Yue

 12th January

00:13 GMT +1

Redirect railgun to point at the left sabaton while it's distracted, fire, stab between the lames, grab the dropped club with both hands as it limps, plant feet and swing!

The club hits it in the left shoulder, the armour's protective spells failing and the armour itself crumpling as the mutant is knocked away and falls to the ground! Not sure of the exact extent of its injuries, but I think it's disabled.

"Wretched boy!"

The club isn't disrupting my violet protective cover so I rise off the ground and lunge at the next closest mutant. Out of the corner of my eye I see Kaldur and Raquel similarly engaged.

"We've found your phylactery."

My swing strikes the next mutant on its shield, which unlike the armour of its predecessor takes the blow from my new club. It retaliates with a stab from its sword, which I side-.

I sidestep and immediately sidestep again to avoid the stab from the spear-wielding mutant just behind it. Their bulk means that they aren't great spear-fighters but I'm going to have to expand my awareness slightly. The smaller mutants are surging around again while my railgun is focusing on the joints in the larger type's armour. Raquel is saying something to Zatanna, who looks like she's mostly ignoring-.

Another spear-stab, and I dart back to avoid it.

"And?"

Mage slayer to the shaft of the spear, where the head is attached. Stab. No, dagger destroyed. Swing the-. Angle awkward, mutant breathing fire again. Move to the side and stab the mouth.

"We can't hurt you. We can just kill you, but-"

Jaw closed too fast. Mage slayer the teeth, stab the gum.

"-we don't want to. Surrender."

Mouth opens stab then-.

[​IMG]

Fuck it.

"Going lethal."

Stab upwards. Sword mutant falls, brain pierced. Swing club push corpse back towards spearmen. Turn swing strike spear break it.

"Die!"

Drop and fly under shield at ground level swinging club. Leg broken move sideways avoid stab. Fly up swing club down crush. Turn parry spear shaft with right arm mage slayer opposite sabaton stab.

"Robin, destroy the crystal."

Extend railgun forward fire at gap between vambrace and gauntlet stab. . Arm disabled bleeding heavily. Club to the head. Club to the head. Club to the head.

"On it."

The large mutants back away. Pick up spear in right hand, club in left, grant ring computer control of arm movements. Move right slicing spear through three smaller mutants. Injuries disabling or fatal.

"No, I am."

More mutants current techniques inefficient allies have atmospheric protections. Deploying thioacetone gas. Advance. Enemies stunned. Swing club into shield, stab spear at gorget. Throat pierced, withdraw.

"Robin, the dragon is returning!"

Mutants oncoming. Stab at eye, mage slayer to sabaton stab fall back. Fly right swing club. Stab spear knocked aside drop swing club. Mage slayer to gorget stab.

"Pulling out now. Canis!"

Mutants shrinking slightly. Armour impedes movement. Evasion less relevant as they lost the ability to grip their weapons effectively. Disabling strikes at armour joints most efficient. Fire stab fire stab-.

I lower my weapons as whatever mutagen was affecting the gnomes stops affecting them. Several lie bleeding and unmoving around me, the spell not ended by their deaths but by the…

"Is Lantern Karfang dead?"

"Yes."

I take a purple ray out of subspace and toss it to Raquel, who fumbles her initial catch but keeps hold of it. "Cornwall, if you've got a moment, please help remove their armour."

I walk over to the closest gnome, a stick-thin, child-sized figure. There's a slash through its chest where I hit it with the spear. Fae physiology isn't well recorded. Once they die their bodies tend to either break down or turn into something that shouldn't work. This one is still just alive.

Ring, analyse blood.

Chemical analysis complete.

I fabricate as near a match as I can, knowing that without magic it probably won't work properly. Normally with this sort of injury the correct thing to do is to not transfuse, as that raises the blood pressure, interferes with clotting and causes internal bleeding. But in this case my new patient is dropping to non-survivable levels of blood loss. Construct clamps hold the wound open, construct surgical arms knit the severed parts of… Whatever those organs are back together, short bursts of purple healing ray nudging the magical physiology into repairing itself.

"Zatanna." Kaldur nods Raquel and the newly landed Leonid in my direction, passing his supply of healing potions to them. "I need you to accompany Superboy inside the warren and find out what is wrong with Canis-."

"No." Zatanna stands next to me, watching as I close the wound and move onto the next gnome. Dead, dead… Ah, yes, I remember this one. None of the wounds are fatal, but they'd be blinded and crippled. "Paul's more important."

Point to point only.

Compliance.

"Kaldur, she's affected by the same thing that affected you. She's just focusing on me rather than what you were focusing on. I strongly expect that Canis and Amon are affected by it as well."

"Understood."

"Orange Lantern to Osiris."

"The dragon is dead! I had to fight through a dozen dragon gnomes to reach its inner sanctum! It was the greatest battle of my life!"

"I heard. Well done. But we're worried that it put a death-curse on you. Did Adom teach you how to increase your magic resistance?"

"Hah, yes! I will-."

…

"Robin to team. Osiris just collapsed."

"What is Canis doing?"

"Trying to put the crystal back together."

Next to me, Robert walks up behind Zatanna and puts his hands on her shoulders. She starts, then collapses, the Staff of Love falling from her hands. He catches her and then carefully lays her on the least blood-covered bit of ground he can reach.

Robert looks at Kaldur, who nods. "I will send Cornwall Boy down to assist. Try to keep him calm."

"And don't touch Karfang's power ring. I'll be down for it once I've finished here."

"Okay. Robin out."