#guest tag TBA | Jewel the Lamb.

[reflections-of-mobius]

[Hard to-!] Strawbeet dodged another swipe. He could feel the blade brush by his chest- it had come dangerously close to nicking them. They were already running on borrowed adrenaline from that first slice. Crimson dripped to the ground as the acolytes cowered, the guard in acolyte's garb smirking as she twisted the blade in hand- before launching forward again.

"You'll pay for inhibiting the Chaos Temple, heathen!"

Strawbeet's mouth formed a thin line as they jumped back. He had to get his spear!- But they couldn't get close, not with all the swipes and having to make sure no hits risked coming near the acolytes. The only reason the guard wasn't was undoubtedly because of the acolytes 'use' to the temple.

"STAY AWAY FROM BEETS!" A shield fuzzed into existence- static-loaded, but there. Another slash of metal- and it exploded into shards.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" The acolytes screamed in panic. He was as close to their spear as they'd get-! Strawbeet dove, grabbing the handle and tugging. It came out of the wall with a heavy SNAP, the tip broken- probably somewhere in the wall proper. Not enough time. They felt it smack into the other's chest- they'd probably bought themself a few seconds on accident. It wasn't something Strawbeet could afford to waste.

Whilst Dan was confident he had control now out here, hearing the commotion going on in his ear left him worried, keeping an eye on the guards receiving medical treatment in case they had the idea of going for a round two when enough of them were able again. If he left them be to go and back up Strawbeet who knows what they might get up too.

At least Jewel had already responded....hopefully it wouldn't take them long to get to them. Still it didn't stop that nagging concern in his head before he made a decision. [I'll be there too, just stay back and be safe. Don't take any risks.] It had been going well so far and the last thing they needed was a serious injury to occur, especially to Strawbeet who'd been nothing but kind to him since his arrival.

He wouldn't say a word to the other guards, only giving the ones who were watching him cautiously a warning glance before turning to leave them be and quickly moving to the temple itself. Hoping inwardly that he'd given them enough doubts second guess attempting a rally, not just from sheer force but he'd been merciful after all.

Failing that, enough injuries to keep them busy.

[reflections-of-mobius]

The commander wasn't listening. Not even for a second as they tried desperately to stand. He couldn't let this thing live. The Emeralds would never forgive him. This thing- it opposed the society he wanted to desperately to see. So that was why he still clung to his dagger, still tried so hard to stand- only for the demon to grab him, lifting him to his feet- to hear that voice that would undoubtedly resonate in his nightmares.

And then all went dark.

For Strawbeet, that was the moment he felt fire along his side. They spun, red eyes snapping to the 'acolyte' who'd been amongst the others. This one appeared a bit older- and was wielding a blade. They moved to draw their spear- only for the memory to hit that they'd thrown it to get rid of the guards outside. They didn't have a weapon.

[Guard among the acolytes!] Was all he could get out before the dagger- already slightly wet with his own blood- was slashing towards his muzzle. Strawbeet jumped back as the acolytes all whimpered and shook. They'd known. They'd probably been threatened. His eyes snapped back to the 'acolyte' who'd been planted.

At least this one wouldn't get back to the base.

The guards who had witnessed Dan taking out their commander with a single hit all glanced between one another...before those with medical knowledge began to stand- warily pacing towards their fallen comrades, those who had passed out or had suffered injuries from the fight. A few had physical cuts and gashes from when the shield had been broken, but thankfully, there was nothing major.

[You gotta be kidding me...!! On my way!] Jewel called over the headset. Strawbeet leapt to the side, barely dodging a swipe at their eye.

Hearing his team's communications, there was a brief smile as he rose a hand up to speak again. Still keeping an eye on the commander on the ground in front of him as they fought their own weakness. [Alright, Glad to hear it, Nice job everyone.]

Of course the relief of knowing there were no issues were short lived as he knew he needed to deal with this stubborn guard.

In most other circumstances the commander's willpower would have been something he found genuinely commendable, but it was a shame that it was wasted on this cult. The demon-hog sighed and shook his head.

"I don't expect you to trust me at all, but what other choice do you have? Look at you, you can hardly pull yourself up." Seeing that the other guards were down but watching, he had to ask himself the question, did he make an example and risk reigniting any flame in their hearts? Or did he be merciful and hope the others would respect it enough to not get up again. Better yet, maybe strike some level of sense in them.

