NPF Avatars IV, Chapter XIII: Fire Three!

[phil_]

Phil’s charging idea was proving more difficult to enact than charging should be. First, the layout of the room made it impossible to run straight at the caryatid; he was forced to run in zig-zags across bridges. Second, a ghostly Arhra was bugging him, not that ghostly bugging was terribly foreign to Phil. However, it was good to be a dude again, even though his head hurt from Gina’s less-than-gentle rap to the back of his skull.

Phil’s attention was drawn to Mauve’s predicament; the bird’s too, I guess. Out of Spur and Nemesis range, Phil switched to rockets and prepared to send some explosive assistance (blowing up the lava should work, right?), but he saw the Arhra ghost rush the scene. She typically knows what she’s doing. I’ll leave them to her. I can always study alchemy to bring Mauve back from the dead if she screws up. Then I can get a robot arm!… And fan-girls! Oh boy!

With that decided, Phil tried to remember what he’d been doing. He’d skidded to a stop while he considered Mauve and co.’s predicament. Rubbing his chin, glad to feel his stupid goatee-thing again, Phil turned his attention to the caryatid. “Whoa!” he yelped, “Fire! Lots of fire! Wait…” Flare had absorbed the fireball engulfing her, as she tends to. She then unleashed her controversial Terra-Flare beam. “Oh, it’s the finale! Better do something cool.” Phil backed up, kicked an approaching magmagator, then launched himself at a pillar in the lava, kicking off of it to another, then to a platform behind the caryatid. As he unleashed a volley of missiles, Phil laughed, “I didn’t think I could manage that. This suit’s like badass in armor form.”

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

"Ideas?"

"Just the one", Hawk replied, thinking fast.

"There isn't anything I can do to help is there?"

"Probably not", Hawk replied again distractedly as he quickly thought out the inner workings of a plan.

"Ok Mauve, I need you to hold that sheild for as long as you can and drop it when I tell you to. Now, take a deep beath, and hold it, it's about to get VERY cold in here, among other things", he informed her, speaking quick. She can't hold that sheild long, gota work quick.

Still standing on top of Mauves head, Hawk spread his wings slightly and began channeling his power into a anti-clockwise gale inside the soon to be lava-covered dome. It started slow but quickly grew in size and strength, at first a gentle cooling wind in the otherwise hellishly hot cavern, eventually growing to numbing coldness. The air inside the sheild, now cut off from the heat in the rest of the room, got colder and colder. Soon a full-fledged whirlwind of bitter cold was wrapped around Hawk and Mauve. Oh and Arhras ghost, but she probably couldn't feel it anyway.

While the hurricane of iceyness grew, Hawk focused the remainder of his power inwards, drawing all of the air downwards and away from the edge of the sheild, a small vacuum appearing just inside the magical barrier. The air pressure increased further as Hawk drew more air in, keeping it spinning all the while. The strain began to show on his face, just as it did on Mauves below as she struggled to keep the pair alive. Never before had Hawk put so much power into his wind control, never before had he combined his gales with his airblasts in such as way. The temperature continued to drop, water droplets forming as they condensed in mid-air before being whipped into the mealstrom. Hawks eyes began to glow bright white as he continued building the spell.

"Now Mauve!!", he shouted, the telepathic message reverberating in the minds of all those near.

Hoping the barrier had dropped, Hawk unleashed his attack.

"Phreato-Magmatic-Hurricane!

The wall of lava tentacles rushed in towards them, as the explosive freezing hurricane of force burst outwards, a massive explosion of sound shaking the cavern. The hurricane whipped at the tentacles, the sudden change in temperature freezing them on contact, steam billowing from them as they splintered and fractured from the stress. Then the airblast struck, blowing whatever remained of the frozen rock sculptures into billions of pieces like a nuclear shockwave, the vacuum that had previously existed replacing the air that had now exploded outwards, pulling it into the epicenter of the blast even as the colder air rushed out, pulling more steam with it, aided by Hawks own power. As the pressures in the immediate area began to stabilize, the remaining water vapour from the steam rushed back out, flowing over whatever remained of the magma flow, cascading back down into water only to create yet more steam from the hardened coals of No-longer-Magma.

