[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/LjFjyMp.png[/img][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/A0ETWbS.png[/img][/center] [sub]banner credit to [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/users/hellis]Hellis[/url][/sub] [h2][center]Featuring [@Hellis] As.... The Guardian of Stonehenge[/center][/h2] [hr] [b]Time: Present Day - Night Location: England, UK[/b] By the time the two would make it to the Stonehenge, Titanias' magic was already palpable in the air. The Queen had used one of her own groves for travel and was now standing, chanting at the far edge of the monument. She raised her hands to the sky and uttered a word of power, in Gaelic so ancient and forgotten only few would understand it. But everyone with magic nearby would have felt it. It rolled off her in waves, making the grass grow and wilt and grow again. Vines wrapped around her legs in intricate patterns before fossilizing and falling off her in chunks only to make the journey once more. The air shook and trembled with energies great and old. Ancient spells broke and threaded into nothingness as the Queen called upon powers known only to her now. Then she sucked in a deep breath as all the magic of the Stonehenge and its protections was sucked back into her. She was lifted up in the air as magic pumped into her, slowly reversing the aging process day by day, year by year. When she sunk back to her feet, it was a noticeably more beautiful and young Titania who stood before them. It appeared that Titania stood to gain something from lifting the protection as well. Such was the way of Fae, one deal was just a smoke screen for other things. She smiled at them as they approached. "Try not to die Ambassador." She strode past them, apparently satisfied with her work. She had not been gone for more than a minute before the earth began to rumble underneath their feet. [color=thistle]I [i]knew[/i] it. [/color] The Ambassador thought angrily. The spell to veil Stonehenge was a pocket of stored power for the Queen. Looking younger, feeling the energy coming off in waves around them. Odette was [i]infuriated[/i]. All the lecturing over Hell and The Broker was simply a distraction. Titania [i]wanted[/i] to lift it. Odette took a deep breath in, all but slamming the portal door once Mandate and Bach stepped through. Bach looked on and his brow furrowed at the scene. The ground rumbling caught whatever Odette wanted to spit at the Queen, Odette and Bach both reached for Mandate to hold onto. Mandate was familiar with the ground rumbling and shaking beneath her feet, but the fact that she was not the cause was new to her. Humming curiously as her companions anchored themselves upon her, the golem turned her head to and fro, taking idle note of the force with which the portal door had shut. [color=LightPink]"This place is interesting, Miss Ambassador. Do you want me to break it before the rumbles do? Or whatever is making the place all rumbly?"[/color] She seemed unperturbed by the shaking of the earth. It helped that she had no clear idea of what they were searching for, though she could guess that she would soon be fighting. She was content with that. Odette casted a look past the main historical sight, the sight had been closed for a few hours now but the security teams were in a panic at the sudden earthquake, taking shelter. The three of them going unnoticed by the panicking humans. While it felt like her bones were being jostled she held firm to Mandate's arm. The ground shook. and then it began to bulge upwards. The earth heaved, the soil shifting and trees was uprooted where they stood. First came the Horns, massive as they speared up trough the ground. Then came the rest of the body. [center][h3]"WHO ARE YOU, TO ANGER HERNE? THE HUNTER!"[/h3][/center] Finally as the Earth settled and Odette sweeped low with a bow, speaking in Common Fey, "[i][color=thistle]Great Hunter, I do humbly apologize for the disturbance! My name is The Ambassador of the Fair Folk![/color][/i]" She gestured for the others to bow as well. Bach did so automatically arms straight down the length of his sides. Mandate watched as the others bowed. After a moment, and at Miss Ambassador's prompting, she awkwardly repeated the movement. Her torso bent forward, and her hands curled into fists at her sides. The urge to stare at the wondrous creature -and break it apart- was temporarily resisted. [center][h3]"Fae?! You cannot fool me human. ARE YOU ROMAN!?"