2088/The Best Kind Of Quest IV

The Best Kind Of Quest IV
Date of Scene:	21 November 2024
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Another box, another attempt to steal it. This one looks like it's going his way until a small unforced error pops up.
Cast of Characters:	Takashi Agera, Glimmer Brightmoon, Usagi Tsukino, Ahmya Karashima, Bow, Molly Skyline, Koji Silvia, Laura La Mer
Tinyplot:	The Best Kind Of Quest

---

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Sailor Moon was messaged decently early in the evening (for these transport calls, anyways) - to the edge of Tokyo where a box was handed to yet another colorful boy who got into a car with a driver and off they went - having opted for avoiding a food truck of any kind this time, the vehicle was nondescript, and the escort began, mahou either positioned further up, or following along on rooftops or otherwise.

    And from the open land outside of Tokyo where the handoff happened, to the increasing density of the city, nothing much happens as the sun goes down. The only thing that really slows the vehicle down are stoplights and evening traffic. At least... for most of the night.

    That is, until the route into the school strays at its closest point to Mitakihara - and then reality seems to have a bit of fun pulling on a thread once again.

    Because from outside of an alleyway, crashing and staggering, comes what looks like a giant office stapler, ambling along on spindly crystaline legs... with a face... that is capped by also crystalline googly eyes.

    It runs out in front of the car as it's driving. It's not looking for the car. In fact, it seems to be running from something. But it is large, and it is solid, and the car crashes into the obviously-a-youma with a hideous sound of crumpling car metal and surprised/pained Youma, bringing the vehicle to a rather permananent halt. Neither of the occupants are harmed, however...

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Not half an hour ago:

"Eh, what could it hurt?" Glimmer asked herself as she picked up Riventon's stapler. It wasn't REALLY playing with dark energy... It was kind of like... pushing it into something else. Making a youma. It'd be fiiiiiine. Totally fine. Definitely--

About thirty seconds ago:

"It went this way!" Glimmer yelled back at Riventon as she pursued the strange, large stapler youma. Totally not her fault. WASN'T PLAYING WITH DARK ENERGY! NUH UH! SHE WAS A GOOD GIRL!

Only for a car to run into it. She cringed, teleporting over towards the side of the car, to peer inside. "A-are you okay? Are you two okay?"

The driver, a generic man with a generic suit, with a generic tie... was generically unconscious from the crash. The boy besides her, in an outfit far, far too pink... groaned and looked up at her. Then the youma.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. It was. The myth. The legend. IT was... Cure Top.

"UGh... they... they found out. Q-quick, ugh..." he said, motioning to the back. "You need to take the package, before... Obsidian gets here, keep it out of their hands..."

Glimmer blinked a few times. Looked at the driver. The boy. Then glanced towards the stapler youma that was, well... going to need a moment. Then... "Ohhhhh. Ummmm... not... not that I don't appreciate it, but I actually am with Obsidian so... ummmm..."

"... Oh."

".... Sorry, just... you know? I didn't want you to just like... give it to me because..."

"No, no, I appreciate it."

"Okay, cool. So, are you okay?"

"A bit achy, but..."

"I think I have to mug you now..." Glimmer said with a sigh. "Sorry."

"No, no, I understand," Cure Top said as he started to unbuckle. "Happy star feet!"

And Glimmer was doused in sparkles! "GAHHH! THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MY THING!" she shrieked, wiping her face.

And it would be about this time that Riventon would likely arrive.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon had indeed been notified of the escort mission this time, and she had been quick to put out a call to a few friends she felt would be good for this sort of thing and who were available, from Bow, who's resourceful and level-headed, to Koji who's quick-witted and fast, to Laura, who had been there when things went haywire and a donut-truck became the site of a stand-off, and handled it with grace and strength, and also, a giant purification whale.

When they're together, she explains what she can in a quick moment - that they're escorting this car to the school, that the driver and the Cure inside are guarding an item that's going to let them make real defenses for the school, and that they cannot let Obsidian get their hands on it.

And also that Obsidian will definitely muck this up somehow, because they've been three for three on showing up, either on purpose or on accident.

And it had started off so well! Sailor Moon was running across rooftops, keeping an eye on the car as it moved from the outskirts of Tokyo towards Mitakihara Ward, no one was showing up, everything was going well -

And then a giant walking office stapler tumbles out into the road on little crystal legs and the car crashes right on into it.

Because of course that happens.

<<Shoot! Okay, I'm going to get down there and see if they're okay, but everyone let's keep an eye out, there's no way this Stapler is here by it->> Aaaand that's when Glimmer shows up. The facepalm is audible through the telepathic communication spell Koji had thrown up for them. <<I knew it!>>

Sailor Moon leaps off the roof, crosses a few streets with much arm flailing and apologizing to the cars honking desperately at her, and calls out, "HEY, 'SCUSE ME, THAT'S MINE, THANKS!"

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     Ahmya Karashima had been at home at her family shrine, absenting weaving one thing or another when Hachi had given her a warning about a nearby Youma, and moments later she had set down what she was doing and turned into Goldenweb Yorotsuchi.

As the Youma and the delivery truck make impact with each other, there was a soft ~tak~ of geta as Goldenweb Yorotsuchi approaches, the soft sound of strumming audible as she plucks a string stretched between the rings on her odachi, absently humming along with it as she approaches the area.

At first, she was going to approach and attempt to finish off the stapler youma

...And then Glimmer Brightmoon appeared and had a conversation with the drivers of it.

...And the Driver blasted her with sparkles.

...

"Hachi, I think this is going to get very complicated." She says softly under her breath.

Was she close enough to hear the actual conversation? Who knows. But also, there was a Youma, and a person who just got blasted by a spell that sounded like 'Happy Star Feet' which honestly sounds like an attack from a not-evil person so.

...Goldenweb Yorotsuchi begins to approach holding a prayer slip in her hands. First thing's first.

...There's a Youma that should probably be purified, and also there's apparently Sailor Moon there. Oh hey someone she /actually/ recognizes!

"Sailor Moon, Yorotsuchi of the Golden Web is here to assist!" She says, shifting the odachi from 'held as a shamisen' to held as a weapon in one hand, while still holding that prayer slip in her other hand.

It shimmers faintly with purifying magic.

...It's not very scary purifying magic.

Bow has posed:
Having been on patrol for the evening, Bow was going from roof top to roof top. As he was working his part of the escort, the sound of the loud crash gets his attention, along with Sailor Moon's cry out. Altering his course from a flank towards where the accident happened, he asks over comms, <<Are they alright?!>> as he crests over the building and slides to a stop on the gravel.

Down below, Glimmer... his Glimmer... is attempting to pull off a robbery and just got sparkled for it. For a moment, his heart catches in his throat, and he has to force himself to remember that he is the good guy, and she is the bad person. As Goldenweb's music starts up, Bow reaches into his quiver and draws out an arrow.

Aiming, he releases it, and strikes at the feet of Glimmer. It pops open and there's a single flower contained within.

But, above on the roof. There's a voice.

"Halt, evil-doer! You've officially crossed the line! And by 'the line,' I mean the one that separates reasonable leadership from full-on 'villain with a dramatic cape' territory! But if you insist on being evil, I, Bow, Archer of Etheria, shall stop your foul deeds!"

"I will.. ah.. ah.." Need a metaphor here...

"I will take your sparkles and make you as flat as old soda!"

Nailed it.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly had been positioned a bit further on, to safeguard a different, equally dangerous part of the route. Which... seems to have turned out to be unnecessary, now. She sighs, letting her shoulders sag, where she stands on the cornice of a tall building, watching the route for absolutely nothing, as it turns out.

<< Hold on, I'm on my way, >> she says into the network. << Well actually, don't hold on, I'm sure they're not going to wait, but I'll be there in a moment. What's going on? Who's attacking? Riventon and anyone else? >>

Molly calls up her battle visor, and already it's marking friendlies in blue, the car in yellow (with a :< emoji) but she's having to wait on targetting information for Riventon and Glimmer. Oh well, get that soon enough.

