Re: I am the Evil, Part Three

by Guest Mon Jun 29, 2015 6:25 am

Danger Alert.

Crimson and red. Hectic and alarming. Such intense urgency. Enough to make most common men crack under the fierce advance of pressure from every corner. Fear, distress, fury, all being triggered all at once in a single dreadful display. Again, that applied for any normal being. As circuited lights flashed frantic in heed fast fashion of rhythm a single figure immediately took to their feet. Their steps broken into a run before walking had even been an option. Accustom to the call of danger as of late, they knew at the call of the alarm that time was of essence. Not a second to be wasted, not a moment to be taken for granted. Which became evident as their legs paced as fast as was physically possible.

Across the room, along the floor, around the chair, and to the desk. There a buzz signaled and with it a holographic projection flickered to life. It's presets that of a computing screen with a variety of open operations sprawled across it's personalized dash. Emerald hues wildly scouted the screen as clicking became the prominent noise in the room. Fingers to a keyboard as prompts activated the forward of simple commands. Laid across the top most part of the screen, in big pulsing letters and colors, were the words DANGER ALERT. That was never a good sign, especially given the state of the worlds lately. To the disappointment of the user behind the keys this meant one of few things and already a feeling in her gut made her fear a potential answer.

A few more clicks and the words were dismissed. In place being replaced with a map of known outer worlds other than that of her own. As quick as she was able she would weed out the the potential location of the realized threat. To surprise it would not take too much time. A red pinpoint zoomed in till it revealed an approximation of location. With the help of other terminals the target was found. Destination; Twilight Town.

A lump within the MCP's throat began to tense and expand. It's hypothetical span threatening to choke the oxygen from her lungs altogether as she began to understand the situation slowly but surely. If she was right in her theory then the time had come. Her efforts in vain months before hand to prepare for this moment upon them. The threat had moved on and was now exactly where it wanted to be. Further put, it was only a matter of time before the blood bath ensued. That was to say, if it hadn't already. Which as her nerves became steadily twitchy she had no doubts.

More taps, more clicks as Axis worked away. Doing her best not to engage in the dramatics of her emotions. It was one thing to be nervous and even a little afraid but no more than that. She needed to keep it together. Not just for herself but for the people she intended to keep safe once she was able. That was assuming it wasn't already too late. A video feed eventually popped up on screen. It's actions live and in real time. Communications from one terminal to another spanning across the universe. As her eyes watched all that was seen was black, brown, and few shreds of light. Though hard to tell at first, the sharp edges of shattered plaster and crumbled stone would start to become somewhat visible. The sight of the destroyed internals of the long since occupied mansion setting her nerves even more ablaze. This was really, really, bad.

In consideration that she was still able to get a solid feed that must have meant the basement lab was still somewhat in tact and the terminal within fairly untouched by the damages. Good, then access was still possible. Now how to get out amongst the rubble. The only sure way to assure her arrival would be through the terminal itself but with a room caved in on itself so badly she'd be a fool to go. A hand placed to her chin as she rapped on it with a finger or two. Her nerves jumping and bouncing as she was curt with her own ideas. Then it hit her, and like a current of rapid wind her fingers were to the keys once more. Ever vigilant in their directive as the whirl of mechanical means sounded from every corner.

While the heroes met the villains or perhaps vice versa depending on one's outlook. Everything seemed to go on in drastic precession. Heartless storming the Marketplace with no incentive other than to hunt those in authority of power. Citizens for the most part remained unharmed. Hidden away in the deepest corners of their homes. Clung close to their families or their valuables as the creatures swarmed on end in organized mannerism. Weird indeed was the behavior as they were more feral in their actions that were driven on pure instinct. For whatever reason they all had a prime uniform goal. One highly far from their own but rather at the discretion of another. Not that a single man among the destruction would truly know the better.

