1572/Don't Take Them for Granite

Don't Take Them for Granite
Date of Scene:	21 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Starfire, Aqualad, Ares, Terra, Red Robin

---

Starfire has posed:
The sun was setting - painting the night sky with a series of oranges, purples, and other dark colors. And Babylon - in spite of the religious connotations of the name, was a quiet little seaside town.( ).

It didn't tend to draw a lot of tourists - it was generally considered a 'stop' on the way to Long Island's south shore. But right now, Babylon was being flooded with tourists. They just weren't the sort that people wanted.

Traffic had stopped, and people had abandoned their cars - people were running through the streets screaming, barricading themselves inside. And with all the panic, people were certainly getting hurt, generally by running into things, or pushing people aside to get away from...

Them.

It looked like they were something out of an old old film, winged monsters of a grayish cant that were demonic in appearance - features twisted and evil, but rarely did their expressions change. They were as gargoyles come to life, and incredibly heavy - they crushed things beneath their feet as they lumbered around, kicking over pots and pans and smashing windows. ( ) They were ignoring people entirely, focused on their purpose - which meant they weren't attacking, certainly.

But it also meant they didn't care if they stepped on a leg or two... or worse.

And this small seaside town was overrun with a small army of them, roughly fifty or so. Smashing windows, breaking things - they seemed to be scouring the places for something. But some were putting things like toasters, torn bits of car or metal, or hunks of concrete on their backs as they searched, using their wings to balance the load on their backs.

What could they be doing here?

Aqualad has posed:
What indeed, wonders Kaldur-- and the Atlantean warrior purses his lips, shaking his head at the carnage being wrought. He's still a bit damp from having emerged from the bay, and with a flickering of mental effort discharges any lingering water from his skin. The pollution around New York could irritate his sensitive gills if he let it linger, and besides that-- it stank.

The ways of surfacers were strange, but this was obviously grade-A mayhem. Something undesired, and the fear in people's faces is real and not something unique to surfaces. Even the Atlantean can sense their very real concern and fear as the gargoyles go on their rampage.

"Perhaps it is time to attend to this myself," Kaldur mutters-- and he breaks into a low, loping jog on his too-wide, thin-soled boots, heading towards the nearest group of gargoyles that abut a children's pool of water.

He leaps onto a low rooftop with a flicker of minor effort, and raises his voice. "Stop! You are committing a crime, and you must case this activity!" Kaldur says-- his voice is strong and commanding, despite a faint rasp at the back of his throat.

Starfire has posed:
And as for Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran herself (fondly called Starfire by most humans), this whole gargoyle business was getting a little out of hand.

"What do you think?" asks Starfire of the old woman she stood in front of, Kori bringing up her hand to model one pair of sunglasses, and then the other. "It very much makes the world darker, but I am fond of this design. It is most appealing," she says, looking from the boutique owner towards one of the mirror. That was right before a gargoyle - for lack of a better term - crashed through the window, the grinding sound of stone on stone like fingernails on a chalkboard to Star. Who GASPS.

But close enough to another part of town...

The stone gargoyles were stomping around a backyard - about two of them. One was digging into the earth, sending up great clods of earth as they go - and another was stomping towards the house. And huddled in the corner of the backyard, were a woman and two children - they look up towards Kaldur, their eyes full of fear and trepidation. 'Help us' - her lips move, silently.

But as for the gargoyles, they ignore Kaldur's commands.

Although his voice was very commanding, believe you me.

Starfire has posed:
Still wearing the sunglasses, Star steps forward, bringing up her hand to grasp the gargoyle by one of the horns - and with a flex of her arm, she twists the head to one side, bringing the thing to the ground. /Now/ it was starting to pay attention to her, bringing up a clawed hand to rake across Star's midsection.

Star leaps back - a green nimbus surrounding her, and reaches a hand to the communicator affixed to her chest. "Friend Titans!" she calls, her tone of voice rich with seriousness. "Please make haste to this town of Babylon! There are many monsters here, and they are familiar - like the ones that we have seen before - outside of the stadium, and at the construction site. But there are..."

A beat, the monster was getting to its feet.

"Many more of them."

Ares has posed:
    An ACE hardwave has stood on the corner of the street in central Babylon for almost seventy years, though its facade has changed over that time. It had been a little mom and pop store for a good chunk of it, but today it had a slick new logo and the outdoor displays were brilliant with bright red paint on wood, displaying a myriad of garden materials and sales for one and all.
    As people ran by outside of it, there was little sign of the crazed activity without. A scream might barely be heard over the muzac, and a car alarm from a wrecked vehicle might barely be perceived. But it was the crash and shattering of the front window, safety glass cascading amongst the begonias, that let the man known as John Aaron inside to know that something was amiss.
    Babylon was not far from where he lived and he actually frequented this place fairly regularly for his own home construction projects. So now, as the clerk Willy takes cover behind the register, the tall man grimaces as he looks out the window. Heavy footfalls are heard as he starts to walk to the front door, picking up a pair of sledgehammers from their display as he walks by.
    "Get down, Mr. Aaron! It's crazy out there!"
    Only for a credit card to be tossed to him in passing. "Put them on my bill, William."
    He steps out onto the street through the shattered window, glass crunching under his boots, one sledge hammer slung up on his shoulder, the other resting on the toe of his boot.
    As a gargoyle rushes by chasing a woman and her child he brings the hammer around sharply.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur doesn't hesitate. He puts himself between the family and the gargoyle, and draws water from the pool into the air. It spins into hard, almost glittering fragments of crystal over his water bearers, which he flicks into a defensive posture.