"Starcrash, charge Solar Beam, ten second duration and maximum thermal output."

<< ARMED. MAXIMUM THERMAL OUTPUT >>

"Well at least I'll be ready when I get there." Which, as it turns out, won't be long, as she kicks up her Flier Fin to the best speed she can manage.

Koji Silvia has posed:
There's a long sigh from Hanzo as he's looming over on top of a building opposite of things, coming in too late to be the direct escort again for the MacGuffin, and then having to split some of his focus as the telepathic operator for the team.

Thank Rashmi for that.

His inherent want to grouse at Bow and his rather... heroic... declaration, which just causes him to wince a bit, there is instead somehow a grumbling on the channel, <<Oh you have got to be kidding me. A STAPLER YOUMA? Now I own Moon 500 yen. Ugh. Never bet on what will never show up... seriously though who makes an evil stapler...>>

Using his Device Hanzo as a grappling line and to swing and run along the exterior walls of building towards where the car has halted progress and Usagi is doing her Frogger impression and hip-dodging salarypersons just trying to commute home from their shifts. Releasing from one building, he uses a Boost Shield to leap at the apex of his movement, and swing the line out to catch the blade on another wall.

Looking down over what looks like a bit of a flustercluck, he just mutters under his mouth-covering half-mask, "Here we go again..."

    <<Okay, I've run this play before. Get me the package and I'll get it free of all of... this... and you all can go crazy on... Miss Sparklebottom Jeans, and the rhino-sized Stapler.>>

"Let's just hope he doesn't show up again."

Not realizing he just cursed himself because of COURSE Riventon will show up to a show like this.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Having a weird crystal with a Precure heading towards the school already was enough cause for questions, but then Usagi tells her it's it happening again, and of course she isn't going to say no to something so delicate, whatever it is they are transporting. Because she still has no answers there, and the least these people could have done is tell them what is going on.

At least they have had enough common sense to tell Usagi next. A step forward is a step forward. 'Thank you, I will be there right away, Usagi-chan!", was her response before she steps out of the dorms with the hurry of a whirlwind. Can they have more than a single Cure around this time tough? If they don't, she can only conclude that they really really like tempting fate. That, or they really are that shortsighted.

Instead, it's the enemy who has gotten reinforcement this time, or so she thinks when she sees the stapler step away from the car. "A stapler should keep things away from a school", she points at Riventon and Glimmer, jumping onto the stage with a kick hitting the youma.

"Where do they find all you Precures!?", she asks Cure Top. Seriously, she could use that info. That's an important part of her mission.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon blinked a few times. Blink blink, wiping the glitter from her face and... Wait. Sailor Moon was here? And... a girl! A.... girl with pieces of paper. AND A SWORD! Okay, one of those are scarier. And BOW! He brought her a flower. "Awwww. Bow, that's really sweet, but you can do better!" she called up to him. "But if you want a cape... Okay, everybody!" she teleported up, ONTO the car! She put her hands together and a smirk formed on her lips. "Oh, I was wondering how long until *this* happened again. I've been *waiting*. So, I've got a few new tricks, ladies and gentlemen. Also... sorry, I don't know where to find precures. But, I know how to do... THIS! Be prepared!" And she pulled her hands apart, forming a magical circle. It then expanded... before flowing over her.

Her hair went wild and free, as dark makeup formed on her face. Eye shadow. Dark lipstick. Her clothing shifted color, the cape turning black, the pink turning a dark purple, the narrow V of the top spreading out more to a wider V, exposing more of her shoulders and upper arms. Her glove turned dark red as well, as her fingernails gained dark purple nailpolish. Her boots turning dark red and black, leather, while her leggings were a dark pink.

She did, in fact, still sparkle. But it was a dark sparkling, like the sparkling of Obsidian.

"Now then... tell me the truth. Is it too much?" she asked, holding up a hand to look at the nail polish. "I haven't really done makeup like this before and I didn't exactly have someone to give me any direction. Come on, be honest."

... Well, she HAD been working on it for a while.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Not only is Obsidian four-for-four on showing up to try to steal these, Riventon specifically is four-for-four, although the last two times have been less than intentional. As his presence running from the same direction Glimmer was running from made clear.

    In fact, it clearly took him a moment to take stock of the situation. Glimmer has changed clothes, there's a flower on the floor so he's probably going to have to punch his broth- wait, no, that's an arrow. And Cure La Mer - plus the feeling in the air of energy rising in the distance, a telltale sign of something coming.

    Back down at the car, the pink haired boy rubs his arm as he tries to make distance while Glimmer is henshin'ing into Still Glimmer But Evil. He turns to Laura. "Well, I don't know, you'd have to ask Pas De Deux." he says, shrugging. He settles into a combat pose and looks ready to charge Glimmer, when a more appealing target enters, because Riventon's here, all lab coat and obvious badguy. No sparkles at all. Just crackles of purple lightning around his gauntleted hand before a sphere of Dark Energy collects - yeah totally a bad guy - and the device calls out in german - but instead of bursting out as an attack, the energy expands and engulfs the area, pulling into a Different Space.

    <GEFANGIS DER DUNKLEN MAGIE.> Axion calls out.

    "Same energy as before, so you think you're just going to run off on me again? Leave some of your extras behind to hold me back while you dash off into the night? Not this time, kids." Riventon says as the world turns washed out and grey. "Whatever's in that box, is magic, so you can't take it out of a Barrier!" Riventon's already gathering energy in both of his hands again. "Now, easy way or the hard way." Riventon knows they're going to pick the hard way. It's what they do.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     An arrow shoots through the air, striking the ground! And pops open into a rose. Oooh, that's kind of ... ... cute? Goldenweb Yorotsuchi's single eye traces the path the arrow had taken and up to the voice that rings out through the night, the sight of ... Bow! Oooh. An archer!

Those are very compatible with her powerset!

...Also that was kind of cool Goldenweb Yorotsuchi is kind of a fan of all of the magical girls and boys and everything in between.

<<Understood! Get the package, throw it at you!>>

But also there was still a youma to shove a prayer slip on and purify, which Goldenweb Yorotsuchi approaches to do exactly that.

...It's probably the slowest most painful defeat a Youma can have though if she does because while the prayer slip has pretty consistent purification magic ... it's really not strong. something something purification and curses not being very compatible magically.

Cure La Mer is also there, also possibly others really, Goldenweb Yorotsuchi was kind of distracted.

As Glimmer Brightmoon /transforms/ in a very showy manner.

Goldenweb Yorotsuchi lifts her hands, tapping her hands together in a little clap mainly made by the golden rings on her fingers. "Fancy, very fancy!"

And then she weaves another prayer slip to toss at Glimmer, attempting to toss it in a way that it would stick to her forehead.

...It is, once again, not very strong purifying magic, but those with dark energy /would/ probably feel the burn. It's just, like. A little burn. Like accidentally touching a candle kind of burn.

And then... the Prison of Dark Magic is unleashed. "Oh hey normally that's something the good guys do to make stuff less complicated, thanks, Riventon!"

... ...

"Still gonna have to web you though."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Hard way!" Molly yells, as she arrives on the scene just in time to see the barrier go up around everything. She comes to a halt up in the air, and turns her staff over in her hands, pointing it down at Riventon; he gets a little red tag and a >:| face, while Glimmer gets the same, just with no name (she's designated as 'unknown hostile'). "We like the hard way! Also we like beating up the bad guys and that's you. ...Starcrash! FIRE!"

