As the Teleportation spell is cast, the heroes are blinded by magical light and feel as if they are falling. Then they feel a sudden pulling sensation and hear Jeff snicker, "Sorry friends! I know better than to fly against the storm! Say hello to the Witch Queen for me!" The light dims to darkness and all is quiet. [u][b]The Mountains[/b][/u] The seven companies awaken in a clearing at the base of the mountain. "Finally!" Giant exclaims, "What happened? Why are we here?" Rings brow furrows, "That damned Imp betrayed us." Watson assists Holmes to his feet while Aku grips his head and mutters to himself. Holmes adjusts his coat, "What do you recall, Giant?" He shrugs, "One second we were in Hoths bar and the next I was standing here and you were all unconscious." "Uh, guys? Was that there before?" Lee points to the hole in the sky where a red slit eye has filled its frame, watching them. Veggie breaks the silence, "It feels...I actually don't feel anything. It's a blank spot in the Force." "Hmm," Holmes peers through his spyglass, "I assume it is Nils patron." Lee kneels beside Aku, "You ok?" Aku looks up, his green eyes diming, "I hear it...in my head!" "What, Nil?" "That's...not...Nil..." "Speak of the devil..." Ring points to a figure in the air slowly descending. It takes a moment for them to recognize Nil, her usual attire has been replaced with a simple white tunic and nothing else, warscythe in hand. Across her pale skin, they see countless runes that glow or flicker with bright radiant light. She has no eyes, just two empty voids weeping black ichor. As her feet touch the ground, plant life in a large radius around her withers away and becomes pools of the same substance. "Hello darlings." "Good evening, your majesty," Holmes responds while casting a spell of flight and rising into the air. Acro activates his boots and does the same, charging astral energy within his hands. Giant grips his burning axe in both hands and takes a step forward, his boot sinking two inches into the viscous pool. The heroes encircle her, spells and weapons ready. They strike in unison with a hail of bullets and blasts of magic as the others rush her from all sides. Nil spins into the air, creating spikes of frozen ichor around her and sending smaller shards towards the heroes. Lee rolls to dodge the shards and Holmes creates a shield of magic to block them. Acro is hit by two and falls to the ground, but Ember is there to heal him. Nil lands infront of Ring spinning with her scythe. He parrys the blows and backsteps as Giant and Watson charge from behind. She extends a hand behind her and sends two Eldritch Blasts at each of them. Watson raises his shield to deflect them while Giant dodges one and is knocked into the muck by the other. "Eeeewww." Holmes casts a spell of Haste upon Ring to enhance his agility as Veggie leaps over more spikes to land beside him. They attack together and push her back until Ring severes her right leg and Veggie slices her left arm off at the elbow. For a moment all is silent as Nil stands. A pulse from the beam sweeps them and they see a few of the runes upon her glow brighter then vanish. She grows new limbs, clawed and obsidian black, then slashes at Veggie. Aku recovers from the pulse, his eyes glowing red, and screams in a thousand different voices. "[b][i]FIRST, THERE WAS BLISSFUL NOTHING! THEN, EVERYTHING![/b][/i]" A rift opens beneath him. A wave washes over the land, creating new viscous pools from which Shades begin to rise, partially skeletal imitations of the heroes covered in the same sludge they emerged from. "[b][i]I FEEL YOUR EYES CRAWL UPON MY SKIN![/b][/i]" Giant creates a shield to protect Holmes as he begins casting a high level spell. "[b][i]I SEE YOUR REVOLTING FORMS![/b][/i]" Ring and Watson duel their doubles. "[b][i]I HEAR THE DEAFENING SONGS OF YOUR THOUGHTS![/b][/i]" Lee shoots three down before one tackles him. Veggie duels Nil as Giant rushes to assist. "[b][i]I SMELL THE DECAY OF ALL THAT IS AND EVER WAS![/b][/i]" Acro blasts Giants Shade to ashes and hovers over to help against Nil. "[b][i]YOUR EXISTENCE...