"I do not wish to bring you harm," he informs the gargoyle. "But I cannot let you proceed this way. Withdraw, and leave with your lives."

The gargoyle still doesn't seem inclined to listen-- because the next thing it does is pick up lumbering speed as if to crash into Kaldur.

The Atlantean is neither weak, nor slow-- and instead of getting run over, he dances sideways and swings his club-like water bearer in a arc that'd make a professional golfer proud, aiming right for the underside of the gargoyle's stone jaw.

Starfire has posed:
The gargoyle that Ares smashes certainly does seem to be chasing the woman and child. But most of these creatures did not even pay attention to the humans - they were larger than humans were, after all, standing about seven or eight feet high - many of them had variations - horns in different places, different sorts of wings, some had more arms, more legs.

This particular one was a quadriped, and its back had the front end of a car balanced between its wings.

And its path would take it right to stomp on top of the woman and her child, as they fall and scream out - when a sledgehammer smashes it on the shoulder, powered by Ares' mighty arm. One of its arms breaks off, to fall heavily on the concrete beside the child, the wings of the creature flaring out as the car front end topples off and back, to crash to the street.

It turns, the gargoyle bringing up its other stone arm to lash talons at Ares.

But at Kaldur's point...

The blow strikes the underside of its jaw - snapping its neck up and back, with an unnatural sound of cracking and earth shifting. And hairline fractures appear around the neck of the creature, it giving up on its digging to turn its attention towards Kaldur proper. And the charging one? That was the one that was entering the house. Both of them were hoping to stop the superpowered distraction.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Meanwhile, over the town, a disk of stone and earth starts to rapidly descend. Atop it rides a girl with dark hair, her knees slightly bent as she frowns at the scene below. She DID feel stone moving oddly! But she was not expecting living stone, either. She mentally starts running through her list of subterranean creatures that it might be, but can't remember any that look just like those at all.

    Neat, someone new!


Well, it would be if they weren't causing panic. she allows, hopping off the disk as she brings the mass down on one of the rampaging gargoyles to bury it up to its head, then crouches over it. "Excuse me." she says politely. "But you are not allowed to this. Is there something that has you upset, or..." Then one of its friends lowers its head and charges into her from behind as she goes down in a tumble of limbs. "Hey! We were DISCUSSING!" she girl yelps as she rolls back to her feet.

Ares has posed:
    Ares makes a leap back as the talons rend through the air and /slash/ up the asphalt in front of him, causing a spattering of debris to splash around him as he interposes himself in front of the fleeing civilians. Yet as he realizes the creature survived the loss of its arm, and then he looks around for a moment and sees the _numbers_ of them all around, he gets a wild look in his eyes.
    "Hahahaha! To Battle!" The tall man's voice lifts as he roars that battle cry, one of the sledge hammers /thrown/ straight at the face of that Gargoyle, if only to free up his arm for a large scutum to flash into existence in his off hand.
    There's a moment when he turns around and roars, "Well what are you waiting for, RUN!" As some of the other civilians start to rush away. That said he rounds back and LEAPS after that gargoyle in front of him, weapon whirling madly.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur doesn't let up the attack-- he vaults into the air, and his Water Bearer forms a whip shape. He loops the 'cord' around the reeling gargoyle's neck even as he backflips out of the second's chargig path, and the other end of the whip grabs the gargoyle's horn, like a charging deer getting an antler caught on a low branch.

He hits the ground, sets his feet, and with a roar of focused strength /pulls/ backwards. The momentum of the charging gargoyle thrums along the 'rope' and neatly as a cheese slicer, cracks the head of the first gargoyle clean off the construct. Kaldur uses his other water bearer for a second whip to tug the gargoyle's foot out from under it, and once the beast is down, stunned, and sprawling, he lunges forward and slams his weapons into it with all the force he can muster-- turning the 'whips' into blunt machetes, that open and spread like wedges in a way only water really can.

Water, beats rock.

Red Robin has posed:
<<Starfire, this is Robin. I'm on my way to your position. Only ten out. Think you can handle it until then?>>

A horn rings out as the R-Cycle weaves rapidly between a dead still traffic jam, Robin leaning low over the controls. He skids around a van and realizes he's on a direct course into the guard rail. Without enough time to steer back into the traffic, he slams his thumb on a softly glowing red button and the front of his bike leaps five feet into the air as he sails straight over the rail and lands heavily on the road beneath the highway.

The largely clear road beneath the highway.

<<Make that five minutes.>>

Starfire has posed:
    It was chaos in the streets around Ares.

And the erstwhile God of Battle might appreciate that, after all. All around him, he could hear 'thuds', perhaps, as the creatures dropped their loads - and the ground may shake around him as more and more of those creatures start to surround him. As it was, there were six. And now that Ares had made himself known - their focus was entirely on him. The one in front of Ares - the hammers smash into its face, sending splinters flying to one side around the wall.

And they screech.

ALL OF THE CREATURES SCREECH IN UNISON, a horrible, jagged sort of sound that reverberates through the ears and mind.

And the ones around him rush, with jagged beaks and wicked claws and fangs leading the way.

Terra's - poor Terra's. Buried up to its neck in earth, it starts trying to shift. Her mistake was to attack one - they seemed to ignore people until threatened - for better or for worse. The creature - after ramming into Terra and joining in on that unified screech, brings up a taloned foot - hoping to bring it down on the hero!