A searing hot beam lances out of her staff, aimed at Riventon, and hot enough to basically burn and/or melt, well, lots of things, and it lasts a good ten seconds before running dry. As it does, wisps of steam trickle out of the vents on her barrier jacket and the haft of Starcrash. << What, so nobody can leave the barrier with the package, did I just hear that right? >> she asks, on the mental network. << So like, time to play the ultimate game of Keep-Away? Piggy in the middle? ...Koji-kun, call it out, what do you need us to do? >>

Meanwhile, the purplenette looks down at the battlefield she's now hovering above. << Hey what's up with the purple one? She's a hostile too? >>

"Starcrash..." What to do. "Charge Stellar Pulse, forty barrets, fifty percent yield. And standby with Starfall."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. CHARGED, STANDING BY >>

"Alright," she mumbles. "Let's do this."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
<<You sure do owe me 500 yen. I'll take it in smoothie form though, I told you! Next it will be attack of the Chairman, hater of butts.>>

It's going to happen! Mark her words, it will happen, and she will be the oracle of prophecy!

Right now at least, she stops short, because there's Goldenweb, and an arrow with a flower, and a speech, and she smiles a little, even as Glimmer puts on a new look.

"Is that your villain look? It's not too much, maybe a little... hmm, a little pop-goth fusion?" What? There's always time to compliment a new look. "Yorotsuchi-chan, it's good to see you again! You should take that and use it on -"

This is when Riventon arrives, and she grimaces, especially as he throws up a barrier.

"Right... definitely use it on him," is called out as Riventon puts up a barrier. She had hoped they could use their old strategy, but if this time it's a fight then a fight it is. She keeps up her face towards the car, trying to get alongside Cure Top. "Well, you know how it is, Riventon. We can't let you steal things that aren't yours, so... hey, Cure Top, why don't you let me get ahold of that..."

<<Bow, you take Glimmer. She's your friend, so she's more likely to go soft than be mean. Hanzo, if I get the box, I'm handing it to you. If I don't get the box, you get the box. You're the best at keep away. Star Devil, you and I are on Riventon distraction duty, so keep up the beam war!>>

Koji had been successful with a drop off before. Glimmer has historically been distracted by Bow. And she has the purification beam.

"Come on Riventon, is this really worth eating a purification whale or beam over?"

Bow has posed:
Bow used a flower, to make it legally distinct from Mamo using a rose. Copyright is a hard thing, yo. And lawyer youma are the WORST.

But that's not the problem at the moment. Bow'd rather face a Supreme Court of Youma instead of what's going on with Glimmer.

She's gone dark. Dark magic. Dark sparkles.

Bow feels his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. Because despite how amazing Glimmer may look in her new guise? It is a turn he had begged her not to do. But she didn't listen. She ignored him and went off and did her own thing because she thought she was right. Because she always assume she knows best.

...and that triggers a sense of deja vu. Where has this happened before? Why does he feel like this has happened before and this isn't the first time and that it was much much worse...

Why can't he remember? He feels his head ache as it tries to recall, searching for that information. It's up there. Somewhere. In his screwed up memories of Etheria and Glimmer and and...

Ugh. It takes several seconds, and by this time, Glimmer is on top of the car, grandstsnding. And she looks really, really, good. Amazing even. But he can't tell her that. She's the bad Queen.

"That is a new trick!" Bow admits, his cheeks darkening for a moment. "I guess I'll have to come up with a new one too!" Grabbing a pair of arrows, he issues orders.

"Flare arrow!"
"Boxing arrow!"

Drawing back the flare, he fires it first, intending it to explode near Glimmer and momentarily blind her.

As for the boxing arrow? When he fires it -- a large boxing glove, curled into a fist, forms on the tip. He should aim for the face. He really should. But it's Glimmer. And he couldn't bring himself to do it. So, instead, he aims a but lower, looking to punch Glimmer in the stomach with the arrow. <<I'll keep Her Majesty busy. Focus on the package.>>

Koji Silvia has posed:
    <<Devil, free fire, work with Moon, and just drop everything on him... and Star Crash... stop being pouty and route your comms like I taught you. Let her think her attacks!>>

He visibly sighs and drops down next to Sailor Moon, the Sailor of Love and Justice, not bothering to hide himself as he faces off with Riventon.

    "Hey, Miss Goldenweb. You're on team with Bow. Have fun with Glamour there..."

But then he just walks forwards towards Riventon but is actually heading for Cure Top, "You see... this... this is where you continually screw up. Now... we don't have to worry about property damage... don't have to worry about civilians... don't even have to worry about the news. All we have to worry about is... well... you."

Stopping next to poor Cure, he just reaches out and swipes the box right out of him hands, and just tsks him, "Seriously... you can do better. Either get your guardian whatever to pony up a better thingie, or find a new magic..." He actually rolls his eyes and mutters, "Kami save me from first years."

     << PHANTOM SHIFT. >>

But as he bounces the box in his hands, Koji smiles at Riventon, "Now what have we got? The hardest hitting Senshi this side of the Shibuya River, a girl who believes that the only fire is mass fire, and me... who's about to run off and make you have to choose between getting ME or getting HIT..."

That of course is where the bright light of Molly's Solar Beam begins to brighten the area around them all, and revealing that after he grabbed the box, he already cast an illusion, and went invisible!

From the area above and away, his voices comes clear, "Game on!"

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Ok, I didn't ask you, why are you telling me that?", Laura replies surprised to Glimmer. Why would someone from Obsidian know where to find other Precure groups? Is this some sort of distraction? Like she is going to fall for it. She is much much better than that.

Riventon meanwhile has its own answer, which is sarcastic, Laura is pretty sure. Unless Cure Top backs him up on that. "That is you two, right?", she tells Riventon. "I am not really interested in whatever dance number you and Dark Shimmer over there have prepared. At least not while you are trying to take what is not yours!"

"You look like someone who stepped out of a gothic vampire story", the mermaid tells Glimmer after giving her a good look. That really wasn't her style, and she did not think it looked particularly good on Glimmer. "I suggest a trip to Pretty Holic. They will be able to tell you everything you need to know on makeup."

<<Let me have it instead>> Laura remarks through Koji's telepathic channel. <<I can keep it safe in the Aqua Pot. Best place you can keep anything, and they may as well give up on getting it once it's in there!>> she remarks convinced.

While she discusses the plan, her attention in the fight this time is turned at Riventon. He did paint himself a huge target with that Barrier. "You can choose what you prefer, let us get it, or else, what Moon said", she says, ready to use the Marine Ring.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Back in front of the car, the youma that started all of this staggers to a woozy footing, and moves to attack as well, a pointed staple loaded into the chamber that makes up its mouth - only to be interupted by a flying kick from Cure Top, and hit the ground hard. "Happy Star Feet!" the pink Cure calls, though it looks more like he's dance-kicking the grounded youma with sparkly purification energy - and the youma is quickly no more. He takes a bow.

    It is at about the time, as the barrier goes up and Riventon is taking stock of the battlefield, mentally noting who's there and trying to strategize, that his gaze lands on Glimmer and he actually sees Glimmer's outfit for the first time. "Wait, since when did you ditch the princess sparkle purple pajamas and instead become all hot?" Riventon asks. The girl actually has his attention for a moment, which is a very dangerous thing to lose track of on the battlefield, especially one with Devicers and Purifying Magic aplenty.

    With Riventon's attention diverted, that sustained blast of energy from Starcrash is a real threat, even for a last moment automatic Barrier. But that isn't what gets in its way. Instead a blur of Dark Energy erupts out of the wrist-side of Riventon's gauntlet and a figure interposes itself between the blast and Riventon, with a ward of dark energy that is very clearly not from a Device.

    "You're distracted." the figure says in a calm, calculated, observational as it resists the blast, and Riventon gets his attention back long enough to jump up, and avoid being blinded by Bow's arrow too - before the blast of searing hot energy carves through the figure and slams into where Riventon was. After the blast ends the distorted figure 'reassembles' itself out of component bits of energy and now it can be seen in full. Wearing a cloak of nearly black purple, with some sort of strange circuit-pattern on the cloak and a distorted chest that seems to reveal a symbolic code beneath the outfit, she is only quasi-there; Devices will recognize it as an energy projection, rather than a full new combatant, but this form is recognizable to some of the participants.

