1963-08-02 - The Westchester Giant
Summary: Jean and Sam come screaming into the mansion in the wee hours, rousing a group of X-men just in time to defend the school against the giant's attack.
Related: The Westchester Giant (plot)
Theme Song: None
jean cannonball akihiro warren logan illyana erik 


The rear grounds of the Institute was silent. The only thing that is usually heard at night were not frolicking students who played by the moonlight and danced and chanted songs, but the resounding songs of the crickets and the occasional burping of a frog. The lights were dimmed near the back of the manse, if anyone who was inside wasn't settled, chances are they were in the kitchen for a snack or in the library for a good late night read to bring on the sleep.

The patio was empty, though footprints bring remenants of activity of a bustling school.

The woods lay not far behind, the line clearly drawn in the proverbial sand that marks where civilization ends and the wild begins. Well, not so wild within the city limits but the gist there was had. An overhead view would show the forest, the stream.. a litter of camping materials gone astray which looks to be blown back by an errant wind. All in all, it was a mess. A proverbial crime scene in a mystical sense.

*C…CRACK!*

A disruption causes a tree to crack at the base and fall, the sounds of shouting of those with good ears could hear.. the dragging of feet and a loud pleading of them being 'Almost there!'

'It's coming!'
'Hang on!'
'Someone help!'
'We're not going to make it!'

And then nothing.

The forest is still as it could have been, yet the outer edges begin to part omniously by the hand of Moses as a body begins to soar with a near immovable force towards the back window of the grounds. That body, male obviously, shatters the window of the kitchen to land hard upon whatever item he first contacts and tumbles to the ground.

The redheaded woman was not far behind in a sense, her feet kicking up upon the dirt as she runs at breakneck speeds, occasionally lifting from the ground in a hint of a self-made flight until she trips up upon a rock and is sent tumbling upon the walkway towards the stairs at a tucked roll… bounce.. and a *SMACK* against the stairs.

And if that wasn't all? The ground begins to tremble.. an omnious groan within the earth as a cacophony of voices whisper within the darkness..

"..give me your heeeAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRT!"

*

Sam goes smashing through a window and into a rack of pots and pans, throwing what is almost certainly his favorite room in the house into complete disarray and, in the process, managing to create almost as much noise as his mutant powers might. That doesn't mean he's done: oh, no.

"nnnnnnnGIANT!" he practically howls, dragging himself out of the pile of fallen cookware with another metallic din. The boy's face is pale, his freckles and an array of small cuts standing out under a sheen of sweat that is adhering his sleeveless shirt to his lanky frame. He stumbles to the door, shoulder slamming into the frame, and shouts into the dining room: "Giant!"

This pitiful effort concluded, he staggers forward, leaning onto a table with his elbows and panting heavily. Normally an exasperating, bottomless fount of youthful energy, Sam Guthrie seems unable to get his wind back or his legs under him. "Jean?" he whimpers. "Where are you, Jean?"

*

Illyana has a strange relationship with sleep. On the one hand, in Limbo, sleep isn't strictly speaking /necessary/. Belasco had pointedly kept her awake for weeks at a time during some of his more fiendish tortures. But then again, regardless of the body's fatigues, the human mind simply needs to rest and relax and unwind, and the body's 'off' setting does a marvel in that regard.

So curled up under her bed, rather than in it, Illyana was quite sound asleep when that vile din rattled the windows.

She sits up quickly and promptly smacks her head on the underside of the bedframe. The waifish blonde swears loudly, and blisteringly, in Russian, and then rolls out from under the bed. She's as gawky as a young deer, still mostly knees and elbows, and breaks into a run towards the halls and the stairs.

"Chto, chert voz'mi, proiskhodit?" she bawls at the first person she sees, in high-pitched Russian. She looks more… irritated, than anything.

*

Logan had been sleeping outside himself, under the stars, a blanket laid out and such. His cabin should be finished soon, but he likes being able to see the world. When the sudden explosion of action occurs, he comes to his feet quickly and starts taking off towards the house at a dead run.

The fact that he's running headlong into potential battle in his boxer shorts really doesn't occur to him.

He hears the muttering from Sam and cries out on his own, "Jean!" he yells. And then the cry comes from the forest and Wolverine turns, popping his claws with his trademark SNIKT. "Giant, huh? I don't care how tall you are, bub, you mess with me an' mine, I'll chop you down t'size."