And as for Kaldur... water does beat rock indeed. Decapicitating the creatures did not seem to slow them, however - as all of the heroes would realize ONCE THE CREATURES LOSE LIMBS, THEY LOSE LIFE - THE FALLEN LIMB OR HEAD SEEMINGLY TURNING INTO INANIMATE STONE AGAIN. But Kaldur was on their radar as well. The picket fences on both sides of the backyard crash through - three more were coming in!

And Tim's - and the Titans - communications buzz.

<<Oh yes! They are... not very difficult one by... ouch! Please do not scratch me! GASP! Please do not grasp that, that is not yours! I... *fzzzzt*>>

Tim, getting a bird's eye view of the thing, would see devastation - cars overturned, or torn ahead - but before he landed, he could probably get a very good guess of where each hero was. The nearest creatures were converging to support their kin, walking straight through buildings if they had to to approach the heroes.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Terra's violet eyes widen as the foot comes up, as she quickly rolls to the side as it smashes down into the ground where she was. Perhaps they don't speak English. The ground uner her ripples as it pushes her up, cracking briefly as it carries her to her feet, then the ripple flows forward like water, before sharply splitting to either side of the gargoyle attacking her, her fingers curling. There's a grinding CRACK as the earths splits open, forming walls on either side of it, before they close together, pinning the creature between two vertical spires of rock, but not crushing it. "I don't know who you are..." the dark haired heroine says with a frown. "But this is NOT acceptable!" She looks around for other gargoyles causing trouble, moving to the nearby people cowering nearby. "It's okay...this way! I will make sure you have a path!"

Ares has posed:
    As the battle roils around John Aaron his eyes begin to gleam a blazing white, the hammer's haft shattering on his third swing that sends that first creature down with its face in pieces, causing all of those creatures to keen around him with that wild shrieking. He reaches over his back and produces a heavy black battleaxe whose edges gleam as he brandishes it.
    "Howl all you want creatures, no one you summon will save you."
    No hesitation, no trepidation. He charges in and lays about him with the axe, working towards the center mass of the creatures that dare recognize him. He slashes low to take knees, smashing his shield into the center mass of others to send them flying. At some point a crested helm and black armor formed from the stuff of shadow over his body as he lashed about left and right.
    And at times, in between the crash and crackle of stone, his laughter will be heard.

Aqualad has posed:
Well, Kaldur's a good fighter, but three on one odds-- that's pushing it for anyone. And these are clearly strong enough to do even him some real harm if he gets careless.

Discretion being the better part of valor, Kaldur flings the entirety of the pool into the grass in front of the gargoyles, immediately turning it into a morass of silt that sucks at talons and prevents the heavy beasts from getting good traction.

"Flee!" he barks at the family. "I will lead the away!"

He lashes at the gargoyles with his bearers, to keep them enraged and focused-- and then turns to flee, running just fast enough to keep in their sight and pull them away from the family. He heads towards town, and the sound of the fighting from the other parts of the city; conveniently, towards Starfire and Terra's positions, and where Ares is single-handedly fighting off the army.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim just... He just drives. Weaving efforlessly through the much lighter traffic on the road below.

<<Uh...>>

After a moment, he simply decides to gun it, his bike roaring his arrival a few minutes later when he reaches the outskirts of Babylon.

Rather than get right into the fight, he leaps off the R-Cycle as it passes by a relatively tall building, his grapnel gun putting him on the roof in a heartbeat so he can peer down on the rest of the town and figure out where best to intercede. After a few moments of watching, he presses the comlink in his ear and opens the Titan channel again:

<<I see all of you. There's also some civilian wailing on these things with... a battleaxe. He might not be a civilian... Looks like they're fairly mindless, we might be able to lead them into a trap and deal with most of them in one swoop. Get their attention and look out for my signal.>>

With that, he fires his grapnel again, zipping away to land in a movie theater parking that looks fairly devoid of life, rock-based or otherwise, and begins littering the area with triggered explosives and gas grenades. A car facing the theater is hotwired and left to idle with an odd sort of bat-contraption hovering over the gas.

Starfire has posed:
Terra - those people - those trapped by fear or lumbering beasts - look wideeyed towards the savior from way down under, and nod. A middle aged man - greying, and carrying a young man in his arms, and a couple of teens, dressed in a more urban fashion, start to run around the edge of the perimeter of the area.

One of the teens takes a moment to openly gawk, and reaches a hand for one of the arms of the creature when the group gets a little too near to one - and Terra has to act quick! If she isn't watching, the teen might find himself lashed out at.

And as for Ares - and in time, the crashing and crack of stone giving way to Olympian strength reverberates through the streets - and in a few moments time, those creatures - shorn in pieces by black battleaxe, or hammered to pieces by the mighty blows of the same - lay in pieces, flopping and twitching all around. But there was a... sick sense to the area. Something comes to mind as the battle haze drops...

Convenient was Kaldur's retreat. Perhaps he would choose the path less noisy and sounding of battle and war to lead the family towards - and that would lead him straight towards Terra's position. And perhaps he can see the aftermath of that when he approaches there.

Or perhaps he led them towards battle, and he would see the aftermath of Ares' slaughter, with torsos flopping and severed limbs lying stone-still on the ruined pavement.