    "We are outnumbered. This makes distraction even more dangerous." The figure says.

    "Yeah thanks, glad to have a second set of eyes to help me count." Riventon says a bit snarkily, before turning to Koji. "You sure you only have me to worry about?" he asks, indicating the standing figure with a tilt of his head. "Don't worry there, ninja boy. When I rip your shattered device from your broken hands, I'll make sure to leave you a log to hold onto."

    Turning to Sailor Moon and Goldenweb and Cure La Mer together, he stares them down. "Is whatever's in that box worth eating a Dark Energy barrage over?" he asks, as several dark spheres erupt into existence in a semicircle around him. <UBERLADENES SPERRFEUER> calls Riventon's device as more begin to erupt into being - little globes crackling with Dark Energy and looking like miniature black holes, draining the light from the area around him, and more just keep popping in. "This goes for all of you. Trying to be personable here... you have nowhere to run and you can't play keep away without losing too much of your ability to fight. Give me the box and we can all go home in one peice."

    "Otherwise..." there are now at least thirty fist-sized black orbs floating around Riventon, waiting to be unleashed, along with the figure standing next to him. "...well, I'll do what I have to do."

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon grinned wide at being called fancy! "Thanks! I worked... really..." She blinked at the piece of paper. And blew on it. Then reached up and... just tugged it off. "Ummmm... what... why is... nevermind," she said, rolling her eyes. "Here, Riventon," she said, bunching it up and tossing the PURIFYING PAPER to Riventon. Well, she wasn't dark energy, so there was no burn.

"Pop-goth fusion? Ohhhh, that sounds fun! And... I'm guessing... gothic vampires look cool? Pretty Holic, got it." Despite the dark look, she was anything but 'dark' herself. And yessss. She preened, just a bit, as Bow noticed.

But there he was, aiming an arrow at her. Good boy. See, he was smart. He could learn. Flare arrow? Oh, this was almost too easy. But you know what? He was trying to hit her this time, this was what she wanted. Now she'd just-- "Wait, hot?" Glimmer asked, her cheeks going red, eyes going wide, glancing to Riventon. Since when was she hot? People didn't think SHE was hot. She wasn't-- OH GAWD FLARE! "GAHHH!" she shrieked, hands moving over her face. And as Bow unleashed the fisting arrow to hit her...

She disappeared. The fist flying through where she was. Oh gosh, she actually ran away, holding her eyes.

Except, instead Molly would likely get an alert. Yes, Glimmer was an enemy. Also, Glimmer was back. Also, Glimmer's aim was a bit off, but you know what? When you can't aim your fist, massive, wide angle beams of light that were able to cut through Horde tanks could be very effective. Which was what Glimmer did when she put both hands together and unleashed a powerful blast of sparkle energy on the poor girl to try and crater her, having teleported up and OVER her. Well, half blind as she was, that giant beam of light had been easy for her to follow.

It seemed, this time, she was trying to avoid fighting Bow directly. Luckily there were so many other targets!

Unfortunately, she then started scatter shotting blasts of light *Everywhere* because, yes, she was still kind of blind. Luckily, they were nowhere NEAR as destructive as the one she launched at poor Molly. But it's raining sparkles, now!

Then... "RIVENTON WHAT IN ETHERIA IS THAT?!" she yelled, when she was starting, to just BARELY make out what looked like, possibly, a VERY large, oddly *dark* version of a certain SOMEONE who was NOT SUPPOSED TO EXIST! But surely this was just HER BEING BLIND THAT CAUSED THAT!

Then she teleported again and... landed, rather awkwardly, on the nearby roof. Cause she couldn't fly and could only launch so many magic blasts before she got tired. She was fine. Really. Just... just needed a moment to get her vision back. And her breath.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     Goldenweb Yorotsuchi is given instructions by Sailor Moon! "...I'll be honest I don't think it'll do much on him he's got a lot of dark energy." ... ... And yet, she's still weaving another prayer slip. But she doesn't throw it at Riventon, no, she sticks it on the side of her sword. ...Which begins to glow much more effectively with that purification energy than that prayer slip had on its own. Oh also she's just infusing those golden motes of energy into her odachi.

"Blessed Blade which splits reality." She intones softly, as she swings one hand out to attempt to stick some of that golden webbing to Riventon himself. And yank herself towards him.

"WILLCUTTER!"

...Mid-flight she is told to be on team with Bow and fight Glimmer instead. "Oh. Uh." She flips mid air, her geta now coming towards Riventon.

Uberladenes Sperrfeuer.

...Into a minefield of black orbs of magic.

...All To attempt to kick off of him as another string of that golden thread is launched to the roof nearby Glimmer to launch her back towards the /other/ villain, aiming to shoot past her and swing that odachi blessed with magical power towards her!

"Ow ow ow that hurts ow ow ow. Sure why not uhm WILL CUTTER TWO! Uhm... AIMING FOR YOU!"

... ... Yeah she lost the plot a little there.

Goldenweb Yorotsuchi straightens out behind Glimmer, turning half-back towards her as she holds that Odachi over her shoulder.

"Hey. Sparkly fancy evil lady. Let's go. Half-blind person versus half-blind person. And also an eye-spider. Also your ... rival? Friend? ... Person? This is sounding less fair the more I talk but anyway! Let's do this."

...Hachi is, very pointedly, staying the heck out of dodge right now, having found a vantage point where she can watch the battlefield while also most likely not eating a stray laser or something, the only sign the eye-spider was there being the subtle ripple of reality as she moved on the wall.

...But it's there.

And now Glimmer is aware something called an /eye-spider/ is there.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly watches with no small amount of satisfaction as her beam of steel-melting heat connects with Riven-- no wait, no it doesn't, that's not what happens. Some semi-virtual purple bloke pops out and takes it, and it doesn't seem to have even slowed new dude down? Well that's just not fair! "Heyy!!!" she shouts, "Who do you think you are?! I'm trying to set a bad person on fire right now! Stop messing up my vibe!"

Oh well; at least she had Stellar Pulse charged and ready to go; she aims Starcrash in the vicinity of Riventon and Purple Man, and yells "Fire!!" And unleashes a hail of glowing barrets; no heat or cold, just energy, and just... aimed at... their overall vicinity.

Unfortunately, as she's firing, Glimmer is doing her thing.

<< WARNING: INCOMING THREAT >>

"What the--" Molly has no time to process the information; neither the warning from Starcrash, or the blip on her battle visor, and for a moment she just... vanishes, in a big beam of sparkling light. And, for a moment, she's blinded. Just, totally blinded, and she can feel her barrier jacket melting around her, and it *hurts*. Until she picks a direction, snaps her fingers, and shifts briefly into being a beam of light herself, rematerializing just outside Glimmer's beam... basically as it's over. Her barrier jacket is glowing molten and smoking, and her Flier Fin blink-blinks for a moment.

"Starcrash... lock onto that target," she gasps, once she gets her voice back. She still can't see, but maybe...

<< TARGET LOCKED >>

"Starfall."

Molly's Flier Fin kicks into high gear, and the blinded girl just... trusts her device to aim her as she rockets straight at Glimmer, wherever she happens to be; and when the Purplenette reaches the ground her reverse-thrusters she came up with just for this fire, slowing her down so she doesn't get hurt by the massive impact.

But she leaves a great big crater where she lands.

Bow has posed:
Glimmer disappeared. The arrow passes through. Bow was scanning around for her, looking for where she's about to reappear where he can launch a net arrow towards her... when...

...when...

...a bigger threat appears. A much, much bigger threat. A threat that would threaten the whole world in Obsidian's hands.

A threat he brought here.

"You..." his attention flits to Glimmer. "...you told me that you wouldn't. You //promised//!" he starts, anger rising in his tone. As he clutches the bow, the wood creaks in his hands and he comms out. <<That's Light Hope! Use extreme caution!>>

It's still his fault. And his brain is reeling on how to fight her. A new arrow is summoned. <<She's impervious to most attacks... I'm going to try something stupid!>> Teamwork? Forgotten.