*

Warren had been sleeping peacefully when the first loud cracking sound echoed from the woods. This is not a sound that should be at this time of night and that mildly suped-up hearing of his jars him awake. Blue eyes are still bleary, but he pulls himself from the mattress despite his lack of halfway decent sleep. The voices that follow immediately send him into crisis mode. The blond man stands up from where he's seated and rushes to the window to fling it open. Best to check it out first. Waking up the whole school for nothing would be bad, right?

Without bothering to pull on his protective jumpsuit, he leaves his room in just his pajama bottoms. He's decent, of course, but no less shirtless. A powerful flap of his wings has him ascending from the rooftop to quickly glide forward towards the sounds of panicked voices out in the woods. It could be that a bird's eye view is what's needed.

With his legs out straight behind him and arms tucked to his sides, he climbs higher into the air with the whooping flaps of his dove-white wings to fly high enough over the woods that he might be able to catch a glimpse of anyone who's in danger and what threat might be out there.

It's very likely that Illyana sees him leave from outside her own window, perhaps catching her attention with the heavy beating of his wings to climb higher into the sky. Logan likely smells him and see the younger bland man circling overhead to try to get eyes on those in distress.

*

Like father, like son. Akihiro had found himself on the roof. And with all the commotion he wakes with a start, almost tumbling down onto the ground, but thankfully he manages to catch himself and flip into a nearby tree. The teen scurries down and heads towads the danger, releasing his own claws and running towards the disruption.

"What's going on?" he growls, dressed in boxer shorts and a wife beater. "Better not be another damn joke." Clearly he hasn't slept much, and looks a little bit groggy.

*

Ten beats per second.

Anyone could put a clock to Jean's heart and would marvel at how fast it beats. Even as she moves slow, her hands upon the ground digs in as she turns a slow gaze towards the forward. It was coming. Her bare feet scramble against the ground as she falls to her knees again, throwing herself back upon her bottom as both hands draw upward to issue a blast towards the approaching giant. Even though she couldn't rightly see it yet, the wave of TK force ripples through the air, funnelling power to the thing and yet holding it back as Jean's on eyes go stark white from the draw.

People were calling her name.. (well, at least one..) She couldn't rightly hear. She was the actual fuel to the fire that kept the giant moving towards their current location.

*

"Ah don't speak Eye-talian!" Sam shouts at Illyana as he passes her, stumbling out through the door from the dining hall onto the back porch. He scans the area, then spies Jean and rushes to her side with a stumbling leap over the short set of stairs she crashed into. He's banged up pretty badly, bleeding from a cut over one eyebrow and staggering as though drunk or drugged, but he seems fixated on the girl's injuries. He grabs her shoulder and hand, pulling her away from the forest. "Don't, Jean! It ain't gonna do a thing!" he cries, anxiety written in every line of his face and posture.

But in the wake of Jean's telekinetic assault, that horrifying chorus of whispers falls silent. The grounds of the Institute are quiet and dark. The students — well, those Sam and Jean didn't manage to rouse with the din of their return — are in bed, asleep, and the hush seems to cast a pall over the moonlit gardens. To see a place of customary life and noise empty and quiet is always unsettling. But that said, there's no giant. No rumbling footsteps or cackling psychic voices, just the chatter of restless forest birds and the distant sound of lakewater brushing against the shore. Anyone who didn't hear the first demanding shout would think nothing had happened at all.

Then, without warning, massive stone arms burst out of the ground, each long enough to grasp at Logan's shoulders and attempt to drag him down into the Earth.

*

"Chuz- it's Russian, not Italian," the blonde snaps at Sam. Still, the man looks like he knows at least one useful thing, so she opts to pursue him, her bare legs flickering in the low light as she runs as fast as she can.

Illyana slips and slides on the hardwood, scrabbling for purchase until she hits a length of carpet. Then she's sprinting, full out, and forgets to correct for inertia again, and smacks hard into a corner she tries to run through at top speed.

Cursing under her breath she gets after Sam, and leaps to put herself between the beast and the wounded redhead. A coruscating blade of white and amethyst light explodes into being in her hand, casting an eldritch glow around the courtyard as she fearlessly stares down the rampaging beast.

*

Logan is tensed and ready for action. When the stone arms reach out to grasp at him, though, he reacts without thought, raw instinct making him lash out. The adamantium slashes, trying to sever the arms at the wrist as he tries to draw back, kicking down where he imagines a face is about to pop out of the ground.

"Back off, ya mole man motherfucker!" he shouts.

*

Akihiro gets around in time to hear the commotion inside, "What the fu-" Before he can react there are stone arms grabbing at his father, "Son of a bitch!" His muscles tense as he readies himself for whatever is bound to happen next.