As the steam began to clear, a new obscuring force took over; a rain of ash, created from the remains of the now destroyed magma. The remaining magma was now either frozen back into rock or blasted back a fair distance.

Hawk was stunned.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that actually worked!" He seemed genuinely truthful about that.

[Arhra]

Flare's attack distracted the Caryatid, giving Phil the perfect opening for his shot.

The hobbit's volley of missiles struck true, a tight cluster of explosions on that Caryatid's back, right where the wing-like structures emerged. The array of vanes crumpled, parts sheering off and others hanging uselessly, the detonating missiles even damaging the Caryatid's armoured spine. The Caryatid flashed crimson, sparks flying off her as her internal systems overloaded. She slumped, the crimson flash fading to an ominious inner glow and her snaking length thrashing weakly.

Sensing this was the time to act, Arhra jumped in, flinging the containment web over the Caryatid.

Much to everyone's surprise, the Caryatid didn't immediately explode. Damage appeared to have immobilised her, arms hanging limply. The few deliberate movements she did make were jerky, like a broken toy. The few intact vanes had flame rushing from them, the rest of the release system destroyed. It was insufficient to get rid of the constant influx of elemental energy that her elemental purifiers drew in. Her serpentine section was growing fatter, the lava-like flesh straining against the rib-cage structure more than ever.

Webbed in the containment spell and largely disabled, the Caryatid appeared to no longer be a threat. Keeping her humanoid portion roughly upright, head lolling to the side, the crippled guardian stared at them with hatred in her burning eyes.

Arhra fidgeted uncomfortably. "Uh... I guess we wait for her to pop."

The Sodality liked to build in generous safety margins. The Caryatid, being a creation of theirs, had inherited this preference when making the lamia-esque modifications to herself as part of an attempt to purify some of the corruption in the Temple.

Lit from within by a gradually strengthening glow, the Caryatid resisted destruction to the last. Energy continued to accumulate, with nowhere else to go it was slowly inflating her serpent half. Ribcage frame forced back by the ballooning flesh, accompanied by grinding screeches, a furnace glow pulsing unsteadily within, it seemed the Caryatid was finally about to give.

Out of sheer perversity, the Temple's guardian hung on, distended bulk reaching twice that size. Even her human portion seemed over-filled, metalic skin taut and glowing. The threads of the magic threading through her were clearly visible was blazing tangles of light. Arhra had started tapping an insubstantial foot impatiently. Finally the Caryatid expired, flesh ripping apart and flame spilling out of the rents. The spell webbing her took the punishment, containing the inferno and dragging back in to nothing.

Arhra stepped forwards and removed the ashen coal of the compacted spell from the remains, absorbing it into herself. Sparks danced off her and then were gone. "Well, that's fire taken care of." she said, the ground suddenly rumbling, "And if that's any hint, it looks like the surviving two Seals are at critical. If we take one more out, the whole thing should come crashing down!" Arhra seemed very happy about this. "The end is in sight!" she declared, "Now excuse me while I go find my body. We'd better get everyone together and get out of here. I don't trust this volcano to not erupt without the Caryatid here to keep things under control."

* * *

"Why is this fire so heavy?" Hydra hissed miserably, sprawled on the ground, entangled by the aberrant flame and barely able to move.

"I have good news and bad news about that." Arhra mumbled, also on the ground and on fire. Unlike Hydra, she was partially trapped under Hydra's bulk, which was getting heavier by the second. She was not very happy. At least she wasn't the abomigator - it was trapped on the bottom of the pile. "The good news is it strengthens you. The bad news it seems to adjust to always be a burden for you."

"Can't you magic it away?" Hydra asked. The abomigator also seemed to be listening in, as it looked hopeful at this.

"I'm out of magic." Arhra said bluntly. Her other self had it. "On the plus side, it might just go out after burning us enough."

"What if it doesn't?"

"Probably our muscles explode."

"Screw that!" Hydra said vehemently, forcing herself to her feet. The abomigator, slipped free, with rather more agility. It was highly resistant to fire, Arhra realised, meaning the weight didn't seem as great to it. This was perfectly logical. On the plus side, it meant it wouldn't be as strengthened.