While the battle raged on between it all something brewed from the depth's of the discarded pile that was once the majestic home of eternal Twilight's fair Mayor. At first nothing. Then slowly a noise which turned to a rumble which as time went on unnoticed became louder and more recognized. The land noticeable beginning to tremble from under ground and foot that traversed. The very core of the world shaking not of it's own volition. Yes, from the very depths of the rock and debris something appeared. Shot from the concentrated point of a transport machinery. A singularly massive beam of white energy shot up towards the heavens above. In it's soar, parting clouds as it demanded presence. Its size was to marvel as the pulse it produced swept across the immediately area and then some. Anyone remotely close enough would become aware without question.Whether they'd let themselves acknowledge was another story.

Upward the beam seemed to reach in infinite supply. Doing no harm to the world or the people other than to clear a path through the debris that had once been a proud standing structure of two stories. It was a beacon of hope to some, for others a sign of further interference ahead. The source of the beam was essentially unknown and would remain that way with the exception of the few that knew where to look. Seamlessly from the core it would be hard to notice a figure stepping through the immense stream of energy. That who did was a single woman. Deep red of hair and dressed in simple science garb.

In her right hand flames appeared to dance hysterically so in growth that threatened to consume the very arm that wielded them. In the center of the infernal mass metalwork did show. It's form that of a highly designed bladed piece. In this woman's hand was none other than a recognizable blade of mention. For like that of the Heartless Forteller and the brown haired Chosen she wielded a Keyblade born of a blazing soul.

Step by step she did become revealed to those observant enough and if the beam hadn't demanded enough attention already then damn did she ever had to work quickly. Regardless she was ready for confrontation as Heartless of all shapes and sizes eyed her with beads of gold. All mixed with reaction as they closed in like an army ready for war.

by Serenae Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:38 pm

Serenae walked through the portal a few moments later and it closed behind her. The scene in front of her was horrific. The world was over run by masses of heartless, though they weren't exactly attacking people. A good number of the buildings were smoking from what looked to be fire damage and a large cloud of smoke could be seen rising from over a tall wall across the Tram Common. "Tsumiko, here," she said, reaching to hand Tsumiko her twin short swords and their accompanying straps to attach them; Tsumiko didn't have her weapons on her. "From what I can tell that plume of smoke over there is probably where the guy we're looking for is at," Serenae said, indicating the large smoke cloud on the other side of the wall. "Alright, so what's the plan?" Serenae asked, turning to Shirou.

She wasn't able to tell for certain how many people were around, or if there were even any other people here to combat the man destroying the world. Her question of presence was answered by a massive beam of light shooting skyward, near the plume of smoke that was rising from over the wall.

by Professor Velox Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:20 pm

"This destruction is not new," Shirou noted as he observed the damage done to the town. There were no active fires. Nobody panicking. No signs indicating the source of the destruction. Sure, heartless were dangerous, but they typically didn't destroy buildings like this. "And there's hardly anybody in town. It's deserted. Perhaps evacuated in preparation for the masked man?"

Shirou looked to wear Serenae indicated. A plume of smoke coming from the direction of the mansion, which was followed by a beam of light. "If that's what it looks like, we need to stop him before he can kill anybody else," Shirou said. "Are you sure you guys want to do this? It's not too late to back out now and nobody will blame you. The possibility of death is very real right now."

by Seeker of Retribution Mon Jun 29, 2015 7:24 pm

Hayden growled almost in excitement as Seth vanished as he carried on to the other two. "We have an actual game to play now," he shouted as he turned and rushed back towards Amadeo. "But I don't have time to play!" Bolting with unimaginable speed he rushed where the unconscious Amadeo lay, still caught in the stopza effect. Hayden began to beat his unmoving body ferociously with all of his arms, dealing out enough damage that the badly injured man would certainly be unconscious once the spell had ended.

by **Tsumiko** Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:11 pm

As Serenae walked out of the white portal, Tsumiko turned to face her after hearing her name called. Being held out to her was a set of twin short swords in their sheaths. Reaching out for them, she blinked at them for a moment before turning a smile upon the mage. She wasn't too verse with blades, but the short length of the set was manageable enough for her use. Tsumiko would be able to work with these well enough. “Thank you,” she said before strapping them in a 'X' shape across her back. As she did this, she looked in the direction that was being pointed out to see the rising smoke and bright beam of light.