*

The wingbeats overhead become less frequent as Warren climbs to the higher altitude so that he can use his keen eyes to scour the woods for any signs of movement. When he does catch sight of Jean and the giant pursuing her, he stalls in midair for a moment and then tucks his wings back. So begins the sharp dive downwards, his body pointed like an arrow towards the giant. The rush of wind pummels against him, but he only squints a touch, still able to see without trouble. One-hundred-eighty miles per hour is a hell of a speed to be traveling at without any sort of mechanical assistance.

Despite the determination on his face, he isn't about to try to punch the stone giant as that would just be ridiculous. What he does do is swoop down into the giant's face to distract him if but a moment. "Get out of here, Jean!" he calls down to her, trying to keep the giant's attention occupied.

Again his wings unfurl and flap right in the giant's face before he suddenly banks sharply to the left, using his momentum to climb again and prepare for another distracting buzz downwards…provided the giant isn't particularly quick or fry him near impact, of course. His efforts are doubled when others have arrived on the scene and are trying to fight the giant.

*

Jean wasn't all that torn up, though her muscles ached from attempting to carry Sam, also a few cuts and scrapes from not minding herself as she flees and still the broken arm that she sports from a week back. But she was tired. Drained somewhat. The whites of her eyes give notice to the power that she was feeding into the Giant. Whether near or far it was..

Sam snaps her out of it by grabbing her, her arms dropping as she clings to his arms, using him to boost herself to her feet as she looks around near bewildered. "The school!" She screams out, her eyes wide as the thing blasts from the ground to grasp at Logan. While somewhere in those screams she shouts out his name, backing up and out of the way from Illyana's leap, Logan's attack and Warren's swoop.

It was close.. that was for certain, that nagging little pull in the back of her mind that tells her to give it more was pressing, but backing away and getting out of range of the thing was even more so.

*

A gray creature claws its way out of the soil underneath Logan with frightening speed and dexterity. Easily 12 feet tall, its mottled gray skin is the same texture and resilience as stone. Wolverine's claws leave deep gouges in the rock, but its structure isn't yet compromised. Its frame is proportionally narrow, for all its imposing height, but Logan could attest that the strength in its petrified limbs is tremendous. Its eyes, though… Its eyes are hollow bore-holes, leading inward to a raging fire so bright that it leaves blazing afterimages on observers' retinas, and Warren and Logan are close enough to feel a wash of heat from its gaze.

The giant, thus revealed, stumbles back under Warren's battering wind, giving Logan just a bit of room to maneuver — but only for a moment. A booming, guttural laugh sets listeners' teeth on edge, and the giant retaliates, focusing its gaze into twin rays of blazing heat that rake the sky.

"Nephilim!" Sam whimpers as he and jean pull backward, taking full advantage of Illyana's cover. He brushes heedlessly past Akihiro, repeating the ancient word with a tone of terror.

*

This— this is someone Illyana can fight. She grins, the expression as feral as the light in Logan's eyes. Glowing violet light grips he forearms, a diadem of energy coalescing on her brow— the suggestions of armor, though the skimpy shift she's in certainly isn't much substitute for arming clothes. She reaches out and grips the air in front of her, her nails like claws as she grabs for the threads of reality.

Oh, it's slow— the music is so different here, the weft and weave alien as a new musical instrument. But the theory's all the same. This, and that, and cross these strings and thread a knot just /so/—

Luminous, eyesearing white light gathers in Illyana's claws grasp, like a ball inflating between her fingers. She takes her time, gets it right, timing the motion to coincide with the swoops of wings and slash of unbreakable claws.

"GET DOWN!" she screeches, and unleases a torrent of fire at the beast, a surging mass of heat. White hot. As bright as a small star, and far, FAR more power than such a small battle can comfortable contain.

*

Logan thrashes free. He doesn't care what you call it, he doesn't care what it is. He doesn't care if it tries to melt the skin right off his bones. Wouldn't be the first time.

What he does care about is that this thing hurt his friends. It's invaded his home. Logan hasn't had either of those for quite a long time. And he's not about to let some big pile of pissrock come in here and make a mess of it.

Some of Illyana's plasma does, indeed, splash on Logan's shoulder as he dives in frenzied assault, the meat sizzling down his back as it spills and spreads, but it only makes the man howl in rage, starting to near that berzerker state as he slashes and slashes and slashes at the monster.

