The Queen was not amused, and she screamed so. Her voice seemed to have an echo about it, a disorienting and strange one that caused a bit of dizziness if you listened for too long. She suddenly slammed her scepter onto the tower, causing a wave of energy which attacked everything nearby, which included the cardmen climbing the tower. They fell and a few shattered but others climbed on despite their damages...

Meanwhile, the cardmen chasing Kihn ignored their losses once more, though by now they were about down to half a deck as they swumg and vaulted after their foe, still laying down a volley of fire as they chased him...

(ACH! *tears hair out* I just composed a long response to you, Bleeding [positive in nature], but because I just opened a window in Chrome, and it defaulted to the last thing that was open, I sent it as a PM to Addison instead of posting it here. Addison, could you copy and paste it into a post here? Or send it back to me, or something?)

(Ahahahaha... nice, Mongoose, nice... *hug* its ok...)

Mongoose's Post:

(Bleeding, you did a pretty good job of not godmodding in that post about Kale's attack on the queen's scepter. I would suggest just two things that wouldn't change the meaning of your IC post at all, but which would eliminate any doubt about whether or not it was godmodding. 1. Instead of saying that he hooked the u shaped sword around the scepter, simply add the word "attempted." So it would read something like this: "Kale lunged forward, attempting with supreme precision and speed to hook whatsitsname (the sword) around the sceptor, twice." 2. You don't have to explain everything in character. Kale doesn't have to explain what did happen, will happen, or may happen. He can keep his mouth shut. But your explanation of what would happen, IF his attack works, was spot on. The point is, this is what "WOULD happen, IF the attack worked." I believe that's what you said, though you didn't use those words. All you'd have to do to eliminate all doubt about whether or not you godmodded would be to use those words. Now, if your co-author/role player is any good, they'll allow the attack to work to some extent. But because you didn't godmod, they don't have to, AND they don't have to back up the time line. For example, the queen might move the scepter slighty and deflect the blade. She might knock it aside. She might leap high into the air and do a tripple forward flip with a full twist, and start singing James Brown songs. We don't know yet. By leaving the options open for her by using the terms in step 1 and 2, you allow the story/game to progress in a way that is far more interesting and challenging for all involved, and for all reading. Like I said, I was impressed with your post. You did a good job, and I look forward to continued role playing and story writing with you. Speaking of which, where are you and Rend and Faran in terms of Stargate SG14?)

Now that he'd led most of the cards into the treetops, Kihn leapt for the next branch, but stopped himself abruptly, half way between the two branches, and dropped straight down.

He descended between two of the cards on the ground, attempting to slice both in half from top to bottom, the one on his right with his saber, and the one on his left with his kukri knife.

He landed in the proto-typical super hero squat, one foot back, one forward, the knee of the back leg nearly touching the ground, one hand on the ground, and the other back at shoulder height or just above. He had to grin at his own body language joke, before he fell to his side, sheithing his Kukri and drawing his 10mm auto pistol and firing a three round burst into the nearest card that remained standing.

There wasn't enough blood in the air. It should be reeking with the stench of oxidized blood but it wasn't. She cocked her head to the side as she watched the proceedings. The orb floated upwards and forward so that she was peering down at the fight. Quite unexpectedly, the orb dropped down into the middle of the fighting.

"Pop the bubble," she said in a light, ethereal voice. It was an intoxicating summons that would dance on the ears of those around her. Surely they could not resist the invitation...

(Yes. The bubble is pop-able)

(I got this :) )

Addison rolled her eyes down to the bubble and twisted her head to look. She soared down and sliced at it with her talons, aiming to just break it and return skyward...

The cards were begining to drop quickly now, one falling after the other at Kihn's attacks. Still, they continued to come, even as they dropped below a half a deck. It didn't matter to them. They swarmed in on him, surrounding him and opening fire with their card guns as they rushed forward with their swords...

Meanwhile, Hatter saw what was going on as the Queen's arms strained slightly, and he immidatly set to work. Aiming his umbrella at the Queen and calculating a few things quickly before he shot her scepter with a precise electromagnetic pulse. The result was an opposite magnetism from the earth equal and opposite of the force being put on the scepter. Thus, in effect, canceling out the gravity increase... Hatter grinned slightly as the queen swiped her scepter effortlessly while she summoned more cards to attack the bothersome person attacking her...

This was like the Kobayashi Maru, the no-win scenario that Starfleet cadets had to go through to test their stress response. Granted, there were a limited number of cards, but the limit was still some way off, and Kihn's ammo was also limited. Perhaps he was powerful enough. Perhaps he could use some kind of vampiric power to resist them effectively. He had no way of knowing for he'd never been tested in this way before. Instead of trying some preternatural . . . thing, and without thought, he fell back on his first 40 years of life and training as a soldier.

He sensed that his magazine in his machine pistol was nearly empty, and he only had three more in his load bearing gear. He flipped the selective fire switch to semi-auto and continued firing until the chamber slammed open, empty, even as he sprung up and moved as quickly as he could, from place to place, taking cover among the trees when the opportunity provided itself. Many of those shots flew true and had whatever effect they would have.

Suddenly, the ground began to undulate unpredictably. A mound would rise here, and a hole appear there. Kihn's vampiric movement came in handy, where he didn't really need friction with and resistance from the ground to shove off of one foot and change velocity. It took some concentration to move himself by will alone, so he did use the ground when it was there, but when it dropped out from beneith him he either used the resulting hole as cover for a moment, rolling into it, or simply kept going as he had been when the ground dropped away. When it rose beneath his feet he used the upward force, in addition to that supplied by his own legs, to spring higher into the air than might have been expected, twisting and turning in mid air. Even as he was thrown, he ejected the spent mag and shoved in the next, a process that took less time than a mortal blink, and continued firing.