He began to step around the commander, mostly so they couldn't so easily attempt striking at him with that dagger whilst grabbing a hold of them by the nape, lifting them up slightly until they were on their knees. "Since you won't let yourself listen to sense, I'll help you, don't worry, you'll live but its gonna sting when you wake up." Before delivering a swift concentrated chop to their shoulder to knock them out.

Looking over at the other guards he walks towards them with their commander's limp frame still being gripped, he'd pause a slight distance before dropping their leader down in front of them and then taking several steps back. "He's alive for those among you who are concerned, If there's someone with medical skills here, help your allies, I won't stop you. But my warning from earlier still stands. Until me and my friends here leave....do not cause trouble."

[reflections-of-mobius]

There was an explosion from the tower- green and purple smoke billowing out before a crackly laugh filled the radio.

[Hell yeah! I got the tower-guards, no help needed here!] Though he'd admittedly missed most of the fight- he'd been able to spot the whirlwind while he was dealing with the guards. There'd be no more missiles fired- this mission was as good as done, in his eyes.

The warrior that had led the charge- the commander- glared daggers up at Dan.

"Mercy....from a demon?..." He spat blood onto the ground, their eyes filled with nothing but vitriol and hate. "...how in Chaos am I supposed to trust your word, beast?...you'll just down as all the second I let you roam free,...no,...I cannot allow it...I cannot allow you,...to leave this battlefield alive." It would seem he planned to stubbornly cling to his morals. However, his fellow guards,...had all stayed down, all ears laid flat, all eyes on the two and their exchange.

The leader's arm was shaking as they tried to stand. They had to defeat this thing,...for Mother Gile....--- But their vision was wavering, spots dancing. They'd put so much power into that shield, and it had been broken...what chance did they have now, battered as he was?

Strawbeet rushed into the room that he'd spotted, red hues landing on the massive group of huddled 'acolytes'- barely kids, mobians and humans alike, those trapped here by Mother Gile's orders. They raised their hands, a small smile crossing their face.

"Hey--- it's alright, I'm on your guys' side..." A few steps closer, a few hopeful looks from ratty-robed others,.. "...let's get you all out of here..." They turned slightly to speak into the radio.

[All good, I've found the acolytes. I'll be out in a minute or two.]

As the defence fell and the winds blew about violently from such a clash, causing the defenders to scatter and fly about from the force of it even the demon-hog spent the moment trying to block the winds from getting into his eyes with all that pesky sand flying about and by the time it had died down he was almost covered head to toe in sand!

Whilst shaking himself about to try knocking it off Dan would begin to speak. "This is Omen, checking in." Raising a hand up to the earpiece. "Its been silent on here, the rest of you ok? Everything is under control out here. I can back you up if needed." Figuring he'd offer the opportunity to help out while it appeared like most of these defenders that had been on him were currently downed.

Azure eyes would come across the ring leader who was drawing their dagger, recognising them only from them being the loudest in their proclamations previously and seeing that his help wasn't rallying quickly, Dan figured it might be best to take care of them and prevent further attempts as he began to walk over towards them. "I think I've been patient enough with you lot." He'd say to them as he got closer.

"I've given you plenty of chances to give up, walk away or just surrender." Finally pausing as he now stood over the downed fighter. "So let's both be serious now." He leans in a little closer, staring into their stubborn eyes.

Dan knew he was likely wasting his time considering he could see just how much hatred the leader seemed to have towards him, watching them clinging onto the dagger, but he hoped they at least has some level of care or sense towards his comrades before speaking a little louder so the other guards nearby could hear him too if they were still awake.

"Your going to stay down and order the others to do the same, if you do not, I'm going to deliberately start hurting you and you'll see how much I've been holding back! I'm not unreasonable however, do this and I promise you, I will not touch you or them. You've fought and you lost, that's all it needs to be.....if it escalates further? That's your decision and fault now."

[reflections-of-mobius]

The remaining soldiers were doing their best to not be swayed. They had to stay strong. They had to stay together. Only together, did they have a chance in Hell of winning. The leader had no room for error- eyes narrowing, fixing on the monstrous entity before them all. He had to be of a singular mind- he had to wipe out this scourge.