"Electric arrow!"

He starts fire electric arrow after electric arrow, trying to disrupt whatever this is trying to be Light Hope. And with each shot, his voice is angrier and angrier.

"ELECTRIC ARROW!"

He's frozen into place. No other targets to fire at, just unloading his arsenal at that one figure that betrayed him so hard...

...and now Glimmer is betraying him by alinging herself with it.

Ignore the tears rolling down his cheeks in his despondent anger that would probably top tanks in the dark energy department.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Of course Riventon won't back down. He never backs down. It would be almost admirable, if he weren't always trying to rob people. As he unveils his newest project by way of a half-there person creating a darkness barrier and demands to know if this box is worth eating darkness for, Sailor Moon just smiles, rolling her shoulders back, the Crescent Wand in her hand.

"Oh, it's worth it," she promises, as the memory of finding out Mamoru was kidnapped, from his own dorm, half-drowned and delivered right into Beryl's hands, plays back in her memory. This crystal, when joined with the other pieces - this Crystal Heart - would make it so that didn't happen again. Would make it so youma didn't sprout in the middle of school and butterflies didn't stalk them around campus.

And so as Riventon opens rifts of Darkness and Glimmer goes on the assault against Molly, Sailor Moon carves a shining circle of light in a tight circle in front of her, aimed directly at Riventon and his new helper.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Bright, shining purifying light goes flying right for them as she lays the covering fire. "This is on your head!"

And then Bow says that this is - <<The crazy lady who tried to brainwash you?! That's who that is?!>>

Koji Silvia has posed:
The worst enemy of the skilled is the unskilled... because they will do the unexpected because they do not KNOW.

    <<Good plan, Miss Cure. Let's get someplace they can't see an->>

Which is when all of Glimmer's random flail-fire ends up hitting something. A last minute group of 4 hex-barriers appear out of nowhere, burst, and the rest highlights Hanzo, who was trying to get up the side of a building and away to coordinate with someone and change the battlefield. Being spun by the shot, his Barrier Jacket getting a singe-mark, he almost drops the Box from his free arm. If forces him to kick off the wall and almost into the path of the rampaging stapler. He actually has to do a backroll to move out of view again and then twist to just look towards Cure Mer, and instead of doing anything fancy he just lobs the Box to her... and then another... and another... trying to fake out with decoy boxes just in case, "Catch!"

    <<If anyone has anything on Riventon's new sentient fashion sense, now would be a good time to speak up... because otherwise we're in real trouble...>>

He does notice Bow, and then narrow his next message to JUST Moon and Mer.

    <<I know that look. Buy me a little breathing room? do something fun... maybe Moon Wrecking Drop a Building on Him or something. You know. The things you all do when you yell something and then a lot happens.>>

Leaving the Box to Mer, regardless of whether or not she ACTUALLY catches it in the Aqua Pot, he steps, a Boost Shield pops off, and he sails up to land next to and behind Bow.

    "Hey..." He says softly, and then reaches up to put his hands on Bow's probably shaking shoulders, "Listen... take it from someone who knows... whatever that is... it's not something you have to face alone. We're all here, Bow. Us. Not that girl, who seems to really want you to like her, and has her priorities really screwed up I think... or whatever else is going on up there. You've got people who will laugh with you, cry with you, and go camping with you. But we need you too. So... if you need out of the fight tonight, that's fine. No judgement. We're still gonna be here with smiles and a hot steam bun for you after this, win or lose. And let the scary coatlady be something for tomorrow..."

Looking down at the battlefield, he adds, "I'm gonna go back down there in a moment. If you want to follow, maybe try shooting the..." He actually has to pause to stop a snort from coming, "stapler monster... I know when I'm not in my right head, putting the stomp on someone basement tier bad guy always helps me sort it out."

Laura La Mer has posed:
Some tall phantom lady is Riventon's answer to being told to back off. Laura is not sure what is the fuss, really, but it's alarming his own ally, so that's a win for them, really. And she can go ask what is Light Hope and why that is such a big deal later. She doesn't plan to go around her anyway.

Ok, she is being tossed the box, just need to put it inside... And she is wholly unprepared for three of them falling towards her, her arms flailing as she tries to get which to catch. It should be the one with most magic, right? "Kururun, help me!", she calls out, the seal fairy peeking out of the Aqua Pot, wondering what she is being called for.

"Get the magic box!", she explains in a hurry, trying to get one of them. "Got it!", Laura exclaims, grabbing a box. "Not this one!", she tosses it aside frustrated. "Kururun!", the pink seal warns Laura, having grabbed the right box and popping back inside the Aqua Pot with it.

Usagi is using her own purifying power, so that's double the order, just for Riventon! Whale Moonbeam Purification, go! "Alright, we are all in order now!", Laura exclaims, putting the Pot back in her hair. "Marine Heart Swirl Ring! Charm Up!", she smiles, as she stretches her arm upwards, a blue sphere engulfing her from the ring on her arm and making her change form.

"Five powers, roar through the seas!", she shouts, the ring creating a blue heart above her from which a bioluminescent whale comes out. Jumping inside of its mouth, La Mer swims in it, sending the purifying whale in a collision course with Riventon. "Pretty Cure Marine Beat Dynamic!"

Takashi Agera has posed:
    To say that a lot continues to go on is... a very true statement. Sailor Moon accepts the challenge, and Riventon meets it. "Fine. Axion, Fire!"

    Some of the orbs wither away before impact with their targets due to flying through the stream of purifying energy, but others are on longer and more outside arcs and pose a risk. Riventon grounds his feet and outstretches his arm as the barrage of orbs unleashes - minus a few orbs that Yorostuchi hit, which may make all of the difference in the end...

    A triangular Belkan armored ward springs into existence, and Riventon holds behind it. He's basically trying to brace through Moon Healing Escalation while his orbs end it by connecting with their target.

    The arrows soar through the air and while the physical part of them does fly through - albeit slightly disrupted, like there's just the faintest trace of something physical in what they just flew through - the electricity certainly disrupts her form. Not in the way a power surge disrupts a computer, though. Instead the electricity seems to disrupt her ability to stay together, clouds of Dark Energy detaching from the body and into smoke before slowly new energy is spent to restore it.

    "Oh. I think I see. You are upset over something the one designated Light Hope did to you? You should be informed that my designation is 'Night Hope'." she notes between electric bolts. "You should be informed, I share limited continuity with the other designation. We share code similarities, but we are more different in that respect than two human family members are in their genetic code. Perhaps a metaphor will help. This is as if you were attacking a horse for being related to a similar horse that kicked you in the head." she says.

    "Riventon, may I defend myself? This is becoming a notable energy loss." She asks.

    But Riventon is really not able to answer, because regardless of how plan 'stop the Healing Escalation by thumping Moon' goes, there is a giant purification whale and that has already been unleashed, whether or not any of the launched energy orbs make their way to La Mer.

    Riventon mouths something probably profane as he gives up on tanking through all of the purification and instead enacts plan 'get the hell out of the vicinity' - It's a good thing he flies, and he's fast. But that's a big whale possibly still Escalation so...

    <SCHALLBEWEGUNG.> calls Riventon's device, and he makes it out of the whale's path with only his coat and boot and coat singed thanks to a flickering, sickly-yellow burst of further energy. And more distantly, thanks to Fate.

    Riventon, though, for just a moment to those who can see him afterwards, looking absolutely exhausted despite his immediate attempt to blow it off after. "How many times can you do that? Just once? Was that your whole shot?" he calls down to Laura La Mer. "Cause I've got a lot more blastin'!" he adds as a circle erupts underneath him. "You can't play keep-away, because I'll just knock you out one... by... one..." he says, leveling his hand at La Mer for a blast of ink-like darkness. <SCHATTENSCHLAG.> Axion calls as the high-pressure inky stream of corruption unleashes.