But conversely, it would be Terra's position that would be the most dangerous in a few moments. Tim might notice that.

Because the ones that were chasing Kaldur are led to Terra's position, and Terra and Kaldur were probably going to get the full force of about ten or so, bursting through fences or outcroppings.

<<I have about five left over here. I will wait for your signal, Robin!>> chirps Starfire over the comms. And perhaps people can see the flashes of green between buildings. <<They do not burn very well at all!>>

Ares has posed:
    The ebb and flow of battle is a tumultuous thing. The stone monsters leaping forth, lashing with talons, swirling with tails, their wings flaring and their jaws clashing as they each try to gain hold upon the black armored giant of a man who seems to be exulting in this moment. One slashes at him only to draw back a stump as it is sent careening into several others by a forceful kick.
    Another Gargoyle roars and /clamps/ down on the man's shield with its jaw, steel and stone grinding on each other with a myriad of sparks, only for it to be yanked off balance to the side and for its head to be struck clean from its shoulders.
    There is that same swirl of movement, mayhem. A gargoyle is struck by a crash of the shield sending it flying through another storefront window. Ares /roars/ his defiance and then turns to his next target with axe raised...
    Only to see Kaldur in front of him. But instead of hatred, or anger, the young Atlantean sees such joy in the Olympian's eyes even as he clears an encroaching gargoyle with another /BASH/ of his shield, then offering to help steady the young man with a heavy hand to his shoulder.
    "You fight well, warrior. Stand with me!" He turns and faces the surging Gargoyles as they rally. "STAND WITH ARES! And we shall tell them, NO FURTHER!"
    And as he says the last he /slashes/ downwards with his battleaxe, creating a furrow in the asphalt and a sign on the ground. For this. This is where he shall stand.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Terra is alert, her hands at her sides, almost like a gunslinger as she focuses, As gargoyles start to get close to the civilians, the ground under them bucks abruptly to the side it cracks and twists, trying to throw them off their feet as she jogs behind them, trying to get them to the edge of the affected area.

    Then the teen tries to reach out for the gargoyle, who raises a clawed hand in preparation to rake back!

    "No! Bad rock man!" Or woman...is it a woman? Terra questions as she separates the two with a sudden surge of asphalt that flips up like a wall, taking the impact as the gargoyle leaves claw deep scars in the fragile barrier. As others start to close, Terra shouts. "HEY! YOU GUYS!" There's a patter as pieces of dirt and rock start ripping out of the ground, spinning around her in complex patterns as they smack into the nearby gargoyles as she deliberately starts to distract them and draw them in.

    She ers as she realizes then just how surrounded she is. "...oh boy..." she mutters, backing up as she starts a steady retreat, looking around for someplace she can try to lead them.

Aqualad has posed:
Well, it's not every day you get inspired by the God of War, and Kaldur runs with it.

He focuses his water bearers, channeling all his focus into the weapons-- and when Ares claps his shield and bellows his glee for battle, Kaldur instinctively /trusts/ the other soldier, with a leap of faith only one warrior to another could make.

He rushes past Ares and swings both mace-shaped water bearers at a leaping gargoyle, covering Ares' back-- and trusting Ares to protect his, even as the gargoyles rush after the bare-armed Atlantean warrior.

Red Robin has posed:
The sounds of nearby battle push Tim to work faster, arming almost every surface of the parking lot with explosives, all while measuring and calculating so as to do minimal damage to the surrounding structures. It's tough work and it's pushing him to the limit of his tactical and mathematical abilities, but eventually, finally, he's ready.

Without a moment's hesitation, he fires a deep red flare straight up into the air, then tosses a couple handheld ones around the parking lot before he rushes out into the street and starts throwing batarangs at any gargoyle-like creatures he can find, each one exploding with concussive force as soon as it hits something solid. "Hey Uglies! Come on and get some of this, you Notre Dame rejects!" If/When he gathers the attention of the gargoyles, he turns and immediately rushes back to the parking lot, bo staff at the ready as he prepares to hold his ground.

Starfire has posed:
For Ares and Kaldur - the gargoyles were unafraid. These things did not seem to back down, or realize the death that they were walking into. They had a purpose, and Ares and Kaldur were impinging that purpose. Crawling over the bodies of their (mostly) dead, the living stone creatures shriek again.

But this time, it was considerably weaker.

Too many of theirs had fallen. The family following Kaldur move to cower behind the two - taking refuge in the shelter of a semi, crowding inside the hole that the creatures had punched through it - trusting in the metal to protect them.

The two warriors would have enough gargoyles for both, the creatures coming at them from all angles. They weren't very clever warriors, but they were persistent - and if they should allow one of them to grab onto one of the heroes - they would be very, very strong.

But as for Terra - a flash of green light might herald the appearance of Starfire, her eyes leaking naturally Tamaranean flame. "Oh! It is you, Terra!" she says, the edges of her hair even looking like they were set aflame, flickering and setting off. "What a wonderful joy it is to meet you again, but..." Star's usual upbeatness was tampered by the fact that - to add onto Terra's own load - Star had several creatures following after her. And Tamaraneans were a warrior people.

Arcing her flight that way, Star holds out her arms, hoping to /swoop/ by Terra and grasp them. Soon, Star would be arcing towards Tim's position, with that small horde in tow.

And Tim was doing a good job at getting the few stragglers interested in him and his terrible alley, Star's eyes tracking towards the flare. Whether or not she picked up Terra, she would soon be at that alley. "This way!" she calls.

