she can almost make out the shimmering veins sucking slivers of her strength back to add to that of her opponent.
Maybe slowing him down..perhaps the cards can help her once more. Bringing the ofuda to her forehead, she leaps back, praying from the start to the finish of her aerial arc. Two beats after she lands, she's recited the words, and lent her power to the paper.
She throws..and it follows its own gossamer strand of fate, ushered along to find the 'Heavenly King...' and hopefully strike true.
COMBAT: Sailor Mars has used Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen! on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite fails to dodge Sailor Mars's Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Analysis performed by Sailor Mars! Stun applied to Jadeite!
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Just another few moments, and he'll have enough power gathered to bring the building down - to crush all the Senshi here in one fell swoop. Vengeance and glory all at once - broken pieces of nearby stands begin to rise up in anticipation of the coming storm. And then-
Blazing yellow, Sailor V's famed Crescent Beam drills past Jadeite's defences, piercing through in a blaze of light. The gathering power flickers, and the need to duck another lightning bolt dispels the power entirely. Another talisman flies out, and its gentle landing practically slams him again - furious, he tears it off moments later.
Mercury speaks up, offering assistance - and with a negligent wave of his hand, Jadeite shatters the ice pillar nearest to her. "I need no help from some miserable slip of a girl - I am Jadeite of the Four Heavenly Kings! And these Senshi-"
He whirls upon the trio facing him, practically snarling. "You girls claim that /love/ gives you the right to intrude on the Kings' world?! Know your place - and bow before your betters!" Only one arm is at full strength, but that's more than enough for his purposes. His burnt arm comes up, throwing another wild blast at Jupiter - and then he vanishes only to descend on Mars and Venus with a swift pair of kicks.
COMBAT: Jadeite has used Blasted Senshi on Sailor Jupiter. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Grand Melee on Sailor Mars. COMBAT: Jadeite has used Grand Melee on Sailor Venus. COMBAT: Jadeite has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter fails to dodge Jadeite's Blasted Senshi, taking 39 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Jadeite is Psyched! COMBAT: Sailor Mars narrowly dodges Jadeite's Grand Melee, taking 13 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Sailor Mars's Fade ability activates! Sailor Mars's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Sailor Venus fails to dodge Jadeite's Grand Melee, taking 21 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Venus is knocked back by Jadeite's kick and is only standing by sheer force of will. Though Venus' expression reveals nothing, for a second after the attack, her legs tremble unsteadily before she regains control.
Venus knows her limitations, though she's loathe to admit them. If she doesn't give it her all now, there's no telling if she'll get another chance.
Venus flings her arm skyward.
"Venus Power!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sailor Venus has started a combo targeting Jadeite!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Sailor Mars whirls around as Jadeite appears behind her..but by the time she's facing him, he's already halfway into his strike. Darting back, his kick nonetheless catches her on the chin, snapping her head and forcing her to regroup. The battle's wear and tear is showing on everybody now..it's just a matter of finishing it first.
When Sailor Venus sounds the call, Mars knows that it's time. The frozen palace has become a melting mockery of its recent self..after this it surely won't be standing. Taking to Sailor Venus' side, she smiles to her, and throws her arms to the heavens, shining with a growing glow.
"Mars Power!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sailor Mars has joined the combo started by Sailor Venus!
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
She tries to duck out of the way of the energy blast, but Sailor Jupiter's reflexes just aren't quick enough and the wild shot slams directly into her with enough force to knock her off her feet and drop her hard onto the ice.
There's no time to be stunned by the blow. The moment she can get her hands underneath her, Makoto surges back upward, scrambling back onto her feet so that she can join the other two.
She places herself at Minako's other side, opposite Rei, and the green gem in the center of her tiara flashes as Jupiter thrusts her arm upward to raise her open hand toward the heavens.
"Jupiter Power!"
Colored light glows around the three of them as their power builds, scarlet and gold and green reaching up towards the sky... and the heavens open. As one, the three senshi unleash the might of their guardian planets onto Jadeite in a spiraling column of pure incandescent power. "SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sailor Jupiter has joined the combo started by Sailor Venus!
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Dark Mercury gets a response to her offer of help -- and promptly brings one of her hands up to shield her face from the downpour of ice that accompanies that response. It's not much of one -- it's an offhand gesture, and leaves only tiny cuts and scratches behind, rather than a full-on attack -- but it makes Jadeite's stance /very/ clear.