    "But there's also... GLIMMER! GRAB THE BOX!" He calls. Notably, Night Hope did not move out of the way of the whale - or even seem as if she was attempting to - and is currently nowhere to be seen, her form seemingly swallowed up by it and the Escalation.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon was slowly getting her vision black, blinking as--

A Molly rocketed at her. Oof. She was sent toppling back, stumbling from the other blast of powered girl and--

And a blade, next. She shrieked and swerved, hard, to the right. The blade kind of... well, she wasn't actually dark powered. But it hit her waist, the blade not cutting, the purifying not purifying but the magic still hurting. While it didn't hit her full on, it still hurt and made her stumble to the side.

Only for the girl to do something far, far worse.

"What is an *Eye* spider?! Ugh, you know what? I don't want to know. And I've fought lots of spiders before," she said. Before she just, well, launches another blast of light at Yorotsuchi. It... was not a purifying attack. It was just light. Destructive, powerful light. The scary thing was just how much *force* she could exert in a moment. Then again... light.

Behind her, she could hear yelling. Was Bow okay? She dashed towards the edge of the roof and--

Oh. And now Night Hope was talking. And oh, her anger was boiling, her fists clenching. Could she kill him? No. Noooo. He was her boss. Don't kill your boss.

Wait, was this what it was like to be Catra? Holy crap. No wonder she was such a bitch all the time.

And of course, now Glimmer felt her anger rising. And there was a big light whale, destroying so much of them. But the moment it was gone... La Mer, huh? "Later, spider girl!" Glimmer yelled, disappearing to reappear by Cure La Mer! She reached out, grabbed her arm with her left hand, right hand glowing with light... But oh no, Riventon was launching an attack at her! And Glimmer teleported, taking La Mer further away... But then her gaze went towards where Night Hope had been. And an annoyed look formed on her face. And... she pushed the girl. Away from both of them. "Oh nooooo. She got awayyyyy. RIVENTON! What happened to you were just using the interface thing to ask questions?! Why is there a sudden *Light Hope* looking WANNABE in the middle of our FIGHT? You said you were going to LOCK HER DOWN! THIS ISN'T LOCKED DOWN! THIS IS VERY CLEARLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE!"

And then she just teleported into his face! LEAVING LA MER TO VERY CLEARLY GET AWAY! WORSE! EMPLOYEE! EVER! "You told me you were going to keep her out of ANYTHING to do with this stuff! You can't have her running about, fighting people! Are you trying to get this planet blown up too? She's already-- HEY! Don't you try ignoring me! This is a serious talk! You don't just spring this kind of thing on people! SHE TRIED TO DESTROY THE PLANET! WE HAD THIS TALK! I don't care HOW many layers you put on her, you promised you'd keep her in check and this is NOT in check! THIS IS FIGHTING!" And... and she looked pissed. And that light in her right hand was looking more like it was going to go at HIM than at any of the sparkles.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     Alright, so there is ... a lot going on around her, Ahmya finally realizes now that she is not panicking after flying through A FIELD OF DARK MAGIC ORBS and then attempting to cut her new ally's friend. ... Also the area she was just in got deleted. Which uh. That's. That's sure a thing. Uhm. "..."

Goldenweb Yorotsuchi is beginning to feel like she is a spider among orbital cannons. Seriously the fancy dark lady just unleashed a laser, then the starfall thing happened and also MOON HEALING ESCALATION and honestly she was glad that she was not in the way of any of that.

"...Okay it's maybe a /little/ more unfair than I thought uh. Hi! Your friend seems uh. Not okay."

Meanwhile, Riventon is... being riventon. And also a very unsatisfying and kind of upsetting information is given by Night Hope. And there are more dark orbs flying around which she is currently just... coating herself in a dome of protective web to guard herself from.

"Oh she's a spider that has an eye for an abdomen she's actually kind of cute if you get to kno--" BLAST! The blast of light blows away the remains of that shielding dome. And she pauses as Glimmer starts to YELL at Riventon and ... and stuff!

"...Well, this is... you know what." Ahmya stands up, walking over to the ... not-deleted edge of the building.

"Hey fancy dark lady! You should like. Move to the left or something."

And Goldenweb Yorotsuchi lifts her hand.

To the sash covering her eye.

"...Per the pact sealed within my eye." Goldenweb Yorotsuchi lifts the edge of the sash, golden strands beginning to spread out from her.

"I invoke the strands that entangle creation..."

The sash is lifted fully from her eye, closing the other, revealing a milky-white eye with golden webbing covering it.

"Unleash, GOLDENWEB!"

Behind her, a golden web appears, Hachi the eye-spider suddenly standing on it. Only it is a giant spider with a giant eye that is the size of a horse. And a pulse from the eye on it seems to lock onto Riventon -- and should Night Hope dare to show itself, Night Hope.

...And a mix of illusion and webbing is unleashed. Possibly more likely effective on Riventon.

As he possibly sees himself stuck in an unending web, as a very real web attempts to entangle and trap him in place and leave him open.

Welcome to spider hell. Population: Riventon (And possibly Night Hope.)

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly stands in the middle of a crater of her own making, while a fight is going on around her. She connected with Glimmer; that much she knows for certain, but there's not much else she's aware of since she still can't see anything but light. Light and sparkles and those funny, wonky-shaped lightning bolt things, dancing around in her vision.

Really need to modify her battle visor to give herself some protection against this sort of thing. She makes a note of that, while she hunches her shoulders, waiting for the next attack to land. "Starcrash, deploy Round Shield and give me a status report," she breathes hurriedly.

<< AFFIRMATIVE. ROUND SHIELD DEPLOYED. STATUS; BARRIER JACKET INTEGRITY APPROACHING CRITICAL. MANA RESERVES AT SEVENTY PERCENT. ALL ALLIES COMBAT READY. ALL ENEMY THREATS REMAIN ACTIVE. >>

"Alright," she murmurs, "Some good some bad. Are you still locked onto the purple one?"

<< AFFIRMATIVE. SHALL I ANNIHILATE HER? >>

"Goodness me, what's gotten into you lately? No, I think that's not necessary, but we can definitely harass her." There's a whole fight going on around Molly, and an argument that she can kind of hear but she has no idea who's actually yelling at who. Her barrier jacket is still painfully hot, but it's not like she can just, y'know, take it off right here and now. Oh but, there's an idea.

<< Hey, Cure La Mer, would you be a peach and douse me with water? I'm way overheated and I'm getting cooked! My barrier jacket can take the thermal shock. >> Well, probably. Hopefully? << Not like a big attack or anything, just... hose me down, if you can. >>

Meanwhile, Molly is still shaking her head, waiting for her vision to return. It's not like she can move from where she's standing, she can't see anything! This sucks majorly. But! She can do this.

"Starcrash, overcharge Solar Barrage, thirty barrets, homing on current target."

<< ARMED. TARGET LOCKED. WARNING: MANA USAGE INCREASED >>

"Fire!!" As Molly shouts her command, a stream of searing hot blue barrets come launching out of her staff, flying straight up in the air until they find their target, and go rocketing straight for Glimmer, one after the other. "There!" declares Molly, "Teleport away from that!? I dare you! Because they'll *find you*," she sings.

Koji Silvia has posed:
When Riventon's own version of Darien's Green Jacket 2.0 decides to explain itself in as unapologetic and logical (For anything Dark Energy related) terms as possible, Hanzo just gets a heavy exhale, "Well... if you're going to be like that..."

Keeping his hands on Bow's shoulders, he closes his eyes and a blue-white glow begins to form around him, "Give me a moment, Bow. He wants to fight using our tech and your tech... we're going to level the playing field."