And soon after, that small horde would reach the mouth of the parking lot, starting to flood into it like no small amount of evil stone ants.

Ares has posed:
    The five or six that remains intact circle and surge around that small knot of defiance that is Ares and Kaldur back to back amongst the debris and remains of the fallen creatures. And for the time it is all the wild of battle. The shield crashes, fracturing in twain as it splits with the force of the strike, crushing the knee of one of those gargoyles and bringing it low for an overhead blow from the axe of Ares.
    One of the creatures menaces Kaldur's flank but his shield brother is there as a heavy gauntleted fist /slams/ into the side of its head, causing its horns and fangs and jaw to crackle into so much gravel and fall to the ground in a mass of debris.
    Perhaps there's a moment when the two warriors trade places quickly, each covering the other in the swirl of the melee. But together they are winning, are holding against the creatures well.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    The dark haired girl controlling the dirt clods is just starting to note that maaaaybe she should have had more of a plan, when she hears her name, looking up. "Starfire!" Then she woofs as she's scooped up by the other girl. "I'm glad to see you! Do you know what is happening? Why are they attacking?" She looks down again. "....wait, I think I can get them to keep following us away from the people!" She then says, her eyes flashing, before she concentrates, starting to pelt every gargoyle she can see. "Hey, stoneface! This way! Yes, I mean you! Your mother was made of shale!" She pauses, whispering up to Starfire. "Actually, shale is a very nice rock, I don't know why I said that!"

    The gargoyles already in pursuit of Terra promptly continue after the pair, moving in a loose crowd...gang?...what do you call a group of gargoyles, an avalanche? Either way, they're following as they head towards where Tim is preparing the ground.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim lashes out with his staff at the nearest gargoyle, wincing yet again as the force of the hit travels up his staff and into his arm, setting it to aching. Still he fights on, no sign of slowing -- at least not until he spots Koriand'r and Terra incoming.

<<I see you. Stay airborne. Tell Terra to keep it up, as well. When you see me leaving, put some distance between this place and you. Not entirely sure I didn't over do it with the explosives.>>

Even as he reports this, Tim ducks beneath a swipe from one of the gargoyles, takes several running steps up the side of a wall, and then comes back down, swinging his bo staff hard in overhead strike to the aggressor's shoulder. "This is going to be tight," he mumbles as he resolves himself to holding out until as many gargoyles have entered the 'killzone' as possible.

Aqualad has posed:
"We cannot hold this ground forever!" Kaldur shouts at Ares-- he lashes out with his water bearers, having discovered a reliable method of destroying the gargoyles. Strike a weapon point, then let the water infiltrated the cracks and split them like so much ice adorning a chipped boulder.

But he's bleeding and bruised from several close hits, and though his endurance is tremendous, the fight can only go on for so long-- those big hits sap his energy a little with each blow, and he grunts in pain as a gargoyle fetches a swiping blow against his left thigh.

"Have you a plan besides dying gloriously?" he inquires, his eyes flickering to the trail of red and green in the sky that is Starfire.

Starfire has posed:
For Ares and Kaldur - the monsters - the ones that remain, at least - sensing weakness in their foes or perhaps smelling blood - impossible to tell on those unmoving stone faces, seem to be pressing the attack. Especially on Kaldur. Although the tactic of working the water into the stone was devilishly effective - causing the creatures to crack and otherwise falter - they just were unrelenting.

Unless, as one is sure the two warriors were getting clues about - one smashes through their midsection. They had a heart of sorts in there, oozing black blood when bisected - the heart was a gem, dark as night - that turned as crystal as glass once chipped to let the 'black' out.

So dying gloriously may still be an option.

But as for the other group, Starfire gives Terra a brilliant smile. "I have seen these things before, and I have seen their master. Have you seen anything like these things before?" she says, her tone of voice a little bit terse - even if it lightens a bit at the jokes then.

"Those insults - they very much... stone, Atlee," she says, giggling to herself afterwards. She meant rock, one is sure. And Star and Terra swoop over Tim's head. "He says to keep it up, you see that human there?" she says, lifting her chin towards Tim. "He is most intelligent when it comes to battlefield tactics." Star swoops down, hovering over the parking lot.

And the gargs weren't going to make it easy on Tim. Every moment that passes his situation starts becoming more dire. As nearly every other garg starts flooding into the parking lot, the one nearest Tim wordlessly bringing up a paw to swipe at him, as the bo strike sends a crack through its shoulder. <<There are many more coming, Robin... are you going to be okay?>>

Ares has posed:
    With wild eyes, Ares /smashes/ one of the last few that menace them, then he rounds about and steps to stand beside Kaldur as they are left to face the three that remain. That great plumed helm with the glowing eyes turns to level his gaze on the Atlantean and he can most likely hear the riotous grin in his voice if not see it on the man's face as he answers the man's question with a simple,
    "No."
    And yet he steps forwards, another axe surging forth from shadows into existence in his off hand as he swirls it around... then /leaps/ into the fray once again.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "No, I haven't! I thought they might be from where I came from, but they seem to not really want to talk much!" Atlee calls back up to Terra as she dangles under her trustingly, focuses as a sort of comet trail seems to follow the flying pair as bits of the ground rip up and fling themselves at the pursuing gargoyles. he saves the rocks for the ones that aren't yet coming after them, sending them spinning hard into the gargoyles to get their full attention too! Which means there's a nice avalanche (we're going with that) of gargoyles that come running after the two, some on all fours, some on two, but all looking as annoyed as you'd expect carved rock to look with a few new crackes or dirt splattered on them.. S

    She blinks a bit as she sees Kaldur and Ares. "Starfire, down there!" she calls up worriedly. "They need help!"