"WE WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS!" There was what the leader could only consider a choir of cries around him. He was pouring his all into this spell- every last drop of Chaos Energy, leaving just enough to keep himself alive. He was sure his subordinates were doing the same.

The entire group charged into a standstill, bodies catching as the singular 'hog held his own. Another missile was fired from the tower- but this one was knocked away by a split-second flash of green, and a laugh from Jewel. The wind was kicking up sand and dust, a whirlwind forming as the energy crackled. There was a violent SCREECH-

KRCK!

KRRRRRK---

"NO!"

----KTSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Strawbeet leapt to the wall, just as several charges went off. They didn't have time for hesitancy- they had to move. Red hues flashed for a split-second as the illusion began to falter- before they leaped again.

"OVER THERE!"

"NO THERE-!"

"OVER HERE!"

And the panicked scream of 'WHAT'S GOING ON' as Strawbeet heard something shatter outside. But he couldn't afford to stop. He was nearly at the guards- gathering energy.

'TRIDENT.' A magical blast hit the three guards- smashing them into the wall, and the third was sent crashing into the room beyond. There were quiet, startled yelps. Strawbeet's spear clattered to the ground as the guards slumped.

Outside, the guards were sent flying. Even the commander- who landed in the dust and the sand as the wind tore and swirled, reaching desperately for his dagger. Crimson dripped from his mouth, and his chest was burning- but he couldn't allow that thing to leave this battlefield alive.

The demon-hog watched amusedly as the group couldn't seem to decide between standing or fleeing, even adding on a small. "See, those are the smart ones." As he pointed at the ones running away, sure enough going by his 'promise' to let them leave. Remaining steadfast as he observed those who stood their ground began to combine their magics and shields.

If it wasn't a battle he would have taken more time to admire the beautiful colours shining from their hold, if nothing else it looked impressive enough that it would give him trouble considering he had no inherent ability to shift chaos energy itself. This was going to go down to raw power!

"If your doing this for chaos emeralds, pretty sure they wouldn't approve....I'll give you points for the effort though, this looks pretty cool." The aura emanating from his arm began to glow brighter, clearly building up energy itself as he readied himself for a stronger attack to attempt breaking through this new defence.

"Your earlier defences were pretty easy, let's see if this one is better....you got any other tricks if it fails?" The demon-hog would continue to playfully mock them as his own energy clearly began to manifest brighter, it might not have seemed as impressive by an outsider standard but any with a connection to the darker energies themselves could tell it was getting sorely concentrated around him to perhaps worrying levels.

All before he lunged forward, striking at this newly formed defence with what he'd currently mustered, it didn't shatter much like the ones from earlier but the question was, could it withstand the constant growing pressure as he pushed more and more against it, the winds even starting to kick up wildly around them as he continued to put more strength behind it.

If it were to fall, its obvious there was going to be a scattering of men about the place from the force of it.....

[reflections-of-mobius]

The soldiers, for their parts, were shaking like leaves in a storm. All of them had heard stories of what devils of Dark Gaia did- but none had ever witnessed the force of one. A few of the braver were beginning to raise their shields- trying to step forward from the huddled mass. They were barely forcing their ways out of their own terror. This thing- this thing was a monster.

Strawbeet had surged into the temple- he had to find the acolytes. The prisoners. They could practically feel the lines of the crystalline structure on their back- initially a joke against the temple, but now, it rang as a reminder. They didn't dare look back amidst the explosions and sounds of crunching metal and cracking Chaos Energy. He bolted down each hallway- a small spear in hand, barely kept above dragging on the stone pathway.

'Of course it's not that easy...!' They scrambled to a stop. Before the archway- the last of the ones down this hall- were three priests, each with hands raised. Chaos Energy crackled and flowed- ready to launch at any moment. The small puffs of smoke from their footsteps had no doubt been spotted- the soft noises of their running...

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

Outside, the guards were in total disarray.

"HOLD TOGETHER, MEN!" One of them growled to the others. "WE CAN'T BE SWAYED BY A DEVIL OF DARK GAIA!" It would seem they were sticking with that narrative- two of the soldiers had fallen to Dan's attack. Jewel was bolting for the tower- intent on taking out those that kept launching magical missiles. There wouldn't be armaments on this battlefield for long, not if he had a say.