    <<Alright Hanzo. I want you to use your intrusion skills to handshake into Bow's arrow-creation system... then use me as a bridge to feed him both Bind and Disruptor spell-series.>>

    << MASTER. CONNECTION TO UNKONWN TECHNOLOGY IS NOT ADVISED. >>

     <<We're fighting crazy with crazy. We'll be alright. I trust him.>>

     << ... >>

    << INITIATING INFILTRATION. ESTABLISHING BRIDGE. DIRECT MANA-LINK ENABLED. ACCESS 'BIND' ACCESS 'DISRUPTOR' ESTABLISHED. >>

    << -WARNING- BRIDGE UNSTABLE. SUCCESSIVE USES NOT GUARNATEED. >>

    In a slightly strained voice, Koji says quietly to Bow, "I can give you one good shot. Do what you do best. Be creative, and hit your mark."

Bow has posed:
After launching a volley of arrows, Bow was about to fire again, just as Koji appears before him. His words are encouraging, supportive even. And Bow wants to bow this one out. He could.

He should.

And then Night Hope speaks, telling him about how fruitless it is, how different from Light Hope she is... while sounding exactly //like// Light Hope.

He looks aside to Koji and his eyes falter. "She's my Queen. No matter how dumb she can be sometimes... she's still who I am beholden to protect. Even when the person she needs protecting from is herself. Because she's still my idiot."

This must be how Adora feels about Catra when she does the thing. You know. The thing.

You had to be there.

And that's when Koji offers up more. A blink of dark eyes is made at the other boy before there's a firm nod of Bow's head. "Thanks... I'll try not to blow both of us up." No guarantees.

Reaching up for a moment, Bow activates his goggles, the glasses lighting up so that he can scan the field for Night Hope's energy signature. When he has it? His fingers pluck the bow string, as if making sure it's in tune with Hanzo's magic. "Here we go." He dials up an electric arrow, but as the prongs form, he can feel the new magicks flowing within. The circuitry is changed, accumulated, modified and sodered into place.

"Fulmine..."

"...overload..."

"...BARRAGE!"

The electricified arrow leaps from the bow, crackling with bright electricity as it nets out, ready to wrap around Night Hope and short her out completely. Hopefully.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The Escalation manages to take out a lot of Riventon's dark barret-ball-things. This is the good news. The bad news is, some of them still get through, and though Sailor Moon has her arms crossed in front of her, elbow-length gloves ready to take the and block her body - and they aren't enough. Some of the hits land.

And it turns out, Sailor Moon has not been hit with straight dark energy all that often. If she had been, she'd have known - it hurts. The blasts that hit her hurt, not just because of the force, but because of the darkness, that seeps, that stings, that broils and burns and amps up every shred of anger and fear and envy and seeps into her skin -

She's knocked back, rolling across the ground. The Escalation does stop, Riventon struck only by the giant whale (only). Sailor Moon has to struggle to climb to her knees, straining.

"That - hurt - you jerk -" she breathes out sharply, and when she lifts her head - when she sees Riventon firing on Laura - she sees red.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

The carved circle is tiny, barely the size of her hand, and the light that rushes out is concentrated for it, like forcing a river to emerge from a garden hose.

It hurts to fire off the blast, the pale silver energy burning Sailor Moon, like a bottle of peroxide dumped over a wound, like gargling salt water after a tooth's come out, an aching sting. Her henshin flickers, when the attack is over.

Laura La Mer has posed:
"You sure would want to know, wouldn't you?", Laura smirks at Riventon as he tries to prod her for the limitation of Marine Beat Dynamic. Maybe he should see if she wants to talk in 200 years down the line. As if.

Once the whale dissoves, Laura opens her mouth, about to taunt Riventon for all the energy be had to use to get out of the while. Yeah, that sounds right. She is left wide open when Riventon sets that inky darkness at her.

Instead, she just... gets teleported away from Riventon's attack, the sensation jarring. "Thank... you?", she blinks between going back to a more decisive tone. "What did you do that for?", she frowns at the other girl after getting shoved away with little to no warning.

Before she is about to demand an explanation more energically, she is left to stare at an empty. Does Dark Shimmer ever stop, really?, she thinks sighing, focusing her attention on Star Devil's unusual request. "I hope you are sure about that, my powers are pretty much one way only", she warns her, before obliging her request.

"Perfume Shiny Ring - Bubble Form!" she declares as she inserts her pen under the Aqua Pact and the ring above it, the cover splitting open again. Grasping it by the now attached pen, Cure La Mer shouts "Aqua Charge!" and rotates the disk, a vortex of bubbles entering her Aqua Pact.

The mermaid spins around, a trail of glowing pink energy following behind her. "Pretty Cure Ocean Bubble Shower!" she shouts, pointing the Mermaid Aqua Pact at Star Devil, the magical item briefly glowing yellow before it rapidly fires an uncountable torrent of bubbles.

"Moon! How are you?", Laura asks the angry magical girl with worry after that nasty hit. At least, righteous indignation driving her to another Moon Healing Escalation shows she is well enough for that.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Night Hope doesn't seem to have reformed since the encounter with the purification whale and the Escalation - which is actually worse for Riventon, in the long run... as the feeling of being wrapped in webs starts to overwhelm him. Some of the webs are real, but Riventon is still trying to escape from the illusions too. It doesn't fool Axion - but the Device is having a hard time getting its Meister's attention as there are other attacks coming in and Riventon's webbed up and he really, really, really doesn't want to be here even before he considers the super value size spider.

    And yet even in this almost panicked attempt to escape - maybe not taking advantage of several better ways to escape - he still finds a moment to yell back at Sailor Moon. "It's supposed to hurt, you know. It doesn't hurt to keep out of my way!"

    The Escalation, Part II is on its way - and Riventon's still trapped in the spider webs, trying to get out of more illusory ones than physical right now. But Riventon doesn't need his hands free to guard himself - that's why you'd have an intelligent device, instead of a hyped up Storage device like some kind of TSAB heathen. <RUNDEN SCHILD.> Calls Axion, the device invoking a classically Midchildan circular shield despite speaking Belkan.

    "You think you can break through?! It didn't work last time, it's just going to get you hurt again." he warns as spheres coalesce into being once more...

    But Koji and Bow are working together, and while Night Hope's physical presence isn't out, the source that she was projected from is still something the duo attack can lock onto - and that source is on the underside of Riventon's device. And Bow's at an awkward angle for the Round Shield to protect - plus there's still all of that Moon Escalation he can't take, so the arrow soars straight and true, crackling electricity the whole way - and slams into Riventon's device, into the undersize of his arm - which causes him to get incredibly shocked - but moreso, causes his Round Shield to fail which means then there's the rest of the Escalation that's directed for him - and instead of screaming in pain, Riventon is growling in anger, even as the purification carves marks into his body. Furious. Perhaps even afraid. "I'LL MAKE AN EXAMPLE OUT OF YOU!" he says, still trying to step towards Sailor Moon.

    SYSTEM FAILURE. COMPONENTS DAMAGED. DANGER. DANGER. his device warns, and the barrier shatters like it's made of dry ice, letting the rising morning sun into the battlefield, as color returns. "I'LL DO IT WITH MY BARE HANDS!" he says, even as his device is crackling and continuing to sound ever more distorted warnings.

    Another step forward towards his opponents, wild eyes looking to not only Sailor Moon but every last assembled hero, almost feral, Dark Energy no longer collecting into his hands in orbs but dripping off of him, like ink seeping from the parts of his body damaged by the purification or the crackling electricity.

    And then a tiny little machine; more like a toy than anything, some sort of action-figure like thing appears for a moment - and forcibly duskports Riventon away - before he can even begin to worry about answering Glimmer.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon was fancy dark lady. She blinked and... moved a bit to the left, glancing back and--

Oh, massive spider. Oh, she knew EXACTLY what to do about that. "We're talking!" she snapped. Lifting a hand and...

Star Devil had launched attacks at her. She rolled her eyes, teleporting away and onto the, now heavily damaged, car. Aiming and--

WHY WERE THEY VEERING AFTER HER?! WAIT WAS THAT WHAT STAR DEVIL WAS YELLING ABOUT?!