"... Thank you," she says softly, standing up from her throne of ice, "for making your position so clear." She looks out toward the senshi, watching them gather their power together.
... that's something she can't be a part of... but it's definitely something she's not going to stop. Despite Jadeite's insistence, she has every reason to; Dark Fall would be /much/ worse off for the loss of one of its Shitennou.
Which is exactly why she just starts walking away, skipping away from the formerly-frozen palace as it continues to melt away thanks to Sailor Mars's sheer power. Taking up position on the stands themselves, she does absolutely nothing to stop what's about to happen -- save walking the stands at a leisurely pace, just to make it /abundantly/ clear how much she could be doing to stop the Senshi... and how much she isn't.
The data diamond on her forehead seems faintly bluer, for just the tiniest flash of a moment -- though that could be a trick of the icy light.
COMBAT: COMBO! FINISHER! Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter have used Sailor Planet Attack on Jadeite. COMBAT: Sailor Venus has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Mars has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sailor Jupiter has finished attacking. COMBAT: Jadeite fails to counter Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter's Finisher, Combo: Sailor Planet Attack, taking 436 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Jadeite is unable to keep fighting! COMBAT: Sailor Venus is unable to keep fighting! COMBAT: FINISHER! Jadeite's counterattack, Astonishing Telekinesis, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Sailor Venus! Sailor Venus is unable to keep fighting!
<Pose Tracker> Jadeite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
"This, Sailor Senshi!" As the debris settles from Jadeite's latest assault, he takes a moment to grandstand. In spite of his confidence, he is suffering - fire and lightning and piercing light having all ravaged him at one point or another. And yet - and yet, the Senshi still seem to be getting the worst of it. "This is the fate of all who oppose the Dark Kingdom! Now, kneel before-"
The heavens open. The spotlights illuminating this makeshift arena seem dim by comparison, light reaching up to three planets in prayer. The wrath of the guardians made manifest. Judgement, bearing down on him.
Mercury's departure is noticed, but goes uncommented. He never expected, not requested, help from someone like that. He is Jadeite of the Four Heavenly Kings, first among Beryl's subordinates, and has more than enough power to deal with three meddling girls!
Sickly green light blazes in fury - shattering the entire frozen pool, creating a massive telekinetic storm. The full wrath of Jadeite, turned against the spiraling column of planetary power.
It is akin to throwing a snowball at an avalanche.
Everything shines, the only thing louder than the roaring storm of power is Jadeite's scream of agony. It burns, it ravages, it purifies - and after millennia of servitude, there is little left to him outside his dark power. Utterly engulfed, he screams out one last time -
"DAMN YOU ALL, SAILOR SENSHI!"
When the light fades, nothing remains save a few sparkling specks of green crystal dust.
<Pose Tracker> Queen Beryl [None] has posed.
In a cold place, a cold woman sits, her eyes gazing coldly into a ball that might as well be made of ice, so brightly does it shine and so mysterious are its depths. It is only outmatched by her chilly expression.
Gold, Green and Red glow as faintly -- and as easily extinguished -- as candleflames at its core, then shimmer more widely and brightly until the entire sphere, and the dark hall in which a dark court watches its dark mistress watch it, is ablaze with light, light, light.
Faced with this explosive radiance, some of the beings gathered at the foot of the throne cast eerie shadows. Others cast none at all. Some reflexively shield their eyes. Others have no eyes to shield... or too many.
None of them, eyes or no, dare to meet their Queen's gaze as she traces spirals of annoyance upon her crystal ball with spiderlike fingers. Her blood-red fingernails, harder than steel, carve an anguished noise upon its surface. Blackboards can hardly compare.
She stands, and the icy floor rumbles slightly with the sudden and simultaneous step back everyone who can see her takes, like a single beat upon a massive drum.
And then she speaks.
---
"I suppose I should thank you, Sailor Senshi..." The voice is familiar only in the haunting shards of fast-forgotten dreams, but there it symbolizes defeat, despair, destruction. Death. "...for taking out the trash."
There she is, hardly a flicker to betray that she is only a ghost of light, an illusion. Mercury's supercomputer visor might be able to tell.
