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[@NarayanK] [@Write] [@FlitterFaux] [@Azereiah] [@Ryonara]


Ben heard Bianca’s warning, but the Dionaea was [i]quick[/i] this time. It adapted to Bianca’s departure in a flash, deciding instead to take a shot at the tip of the spear; Ben himself. The four smaller roots came shooting in from his left, just [i]behind[/i] where his guard was focused. Not strong enough to cause harm, not really, but trap him up?

That they could do.

They wound through his defenses like snakes, wrapping tightly first around his arm, then his leg, and finally around his neck. Two made pulled as tightly as they could around his neck, rendering whatever he was about to say as a choked, strangled sound. The roots were pulled taut, restricting his movement on the left. It might not have been an issue, but the two larger limbs were [i]still[/i] pressing the attack. With Joyous Guard tied up and his mobility limited, Caletfwlch was now his only defense.

He barely twisted aside from the first lashing root and parried the second, but he could hear the difficulties Skye was having behind him. With Bianca in the air and the others occupied, he wasn’t going to be getting much help. In a situation like this, the natural first instinct was to do [i]anything[/i] to regain the ability to breathe. In the trained and untrained alike it was prone to inspire panic. Panic made you sloppy. As distressing as the lack of air was… A Grimm trying to break his neck wasn’t new. Lauren tried it already.

Hurt like hell, but he could ignore that for a second. 

The problem was those goddamn vines. He stepped [i]into[/i] the direction the vines pulled, just barely avoiding the vine that smashed into the ground to his right, but the Dionaea was catching on. And the vines doing their best to strangle him were starting to eat away at his Aura. Not to mention that his lungs were starting to burn.

He had to give the Grimm credit, though. Smashing both roots down from opposite angles? Clever. No way to evade. And if [i]those[/i] hit they’d be scraping him up off of the floor. Deinamig activated [i]hard[/i], and the root around his arm strained to keep it from moving. It strained, and strained, and strained for the briefest of moments quaking with exertion until it [i]snapped[/i]. Joyous Guard went up over Ben’s head, Caletfwlch sliding into its sheath behind it so he could brace the shield with both hands.

The roots hit upon its surface with a sound like thunder, forcing Ben down into a crouch and he still [i]felt[/i] the floor crack beneath him. But his guard stood, lungs and muscles burning as his Aura gauge dropped like a stone. 

Still he grinned. 

He pressed two buttons at once, the first sending strength flooding back into his body as his Aura gauge refilled itself rapidly. He’d hoped to avoid using the batteries but he could spare one. He pushed back [i]hard[/i], shoving the roots away with his shield and freeing himself from their weight. 

The second made Joyous Guard release its hold on his forearm and pivot, making itself parallel with his forearm before it split and extended, splitting lengthwise and unfolding to form a sharp point. Caletfwlch’s own edge extended to fill in the gap, providing the spine for the extended blade. And a blade it was; in seconds Joyous Guard had unfolded around it, forming an immense blade that Ben held loosely in his left hand. He held it as easily as a feather despite its mass, extending far in front of him and gleaming faintly pearlescent in the room’s light. It arched up and right, quick as lightning, to intercept the roots lashing out to strike again.

It met them almost contemptuously, cleaving through the thick limbs without reverence and continued down towards Ben’s right, continuing back towards the left to complete the circular motion. It reached so far ahead of him, point angled down, that the tip almost rested against the surface of the water. Bastille’s captain drew in a deep breath, the vines that had entrapped him sinking into the water as they dissolved.

[color=00aeef]”We’ll call that 2-5, Nuit. Those small ones are barely a half each.”[/color] The statement came out low and raspy, coming deep from his chest through his still burning throat. Ben switched Joyous Guard to his dominant hand, easily bringing it back up into a ready position. Blue eyes swept over the situation, using the lull in the assault to take in the details.

The Dionaea’s trunk was thick, but it still wasn’t as large as a Manticore. He wasn’t sure the point Bianca described was necessarily a weakness, but if they could get close enough… Hiis BaSteels told him his Aura was back into the green, even if Deinamig had eaten up most of the excess. But between his Semblance and Bianca’s....

[color=00aeef]”Yue, take point. Skye, take Bianca’s position on the left. Ashe is rear guard. Keep pushing forward. Bianca and I are going to need to fall back if this doesn’t work.”[/color] The bird girl caught his grin directly when he jerked his head towards the Dionaea’s root, the look more than a little feral. [color=00aeef]”Bianca, we’re getting as close as we can. Hope you can fly well.”[/color]