Red Robin has posed:
WHAM.

Tim thuds against the wall he just ran partway up as the gargoyle's paw lands heavily on his chest. All of Robin's air rushes quickly out of his lungs, but he manages to hit the ground and roll away from his steadily oncoming opponents. What he wouldn't do for Atlantean or Olympian strength and resilience.

"Yeah," he grunts in response to Kori before he can get the communicator on, disoriented and gasping for air. <<Yeah,>> he tries again, this time going through, <<I'll be fine. Clear the area.>> Still recovering from that heavy hit somewhat, he raises his arm and fires off a grapnel, letting the powerful motor carry him to relative safety. As soon as his boots hit the roof, he's up and running to the edge to leap and grapnel onto the next.

This time he rolls with the landing, and when he comes up, there's a detonator in his hand. He spares a very quick glance to ensure Koriand'r and Atlee are clear before he breathes out and slams his thumb down on the plunger, immediately taking cover as everyone of his traps go off at once in a massive ball of fire and concussive force, easily visibile blocks away.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur and Ares stand shoulder to shoulder-- the big, mighty mountain against which all breaks, and the lean, agile younger man, who responds like the water that is his element. He flicks the water bearers twice, watching the gargoyles-- they pace and growl like animals. Walking past each other. Looking for an opening.

One of them feints, then the other commits. Kaldur, no stranger to the motions of predators, lashes its leg in mid-leap and jamming it cold, right in the path of Ares' swinging mace. Kaldur leaps to interdict another one, lashing it across the face with a spontaneous cat-o-nine that leaves deep, angry grooves in the gargoyle's features, trusting Ares to finish off the first one quickly enough to cover him.

Starfire has posed:
Starfire wets her lips with her tongue, looking between the fight between the two and the remains of the gargoyle horde. She trusted all of their team members, she felt, they could protect themselves, but... they were still kinda new to her and... well...

Tim was human. And humans were... most squishy. Breathing a little heavier as she feels wracked with the decision, Star twists their flight, moving to arc towards the pair of warriors. This got her clear of the parking lot as well so that the ~BOOM~ didn't catch her with fire, just the sound - her typically smooth flight jittering for a moment.

"Atlee, you can ask the earth to catch you, yes?" she asks. "And it agrees?"

Another beat. "Please help them! I must go back for Robin, and I will bring him here," she says. Dipping a little lower to the ground, Starfire releases Terra, twisting back around to speed back towards the parking lot portion of the town, bringing up a hand to her communicator. <<It looks like they are mostly... stopped.>> reports Kori, surveying the scene. Some still flopped around, and Kori purses her lips. <<There are others, fighting some that were not drawn by us, about two blocks to the east. Do you want to be taken there?>>

Although Star's lips were not going to unpurse until she catches sight of Robin, of course.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "Um, yes, I can do that if I..." Terra starts to say then she's dropped, squeaking as she quickly throws her hands out, the ground under her, coiling upwards into a ramp as she hits and rolls down it, skidding to a halt next to Kaldur and Ares. "...hi!" she says cheerfully, then sits up, throwing out her hands as a chunk of the pavement rips free, spinning through the air to smash into one of the gargoyles threatening Kaldur as she tries to scramble back to her feet. "I am here to help!" This was obvious, but Atlee hasn't quite gotten out of the habit of letting people know when she arrives. People threw things at her once. It was a misunderstanding!

Red Robin has posed:
<<*Krrtzsh* ...aldur and the civilian?>>

Robin taps his communicator lightly, frowning faintly until the static clears up and he continues, rising from his crouch to survey the damage and wave down Starfire when she returns from dropping off Terra.

<<Yeah, bring me in.>>

He cuts off the communicator. Pauses. Then opens up the channel again.

<<Please.>>

Ares has posed:
    A perfect set up as Kaldur draws that Gargoyle's attention with that flash of a watery whip that scores the creature across the face. The monster roars as it turns upon the Atlantean, brandishing its claws as it menaces... only for one of those axes to smash first into its gut and then across its throat as the monster's head is sent flying.
    One of the other two limps forwards, its leg injured earlier as its wings flare. It charges forth until both of the Olympian's axes are thrown across the distance to imbed in its chest, causing it to stagger back as it grasps at its wounded torso...
    Only for Ares to lift it aloft by its one good leg, swinging it into the air even as the WORLD explodes behind him a mere two blocks away, explosion lighting into the sky and casting a haze over the men fighting and deepening their shadows, all the while the God of War holds aloft that monster and /laughs/, exulting in the pure carnage of it all...
    Just before he brings the body around to crash into the remaining gargoyle, shattering them both to pieces.
    It's in that moment, with the mayhem all around, and the sky bright that Ares turns whip the helm from his head as he rounds upon Terra and greets her with that manic look in his eyes.
    "Hi."

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur, unlike Ares, seems to be able to release his battle focus in a moment; he relaxes slowly, the water bearers dropping and the liquid steel of the weapons splashing harmlessly to puddle on the ground. He looks up at Terra curiously-- and throws a hand towards Ares as the big man gives a feral snarl to the air ,no matter how welcoming it would be.