Arhra realised how meaningless that was as the abomigator pounced the far more muscular but far more encumbered Hydra, knocking her to the ground. It tore at her, going crazy. Arhra clambered slowly to her feet, her own frame rippling with brawn. At least there were something she could do that didn't require her to be agile. She staggered over to the abomigator and grabbed at a leg, draining energy for all she was worth. Distracted, the beast wasn't able to hold back Hydra as she twisted her flexible body around it, squeezing it in a death grip.

After what felt like far too long, the monster finally died. Hydra and Arhra gave a gasp of relief and collapsed side by side, still on fire. The spectral Arhra came along at this time. She sighed. "You can't even deal with a little enchanted flame?" she asked the musclebound pair, calling up magic that bombarded them with wave after wave of thick foam to smother the fire.

Eyeing the foam covered duo, Arhra knew there were just two problems left to solve. How to get back together with herself and how to get Hydra to fit through the escape hatch. Preferably before the definite possibility of volcanic eruption.

[Flarecobra]

I had landed and shifted back to human before the Caryatid expired. I looked at Arhra and tried to put out the flames with a blanket and dirt, snuffing the flames. "I don't think you're fireproof, so let's get your body outta here." I said, picking up her body with some diffuculty. "Someone blow open that hatch wider, please." I said, getting her into a fireman's carry to I can run to the escape hatch.

[Fenris]

After a lengthy session of doing, uh, stuff, with the, uh, things that start with the word magma (magmarators or something), Fenris was inwardly gloating about how kickass that battle was.

Yeah, it was rawk. You should have seen it.

Anyway, Fenris walked towards the group. "So, what next?"

[phil_]

Phil stood pondering the caryatid's death and his part in it. Last time, he'd been incidental to the group's eroding of elemental law in the universe and the destruction of the caryatid of water, but this time he'd been the one to deliver the killing blow; or, at least, the blow that led to its blowing up. Phil shook his head, muttering, "This isn't right. What is Arhra's plan doing to me? What have I become?" Then, more forcefully, "I'm not supposed to get things done! I'm supposed to goof around ineffectually, hide in the corner, and make witty and or silly remarks! Ever since that darn night at Santa's workshop, I've been less and less funny. Badass doesn't suit me, darn it!"

Rant over; Phil decided to keep helping, even if it was out of character. He heard Flare's call for a bigger escape hatch and quickly noticed that this caryatid chamber, like the previous two, indeed had an escape hatch triggered by the golem's death. However, Flare's plan of blowing up the hatch to fit the newly bulked up Hydra and Arhra didn't seem all that feasible. While Phil had enough missiles to maybe blow the door off, he had nowhere near the amount required to remodel the tunnel all the way to the surface. His energy weapons were also no good, as the Spur only went through monsters and the Nemesis didn't blast through anything (except, of course, destructible blocks). So, it was with a heavy heart Phil cried, "Begone, foul corruptor of my hobbit uselessness!" and dismissed his power suit. He immediately fell over onto the hot rocks, as his legs were again required to carry him unaided. Phil grunted, "stupid, worthless body," and lifted himself to his feet before wobbling over to Flare, Hydra, and Arhra. Ignoring Fenris, Phil suggested, "Perhaps you're going about this from the wrong angle, Flare. Maybe we could, say, shrink the kaiju, then carry them to safety without grunting and sweating and all that stuff you're good at. I know it's against standard procedure to not leave a swath of destruction behind us, but, you know, could be worth a shot. Also, I have a shrink gun." Phil whipped a silver ray gun from behind his back and grinned as it shone in the lava's glow. Reducto wouldn't be needing it any more...

"Oh, and did Mauve and the bird survive or not? And is Rhiya dead? I presume that was Rhiya a minute ago... Oh, yeah, and does anyone else see the ghost Arhra? It's a scary thought, her being in two places at once."

[Arhra]

"Uh... I can move under my own power you know..." Arhra said as Flare tried to pick her up. Her ghostly other self herded her off, intent on reducing the number of Arhras, possibly through some kind of fusing dance. They hid behind the abomigator carcass, its bulk providing more shelter from prying eyes than the sparse columns. Disturbing sounds were faintly audible as the Arhras did whatever it was they needed to do to get together again.

