Episode 5 Act 2 The Beast Attacks
Mina, Amy and the little girl Nina walk over to the park. As the three of them reach the park gates a noble looking lady walks out and pauses to star at them. Nina takes a good look and her face lights up with joy. Amy recognizes the lady but can't quite put her finger on who she is. Nina rushes over to her exclaiming "Lady Starstrike!"
The lady gets the look of restrained annoyance on her face for just a moment before kneeling down with a smile. In a very lady like manner she is careful not to let to much of her dress touch the ground as gently prevents the child from embracing her. In a clear firm voice, just loud enough for Amy and Mina to here, "Why hello there child. I think you may have me mistaken. I am Lady Damon Von'dorsa, a singer." She glances up at Amy and Mina, here eyes searching them with critical and protective scrutiny.
Hotaru spots Amy and Mina. She quickly walks over to them, glancing at Nina and Lady Damon Von'dorsa.
Amy just looked hoping to maintain her identity with the situation.
"but," Nina starts, but Damona places a finger to her lips gently.
"Its all right deer." She coos with a wink, "Are these your friends?" she asks.
"Oh yes!" Nina exclaims and rushes back over to Hotaru, Amy and Mina to introduce them. She indicates Amy, "This is Amy." then Mina, "This is Mina," then looks at Hotaru, "And this is, um..." she looks puzzled. "Who are you?"
Damon stands with a lady's grace and strolls over, but keeps a respectful distance.
Amy recognizes the lady's movements, and the way she speaks. She just smiles when introduced and greets with a quick bow.
Mina gives Damona a very suspicious look, then looks down at Nina with a smile. " Hotaru... Her name is Hotaru."
Mina sighed, and took Nina's hand. ".. N-Nice to M-Meet you M-Miss Damon Von'dorsa..? Was it?"
"I'm sure." Damona states flatly and begins to walk away. She has the presence of either high society or being famous or both. She space just the faintest glance at Nina who simply shrugs a bit confused.
Mina's eyes follow her until she is some distance away and out of casual earshot. She then looks over to Hotaru. "Where are the others?"
Damona pauses as a rustling comes from a clump of trees and bushes not far from Hotaru, Amy, Mina, Nina and the park gate. Nina spins around to stare intently at the area. She seams scared.
Mina turns from Hotaru, and looks over to Damona. "Is something wrong?" She hoped there wasn't, not wanting to have to fight, and reveal her Identity. As well as Amy did. But Mina was prepared to do anything she had to. Though she was a bit nervous, remembering the painful happening the last time she attempted to fight.
Damona did not answer. She raised her head and seamed to be listening intently to something, distracted.
Nina pulled on Mina's skirt staring intently at the bushes. "Something's there." she whispers.
Mina's voice broke into a whisper. "Now I need you to listen to me Nina. When I give the signal, I need you run as fast as you can towards any safety you can find." Mina looked down at her with very serious eyes.
Nina nodded glancing at Damona who in single moment was gone leaving Starstrike standing there glaring at the bushes. Her right hand sliding over to the grip of her rapier.
Amy looked at the situation starting to transpire. "What? A weapon?" Amy backed away like a scared girl would normally do. Mina knew Amy wasn't scared but concerned, this would be a bad time to change.
Starstrike does not seam to be paying any attention to Amy, Mina or Hotaru.
Mina slightly glances over to Amy.. "Are you.. ready?" Amy was right, it wasn't the best time to transform but what were they supposed to do? She took a deep breath.
Just then a huge beast with a dark brown hide, demonic red eyes and large black claws bursts from the bushes and trees going right for Starstrike.
Nina screeches at the top of her lungs as the beast lands right in front of Starstrike. In a single motion she draws her sword and leaps sideways dodging a sweep of the beast's claws. Landing in a defensive crouch she inhales deeply preparing to let loose a sonic attack.
Hotaru stifled a scream as she sees the beast. She stares at it, too shocked to move.
"What the-! Nina!" Mina quickly transforms.