Turning her attention to Shirou, the songstress hummed in agreement. From where they were standing, it didn't seem like there was anyone in town. Hoping for the best, she had herself believe that the citizens were all evacuated and were all safe somewhere else off world.

”The possibility of death is very real...” The words rung in her ears and planted a small seed of doubt in her. Tsumiko knew the risks earlier when she agreed so quickly, but now that they were here, it felt all the more real. But she had already offered her assistance, there was no backing down now. She was afraid, but that wasn't an excuse. Her helping could save so many lives. Even if it cost her own in the process, Tsumiko was prepared to face that fate if it came to it.

”Forgive me, love...” she asked for forgiveness of someone not in their midst. “I'm staying. If I can help even a little, it's better than knowing I didn't even try,” she said to Shirou with a stern tone, confidence reflecting in her eyes. She was ready to give it all she had.

by Serenae Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:31 pm

Serenae nodded to Tsumiko. "You're welcome," she said. Serenae thought about what Shirou said for a moment. He had warned her before about the possibility of dying. She replied to him using the same words she had before when he warned her. "He has to be stopped, and if you can't, then I'm going to," she stated to Shirou, her expression stern. This wasn't something she could just back away from. Not to mention, who could even try to stop him? She wasn't sure she could beat him, but she certainly wasn't going to back down. Besides, they couldn't be the only ones here to fight him. They could likely expect help in at least some form.

by Professor Velox Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:40 pm

Shirou looked from Tsumiko's expression to Serenae's and sighed. "As long as you guys acknowledge the possibility of your demise, then there's really nothing else to do other than to stop him," he said. He then nodded and started off running towards the mansion, where the fight seemed to be taking place. He'd probably be considerably slower than Serenae and Tsumiko, but he hoped they'd humor him and not leave him in the dust.

by Amadeo Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:37 pm

As foot met his body over and over again, Amadeo found himself pinned in place, his vision fading more and more, he found himself calling upon his magic again. He might have been frozen in place, but his keyblade was touching the ground. So, focusing just a bit more..he poured his mana into his keyblade. And, within seconds, the earth rose up in front of him at an exponential rate, a one hundred foot mountain springing forth from the earth, likely taking hayden by surprise. However, as quickly as it appeared, it would vanish. It was all amadeo had left.

He desperately needed help now. He was struggling against the bonds that held him, but he had no way around them. He knew that if he fell unconscious, no matter what the foreteller thought of him, he would die. He struggled against his binds again, but even if he had been strong enough, the beating he had sustained was sapping him of his strength. He was truly at the end of his rope.

Mountain Used: -170 MP. 70 mp left.

by Guest Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:28 am

Terror in the streets. Smoke in the air. The dense sensation of death and decay as she stepped further into the battle zone. Everywhere her eyes could see the sight of flames consuming the town in wild abandon. While minions of every size, shape, and design ravaged the lands and those who stood to defend against their onslaught. Whether the creatures had meant it or not they did more harm to the people than noticed and all on the whim of a bad reputation. A reputation that proceeded to grow increasingly worse by the second. Poor, unfortunate, children of darkness.

To think she had shared their tragic fate at one point.

Surrounded from every direction as such a grand entrance had demanding nothing short of their collective attention. Their beady eyes lingering long enough to feel as if they attempted to peer into the void of her very soul. An enticing idea but nothing short of dire discoveries. For hers was a story of as much tragedy and heartbreak as there had been happiness and peace. Heavens forbid the things they would see if only they were psychic or at the very least a little more empathic. Not that she would prefer such a connection with the forsaken beasties. From left to right her eyes looked across the span of their numbers. Her heart beat accelerating in new found adrenaline that pumped through her system with tense vim and vigor. Each vein pulsing as the rush overtook each limb. It was all so much and yet helped her to remain strong in situations of catastrophic proportions. The one thing that made her realize, above all, that she was human once more. Truly and surely.