"So, what next?" Fenris asked.

Arhra leapt dramatically into view atop the dead abomination. She'd been waiting for a good moment to do that. "We get out of here, we take out the Shadow Temple and then we're off to see the Herald!" Because of all the wonderful things she does.

The combined Arhra was sleeker then her embodied predecessor; almost all of her newfound brawn had disappeared. The ghostly Arhra had insisted on using herself as the base for the recombination. She felt the bulging muscles the other Arhra had gained hurt her agility and could create issues with visual continuity. There was a problem though - her ghostly self didn't have any clothes. It was a distinct downside on making the transition back to flesh. No stranger to having to improvise on the fly, Arhra had emerged fully clad in a leather outfit. It bore a suspicious resemblance to the crimson hide of the abomigator.

"A shrink ray you say?" Arhra asked Phil after the hobbit gave his suggestion. "That could work. I was considering trying to teach her to shapechange -" A tremor occured, a deep rumble from the innards of the artificial volcano - "But I don't think we have time for that. Shrink away then!"

"To answer your other questions: I don't know; yes, Rhiya's dead (but she'll probably get better); and the idea of me being in two or more places at once is patently absurd." Arhra had considered these answers very carefully.

Hydra, having occupied herself with picking off the surviving magmagators during this debate, was informed of the decision. She didn't feel she was in a position to argue. Shrink rays were fired.

Not too long later, the NPFers were a safe distance away from the Temple. Steam from ruptured vents and constant tremors had been the worst danger they faced as they moved through the escape tunnel. Looking back at the artificial volcano, an ominous cloud was about the peak, lava beginning to trickle down its slopes. Things were breaking apart already.

Waiting for stragglers and taking stock of themselves, the NPFers were almost ready to move on.

* * *

In a cavernous, darkened room, Rilan waited, a shaft of light beaming straight down on him providing the only illumination. The commander of the Sodality strike team that had accosted the NPFers during the battle with the Caryatid of Water was impassive, bowing when a ring of spotlights appared around him, revealing the high council of the Sodality.

"Commander, we have summoned you here for further questioning on the forces attacking the Seals." A counciller to the left of the largest desk said, "The Seals of Water and Fire have fallen and your perspective is required to devise how best to deal with these enemies.

Rilan was aghast, "Terminal solution failed to eliminate the renegades? And they were able to destroy another Seal? Why wasn't I told of this sooner?!"

"As you know, Sodality protocol requires total isolation of operatives undergoing debriefing, so as to preserve a clear view of events. I would advise you show the proper demeanor for your rank."

"My apologies sirs," Rilan said, visibly restraining himself. He submitted to the questioning, summarising his report and finished with, "I submit it is imperative that we mobilise all available forces to protect the remaining Seals and remove this threat decisively."

"Escalation parameters clearly state that a full legion should be deployed to bring this class of existential threat to justice." another counciller stated. Rilan bit his tongue - a legion should more than suffice. A strike team had almost been enough.

A member of the council flagged an objection, "Force organisation doctrine requires a full legion includes a corps of dinosaur riders. We have not maintained such a force. I propose a commitee be formed to determine why this is so and propose solutions to this oversight." Rilan fought down the urge to shout. Dinosaurs had officially been extinct for more than two hundred years.

Another spoke up, "Surely the gravity of the situation merits the formulation of a taskforce to determine an appropriate substitute for this missing unit instead. How this situation came about is not a matter of legion functionality."

"Due process." the first speaker interrupted. Rilan was lost. Now, in this moment of crisis, Law was working against itself, the machinations of Chaos left unimpeded.

Rilan came to an uncomfortable decision. Resolute, he addressed the council again. "Sirs, I am issuing an arrest warrant for charges of violation of Sodality protocol, ignoring direct orders from superiors, unauthorised usage of Sodality equipment, willful damage to Sodality equipment, interference in Sodality field operations and possible assault of Sodality operatives, effective as of one day from now."