However, several were staring at Dan as if they'd just seen Dark Gaia himself rip out of the ground and proclaim their end was nigh. One had even fainted- but most were beginning to gather, shields slowly morphing together with faint crackles and snaps.

"STAND FOR THE CHAOS EMERALDS!"

"Fuck this--!" The stragglers (who had indeed been utterly terrified), bolted into the desert. They wanted nothing to do with this- surely, the emeralds wouldn't deny their spots in the afterlife for this, right??? But they didn't want to die--!

The remainders, like a singular organism- charged. A massive wave of rainbow-shifting Chaos Energy, bearing down on Dan. It crackled and popped- the energies of various Chaos Energy wielders shifting just beneath the shell. It was strong- at the easiest, a means of intimidation.

That had worked better than expected in some ways, at least their attention was solely on him for the time being, shame trying to get them to just make this easy wasn't as successful, even if fear was a clear element in their hearts it had just made them all the more stubborn from the looks of things.

"I'm really not a devil of Dark Gaia, but sure, think whatever you want......" He'd respond to their yells casually before grinning.

".......I'm far worse." Of course he was going to have some fun with it, this was far from the first time some had tried to kill him and it wouldn't be the last most likely.

With Jewel's attack knocking some of them off guard, it gave him some time to make a similar motion that he did only moments ago, using his fingers to influence the shadows of the night before the darkness would once again rise up in a larger mass, blocking the subsequent three missiles, more bangs following suit before the shadows returned to normal moments as if they hadn't even been there in the first place

To further incentivise their attention away from possibly noticing Strawbeet's previous movements or trying to retaliate against Jewel's throw, He'd begin to deliberately move closer to the other guards, stopping just short of their shields and within range of their own attacks.

"Cmon, if you want to slay the monster you've labelled me as, your not going to destroy me by hiding behind your shields like cowards, no one going to try and be a hero?"

Of course he was more than ready to defend himself and counter should any of them dare to actually try. It was an obvious bait but again, Dan was just having fun with it given their natural panic and accusations. "Last chance, if you run away now I'll let you go. If not, I'm going to deal at least double the amount of pain you do so openly to others!"

[reflections-of-mobius]

Jewel's eyes shot upward, watching as the darkness suddenly consumed a section of the air- and then he heard an all-resounding BANG as the missile of magic exploded against the darkness. A smirk crossed his face- surging forward, shield projected over one arm as he smirked. Okay, now he was hoping that Dan stayed around for future fights!

The guards who had seen the spectacle yelped- trying to dodge the hedgehog's attack. One even screamed 'DEVIL!!!!' in a panic as Dan's hand smashed into his shield- only for it to break. Chaos Energy shattered into shards, the spell- and all the energy used for it- essentially wasted from the demon-hog's 'warning'. The sound of the shield breaking- the massive CRCK- filled the otherwise-silent desert. All the guards went still as stone, even as Jewel slammed into one of them with a wild laugh.

Another missile shot from the tower- followed by two more. The guards tried to jump back- anything to regroup.

"We need reinforcements!!!"

"It's a devil of Dark Gaia!!!!"

"KILL IT!!"

Strawbeet rushed forward as the guards attempted to rally- a good chunk of them shaking together, shields all turned towards Dan. They slipped into the temple, the only evidence of their existence, the patches of indented sand that appeared several seconds after they were already several feet ahead.

"INCOMING!" Jewel yelled. He threw his shield- whacking two of the guards. The missiles were aiming straight for Dan.

That was one way to make an entrance, in most other cases Dan would probably have made a joke over it but considering the job, this wasn't the time for it as he watched the defenders spring to action, no hesitation at all on their part before that jettisoned light came soaring towards Jewel at high speed.

Both wanting to ensure their protection and to make his own presence known, with a flick of his fingers, the shadows below Jewel began to suddenly spring upwards, creating a makeshift barrier in the way of the missile before the resulting clash caused a bright bang leaving both elements void for the time being.

"Its time for you all to surrender, your outmatched here!" The demon-hog's voice boomed out in warning as he began to approach, while not as fast as Jewel, that bright emanating purple glow coming from his arm and illuminating through that darkness of the night to give them a clear sight of him as he walked out into the open, holding his hands out tauntingly.

"I will give you one warning." He'd continue before dashing forth at high speed towards one of the shields and swinging his forsaken limb into it as hard as he could! "The next blows will land on you! So be smart!"