*

Akihiro happened to be in the middle of jumping at the thing as Illyana unleashed her plasma at the giant. As a result it catches him across the face and splatters down doing a good job of ruining his shirt and leaving the teen there in boxers, covered in horrible burns, for about three seconds anyway.

A howl of fury rings out matching Logan's, and every bit of humanity in the Asian teenager's eyes flickers out, leaving something feral there in it's place. Thankfully the giant is there to hold his attention, and he leaps at it, clearly intent on burying his claws in it until it stops moving.

*

"Crap!" Warren cries out as the beam rakes after him, the heat from it felt on his skin even as he takes evasive maneuvers to avoid damage. It's /fast/ too. He'll have to be a lot more careful. While an acrobatic roll and sudden change in altitude clear him of the beam if not just barely, it does mean that it will take him longer to set up the next distraction. There's no doubt in his mind that he'll break bones trying to punch at that thing, but Logan, Akihiro, Sam, and Illyana all seem to have ways of combatting it. So the goal is to keep them as safe as he can.

The next swoop downwards isn't as all-out fast as the one preceeding it, taking measured attention in his approach. He's prepared to take evasive measures or just hold the giant's attention with those heat beams. "Look up, dumbass!" He calls the words out as he swoops towards the giant in an attempt to strafe it once again or to at least draw fire.

There's no doubt in his mind he'll wind up regretting it, but he makes sure he's as loud and obtrusive as possible so that the others can take it down with less interruption. Fortunately enough, he managed to not get burned with plasma in the process this time, in no small part due to as moving evasively made him a bit late on coming back in.

*

For a little while, Jean could consider herself a hero. Or the complete bane and doom of the students of the X-Men. Even as she retreats with Sam, her head begins to hurt, hurt so much that her fingers were grasping at her temples as she watches the onslaught take place upon their back yard.

The pain; it stung her eyes enough to break a vessel, the tingling pain upon the back of her neck causes her throat to itch but still.. she was wanting to fight. A little taste of bravery has gone a long way. She -had- to do something, after all.. wonder..

As those beams fly out from the golem's eyes, Jean's hands lift again, her eyes squinting as she focuses upon Warren. Instead of pulling him, jerking him out of the way she seeks to shield him. To protect him. To imagine a bubble surrounding him that follows his every move. Large enough to span his wings, and hopefully positioned enough for him to not slam into the bubble of protection she put him in. (It's faulty, but it just may work.., unless the golem sucks that up too!)

*

The giant's legs are already weakened by Logan's relentless assault when Illyana's eldritch beam courses over it, battering it several yards backward. One leg, crisscrossed by claw marks, shatters entirely, and the other isn't doing much better. Its chest goes molten and starts to break apart under the fiery assault. Its stone jaw shears away, turning its blasted-open chest cavity into one huge, gaping maw.

And then…it starts to drink.

Slurping hungrily at the heat and fire and magic unleashed upon it, the giant slowly regains its footing. Bright veins like ore, branching and radiating from its now-enormous mouth, shine brightly with power. Pebbles — some torn from its own body, some simply hidden in the grass — roll toward the creature and meld with it, shining with the same fire Illyana just unleashed as they reform the destroyed leg and fill in the gaps Logan's claws left.

Reaching across its own body, the fully-restored giant grabs Akihiro in one massive hand and flings him straight at the buzzing distraction that is Warren with tectonic force. How the young mutant will fare against Jean's protective bubble is anyone's guess.

A psychic voice bellows in the minds of all present: "Claws and breath are barren gifts, indeed. Learn from these young ones, with their bright offerings. I am the Sun Upon the Mountain. My disfavor is cruel."

Releasing Jean for a moment, Sam staggers toward Illyana, reaching out toward her ghost-armored shoulder. "Don't!" he yells. "It feeds on us! You'll only make it worse!"

*

Illy gasps in shock and pain, falling back from the surge of heat. Her fingertips are blackened by the heat, and a few stray hairs on her blonde head have been seared away in a flash. The stink of burning skin and hair wafts around, an unpleasant scent under the best of circumstances.

Shaking out her hand, she pushes her fingers into her abdomen and bends double, wincing and trying to shove the pain into a distance corner of her mind. "Well, I didn't know that, did I?" she snaps at Sam, as crossly as she can.

With a steadying breath, she hefts the Soulsword again, gauging the melee. It's just a dance— one, two, four… seven? two, four…

She counts, nodding along, then times her swift advance with a doublestep and brings the coruscating violet blade overhead. For someone as scrawny as she is, the girl's nimble and strong and comes in on Akihiro's strongside just behind an opening he makes, and with a huge grunt of effort, she tries to drive her mythic magic-eating blade into the golem.