"Acknowledged." came the reply, "Identify the subject of these charges."

"Commander Kenneth Rilan." Rilan stated flatly.

* * *

Back in the depths of the Fire Temple there was a pile of broken rock, the stony floor of the caves broken and then piled in a cairn over the hole. A hypothetical observer could almost here the whisperings, the fear of the unquiet shade of a fallen foe rising from His grave. Against the wishes of some of their number, they had not desecrated the body, making a proper burial and taking other precautions against the undead. They had been so careful.

The rocks shifted.

Stillness, as if it had been just some trick of the eye, and then the grave churned again. A hand erupted from the rubble like some horrid tree, clawing at the empty air. Stillness again, as if the grave was determined to hang on to its occupant and then rock flew everywhere, a massive horned figure bursting forth, powerful thews flexing.

The camera pulled back and revealed the hypothetical observer to be quite real. A sphinx was watching. To the NPFers, it would be a very familiar sphinx.

"Excuse me," she asked the flexing giant, "Were you by any chance accosted by a gang of hooligans that may have called themselves the 'en-pee-eff-ers'? And, er, are you alright? You appear to have been stabbed in the chest."

The minotaur turned to regard her, paying little attention to his injury. "Yes, that is what they called themselves." He said solemnly, "To my sorrow, my artful fighting techniques were overcome by their numbers. But, their spears could not pierce the mighty throbbing of my mighty heart!" He posed manfully.

Sensing a possible recruit, the spinx told Him the short history of the League of Enemies.

The Manotaur was overcome by this story, tears flowing freely down His cheeks. "Such a tale of woe!" He boomed. "I AM MOVED!"

* * *

Beyond the barrier that isolated the Gate of Chaos, the Herald waited impatiently, looking at the tiny speck of darkness in the sky that was the Invisible Moon, its prismatic corona at the very edge of visibility. There were forces in motion beyond the Endbringer's control and time was running out.

"Any further intervention on my part would only increase the risk." The Herald concluded, musing aloud. The Knight of the Many Rayed Star had not moved from this spot, kneeling before the Gate, since taking up the position days ago, after sighting the Invisible Moon. But a being such as the Herald had ways of influencing events that could reach through even the formidable barrier that the Sodality had erected.

"The Sodality is crippled by the very force it serves. Law is in decline, degenerate even now." The Herald continued, "No others bar the NPFers are reacting to the appearance of the Moon... and they do not even understand what they are doing. Our influence may prove enough." The champion of Chaos laughed, "Whatever happens, it will all end in Chaos."

OOC: Feel free to insert the use of the shrink ray Phil - you have pretty much free reign (including the ever important degree of shrinking). I just wanted to move things to outside the Temple rather then having people hanging around waiting for a single event to happen.

[mauve]

(Mauve could not reply because Mauve has been at an important medical appointment in California. And also at Disneyland. Yaaaay Indiana Jones Adventure!!)

"Yes, Phil," Mauve said, tapping the hobbit summoner on the shoulder. "Mauve and the bird survived, danke. I appreciate that someone remembered li'l ol' me. Now then, I'll bet you're wondering how we managed to escape from that deadly lava that surrounded us." She paused. "Well, we'd better get going! Temples to destroy, caryatids to defeat, Apocalypses to prevent!"

She waved a hand airily and wandered towards the exit.

[Flarecobra]

"I think the shield spell has something to do with it, right?" I asked after setting down Arhra. "So, lets just get out of here. I can *Possably* survive an eruption, but I doubt you all can, so let's just get out of here." I said, making a beeline to the exit.

[phil_]

Skipping ahead to where Arhra's post dropped them, Phil released the foot-tall snake girl from his pocket and set her on the ground. "Ok, now hold still," he told her as he fidddled with the settings knob on the ray gun. "I'm pretty sure this thing can unshrink you." The gun hummed ominously. "Ok, ready, steady, go!" Phil pulled the trigger, and Hydra was saved from a travel-sized fate.

Freed of his Hydra-sitting duty, Phil watched the former temple erupt dramatically. "So, Arhra, how're we gonna get to the next temple? We've kinda glossed over that the last few times. Giant eagles, perhaps?"