"Hold! She is a friend," he cautions Ares. "I do not sense any malicious intent in her presence." Despite his injuries and wounds, Kaldur dips his head at Terra in greeting, as formally as if they were introduced at court.

Starfire has posed:
A swoop downwards, and Starfire offers Robin her hands. "Hello, friend Robin!" she chirps. "It is most good to see you and not just... hear you over the comms. I mean... and see that you have fought gloriously, and are not seriously hurt by it." Twisting around after she takes Robin's arms, it would be a very short 'flight' over towards the remaining others.

"What do you think that they were doing?" she asks him, twisting her head to one side - perhaps he could get an answer in before Star swoops low to the ground again, depositing him near the others, and landing to the ground herself.

"Hello! We have arrived as reinforcements!"

Bringing up a hand to brush her long hair over her shoulder, she glances, wide eyed, between Kaldur, and Ares, and Terra again. And then towards the fallen creatures. "But perhaps you do not need them!" she says, even brighter. By now, well... the police and fire department had their hands full, but the streets were mostly deserted, with most people having gone into hiding.

Barring the family in the semi. Who peek out.

Red Robin has posed:
"Gathering..." Robin offers unhelpfully, surverying the field, "Looked like they were taking things. I'd have to get an idea of what they were taking, though, to figure out what they might have been doing."

When she releases him, he rolls and pops back up again effortlessly, collapsed bo staff once again extended by the time he's on his feet.

Making the same observation as Kori, however, he collapses it and tucks it away before allowing his cape to wrap about him as Batman so often does. He offers no greetings, his mind already in detective mode as he moves to study the downed creatures, both examining their crystal hearts where visible, and the objects they had been carting off, tweezers and a small, plexiglass-and-metal, vaccuum sealable tube coming out to try and score a sample of the former.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee's violet eyes widen as she lets out a faint squeaking noise at the manic look in Ares' eyes, freezing a little as she scoots back behind Kaldur a bit, then peers around. "Um, if you didn't want help, I'm very...sorry?" she offers, standing up as she peeks around Kaldur, rising on her toes as the gargoyles seem to have been routed in the area as she rests her hands on his shoulders from behind.

    She looks up as Starfire arrives, looking a bit relieved to see her back, and with a friend now too. "Is this all of them? You said you knew who was controlling them?" she calls up to Starfire.

    But still hiding behind Kaldur a little bit. Scaaaaary.

Ares has posed:
    As for Ares? He tosses his helmet aside and wipes at the blood upon his jaw with a heavy forearm. He grins happily as he looks about him to the gathering of heroes and tells them. "Ah it has been too long," He says as he gives a nod to Kaldur. "Indeed, these stood against the creatures as well?" He rounds to take in the Titans.
    "Ah. Koriand'r. Again we meet."
    He shakes his head as he motions towards the 'corpses' strewn about them. "These creatures have the same stink of ill magick as we encountered back at the work site, their power bodes ill, can you not tell?"

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur blinks in mild surprise at Robin. "Robin," he greets the younger man, ducking his head at him courteously. "It is good to see you again my friend," he says, with some warmth in his even, low rasp. He stands respectfully half-facing Ares-- but just to be safe, when Atlee ducks behind him, he conceals her with his broad shoulders and keeps her sheltered behind one arm that reaches back, corralling her into his shadow.

"And you are Koriand'r," Kaldur surmises, flicking his too-pale eyes towards the vibrantly redhead woman. "I have heard your name mentioned."

He looks back to Ares. "Your name, I have not heard yet. I am Kaldur'ahm, of Atlantis. Well met," he tells the mighty warrior.

Starfire has posed:
Tim would find that he could - the black blood - there wasn't much of it for each creature, but with the savagery that Kaldur and Ares had laid waste to the creatures with, it would, perhaps, be simple enough work to collect a sample of the blackish goo. It, upon contact with his instruments, would fizzle and bubble, fading away with a foul smell.

But he could get enough into a tube for a sample.

"Well, yes - I have seen a human who wore a coat covered with all sorts of things, traveling in the company of these creatures. Wonder Girl helped me when he... struck me. With something," she says, crinkling her nose.

"I cannot tell that they are sick, but I can tell that they are most destructive, I can see this," she says, glancing around the devastation. "They will need help to rebuild, I think - when the police and things get here, I believe I will volunteer my services," she says.

"But the other times they appeared - he had just one when I saw him the first time, and at the construction site, there were signs of more, yes, Ares?" she says.

"And here... there are so many..." says Star, pursing her lips. "What will the next time look like?" she says, quirking her head to one side.

But it was Kaldur's diplomatic greetings that draw her attention next. "Have you? I am called on Earth, Starfire. But I am most happy to be called Koriand'r if you wish as well," she says, beaming a bright smile. "You and John are both very strong."

Ares has posed:
    "I am Ares," The tall man says levelly to Kaldur as he steps forwards and clasps forearms with the other warrior, the shake /powerful/ and firm. But as Starfire mentions him he adds, "But also known as John Aaron," But now that the battle is past he seems more at ease, more in control of the moment though there is a still smouldering growl in the deep baritone of his voice.
    In answer to Starfire he nods, "I would say so," He looks between them to the others around. "If this be the work of a sorcerer then their strength has grown. If not that then their numbers."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    The darkhaired girl steps out from behind Kaldur, coaxed into relaxing by Ares smiling and not seeming immediatley to want to eat her. Or something. "I'm Terra..." she offers, waving cheerfully. "Um, I know Kori, but I don't think I have met any of you before?" She looks back at the wreckage, then frowns a bit, holding out a hand. There's a faint trembling in the ground as, slowly, the ground nearby starts to repair itself, resealing as the dirt, rock, and asphalt flows back into place, tumbling towards the holes and cracks as they push back together.