*

Logan snarls and leaps up, stabbing his claws in to work to climb up on top of the beast, working his way up to try and drive his claws right through the eyes of the damn thing, "The only gift yer gonna get is a pine box. Or, in yer case, gettin' vacuumed up like the dirt-sucking piece o' trash you are!" he roars.

The wounds on his back are already healing, burned skin peeling away and falling off of him, like sheets of new snow, only…y'know, skin. However fearsome this thing is, Logan's showing no fear of it, even if it costs him plenty along the way.

*

Akihiro tumbles end over end right at Warren, and it's clear that he just may be the last person you want to catch right now. He snarls, clearly ready to take a swipe out of the winged mutant if he's able to get his claws on him.

*

The shield that forms around Warren is a welcome surprise what with the heat of the beam still felt upon bare skin. When he popped up out of his bed to come rescue someone in the woods, he didn't think he'd be fighting a twelve-foot giant. That much is likely abundantly clear. The chill of the night air doesn't seem to be bothering him overly much at least as his body is meant to withstand the cold.

He looks like he's about to yell something back down to Sam as he flies, but he then has an Akihiro being flung at him with tectonic force. "Crap again!" he shouts, shifting his attention to Jean. "Shut it down! Gotta' catch…" It distracts him this time, everything going on and the younger man's body makes contact with the shield. The swiping is met with telekinetic energy, sending him hurtling away and Akihiro back to falling towards the ground.

Not good. Warren does everything he can to right himself, though he ultimately winds up hitting the ground as well a good thirty or so yards away. The shield protects him, but is likely to disperse after he's hit the ground. At least he doesn't seem to have sustained any serious injuries, thanks to Jean.

*

The rear veranda doors open, and a figure steps out into the back yard. There are hints of yellow and black beneath the armor that adorns his frame; a sleek metallic surface that seems otherworldly in nature, a color somewhere between rust and titanium.

A helmet fashioned of metal also encloses his head. This is Magneto, a figure known to most at the institute, but few have ever seen him fully armored. In fact… no one has, until today.

Erik brings his hands out to either side of his body. There's a shimmering in the air; a visible distortion of the magnetic field that causes his body to lift from the ground. Then, beneath the helmet, the mutant begins to snarl.

With a thrust of his hands forward, a barrage bursts forth from the mansion itself. Knives, forks, spoons, pots and pans, and an assortment of other metallic objects begin a rapid acceleration through the air, headed toward the creature with deadly accuracy.

*

Everyones eyes and minds were focused on the fight. Jean's was focused upon protection. She kept a keen, yet squinted eye towards Warren, following his every move through the flight. Right up until the golem throws Akihiro into his line of path. She splits that focus, both eyes at a squint as she tries to focus upon both of the men, her hands splitting apart, her fingers curling as if she were grasping the air.. the invisible TK could possibly be felt by both men as she accidentally squeezes.. relents.. and curls a force around Akihiro's arms to try to rip him away from his path that was clawed towards Warren.

As soon as he says to drop, she does.. but only slightly. With both of the men falling towards the ground she tries her best to cushion the blow, pushing forth so much relentless focus that she falls to her knees with a slight tremble, nose bleeding a faint trickle.. her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head but straighten as she feverishly tries to catch focus.

And yet, with the arrival of Erik upon scene has her attention waning.. he was already into the heat of battle.. and with so many in the line of fire she pushes herself even further to extend the same protection the two men receive.. yet this time her hands drawn towards her her temples, fingers hoovering.. just a little bit longer.. just a little..

"HURRY!"

*

Her sword, forged from the energies of Illyana's own soul, is unique in the universe, an artifact of immense and concentrated mystic power. Just before the blade plunges into the giant's leg, its burning eyes blaze with something like greed, broadcast over the psychic channel it is using to communicate with the X-men. To taste such power… to wield it against all who would oppose him… a unique and delectable opportunity.

But the giant feeds on energy, not souls, and the sword was forged with a purpose: to shatter and disrupt magic. The glowing veins feeding the leg's regeneration are immediately severed, the limb going dead as stone, and the psychic speech becomes a howl of pain. The giant staggers backward, swatting at Logan desperately until the clawed mutant plunges a fist into his burning eye.

At that, the petrified man hunches over, gives an enraged bellow, and lets loose with its fiery eye-beams, raking the lawn in front of it and igniting the grass and the ground itself in a wide arc of destruction. Blasted away by the force of the beams, Logan plunges into the new-lit inferno.

