"Strange....a strange one it seems."

The woman squints her eyes slightly at the statement from the armored form.  She then closes her eyes as if thinking but just then all hell breaks loose as the Companions take the proffered "first strike".  Scowling slightly she slips her guns into their holsters and holds her hands close together, palms facing each other.  An orb of ice begins to form between them before.  A moment later she smirks and spins in place, practically slinging the orb in the direction of her opponent.  The moment the orb leaves her hand shards of ice begin to rapidly fire from within it, the orb racing towards its target before sailing over and circling back around, continuing to speed around the room as ice shards continue to fly from within it.  The Seraphim seems to stand stoically even as his comrades charge in against the armored form.  His glowing eyes travel across the room as he grips his hammer tightly and crouches down slightly as if preparing to leap.

A deep chuckle comes from the armorerd figure even as the giant shimmering fists come at him.  In a flash his one of his greatswords is front while the other is behind, the Orkish assault crashing against the weapons with a resounding boom of force just as the sand spears come flying in at their target.  A faint purplish shield forms around him, the barrage of ice shards shattering against the barrier.  The large crystal at the center of the room suddenly flashes and thrums, seeming to pulse with a dark insidious power.  A moment later the figure seems to melt into the floor in a pool of shadows, the spears embedding themselves deep into the floor.  The figure reappears standing atop the crystal, the dark glow of the crystal seeming to flow up into him as he chuckles. 

"Ah very well done.  You may have even succeeded at one time, but my Lord is with me now.   Let us see, perhaps a....test of your reflexes."

The figure vanishes and it is at this point that Jharm finally reacts, launching himself forward, his hammer glowing brightly as he charges at the crystal itself.

"By the Light, your Lord shall fall....and you beside him!"

The hammer smashes into the crystal, a spiderweb of cracks radiating from the point of impact.  A pulse of shadowy energy erupts from the crystal before the cracks seemingly vanish.  There is no time to react though as a  portal appears and the armored figure springs forth.  At the last second the Seraphim manages to block one of the greatswords with his hammer but the other slips in and leaves a large gash across the warriors chest, silvery blood splashing from the wound and down onto the floor.

"Yes! Just so!  Hehe, I have always wanted to say that."

He then chuckles once more as similar portals manifest by each of the other Companions and a similar figure suddenly leaps from within, greatswords slicing through the air towards their respective targets.

Yeah, Gulgrim's not the kind of Ork to let an opportunity for a free shot pass him by, apologies if Jharm wanted the honorable first blow.

Phaerys steadily advanced with the rest of the Companions as they gained further ground in the assault. He darted here and there, providing support where it was needed most. One moment, two more of his alloy spears shot through a gap between Soul Reaver's Cruelbeasts to impale several more Shaitan. Soon after, the ones in front of Kitharsis' sandstone elementals began to stumble under the now unbearable weight of their armour, making them easy prey for crushing fists.

As the battle raged on, the group's smaller numbers in the face of the enemy meant that Phaerys couldn't afford to stay in the back lines forever. The Ataran surged forward, his last remaining spear brandished in his grip. Tendrils of fiery plasma extended from his form, pouring into any gaps in the armour of any Shaitan unfortunate enough to be close by, melting them from the inside out.

It had been a bloody fight, but in the end they had reached the walls. The main Seraphim forces were now providing support, even as the green tide of Orks continued to crash against the Shaitan army. Artillery fire rained down like the hammer of a vengeful god, splitting the gates asunder and allowing the Companions entry. Thus began the next phase of their assault.

Now within the enemy's stronghold, Phaerys kept pace as Jharm led the way. Soul Reaver had sent his own minions back to deter any would-be pursuers. Had it not been their only escape route, Phaerys would have blocked off the passage behind them as well for good measure.

They went further deeper into the fortress, eventually coming into some kind of large hall once Jharm had breached the doors. Inside was their objective... and a guardian assigned to defend it. The armoured figure's offer of allowing the Companions to make preparations before the fight came as a surprise to the "metallic automaton being" in question. Was this mere bravado, or did it truly have the power to back up its confidence? The Ataran was not about to let the advantage go to waste.

Phaerys broke down his last spear into so many tiny, razor-thin shards, drifting together into a clump in the palm of his hand. Next he imbued them with great heat, causing the shards to glow a bright orange and the surrounding air to shimmer. All the while, he studied their new opponent in detail, performing cursory scans of the entity's armour and comparing observable data with his own knowledge. Perhaps there was a weakness in the material, or a means to disrupt its magical nature...?

The Cruelbeasts move in careful formation, displaying coordination and skill at arms belying their feral appearance, the Daemonspawn lending their strength and flabby bulk wherever it may be needed to shore up the advancing line.

Once enough space has cleared, the Fire Daemon, Steelheard, and Blightwing the Shadowlord coalesce just in front of Soul Reaver.  Blightwing points a regal, taloned finger and shouts a guttural order.  Without hesitation, the line of Cruelbeasts part while the Fire Daemon purses his lips and spews forth a roaring blast of fire through the gap, igniting several of the Shaitan and forcing the rest to fall back further.  The Steelheart then charges forward, the few Shaitan counterattacks ricocheting harmlessly off its metallic flesh, swinging its enormous mace in huge sweeping arcs.  Bones crunch and ragdoll bodies fly metres through the air, lifelessly hitting the ground with a thump several second later.