Starstrike lets out her death scream hitting the beast full force. Hotaru recognizes the scream for their last encounters. The wall behind the beast is cracked by the sonics but does not seam to be fazed one bit. Starstrike reels back in complete shock. With amazing speed it lunges forward and strikes Starstrike across the chest in the moment of her laps sending her flying. She lands next to Hotaru with a painful thud, he sword disappearing into a bush. The beast turns toward the group (Hotaru, Mina, Nina, Amy and Starstrike) and begins to stalk forward snarling.
Hotaru knelt down and helped Starstrike up. "What do we do now?" she asks to herself.
"That thing has got to be deaf?" Starstrike comments with a growl ignoring Hotaru. The beast turns and lunges at the group going for a general attack on every one. Seeing the beast coming Starstrik's head snaps to Nina who is staring wide eyed as the beast flies toward them. She shoves Hotaru away as she roles over into a half lunge she grabs Nina pulling into her protectively body as she hurls the two of them clear of the group and where the beast is going to land.
Amy runs into a group of trees, pulls out her broach. "Mercury Star Power Make Up!"
Hotaru falls over, barely out of the reach of the beast. She closes her eyes, expecting the pain.
The beast lands next to Hotaru completely ignoring her. If she had been standing it would have landed on her. Its eyes turn to follow Starstrike and it knocks Mina to the ground as it lunges after her.
Starstrike lands on her back and rolls protecting Nina. She gets up quickly setting Nina on her feet and propelling her gently away. "NINA RUN!" She calls as she braces for the attack. "Find a shadow and SHIFT! Quickly!"
Nina, broken out of her terror, bolts away from Starstrike heading for the park.
Hotaru blinked in confusion on how the beat could have missed her, but thankful that it did. She crawled over to Mina and whispers, "Are you okay, Mina?"
Starstrike dives aside as the beast reaches her and swipes at her. She then goes into a series of dodges as the repeated screeches at the beast and it continues to swipe at her. Starstrike pauses next to a section of the park wall then dives aside as the beast barrels into it, and through it.
Taking a few raged breaths Starstrike looks around then sets herself in a combat stance and begins to get her breathing under control. Leaves and small loose rocks jump about as if they were next to a deep base speaker as she begins to focus.
The beats begins to pull itself from the wreckage of the wall.
Nina runs into the shadow of a tree and vanishes.
Starstrike raises her right hand into the air and yells, "Star Furie..." her voice carrying loudly as she calls out and energy gathers.
Hotaru ran behind some trees and transformed as quickly as possible. She runs next to Mina and watches Starstrike.
Mina looks around for Nina, then puts her attention on the lady. "What are you doing!"
The beast shakes debris off and turns around snarling at Starstrike. She drops her hand abruptly screaming out, "Screeeeeeeeeemmmmm!" Her voice reaching impossible pitch, painful to the ears off all around. A visible sonic shockwave shoots out from her mouth and body to strike the beast and everything around it. Everything in its path (a section of the park) is destroyed for half a mile in front of her. Starstrike breaths heavily for a moment as the smoke clears. "WHAT!" She shrieks in shock as the beast immerges from the smoke apparently unharmed.
Amy covers her ears, squinting at the scene. "I can't hear." she says
Mina gets annoyed now, figuring she'll probably be deaf for awhile. "Crescent Beam!"
Starstrike dives clear of the beast just avoiding the beast's strikes. She heads for her sword.
The beast jerked coming to a dead stop in its pursuit of Starstrike as the attack struck it in the side. Its head jerked around to stare at Venus, a small burn spot marked the side of its hide. With a snort it turns to look at Starstrike who was snatching up her sword and went into an immediate quick attack. "Sing Star Strike!" she screamed out with a slashing motion of her sword. The energy blast struck the beast squarely in the face with no effect. It burst into a full charge at Starstrike.
Nina ran threw the realm of shadows terrified. She had seen Starstrik's attack, and how ineffective it was. "Where are you?" she cried as she jumped form shadow to shadow looking for either Moonglow or Krahazik. "CHAOS!" she shrieked.
End Act 2