"You think my fire is my weakness?!" the giant shouts, indignant. "I am the Sun Upon the Mountain — my fire is my strength! You will feed this fire with gifts, or you will feed it with your broken bodies. I care not which!"

Magneto's approach, initially silent though it might be, immediately draws the giant's attention, even seeming to temper its wrath. Even as the armored man lifts into the air, the giant raises its arms and speaks — Magneto's helmet prevents its usual communication, directly into his mind, but the being turns out to be capable of mundane, audible speech, as well.

"I know the taste of this power," it intones, eyes blazing, its voice like boulders grinding together. "First among my new worshipers: you drew on the metal in my bones and awakened me." In a welcoming gesture, the creature beckons toward Erik, and for the briefest of moments, his absolute control over the metals in his armor wavers. "I see you still bear my gifts. That is fitting treatment for a blessing from Garokk, the Sun Upon the Mountain."

Then, Erik's deluge of metal is upon the creature: its deadened leg shatters almost instantly, and it collapses to the ground. The rest of its body erodes rapidly under the assault, but Magneto will feel something unprecedented: another hand tugging on the energies he manipulates. The missiles themselves are effective, but where his distortions of the magnetic field contact Garokk's body, they dissipate, drawn into him. The giant's eyes acquire a magenta hue as its power begins to resurge.

*

Staggering back from Illyana, Sam falls to his knees next to Jean, reaching out to hold her steady, watching her with fear and worry. He knows she's helping, so he doesn't stop her, but he's ready to pull her away from the fight the moment she seems too strained. With a shaky hand, he reaches out and wipes the blood away from her nostril.

*

Despite being all of five foot and a half (ish), Illyana's not just knock kneed and skinny. There's muscle to spare, forearms cording and her calves growing sinewy with the darting explosions of motion that carry her nimbly away from a counterattack that would mush her to goo with one stray blow.

The sword gleams with the same colors as the golemn, and Illyana exhales with a lusty cry as her very being is nourished by the magics. Absorbed, digested, filtered and used to fuel her own significant magical gifts.

The blonde girl darts around and waits a beat for the creature to flail. She's hunted. She knows the way of a dying beast, to wait and lurk for a last desperate gambit to strike an unwary hunter.

Illyana's hunted plenty before. That flailing strike at Logan gives her the opportunity she needs and she dashes towards the golem, snapping her blade in a half arc to strike at what would be a human's triceps, then vaults up the side of the half-sprawled golem and slams her sword into the ribs, up to the weapon's hilt, trying to find that heart of power her senses assure her must exist in that cavernous body.

*

Akihiro bounces off the telekinetic cushion, averting what would have probably been a broken bone. He howls in rage once more, attention locked on the creature. With a burst of speed he moves towards it, leaping past Illyana to burry his claws into the earthen head. Anybody in his head would notice that pretty much everything that makes him a person has been silenced, replaced with an overwhelming need to see the creature and anybody that would stop him dead.

*

Although falling is still not a comfortable experience in the least, Warren is at least protected in the fall. He's able to haul himself back up from the ground after a moment or so and immediately takes to flight again. His form bursts through the canopy of the trees and a snarl of his own twists at his lips. The fight is not going well so far so he first looks for Akihiro and Jean, making certain that both are in relative safety for the moment. A somewhat more stealthy approach will be needed and he sincerely hope this thing doesn't have eyes in the back of its head. Or top-notch peripheral vision for that matter.

Warren climbs in altitude again, strong wings flapping and carrying him upward on an air current so that he can prepare another assault. This time, he'll put his all into it. Quickly, he angles his body back into a dive and moves full bore towards the top of the giant again. With Logan and Illyana tearing up its legs, he decides to take the chance. It's only at the last minute that his wings unfurl to start to slow him and he attempts to plant his feet against Gorrak's shoulder and head. He's saved the labor and likely the intense pain of broken legs when the scrap from Magneto's electromagnetic powers shreds and shatters through the giant. Immediately he moves to land near to Jean and Sam, looking to them both. "Are you two alright?" he asks, almost demanding, reaching out a hand to either of them in case they need a hand up or a ride to the hospital. "Is that other guy okay?" He gestures off in the direction where Akihiro may or may not be.

*

The words wash over Magneto with little effect. He is too wise to believe that the creature's awakening is solely his doing. Is it possible that his manipulation of the metals in the ground served to help awaken the creature? Perhaps, but it was ancillary. No, what truly bothers him, is the invisible tug against his own magnetic mastery.