[/h3][/center] It lifted one massive hoof and smashed it down on the group in an attempt to crush them, well, underhoof. Mandate snuck a glance upwards, and noted the size of the creature's magnificent horns. Then, she noted the hoof lifting. After that, she did not note anything, and simply acted. Her body was upright in a moment, her foot dragging easily through the earth as her fist reared back, a metallic grinding filling the air as her hand clenched tightly enough to become audible. An internal weight, a sense of power, shifted. [i]Ten tons?[/i] It seemed sufficient. Without a sound and without hesitation, Mandate's fist met the descending hoof with earth-shaking force. The noise of their collision was that of a thunderclap. The pressure tore the ground around them. Herne, or rather the construct of Herne, was surprised. Even more surprise registered on its giant deerlike face when the force of Mandate's punch shattered the leg of it. It reformed some second later. It backed away slowly, trying to devise a new angle of attack. Mandate's powerful strike rippled around them, Bach and Odette dropped to the ground. When Herne recoiled the two dashed out of the immediate area scrambling out of the way of two giants. "[color=darkseagreen]Here's our chance to test her strength![/color]" Bach commented huffing out a a shaky breath. "[color=thistle]Mandate! Destroy the Guardian![/color]" Odette commanded raising her voice. She turned to Bach, "[color=thistle]I can sense the power of the piece, it's underground right in the center of the site. I hate to do this but [i]we[/i] need to dig. Possess me.[/color]" They gripped each other's forearms and in sync began chanting the spell, Odette felt out for the power of the Arcane Stream and it reacted so quickly and nearly overwhelmed her. Bach compensated for the immense energy, they shared it among themselves. Blue light brightly bloomed around their bodies. The tattoo on her back glowed through her jacket, the spell reached its end when Bach's form began to fade his soul combining with his pact partner. His soul entered her body in a whirlwind of leaves, she bent over holding her sides a singular roar ripping through her throat. Blood trickled down from her temple where the small horns appeared through the skin, her skin darkening with green tints, yellow tints washing through her eyes. The possession happened within a minute, the skin along her hands roughened, turning into bark. She stood back up, then clicked her heels. Mandate would have blinked if she could, her eyes following the deer's -the golem's?- leg as it was shattered, and then began to simply reform. That was tricky, but more importantly, it was irritating. Singular in her focus, the mercury golem did not look away as she rambled aloud. [color=LightPink]"It lied to me, Miss Ambassador! It's not a deer at all, it's rock! Lots of rock! How am I supposed to look inside of you and find something interesting if you're rock, Mr. Herne- If that is your real name?"[/color] Mandate lowered herself into a crouch, mane bristling as she planted a foot behind her. Her smile was gone, replaced with its reverse as she focused her power once more. It was as easy as flexing a muscle. [color=LightPink]"I'm going to kill you for not being able to die! It's rude!"[/color] Her stance adequately explained in her own rambling manner, Mandate threw herself forward. The ground beneath her exploded as her strength was focused into a kick, hurtling her forward into a barely-human, though uncontrolled, sprint. It was a tumbling, wild gait, but quickly focused into a steady rhythm as she charged for the massive 'deer', aiming to simply ram herself into its other leg at full force. Herne's golem-like body flinched. The thing was charging him like a locomotive with a deathwish. It overcame its doubt and began charging the other golem head on. When the collided, the shock wave was enough to rip a few nearby trees into pieces. In that moment, the golems body shattered in a million little peaces and reformed into a half man, half deer. It raised its arm and smashed down on Mandate with enough force to crack the ground. Odette sprung from her spot, she flipped in the air then landed along the stones on the outer edge, with complete mastery of earth magic it would make the expedition easy and if time is permitting a chance to put it back together. Bach's psyche crawled at the thought of destroying the site. A short few seconds of concentration she felt out the presence of the piece, it was unrelenting with ancient magic pouring out of it. A singular piece held so much. It fired