Through their numbers and along their varied heights to scale. She matched the capabilities of the force that stood ever confused before her. On her own she was nothing to them. A simple walking target with few tricks at her disposal. Her physicality weak, her aptitude for knowledge only able to keep her out of harm for so long. Back and forth she would exchange glances with them all as something seemed to appear close from behind. Five unusual moving figures emerged from the light which as they revealed themselves together as a single unit they were seen as the strangest sort of species to roam the world of Twilight. Box like bodies hobbling steady forwards, bodies lacking arms and colored a varying degree of greens. Empty sockets for eyes as dark as the deepest pitfalls and a mouth just as ominously so. Forever locked in a constant state of frown. Forwards they marched, well past the likes of the MCP. Closer and closer drawing themselves towards the Heartless without hesitation or distraction.

It was their cause now.

Her little soldiers. One touch and the Heartless would come to regret such a decision very fast. Presented with an opportunity Axis' attention was soon taken by lingering shadows upon the ground. Stretched and elongated to daft proportions as they projected themselves across the scape. Immediately her head shot up trying to find the source. Up between the clouds of the sky above two people were seen engaged. Active acts of aggression in full swing as one pounded down upon the other. The faint sounds of flesh against flesh wafting down below. Just from the sheer merciless passion of the display she could make an accurate guess that she had found her men.

A button tap on the goggles strapped against the mass that was her crimson hair. She broken into a sprint which as she went mechanic noises filled the area. With a jump into the air the true art began. Collapsible metal pieces dispensing from the side of her goggles and expanding over her figure. In rapid succession piece after piece clamped down against her body. Each interconnecting with one another and securing themselves so that in very short time she was adorned head to toe in a suit of crimson armor. From the joints sputtered projections became noticeable until finally short jets of flame began to jut from her feet and elbows. As quick as she had jumped she was sooner flying from the force. Her direction clear as she approached both Hayden and Amadeo. Keyblade still firmly in hand as that flames the engulfed it grew stronger and strong. Their nature a testament to her heightened sense of emotional response.

"Activate Hyperdrive!" Upon command the thrusters were pushed to overdrive. Slowly as first until they were going as fast as was capable of their internal motors. She aimed to get between them and the moment she was able she did just that. Taking the next hit for Amadeo head on with her arms stretched out between the two men. Upon her approach she had braced for the force of impact knowing full well that it would do very little. Even so she braced and readied for the moment the Forteller would make contact.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!"

She shouted at the peek of her voice. It's tone agonized as she interfered once again.

► Crimson Typhoon equipped

► Creepers x5 summoned
5 x 15 = 75 Total Cost | 125 - 75 = 50 MP Remaining

► Embrace the Flame is active

► Infernal Ignorance is active

by **Tsumiko** Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:50 am

“Well then let's go kick us some booty!~” Tsumiko said with a charismatic grin, throwing her her fist in the air before following after Shirou. The best choice she could make at that point was to not cave in to her fears, and so she raised her carefree mask to wear once again. Under that guise, it seemed as though she was brimming with confidence and fearless. It was very much the opposite, however, if she was going to be honest with herself.

Weaving past rubble and heartless, it wouldn't take them too long to get to where they were going. Along the way, Tsumiko began to run through several scenarios in her head, and possible solutions to each. She had no idea what they were up against, so there was no way to properly prepare herself, but it was better than going in with nothing.

5 stacks of Reverent Melody created.

by Simon Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:27 am

So, another world was to die?

The Nameless Foreteller was still unused to the digital realm. The alarms rang out across the datascape, their message clear.

The Foreteller of Blades had descended. Twilight Town was dying.

...That was all he knew, though. After the apocalyptic nightmare that was Disney Town, Simon knew better than to cowboy up. There was a plan. There had to be a plan in place. So, his first instinct was to access one of the many system terminals. Try and see what the plans were. ...And the system locked him out at every turn. He could access basic information, but, nothing that would help him actually aid in dealing with the situation. Normally, he would be able to speak with another program, try and justify his access. But, the entire mainframe was on high alert. There wasn't anyone available to hear his request. Annoying, but, expected.

His next course of action led him to the System Core. He could, perhaps, get information from the Administrative Programs, directly. Since he couldn't quick-travel the systems, like programs and other users could. Yet another of his disabled privileges. ...Or, at least, he presumed it was. He'd never been able to do it, anyway. Whether or not he couldn't, or simply wasn't aware how that function worked, it was hard telling. Simon had never been especially skilled with computers.