The Daemonic forces surge forward through the gap, sinister balefires of Daemon magic flickering from Blightwing's fingers to sow bladed agony amidst his enemy.  They move swiftly and efficiently, Soul Reaver responding with blade and magic wherever the foe tries to rally.  He knew that speed was of the essence - the enemy had to be kept off-balance, or the small, elite force might find themselves overwhelmed.  He trusted that Phaerys would have no trouble keeping up.

Fortunately the Shaitan seemed unprepared for the sheer power that was being arrayed against them: from the corner of his eye Soul Reaver could see Kitharsis' sandstone creations pounding enemies into paste, while Ork Roks screamed down from the skies, belching forth hordes of green-skinned warriors who made up for their lack of discipline and marksmanship with noise, numbers and bloodthirsty enthusiasm.

With all the chaos around them, it is not long before Soul Reaver's forces reach the keep just behind Jharm.  In a flash of light, the seraphim blasts the doors open.

Soul Reaver issues orders to Blightwing - the Daemons were to prevent any Shaitan from attacking their rear.  They would continue to do as much damage and sow as much chaos among the enemy as possible, but if necessary, would ensure they could fall back to the more defensible keep entryway and hold it for as long as needed.  With his commands issued, Soul Reaver runs after Jharm into the heart of the keep.

He halts a few steps behind the seraphim.  He takes in the room, the crystal, and its Shaitan defender.  The creature was clearly powerful and seemed confident in its abilities.  Arrogantly, it invites Jharm strike first.

Soul Reaver would not waste free time if it was given.  He steps behind Jharm, where he begins to chant, mana surging through his veins.  His eyes fixed forward, he holds one hand facing up and partially open.  His fingers tremble with effort as motes of white light begin to gather and arc above his palm...

The arrival of the Companions leads to almost instant chaos amongst the Shaiton lines.  The demonic forces and sand creatures manifesting in their midst shatters the resolute bulwarks that were once holding fast even as waves of bullets and blades slice down scores of defenders.  It isn't long before the forces of Light have pushed to the gate of the keep.  Jharm raises a hand, a single flash of light shooting upwards before a series of booms can be heard from the rear as the Lightcannons unleash a barrage centered on the entrance.  The orbs of light crash into the door, shattering the hinges and causing the large fixtures to collapse to the ground.

"Onwards!  No doubt one of their Generals awaits us within, protecting the Crystal Ward.  We destroy that and my people can better assist with reinforcements!"

Without any hesitation the Seraphim rushes past the broken gates as the Seraph forces work to form a perimeter around the breeched entrance.

Vee on the other hand seems to be rather enjoying herself as she continues to spin and twirl about, leaving either corpses either riddled with bullets or perforated with razer-sharp spikes of glistening ice.  Hearing the Seraphims words she lets out a slight sigh

"Bugger...and just when I was starting to finally have some fun.  Course, that said...it sounds like these "Generals" should certainly put up more of a challenge then their troops seem to be."

With a flourish of her hand she sends out a wave of ice, spearing the nearest rank of Shaiton as her form once more disappears into a shadowy portal behind her to reappear a few feet back, right at the now broken gateway.  Turning she takes off after the charging Seraphim, her long coat trailing behind her as she cant help but grin as she wonders what awaits them inside.

Jharm continues down the entryway, not even seeming to wait to confirm that the rest of the Companions are behind him or not.  Turning a few corners he quickly arrives at a set of large doors currently closed.  Without even breaking his stride he brings his hammer and and slams it against the doors, sending them flying into the room they are securing.  Said room is large, seemingly something akin to an entrance hall of some kind.  There is little in the room beside a large ebony crystal floating above a pedestal, power radiating from it marking it almost certainly the ward preventing the opening of non-Shaiton gates in the area.  Standing in front of the crystal is a large armored figure.  The armor looks to be forged of a pure black metal, the edges adorned with runes pulsing in purple.  Strapped to the figures back is two large greatsword, his arms crossed in front of him as he simply stands and watches the Seraphim and the Companions enter.  A masculine voice rings out from under the helm, deep and resonating with a hint of almost sarcasm at the edges.

"Ahh...well done Seraphim.  I've been expecting you.  He said you would almost certainly be arriving with others unknown to us.  What a rather odd sort they are I must say.   We've got "big green and angry", "tall dark and brooding with a dash of demon", well these two at least seem interesting, "lots of tattoos and sand creatures" and "Metallic automaton being" and then we have.."

His gaze falls on Vee and he seems to pause for a moment, his armored head tilting slightly before he continues.

"Strange...a strange one it seems.  Let's face it though, we both know why you are here.  I see little reason to waste further time on idle banter.  Come then Seraphim, lets see if you're time away and your compatriots are up to the task."

The armored figure uncrosses his arms, reaching up behind him to grab at the twin swords and draws them.  The blades seem to be crafted of a similar dark metal as his armor and begin to glow with a purple aura as he slams the tips down into the ground, the glow spreading to encompass his entire form.

"Tis only fair that you get first strike I think."