Red Robin has posed:
Robin frowns in annoyance as some of his instruments bubble and fizzle away, but he keeps them all the same. Even that's evidence of a kind. When he's collected his sample, he rises and returns to the group, returning Kaldur's greeting with a nod. "Kaldur. Good you were here. Would have been worse otherwise," he offers, then looks to Ares, eyeing the man with some curiosity. Rather than say anything, however, he just looks at Koriand'r. "Starfire. I think it's time you briefed me on what you know about these things and that mystery man. At the Tower?" A pause. "When you're free." He then glances back to Ares and then Terra, nodding to them both. "Thanks for your help," he offers in a tone that could be considered grateful by Batfamily standards. Brushing aside his cape, he retrieves his grapnel gun, points it at a roof nearby, and zooms off, heading in the direction of his R-Cycle, still idling and waiting for its rider in an alley somewhere.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur returns the wristclasp and nods at Ares-- an expression of respect, from one warrior to another. He offers a more familiar wristclasp to Tim, and a grin flickers across his stern, proud features. "Robin. Good to see you again, my friend." He looks at Koriand'r, and somehow sensing the aristocracy about her, bows politely. "Well met, Koriand'r," Kaldur tells the woman. "My friends call me Kaldur. It would please me if you do as well."

He looks at Atlee, and offers her a gentle handclasp. "And I think you are safe for now, small friend," he assures her, in a gentle, deep baritone. "Ares seems most honorable and competent as a wariror. I think you have nothing to fear from him."

Starfire has posed:
"Oh yes, friend Robin, of course I shall!" says Starfire. "I will meet with some of my friends here and then be back. I will bring the glorious Earth food that is the pizza!" A beat. "With sausages, pepperonis, and all manner of glorious meats atop it!" she calls after Robin as he flits away in that badass Batman way.

A smile lingers on her lips as she looks back towards the others. Stepping nearish Terra, she glances over the other young woman. "Are you safe and well? You fought well, from what little I saw. I think many lives were saved here today, because of our actions," she says.

Always in that slightly peppy tone of voice.

Glancing between Terra and Kaldur, Star gives the Atlantean a wide smile. "Then I shall call you Kaldur as well. Did I overhear that you were Atlantean?" she asks, tilting her head to one side, wide green eyes always bearing a focus on others.

And a smile that easily comes to her lips.

Ares has posed:
    "As for me, I shall depart. My errands have yet to be run," Ares gives a solemn nod to the Titans, his eyes flicking from each to the other in turn. His lip quirks at Terra's words, "Good to meet you, child." He nods again to Kaldur. "Contact me if more comes of this matter, Koriand'r."
    He turns, starting to walk down the street and through the debris, the world shifting around him like a funhouse mirror. It only takes a few moments and then he's gone.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee smiles a bit, then shakes Kaldur's hands. "...it's okay, he's just very...um, intense. I'm very pleased to meet you Kaldur I've never been to Atlantis, but I know some of the people who live under you and they say good things. And nice to meet you you, Robin!" she adds cheerfully. " She seems to relax, more around Ares as he seems to not be nearly as scary as the first look seemed to be, though her face falls at his explanation. Oh, she really hates magic. "Is this the sorceror who attacked you before, Kori?" she says, looking at the green-eyed girl. "The one who shot you in the back?" There's a definitely frown at that. She still owes someone a rock dropped on their foot at the least for that. She waves as Ares heads off. "Good to meet you too!"

Starfire has posed:
"Oh, yes - although both you and Raven were most helpful with your healing, it is still there, I think," says Starfire, turning in place. Star wore a belly-bearing top, after all, so a lot of her back was exposed - so it was simply pushing her hair out of the way. Against her orange skin there was a brownish spot yet.

"But yes - unless there are more than one sorcerers who are sorcering, it must be him again." A beat. "Do you both wish to come with me? I must get a pizza, and return to the tower."

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur listens to Terra's questions-- he's no fool, and her story suggests that much has been left unsaid. But these are not his concerns, and at Kori's question, he bows again. "Yes, some food would be most welcome," he tells Koriandr'. "However, I have none of your surfacer wealth. But if my company is acceptable to you, I'll gladly offer it to you and your friends," he suggests to the women.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee still looks concerned at the burn mark, but relieved. "I'm glad. I really don't like magic, it's so weird sometimes." she says with a little frown, then perks. "Oh yes! I would love to. Would you like to come to the one where I work? I can buy!" she says cheerfully. Atlee, flush with paycheck! "Um, I can fly you there too Kaldur, because I think it would be akward for Kori to carry both of us?" she offers politely, images of them being dangled in one hand each coming to her mind.

Starfire has posed:

A beat. "But I am quite strong, and you both do not look very heavy," says Starfire to Atlee, inclining her head to the other. "But perhaps because I flew you today, it is your turn to help me fly this time!" she says, clutching her hands in front of herself. "What is Atlantis like? Do you find it enjoyable there, Kaldur?" asks Starfire.

She didn't act much like a princess, most of the time. But Tamaraneans could do things quite differently as a rule.