up her imagination. First, however was to help Mandate with the Guardian. Leaping off the stone again she landed deftly on the back of the Guardian. Grass grew between the stone rooting Odette's feet in place as her hands glowed green a spell for a trap coming directly from memory. A layered circle appeared beneath the Guardian, roots spiraling around it's legs and up its chest from the broken Earth. When the trap took hold she cut the grass at her feet leaping away again, safely out of reach while it worked. Within a few more leaps she arrived dead center of Stonehenge, the air was [i]alive[/i] with energy from the Arcane Stream. All around her she could feel the immense power, allowing Bach to possess gave her room to spare for storing the high input. Now, there was cause to use it. Summoning on the Arcane Stream, her arm brightened with green light as she plunged it deep into the Earth. Mandate's sleek, mercury form was at odds with the furious energy with which she struck at Herne. She clawed at the pieces of the golem in the moments before it reformed, irritated by her inability to do more than throw the stone -albeit a great distance- through the force of her blow. [color=LightPink]"Rude!"[/color] But then her opponent was physical and vulnerable again, and all was well. Mandate only registered the blow in the sight of its approach, and the movement it forced upon her upper body; her durability was unassailable to something that merely broke earth, but her weight required a moment to compensate for the force. Briefly weighing in at 450 kilograms, the golem slammed her foot into the ground, and felt satisfaction in the way in which it crumbled even further. More satisfying, however, was that the kick drove her forwards and upwards, into the construct's personal space. Utilizing the opportunity presented by the interference of mysterious roots, her hand tore through the air with a vicious swipe. It was an open-handed slap aimed at the construct's torso that fully utilized the sharp tips of her fingers. She wanted to tear it apart, even if it was not flesh and bone; It had threatened Miss Ambassador. The binding magical roots did more then just slow the construct. It strengthened its density and structural integrity. This would have been a boon against any other opponent then Mandate. Mandate had enough power to make it a moot point. Instead, the roots made it so that it couldn't separate its pieces upon impact, and Mandates claw dug in deep, tore chunks that was flung to the ground and held there by the roots. Vicious satisfaction flared inside of Mandate at the great rends her 'slaps' left in the construct. It was so vulnerable, parting like flesh under her hand. [i]But without anything interesting inside,[/i] she noted grouchily. Pulling her arms back and twisting her body, Mandate clasped her hands together, and drove them forward with a sharp twist and a fair fraction of her strength. A double-handed hammerfist, aimed for the construct's side. [color=LightPink]"Lying gravel!"[/color] [i]Twenty tons. I want to see you blown apart.[/i] Mandates punch did better then blow it apart. With the rocks having nowhere to go, kept in place by magical roots, they could not disperse the shockwave. Instead, each rock cracked and cracked again. The ones closest to the impact were turned into fine dust, then the ones further back into fine grained gravel and sand. All but the pieces further back were smashed into pieces. It appeared, that the guardian could not reassemble from such a state. Slowly drawing her fists back, Mandate peered suspiciously at the seemingly-destroyed construct. [i]One more time, just to be sure.[/i] With a smile upon her fist, Mandate drew her fists back once more, and sent another devastating blow into the opposite side of her apparently defeated opponent. Then, satisfied, she called out. [color=LightPink]"Miss Ambassador, I think I broke it!"[/color] She sounded proud, rather than repentant. Odette hardly acknowledged the fight or Mandate speaking, her lips moved as she murmured an on-going spell. Her full concentration was on the task before her. Hands dug deep into the Earth, her energy pushed through the soil in the shapes of long vines. The very ground around Stonehenge absorbed all the magic and life energy provided by the Arcane Stream. Felt akin to a sponge. Odette felt out the area for the piece buried away, the vines stretching further down. Trying her best not to disturb the ancient site. Not sure what exactly she was looking for but the closest guess she had it would be preserved in magic, if not magic then at least some sort of casing or box. In spite of her hope to not disturb the site, the site itself reacted to her poking around. A forceful push from the piece of Solomon's Cube, sent the sorceress back several feet disconnecting herself from the vines. She skidded right into one of the stones. The wind knocked out of her she coughed, squeezing out a couple tears. [i][color=thistle]That is going to bruise.