[center][h1]Reaver[/h1] [@BrokenPromise][@Shifter_Master] [/center] At what point… had this mission been tainted? What had been the original flaw, the original crack on all the theoretical plan before all went to hell? Reaver pondered briefly about this situation, the cycle of pain and pleasure firing up his neurons in overdrive. He had screwed up, but when had he started? How had this happened? It would not matter. Right now he was on fire. Being crushed by a beak. On fire too. Someone had noticed his fight and came to his aid. Normally he’d feel a bit insulted at being perceived this incompetent, but at this point anything was welcome, really. [i]Except she was on fire.[/i] [i]Are you going to let more allies suffer so you can go home, William?[/i] He asked himself as he unsummoned his axe simulacra, the sword once again appearing in his hands. He did not know who was the mysterious challenger. But every single fiber of his being was telling him to man up and save her. He was beyond exhausted, and tricks could only do so much on lean fuel. Well then, it was time to entrust everything to one of his last aces in the sleeve. When everything fails. When everything crashes into fire and burns, there’s only one way out. [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3472Q6kvg0]Through.[/url][/b] Such was the power that Odin had granted him in first place. Not flashy magic. Not bizarre supernatural abilities. Merely the ability to cut everything up deader than dead. Regeneration, third eye? Those were reliable, sure, but neither would be able to forge victory. Odin and the Mint… he knew that he had to take victory with his own hands. [i]Valhalla or death.[/i] His thoughts raced to that one swordswoman whose swordsmanship had nearly made a fool of himself. She was beyond his reach… and yet… He felt he could climb to higher heights. His arm, was flayed, but firm. His mind, tired beyond imagination, yet unwavering. One mind. One Sword. Swift strikes. Grosket’s hand beak exploded in a show of gore and cinders as Reaver himself cut deep into the ligaments that sustained the strength. Form and function. Just like the vines, the fearsome beak was made of flesh. Flesh which was unarmored now, to the mercy of an unforgiving blade that no longer could be tangled by vines. Hand ligaments. Arm ligaments. Jaw ligaments. Neck muscles. Other arm muscles. Everything in the path of Gram’s replica was skillfully cut, revealing that for all the sturdiness, bone and muscle could hold so much against someone who knew where to cut. The paradox of living beings, and natural things. So strong… yet so weak because of their complexity.That was one of the lessons his father had once taught him. Who knew it was going to be useful in a situation like this, against this ent-turned-Wicker-Man thing? [b]“Glory to Odin, Woe unto to you! Unhand her, you dreg, and disappear!”[/b] He yelled as he strained every fiber of his being into this display of swordsmanship. [hr] [center][h1]Sakura & Shoggy[/h1] “Bad doggy!” “Quotes now, really Tako-brain, really?” [color=888888]-The eponymous two[/color][/center] [sub][@BrokenPromise][@Ponn][@Ariamis][@FamishedPants][/sub] Sakura, feeling the faint tingle, looked at Emily. “Well, it sort of stopped whatever that fuck was doing. At the very least.” She sighed. “He had us though. But don’t-cha worry, Emily. I fight better without magic.” She said, steeling herself to stand on her feet and adopting a martial arts stance, using her breath to gather the meager force she was left with. “Only just enough magic to punch those ghosts, and I’ll be peachy.” She conceded. It was then when she realized what was happening, with the sudden laser attack. “Son of a-“ She was cut short, as she tried to scramble and put her guard up. Only for her teammate… for the sake of a better word, appearing in between her and the launched beams, shadow shields catching each shot as Shoggy spread herself wide to guard the attack. No, it wasn’t a mere guard. Shoggy had also light magic, and that enabled her to redirect the attack using both her shadow shift and light magic back into the beast’s eyes, where they had come from. “No! Bad pupper! Leave Shoggy's Umubuddies, and tentacle sis alone!” Shoggy’s shrill voice snapped at the aggressive move, as she readied herself to fight. She was the reliable one. She had been in this for longer, and had died several times. She liked magical girls, and wanted to be the cool big sister to them. That’s what humans, did right? Except… maybe that doggie had gone too far. Maybe that doggie had to be taught a lesson. Horrorifying the horror, would not it be cool? A little chaos… could not hurt. “Shoggy will lead the way!” She added, her hands making a square aimed at the wolf-thing. “Shoggy lock-on engaged!”. She added, as she began to tremble and smile, her Absolute Direction being activated with Ampodryl’s core in mind. And that’s when it happened. Shoggy’s midsection just burst into a fleshy dark ooze, like a popcorn made out of tar and flesh, the assembled girl body parts jutting out at awkward angles. They were but a shell for what Shoggy had once been, for what the eldritch creature was as its core. Her head’s expression was frozen in a grin as it was absorbed by the mass of tentacles, eyes and mouths, who appeared and disappeared inside the main crawling amorphous body. [color=8882be][b]“TEKKELI-LI!”[/b][/color] A voice was heard through several mouths. One of the crawlers in the dark. A shoggoth. That was Shoggy’s true nature. But the worst had yet to come, as the creature was no mere shoggoth. She was a magical shoggoth. Shifting through shadows, the creature’s tentacles began to shoot beams of light magic to anything that would dare to stand in the creature’s fast crawling towards Ampodryl. “…Okay, that’s fucked up, even by magical girl standards.” Sakura could not help but comment.