[/b][/i] Aku appears behind Watson and stabs him in the back. [b][i]...IS MY ENDLESS NIGHTMARE![/b][/i]" Thunder booms above them as clouds gather, centered upon the eye, and rain begins to fall. Holmes calls out, lowering his hands to cast a new spell, "She is blinded! Strike now!" Lee unloads on Nil while sprinting toward Aku and Watson. Ring, Veggie, and Giant hack and slash into her, their weapons leaving burning scars, while Acro hovers above unleashing blasts of Astral energy, and Nil falls to her knees. Aku is relentlessly pounding into Watsons shield when Lee shoots him in the leg. Aku screams in pain and Watson uses his shield to knock him unconscious. The rift closes and the remaining Shades fall into the pools. "I can help with that," Lee points to Watson's wound, a flower in hand. Watson feels it, "Thank you friend, but you should save it. He didn't cut deep. I believe a part of him was holding back." Laughter draws their attention to the group. The body of Nil rises with sickening cracks. Broken, burned, stained black, and riddled with bullet holes that grow dozens of small red eyes. Ring brings his blade down again, "Don't let her regenerate!" The group sets to work, but her body changes as they strike, limbs and spine extending, thin tendrils lashing out. Holmes calls them off and throws a fireball. An arm extends from the haze and impales Ringleader with three of its sword-like claws, then lifts him as the monster rises. Nil looks around at the heroes with a serpentine head. "[i]Ring-a-round the rosie[/i]," Nil sings in their minds, tossing Rings lifeless body away as Veggie and Giant lunge forward. The body lands near Watson, who nods to Lee before joining the fight. Lee kneels beside Ring and takes a flower from his pocket, but it withers away in his hands. He gasps for air as his veins turn black beneath his skin. "[i]A pocket full of posies[/i]," he hears Nil sing, extending a hand to him. His vision goes dark and he falls. Holmes had attempted to counter her spell, but one of her tendrils whipped the magic out of the air. A different laughter echoes across the field as Aku rises, green eyes brighter than ever. "No, no, no, my Queen!" The voice of Speaker bellows, "This one belongs to the Deeeeeep!" A new rift opens and Deep roots sprout and wrap around Nil, pulling her down as countless Shades attack. Acro examines the scene, then turns to Ember with a sad smile, "I'll see you soon, buddy." He sacrifices the astral fox and begins to glow with energy as he hovers above, then unleashes it upon her. To his horror, the tendrils have collected the energy. "[i]Aaaaashesssss...[/i]" The tail whips out and coils around him, bringing him closer to her. Veggie sprays Nil with lightning, the many eyes popping as she hisses and swings around blindly. Nil attempts to cast spells, but Holmes has dedicated himself to countering them. Watson deflects her strikes and moves around to free Acro, but he sees him glow with astral energy, gritting his teeth, he mouths, "No." Giant roars and repeatedly slams his burning axe into Nil, sending waves of fire across her monstrous form. She hisses and sweeps a hand forward, slicing Watson down and grabbing Veggie, slowly draining the life from him faster than he can regenerate. Acro smiles, "Time to end this," and his body glows brighter as he prepares to implode, but Nil laughs as her tail throws him at Aku. The two vanish in a brilliant explosion and the rift closes. "[i]Aahaahashesssss...[/i]" Nil laughs in their minds as she slams her hand down upon Giant, but he grips and holds it, then roars again and pushes her back. Nil lifts her foot and pushes Giant deep into the ichor, digging her talons into his frame. She drops the lifeless body of Veggie beside him and twists her ankle, the lights of Giants eyes fade away, and Nil turns to Holmes. "[i]We all fall down...[/i]" Holmes stares up to the beam, quietly muttering, "Come on, come on..." Nil backhands him across the clearing, laughing as the beam emits another pulse that clears the sky. "[i]Its almost time...[/i]"