[/color][/i] She continued to cough pushing herself up to stand again, achingly squaring her shoulders she strode toward the spot again. Rasping out the words, she warded herself against further attacks building several layers around herself as she did. The Earth trembled at her feet, reacting to her words and within a blink of an eye she was swallowed up by the ground disappearing from sight. [i][color=LightPink]"Miss Ambassador?!"[/color][/i] Mandate had begun to move almost as soon as the Ambassador had been repulsed by some unseen force, her hurried steps flattening the dirt beneath her as she sprinted towards her companion. Naturally, it did nothing to put her at ease when the ground seemed to eat the human. The strange changes to the Ambassador hardly even registered to her, as concerned as she was. [i]What do I do? The ground's taken her. Or maybe she made the ground take her. She's probably alright, yes? She knows fae things.[/i] Mandate skidded to a stop above where the Ambassador had been taken, kicking up dirt and grass as she twisted to stare at the ground. Her feet carried her restlessly to and fro, an anxious pacing as she considered solutions to this conundrum, or whether a solution was required. [i]It could be trying to bury her.[/i] The thought was what finally set Mandate to proper action. [i]She could suffocate. I won't let it take her.[/i] [color=LightPink]"I'm coming, Miss Ambassador!"[/color] The golem dropped to her knees with a powerful [i]thud[/i], her fist punching into the earth without an ounce of resistance. With barely a tug, several handfuls of dirt were sent flying off behind her with one swing of her hand. With a goal in mind, the golem began to dig ravenously at the ground, a fruitless endeavour that was nevertheless making an impressive hole. Her mane bristled as she kicked up a cloud of dirt and stone, uncaring for the mess she made. [i]I hope you're okay under there.[/i] Burrowed deep, no sight, no real sense of direction. The only real guidance she had was in the vines of magic searching again for the piece. Further down she moved through the Earth searching and searching. Minutes passed as Mandate continued to dig and Odette did the very same. The pressure began to increase as did the pressure of the magic surrounding her, the ward protecting her from every side. Finally the vines wrapped around a piece of irregularly shaped metal, as if it was a corner to a cube. She cleared away soil and rocks creating a pocket surrounding the piece of Solomon's Cube. Instinctively she reached with her bare hands but a sharp snap from Bach reminded her to lock it away. Unknown artifacts could [i]not[/i] be trusted to be touched. Struggling she reached back to her purse fumbling through the deep confines of the enchanted accessory. She pulled forward a little red memory trunk. Perfect for protecting it's contents and keeping the likes of ancient magic under wraps. She pushed the trunk into the pocket with the lid open carefully scooping beneath the piece catching some of the dirt as well, she closed the lid around it latching it. Allowing the dirt to collapse back into place she made the steady ascent. The noise of Mandate's activity reached her ears and her hand burst through the surface. By the time the Ambassador's hand emerged, Mandate's excavation had reached the height of a man in depth. That she had done this with her bare hands and over the course of several minutes was of no concern to the golem; her great strength allowed scooping motions to kick great sprays of dirt loose with each swing. Said golem barely stopped herself from cleaving one such motion straight through the newly-emerged hand, yelping as she drew back. She had yet to find anything to be [i]scared[/i] of in the world, beyond her own memories, but it was quite startling all the same. [i]A fairy?! No-[/i] [color=LightPink]"Miss Ambassador!"[/color] Mandate's hands hovered over the limb, as if preparing to begin digging around it, but she paused once more. [i]What if I dig through Miss Ambassador? Pulling will probably just hurt her, humans are usually really soft, and Miss Ambassador is soft too...