And then they hit her! Three of them hit her, she teleports, and then five more and--

Poor Glimmer proceeds to get air juggled until she teleports *into* the car, laying down in the backseat, the last five or six of the blasts hitting the outside of the car as she laid there. "Owwww..." she mumbled, Fortunately for her, she missed Riventon going absolutely insane, instead just teleporting out a moment later, wobbling and holding her guy, tears all over her clothes, before... "H-hold on..." she said. Then glanced around. "Oof... he gone? Okay... right... ummmm..." She flicked her hand and... "Loot... loot... how's... gift cards from... ummm... Okujoo... Ramen... it's pretty. Sorry, the pokemon games weren't very clear on how you were supposed to drop your reward stuff. So... here. Split it amongst yourself, I guess. Ow. Ugh. I am going to yell at that idiot... so much. Um, Bow? Good job! You actually tried to shoot me this time! So congrats! Ow... ow ow..." She then turned and limped off, tossing the card into the air before disappearing.

Apparently the pokemon games were why she thought... she was supposed to drop loot. Or she just enjoyed it. Who knew?

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     Possibly to everyone's relief, after unleashing the entangling web, Hachi disappears back to her normal size again -- still huge, but no longer visible for everyone, as blasts of magic shoot towards Riventon, having the upside of freeing him -- not that it matters with the duskporting.

Goldenweb Yorotsuchi is hesitating as things continue though, slowly beginning to pull that sash down, but part of her wants to keep it uncovered, to let this power out all of the time, to entangle the world in golden threads and

Feast

But she shakes her head, closing her webbed up eye and pulling that sash back over it. Phew. She did her job in combat: Not to necessarily be the one who deals the blows, but to help set things up for others to do it.

Chrono might have been proud of her maybe possibly!

And then things seem to calm down, and Yorotsuchi begins to walk down the side of the building to join the others.

...And then that

Hunger

Strikes again at mention of ramen.

"..." Goldenweb Yorotsuchi turns, sending a fwip of golden threads into the distance, launching herself back off into the night.

Bow has posed:
After firing the arrow, Bow drops to his knees. He can only watch as Riventon and then Glimmer.

Glimmer compliments him on his effort.

Between that and Night Hope. "It's too much." he says finally. His dark eyes stare at the space Glimmer fled from. "She really has abandoned me."

Why does he continue to serve her? Why does he keep up the charade of being her enemy? Maybe she really wanted him to be her enemy. Was that what that comment meant? Lowering his head, his hands clutch around the bow. He sits on his ankles and he just stares at his bow.

"I'll be fine." he finally says, not looking at Koji. "Go ahead and get some ramen. I need to gather my thoughts."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oh shut up, you jerk! You're the one getting in our way, this wasn't even one of your plans!" Apparently being purified makes her cranky. Or maybe it's getting dark energy'd. Or maybe it's having them both happen all at once. Either way, she owes Naru and Mamochan some apologies, because that hurt so much more than she thought.

Riventon doesn't deserve an apology though. No, he's a jerk.

"IF I DIDN'T THINK SO I WOULDN'T WASTE MY ENERGY," she screams back in response to his taunting, though the way his shield is holding off her escalation is forcing her to try and pour more energy into it, her henshin flickering more and more. Laura asks if she's okay, and she actually laughs, Silver Crystal flickering erratically.

"Totally fine, just burning up from the inside out -" she's not, literally, but she still burns from her own purification, the scouring force trying to take out every remnant of the dark energy that had hurt so much to be struck by -

And then the attack breaks through, thanks to Koji and Bow's dual efforts, thanks to Yorotsuchi keeping him still, and of course getting pieces carved out of him isn't enough to make Riventon stop. No, he just gets angrier and angrier, and Sailor Moon is still on the ground, henshin flickering more and more, threatening to break in the aftermath of that last hit and the toll it took to be purified through her own purifying beam, and he's advancing, a deranged look in his eyes, and she can't help but flinch back a little, because even as the barrier shatters he looks like a monster, dark energy seeping through and from his skin, his clothes, everywhere that was hurt, advancing like he doesn't even feel the pain, like a zombie ready to eat her brains and tear apart her flesh and a little corner of her heart is going 'oh fuck oh fuck him killing me is going to make the wedding so awkward-'

And then he's gone, a tiny little robot ferrying him away, and Glimmer is mentioning Pokémon and throwing gift cards and she just stares, open-mouthed, as she disappears in a burst of sparkles. Closes her mouth. Opens her mouth. Sumps down even more, asphalt starting to dig into her knees as her henshin gives out fully, no more resistance now that both enemies are gone. Usagi Tsukino groans loud enough to wake the dead.

"Mamochan just had to have two brothers. Couldn't just stop at Takashi-kun, just had to have Riventon too..."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji was forced to watch Riventon lose his nut and about to go for the BBEG choke-hold rant on Usagi... and he was up here because Bow needed help.

He doesn't even notice his Barrier Jacket is steaming from what he just did, and Hanzo is looking a little worn from the effort, but his hands slump down and he pants out, "Seriously... when did chasing off these guys turn into such an uphill slog."

Walking past Bow, he turns and says, "I need to go check on Moon... you just... how about you head back and turn off the armor. We'll catch up once we finish the job. You know where my dorm is."

He falls BACKWARDS off the building... which for anyone who knows Hanzo is not the most panic-inducing thing in the world because he Boost Shields off, flips, and lands next to Usagi, "Hey there... you alright? C'mon... let's finish up and get you some food. I'll make us all fresh ramen, and those little pink steam buns... you know... the ones with the smilies..."

A smile is added to Mer, "You're invited too of course. Would be a shame not to for a new ally."

Molly Skyline has posed:
There's a lot going on, but it at least sounds like things are dieing down. Well, hopefully there isn't any dieing literally happening. Dieing is bad and people shouldn't do that. "Starcrash..." She blinks her eyes, and holds up a hand to -- no, that's a bad idea, it's hot and--

The Star Devil stumbles and collapses on her face as she's hit by the Ocean Bubble Shower, which takes her straight off her feet, and relases a mighty cloud of steam around her. Her barrier jacket makes some very unfortunate sounds as the metal cools off much too quickly, and in some places it cracks and a few bits straight up fall off, but it overall has the desired effect, cooling Molly off and eventually drenching her down to her skin as the water makes it in through the newly formed cracks.

And slowly, her vision returns; gradually at first, but soon enough she can see all the warnings flashing on her battle visor. Mostly, they have to do with the condition of her armor.

"Starcrash, status of enemies?" she asks.

<< ALL ENEMY THREATS VANQUISHED. MISSION SUCCESSFUL >>

"Oh well that's good then." She looks over in Cure La Mer's direction, and pops a thumbs up. "Thanks, that was getting awful." And, all through it, she has no idea that there was ever a giant spider.

"Oh no, Koji-Kun, not this time." She crosses the road, to pick up the object that Glimmer dropped. "No, this time we *definitely* go to Okujoo Ramen. Look what that purple person dropped?! I mean come on, we can't not use that."

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Of course", Laura smirks with a nod at Star Devil after she confirms to be fine. Well, there have been those nasty cracks in her armour, but they must self-repair or something then! She wouldn't say she that otherwise. Her Mermaid Aqua Pact turns back into its usual form, and Riventon's attack fizzles on him, leaving him to angrily abandon the place. She is so going to remember this.

Dark Shimmer is kind of weird, Laura finds herself thinking as she pockets her "victory drops". No, really weird. Who does all those thing? Is she actually a villain? Or is she destabilising their missions on purpose? What even is her deal?

"You really shouldn't have burned yourself so much", La Mer frowns at Sailor Moon's reply, watching her fall on her arms and feet, tired enough to make her henshin vanish. "You didn't have to use so much last time, why do it now?", the mermaid expresses her concern. At least the fight is actually over.