Look at what the cat dragged in...

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm sorry, but she's rather forcing me to up the ante..." She sent to Nailah before aiming a trio of spikes of psychic pain at Heartbreaker's avatar.

[Heartbreaker]

Heartbreaker hadn't been expecting a psychic attack, and the spikes connected.Like to play rough, do you? Heartbreaker hissed against the pain, Who are you? You aren't Legion.

[Samantha McManus]

"For me to know, I'm afraid."

She aimed a psi-blast at Croyden, looking to Atropha.

"Move!"

[Heartbreaker]

Shaking her head, Heartbreaker struggled to her feet and charged at Sam, trying to tackle her.

[Atropha]

It was clear something was going on, even if the mentalbattle probably only took a second or so and Atropha is moving before Sam even looks at her. Moving to intercept Heartbreaker she strikes with the bladed end of the staff without extending it yet, wielding it more like a dagger.

[Heartbreaker]

Heartbreaker grunted as the blade sliced into her arm, and tried to kick Atropha.

[Atropha]

Who had already moved out of the way. A lot of it is relying on people assuming she's weak but even without that she's fast.

[Order]

Croyden gripped his head briefly, but quickly his extensive mental defense training kicked in to shut out the attack the best a non-telepath could. He responded with a focused blast of telekinetic energy. Croyden's blasts were more like a high-powered pistol than the shotgun of his rowdy double.

[Heartbreaker]

Heartbreaker stood up, and hit her double with a psi-blast and a fist, hoping that one of the two would do some damage before blood loss weakened her too much.

[Atropha]

Having side-stepped Heartbreaker during her attack the way through the lobby and to the front doors is wide open to Atropha. Yet she's rushing at Order and with a flap of her wings giving her more momentum she tackles into him to throw off his aim.

[Order]

Order was knocked down, but his aim stayed sufficiently true long enough for a second blast. He then TK-grabbed Atropha from all directions in an attempt to overpower her ability to dodge.

[Atropha]

And it certainly seemed to slow her down. Though with nothing to dodge at the moment it doesn't seem to bother her too much as she jabs at Order with the taser end of Nailah's staff.

[Order]

Order's agent uniform seemed to resist the taser.

"So much for seeing the future," he smirked as he wrenched the staff from her grip.

[Atropha]

"Ashrem khaa' seba!" she chants and the staff instantly turns searingly hot, the metal glowing with white heat.

[Order]

He cursed, instantly let it go, and used his powers to bend the super-heated rod instead.

[Samantha McManus]

Thankfully, having just attacked Croyden's mind, Samantha managed to see his telekinetic attack coming. Even so, she barely managed to get out of the way in time.

Samantha brought her defenses to bear against the psi-blast, and Heartbreaker would get the briefest impression of black feathers when the blast hit.

The punch was a bit more successful, with Samantha grunting as it connected before marshaling her attention to the physical world to aim a kick at Heartbreaker.

[Heartbreaker]

The kick connected, and Heartbreaker grunted in pain, then hit Sam with a savage upper cut.

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't have time for you..." she grunted as the uppercut connected, a bit of blood coming from the corner of her mouth.

"So let's just say I'm sorry for this in advance..."

That was when Heartbreaker found that she was instead facing a flock of ravens, scratching and pecking on their way past her towards the door.

[Heartbreaker]

Heartbreaker cried out and dropped to the floor, hitting the flock with a desperate psi-blast that probably wouldn't do much damage.

[Atropha]

The staff would prove surprisingly resilient but eventually the glowing metal gives in in bends in the middle.

What Croyden probably wouldn't have expected is Atropha grabbing the staff out of the air, apparently ignoring or impervious to the heat and using the bent staff like a sickle to strike at Croyden.

[Order]

Unfortunately for the agent, the well-timed and unexpected flock of ravens proved to be just the distracting factor Atropha needed. The staff hit Croyden right in the face and sent him off his feet. He would quickly recover, but this was a solid chance to escape.

[Atropha]

Even more unfortunately a chance to escape is also a chance for an attack of opportunity to ensure no one is going to follow the escapees. Bring the staff around again Atropha strikes at Croyden's throat with the bladed end.

[Harbinger]

And she suddenly would find herself completley unable to move.

"I think not, kitty."

[Atropha]

Being unable to move also left her unable to react, but the look of sudden panic in her eyes probably says enough.

[Harbinger]

"You disappoint me.

I do not like being disappointed."

[Atropha]

"I proved your damn portal works, didn't I?" she presses out a sarcastic remark with some effort.

[Harbinger]

"No, no, no, you can do better than that," she said, and an intense pressure starts squeezing Atropha and forcing her to her knees.

[Atropha]

She lets out a pained groan, which partially comes from her trying to fight against it.

"Don't pretend begging is going to help me..." she gasps.

[Harbinger]

"You don't think so?" she said, finally coming around the corner. Let's face it...couldn't hurt.

Your choice if I leave you here or take you with me. But please decide, and quickly," she said, bored.

[Atropha]

"Yes please, coming with you sounds lovely." She's not even trying to sound like she means it.

[Harbinger]

"I'm not sure I believe you."

[Atropha]

"Fuck you!"

[Harbinger]

"If you're really good, maybe."

[Atropha]

"Sorry, but that outlived it's usefulness."

[Harbinger]

"Oh, ho ho ho, you did NOT want to go there. You were NOT using me. NO one uses Harbinger.


Oh, yes, I'll prove that to you. Your last choice has been made for you; you shall never make one again."

[Atropha]

Oddly enough that sentiment comes with a bit of relief for her. Even though it doesn't make her any less terrified.

"Do what you must. I already failed long ago..." she whispers quiet enough that no one is likely to hear.

[Harbinger]

"Fine, then."

And just like that, a tenth of a second had passed for everyone else.

[Samantha McManus]

"Bloody hell, how many of you people are there? Your reunion can wait. I need her..."

A barrage of smaller scale psi-blasts originated from the flock, aimed at Harbinger. Individually they weren't very powerful, but it was an awful lot of angles to defend against.

[Harbinger]

Harbinger raised an eyebrow, and fired a beam of purple energy at the flock, incinerating a couple.

"Have I found kitty's supper?"

[Samantha McManus]

There was definite pain throughout the flock, which were in disarray for a moment. However, Harbinger's blast also provided an opening in the wall, which the remaining members of the flock flew through post haste, making it out barely before Hellsmith could close the gap.