[/i] Uncertain of what to do, Mandate reached down, clasping her metallic hand upon the Ambassador's own, and simply holding it. [i]She probably has enough breath, somehow. She's been down there awhile.[/i] The motion was mostly just to calm herself. Odette patted the metallic hand uncertainly then gripped it. Another bark hand pushed through the Earth, the soil shifting at her command. Using Mandate's hand she pulled up wriggling free of the ground. Her head shaking free the loose dirt and looking up at the red eye. Slowly she kicked her legs free as well emerging fully from the ground. Covered head to toe in no small amount of dirt she took a look down at herself and tsked. "[color=thistle]Come Mandate, we've made [i]quite[/i] a mess. I will try to fill in the hole the best I can. Much good that will do...[/color]" She used Mandate's back to get out of the hole, using her arms to haul herself up and her hips to step. When she found herself on solid ground she turned back to Mandate, waiting for her to move as well. Mandate acknowledged the Ambassador's words -and the human's subsequent use of the golem's back as a stepping stool- with a simple, pleased hum of acknowledgment. She waited until the negligible weight was removed from her back, then stood to her full height, her head and shoulders easily clearing the edge of the hole. [color=lightpink]"Of course, Miss Ambassador! I'm glad you're alright, I thought another construct had taken you, or something. Or a fairy!"[/color] The golem clawed her way out of the hole with ease, dirt sliding off of her smooth form save where it gathered at her joints. A quick clap of her hands -accompanied by a loud, metallic ringing- cleared most of it off of her arms, but her mane in particular was in need of cleaning, though she did not yet know it; she had been quite agitated amidst her digging, and a portion of the flung dirt had caught on it. [color=LightPink]"Say, Miss Ambassador, do fairies steal people into the earth?"[/color] she asked, tilting her head and lowering her hands back to her sides. She flinched at the noise, her heightened senses doing her little favours. "[color=thistle]No no, my dear. I went voluntarily into the ground, the magic in the area was pushing me away. I decided a direct approach was better suited for the job.[/color]" She dusted her arms a bit, rather fruitlessly. "[color=thistle]I did retrieve what we came here for. The piece of Solomon's Cube.[/color]" Finally noticing the pile of the defeated guardian, her eyes widened at the destruction then a sly smile. "[color=thistle]Good work dealing with the guardian, Mandate. You reduced it to dust. Your strength is proving to be an asset.[/color]" She complimented the golem. Mandate, initially concerned by the flinch from her friend, pushed it aside as the smaller human noticed her handiwork. She preened quite visibly, her hands finding her hips in an instinctive gesture as her V of a smile returned full force. [i]I'm an asset. No, my strength is an asset. I'm a friend.[/i] [color=LightPink]"I punished it for lying about being flesh, Miss Ambassador! There was nothing interesting inside of it, so I was done before you were even in the ground."[/color] she announced proudly. The idea of humility was somewhat lost on the golem; hers was a job done well, and the praise was absorbed happily. Then, she tilted her head. A thought occurred. [color=LightPink]"Miss Ambassador, have I been missing your horns? I've never noticed them before!"[/color] Absently her bark-like hand reached up and touched the horns. "[color=thistle]I am currently possessed by Bach. Some of his features show through when we are together like this. A draw back to the power it affords me.[/color]" Odette explained, pulling a face. "[color=thistle]We really should clean up the area the best we can and leave. Our actions here tonight will draw quite a bit of attention, unfortunately.[/color]" With that said she went to work cleaning away the remnants of the guardian, filling the holes created by Mandate and herself. The disturbance of Stonehenge would surely create international stir, even if she was able to return every stone and pebble back to its original state. The very air around them had changed. Bach stirred, irritation radiating forward. It was the best they could do. With the business settled and Queen Titania at large once again restored with unknown amounts of magic. It was time to return home to Paris, rest, then tackle Lost Haven.