Her gown is the color of night, not black but a cool, empty purple, without any star-twinkling reprieve. It doesn't shimmer -- the fabric takes and holds attention and light and draws it into itself, and returns no reward, no surprise.
Her eyes are the same color as her hair, a brilliant, fiery red hotter than any hath in hell, and quite possibly more intense than anything Sailor Mars has yet summoned this evening. The latter drifts around and above her shoulders, only occasionally heeding the summons of gravity on a whim. It is her battle standard; her eyes a spear. To be held by their full regard is to be impaled.
And to hear her laughter is to be mocked by an entire playground of children who don't appreciate your wild idol aspirations; to be snickered at by boys who find height unattractive; to be avoided by classmates who claim to find you terrifyingly intimidating in your dark, mysterious sophistication, but really, they're just excluding you, aren't they?
Queen Beryl's timbre contains all the dark insinuations of the heart, that still quiet voice of doubt and fear and most of all, self-hatred, that arrives at o'dark-hundred to provide companionship along with the bedroom ceiling and the inexorable tick of the clock. It can be rationalized away. It can be willfully ignored. But it never, ever truly goes unheard.
"I promise you, your next opponent will be much more of a challenge... he will bring me your Princess," she gazes steadily at Venus, "He will bring me your Crystal," now at Mars, then Jupiter, "And I will eat each of your friends' hearts while you look on. You will beg me for your own death in exchange for their lives."
There's a deadly silence.
"And when that time comes... I will say no."
She throws back her head, the magnificent gemstones dangling from her ears the first to pick up a hint of fel green fire before it consumes her image entirely.
The laughter continues to echo long after she is gone.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Venus [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
nus manages to stay standing long enough to see Jadeite disintegrate -- and Beryl appear.
Immediately, she's on the defensive, even as she feels her strength ebbing away. Her heart is racing beneath her chest, and she couldn't tell anyone whether it was from fear or adrenaline.
It's only when Beryl refers to her as princess that she realizes exactly what it is.
It's only after Beryl vanishes that the sailor senshi of love collapses. The orange-and-blue sailor suit disappears, replaced with the purple-blue Infinity Junior High school uniform.
<Pose Tracker> Ami Mizuno [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
Queen Beryl's illusory presence roots Dark Mercury to the ground; even if she knows it's an illusion, she can't stop herself from freezing up. Even though she knows Beryl is no immediate threat to her -- both from her allegiance and her lack of true presence -- she's almost stock-stil, every muscle tense, until she finishes speaking to the Senshi and leaves.
Before long, she, too, is gone, leaving the Senshi to collect their own, saying nothing further as she makes her escape.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Jupiter [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.
There's an incredible exhilaration that comes from touching the fell power of her guardian planet, and combining it with that of her sister senshi to create that dazzling, purifying light... but it's offset by the cold feeling that washes through Makoto as she watches Jadeite simply *cease to exist,* disintegrated by the torrent of their combined power. She hadn't honestly thought as far as what would happen, had acted only on the certainty that Jadeite had to be stopped - and it's no less true now than it was a moment ago, but it feels somehow different from destroying a youma in a way that she has no definition for.
Mako doesn't get the chance to examine the feeling, either, before Queen Beryl's appearance drives everything else out of mind entirely in the sudden hammering of her heart against her chest, fight-or-flight instinct working on overdrive even as a wash of ice water through her veins holds Sailor Jupiter absolutely frozen.
There's no telling how long she might have stood there in shock after the apparition has passed - but Minako collapses, and Makoto's reflexes kick in just in time to catch her friend before she's completely hit the ground.
Even then, Mako kneels there for a few moments longer, trying to get her breathing under control again. She looks for Dark Mercury, but Ami is already gone, and Sailor Jupiter's wide eyes turn toward Sailor Mars instead.
"That... might be really bad," is all she can manage to say.
<Pose Tracker> Sailor Mars [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
That...that woman...that thing...heartstopping. Sailor Mars thought that she had heard Jadeite refer to a Queen earlier...so this is who he was dancing for the entire time. When she threatens to eat her heart, it sounds completely true. But if she was upset enough to reveal herself, and to threaten... They must have been doing something right then.
She nods to Sailor Jupiter, swallowing. "We'll...yeah...they could."