But he was growing weaker. It was a good thing there was a blood supply when he finished here.

The delicate shell of the orb which was not delicate shattered under the weight of the creature. The bubble blew outward in a concussive wave of air. She dropped to the ground in an ungainly crouch and sat there for a moment as if she were gathering strength.

The moment had passed.

She stood slowly, pulling her body up on some invisible string. Her head came up last. When it did, the stringy hair falling to the sides of her face, she was smiling. There was something very dangerous in her smile. And very cold. And very hungry.

"You know," she started very calmly. "I must confess that I feel...like a monster." The air around her started getting hot. Very hot. "I...I feel like a MONSTER!" She screamed the last word and the air around her exploded outward in a hot wave, setting the surrounding vegetation on fire. When the air settled as much as it was going too, she had changed. She was tall and lithe and clothed in fine Egyptian armor. Her head had morphed into that of a lioness and her eyes were red. Sehkmet roared in delight and a long curved scimitar appeared in her hand as she waited for anyone brave enough to come near her.

Addison smiled, as much as a raven could, as she soared back up into the air. You're welcome she thought ot the other female, soaring back up towards the hatter and litting on his shoulder again, taking a slow breathe as she looked at the vampire, then the newcomer, then back at Hatter...

(she looks something like this: http://bianor.deviantart.com/art/Sekhmet-54836529?q=boost%3Apopular+Sekhmet&qo=98)

Sekhmet scanned the arena. She lept forward with the grace of a gazelle, sword held low, towards the combatants. As she breathed, the landscape around her withered under the heat.

((Whether it was the gravity or the weight, it doesn't matter. The electromagnetic reversal would still make sense. :3))

Hatter side stepped easily... "My dear boy..." he said, as he lightly tapped him aside with his foot... "I've gone up against foes much worse then you. What makes you think your magic act can make me break a sweat? Why, I haven't a sweat to break!" he stepped backwards, skirting the Queen of Heart's skirt as he moved about her, seeming to be aiming on going behind her...

"I should think not, considering your holding a blade to my throat... Or rather, my neck..." Hatter reached up and gripped the blade, easily pulling it away from himself as he twisted away from Kale, then slammed a foot into his chest... "What part of 'Clockwork Man' did you not understand?" he asked, extending a blade from his umbrella...

Sekhmet jumped and landed in-between the two males. She smiled which was really a snarl and twirled her own blade. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked in a smooth voice. Eyes darkening, a ring of fire sprang up around the three and she swung her blade at the Hatter. The air cackled under the heat of the white hot metal. At the same time, she thrust out her hand towards Kale and a cloud of black shot forward - black for the black plague, of course. It was a concentrated blast of pestilence.

"Kale, Kale, Kale..." Hatter said, a tad suprised that the man could stay against the force of a kick like his... "This thread is open to ANY who want to fight..." he nudged the man aside a bit tauntingly as he stepped away from the flames... "She can fight us if she wishes..."

Sekhmet smiled, eyebrow cocking upwards. "Then let us fight," she said with a deep purr in her throat. She brought her hands together and squeezed her fists the black cloud regathered around her and started to expand outward towards Kale and the Hatter. "Have you ever heard of the effects of bubonic?" she asked. "The lymph-nodes in your neck and armpits and groin will swell and bleed. You're joints will take on an unbearable ache." Sekhmet had taken a few steps backwards, into the flames that licked around her without effect. "It generally takes a day for the symptoms to appear. My strain is decidedly faster. Best not breathe, eh?"

She jumped forward into Kale, her white hot blade singing down to meet his flesh. The cloud of black followed close behind her.

As soon as the others had moved on Hatter, Addison shot from his shoulder into the air again. He looked like he could handle himself in a three on three, so she scanned the arena for Kihn.....

"Sucks to be human at this point then..." Hatter muttered, when he heard the specific symptoms of this woman's plauge. With the blade still extended, he thrust forward. The woman and Kale were in front of him, so whoever reacted first...

Addison might have looked down and seen Kihn at the edge of the little cluster of trees, now with his saber and kukri out, hacking and slashing away, moving just about as quickly as he could. No mortal would have been able to follow his movements. In fact, it would have appeared to them as thought he kept disappearing and re-appearing yards away from where he had disappeared. He'd only be in that place long enough to hack or slash or stab a few more cards before he moved on.

But they were pressing in ** him non-the-less. He moved again, ploughing through several without regard to damage to them or himself, until he was in a small opening. With his good hand -- the other arm having been wounded significantly in the struggle -- He drew out a grenade. Pulled the pin. Waited two seconds. Tossed it just a few feet in the air. Leapt a good 20 yards away, landing behind a mound of earth. The grenade only had a three second fuse, so it exploded almost immediately.

Addison eyed him. A grenade? what all weapons was this guy hauling...?

She teleported behind him, her human vampire form again, and silently pulled her knife from her boot...

The medic-like two cards flooded from the clock tower to pick up the pieces of their now broken and twisted comrads. All 52 had been defeated...

But as we all know, there is 54 cards in a standard deck...

Spinning from the trees like derranged saw blades came the final two cards of the deck. Unlike the others, these didn't have the dark head and the yellowed eyes. Instead, they had two huge yellow eyes on their body, and what looked to be huge teeth, made for shopping and slicing, on both sides of their flat bodies. One of cards had its face upside down, the other had it's face rightside up. Both of them had the long, skinny legs of their bretheren, but these two only had extremely long blades on their arms, probably about 4 feet long...

The Jokers swiped the air carfully in an intimidating manner, then continued their whirlling assult towards where they sensed Kihn...

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