You know… I believe that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity.

There is a period when time itself seems to slow. Deep within Erik's mind are memories both beautiful and horrendous; the things that drive him, toward both immense good and terrifying vengeance. These are the things he keeps bottled deep down, never to access… even though he knows, in that same place, that the true depth of his power lies in such beautiful despair.

The destruction and pain around Magneto becomes a din, a numbing buzz of sound. His eyes become wet, tears filling them that serve as a discordant mirror to the rage that twists his mouth. Fingers scrawl toward the beast, muscles tensing to the point where one might worry that his bones could snap. But, the distortion in the air focuses, drives into the beast, taking control of the ores that riddle its stone structure.

"You…" he answers through grinding teeth, "… know … nothing!"

It is almost as if the magnetic field of the Earth itself is turned against the beast, a force unlike anything in this world, save that which haunts Jean in her nightmares. In the ground beneath the golem, the earth begins to tear at itself, metals deep underground twisting and turning to create a vortex, as the magnetic tug grasps at the golem and seeks to tug it down, down, down, not to stop until deep into the planet's submerged magma.

Strangely enough, the force doesn't effect those in close proximity to the creature. Logan and Akihiro may feel a tug at their metallic parts, but the force seems centered solely upon the beast's body itself, and the ground beneath it. If the beast can absorb his power, then let's see how it handles the Earth itself seeking to swallow it whole.

For his part, Magneto will see this beast buried back into the Earth itself; or, at the very least, pinned long enough for the others to weaken or dispatch it.

*

Fierce determination keeps the shields in play. Even when it was not needed, these people were protected and loved. The power that draws from her very own being keeps them coveted and safe from any harm that would possibly come unto them. The outpouring of it, it was almost fantastical as it was strong. It melded with them now, their shapes committed to the memory of the power. It forming with their own minds and peeling away to allow their sharpest edges to connect with the golem.

It was a living shield of sorts. Peeling away at the right moments when strikes were to come and forming back again to block the blows that could be dealt. It was a trance that Jean was locked in. Weaving the power as if she knew what to do with it all along even though it was instinctual. Her body swaying, occasionally knocking lightly into Sam as eyes cross and uncross. Ignoring Warren's words for a time until the Earth itself answers to the call of Erik's magnetic pull. As if she couldn't handle enough.. someone was missing. Not Logan who was knocked asunder, but his offspring that chipped away at the very fabric of stone. The connection of power to their bodies nearly allowed a peak to the soul and mind and his was found lacking.

Was everyone alright..? "No.." Jean murmurs, struggling to put one foot flat upon the ground as she pushes herself up with a grasp to Warren's crook of the arm. She leans into them for the moment, before taking those slow steps, stopping as just the focus of walking alone chips at her power.. then continuing onto her path towards the ravenous spawn.

"Akihiro.." She murmurs quietly.. that same voice echoing, attempting to temper his mind, feeling through the very synapses that keep his limbs moving. "..Akihiro.."

It was a dangerous feat, so much that as she approaches the mind-lost mutant, all the shields surrounding those drop to leave everyone exposed and vulnerable to attack. If she was close enough to the ravenous mutant, not even claw swipe nor growl would keep her from him. Her hand reaches out to try to touch against the side of his temple as her words were quiet, lips moving but no sound to be heard even though there were the finest ears around.

*

Illyana's strikes deaden the stone of the giant's body piecemeal, weakening its ability to hold its ground and defend itself. One arm goes dead, then most of the other leg, before it manages to swat her aside. This is a short-lived victory: Akihiro is already tearing the still-living arm to pieces, and Warren's sneak attack takes the creature completely off guard. It flops facedown onto the lawn, newly deadened limbs cracking off and crumbling into gravel.

This destruction of its body hasn't just diminished it physically: it seems to be failing mentally, higher functions collapsing into basic needs and instincts. Groaning in basso profundo, it reaches out with its one remaining arm and drags itself across the lawn, crawling toward the mutants and the delectable energies their powers can release — a neverending supply of bright offerings to sustain its fire eternally.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Under the force of Erik's sublime rage, the very earth beneath Garokk rebels against its nature, becoming a tempest to devour its self-ordained god. The giant's fingers dig furrows in the dirt as it is swallowed, howling and burning, into the ground that birthed it.

Sam Guthrie lets out a long, shuddering breath he didn't realize he was holding, staggering after Warren and Jean, his pallor and stumbling gait even more pronounced now that he doesn't have the threat of imminent death to put everything into sharp focus. He wants to stop Jean from approaching the growling, barely human creature she seems determined to tame, but it's all so foggy and his limbs won't work. "Is she… are we…?" he mumbles, falling back to his hands and knees. "Is it over?"

Sam Guthrie totters to one side and faints. He's going to be so embarrassed tomorrow morning.

*

The backhand is weak, but it sends Illyana flying backwards a solid fifteen feet. The girl is tough and spring as a green sapling, because she hits the ground and rolls three times, the soulsword flying out of her grip and dissolving into coruscating sparkles. She gets to her feet instantly, gripping the air and drawing that luminous weapon back into existence, from nothingness.

But the golemn's down, and she drops the point of her blade to a low guard. Shoulders heaving, chemise torn and stained with blood and grass, she's still ready for Round 3 when the golem is crushed back into the ground.

Abruptly she thrusts the blade skywards, and shrieks at the sky— a sound of raw, primal victory that is utterly out of place from the small blonde thing, the sound shockingly loud against the quick stillness after their battle.

*

The sudden rumble of the earth and the look of Magneto's concentration and the way he's armored…it's a breathtaking sight to say the least. Warren stands there for a moment and watches him, eyes slightly wide as he starts tearing into the very earth itself. The vortex created near the creature causes him pause and before he even thinks to react, the terrible display of power is over. It leaves the blond man stunned for a good, long moment longer. It's something fierce, savage in the way that he uses the very earth against his enemy and tears it asunder.

He does snap to…after a fashion. This is when Jean is speaking to him and he turns to look blankly at the redhead, briefly disoriented. "Akihiro?" he asks, helping Jean to her feet for the time being. The collapsing Sam also draws his attention in just enough time so that he can give him some support. "Shit. If you can take care of Sam, I'll try to go look for him. Do you sense him anywhere nearby?" Brows furrow then before he looks back towards the woods where Logan still lies and where Akihiro landed. He then begins to settle Sam onto the ground supine so that he can indeed go look.

*

Akihiro continues the assault until he's literally unable to any longer. About the time he looks up to find a new target Jean is upon him. He looks ready to lash out, but his eyes gloss over and he collapses in a similar fashion to the other teen, claws retracting back between his knuckles.

*

When it's over, Magneto only lowers his guard to a point. There's still work to be done. The ground begins to collapse in on itself, leaving behind a swath of unnatural destruction and rock upturned from the deep. Eventually, however, the ground ceases it's motion, leaving behind rubble in its wake.

Erik finally lowers his hands and releases a quiet gasp. His eyes seem tired, his expression beleaguered. Not even Illyana's cry at the heavens seems to shake him, though he waits for her to finish before speaking up.

"Is anybody injured?"

*

Logan crawls out of the rubble. His skin has mostly started to reseal over the cooked meat of him, but he still looks like he's been through…well, like he's been doused in firey hot molten mag-ma. There's a gleam of chrome at his brow where his adamantium skull is momentarily still exposed.

"Only my pride," he mutters. Oh, yeah, and his boxer shorts are toast, so he's standing there buck naked on top of it all.

*

Illyana stares at Logan. She's still dressed, too, technically, but she's wearing a shift that's hanging on by a few ragged threads.

"Uh. 'scuse me." The petite blonde abruptly turns a rather shocking shade of pink from her nose to her toes, and turns and literally sprints pell mell towards the back door, tossing the sword off to vanish into the aether as she disappears to the safety of the mansion.

*

It was over. The ground beneath her feet no longer trembled, the psychic pressure that pulled at her was no longer there. Akihiro falls out of her grasp and to the ground at her feet, her head slowly lowering as she watches him for a long moment, near swaying.

The banshee cry snaps her out of her reverie as she slowly turns, her arm drying up to wipe her nose against her forearm as she begins to stride towards the door wordlessly. It was sheer will keeping her up, even the way she walks looks terribly pained as her shoulders slump lower.. and lower..

But once she reaches Erik, she circles around him, her hand soon latching upon the armor to pull herself upright. Yes. She was crawling on Magneto like a monkey until her arms lace around his neck, legs wrapped around him to hold her upright and…

ZZzzzzz..

Out like a light.

*

Akihiro stirs in his sleep for a few moments, before sitting straight up and releasing his claws once more. He looks shocked, but that slowly fades to confusion. "Did we win?" he asks slowly. Then he catches sight of Logan. "And my father's naked." He lowers his head to reast in the palm of his hand, when he notices that he's sitting there in just his boxer shorts. "And I'm about naked. Shit."

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