Honestly, for all that he understood the limits, it was starting to annoy him. No trust at all? Not even a little?

But, he couldn't change that, now. Keyblade Glider coming to life, he sped off to the System Core. (If he was being honest, he preferred the Glider, anyway.) The MCP's seat of power, the Administrative Hub. Surely, someone there would talk to him.

And, lo and behold, there was. The crew of a Recognizer.

"State your business."

Ugh. Simon detested these Programs. Pure logic. ...Admirable, but, infinitely frustrating to deal with.

"Twilight Town is in danger. I want to join the defense, but, I need more information."

The Recognizer's crew made a quick response.

"You do not have privileges to access the Administrative Core. Please vacate the area."

No surprise, there.

"Yes, yes, but, this is a serious situation. Call into the core, explain what I need. I'm sure it-"

He wasn't even able to finish, before their response.

"No programs are available to complete your request. All system assets are being devoted to the current crisis. Please vacate the area."

...Simon was quickly nearing his wit's end, with this lot. How could he be of any kind of help whatsoever, if he didn't even have any idea what was happening?

"The hell I am! Axis is going to need all the help she can get, now, let me pass so I can be briefed n the situation!"

In response, the legs of the Responder rotated and came together, as the craft moved directly above him.

"User Simon Ambrosius, you do not have privileges to access the Administrative Core. Vacate the area, now, or you will be detained."

Really, now!?! At this point, Simon was out of options. If he was detained, he couldn't do anything to help Axis at all. Of course, he could break detainment, or simply disable the Recognizer. Easily. But, at this point, he was already on Axis' short list. Vandalizing the system would take the situation he was already in from bad, to worse. MUCH worse. And, if he went in there completely blind, Simon would, likely, make a bad situation worse.

"Zugzwang." He muttered to himself.

There was, literally, no move he could make that was good. Of course, at this point, much to his surprise, the Recognizer moved off, a green Light Copter approaching him. ...This one, he had some idea of who was inside. And, as he expected, the copter, piloted by Proxxi, eased in front of him, perpendicular to his position. She looked mildly annoyed with him, moreso than usual. She had to speak up, to be heard over the blades.

"You can never make things easy, can you? You COULD have just taken the Light Rail, you know."

Proxxi was always... Tolerant of him. Patient. Even if he got the feeling it was only just so. ...He's been wrong, before, however. And Programs were always more difficult to read than a human. No way of knowing, for sure. Of course, she wasn't one to mince words. Straight to the point.

"I don't have any information for you, because nobody has any information. There's no plan of any kind in place for this, outside of general responses."

...THAT was odd. Axis never seemed to be without a plan.

"That's out of character."

"By no fault of ours." Proxxi continued. "Amadeo has had zero contact with the System; there was never an opportunity to develop a plan."

Simon uttered something under his breath, in a language alien to this reality. So, Axis, herself, went in blind, did she? That settled it. Cowboy. He nodded, quickly, to Proxxi, and began the log out protocol. Frankly, while he was sure there was a direct link, he couldn't be bothered with trying to figure it out. ...He didn't expect his log-out to be cancelled.

Proxxi was tapping away at a control panel.

"If the MCP is hurt, I wouldn't come back here for a few days. If it's more than that-"

"Claymore." Simon cut her off. Proxxi sighed, heavily, as she keyed in the last of the commands.

"...She was right, you really ARE that overdramatic."

The last keystroke logged, and Simon was ejected from the system. She hadn't been keeping him there; what she did was reroute his request to deposit him in Twilight Town.

...In his armor, no less. He wondered, for a split second, how she'd been able to engage his armor in such a short length of time. But, just a split second.

He surveyed the situation. Given his location, he had to be near the Old Mansion, though there was no indication of the structure. Of course, maybe the Old Mansion never existed. He was starting to learn that what he knew about this realm may well be dead wrong. There were several people, there. Terra, he recognized. And, surely, Terra would recognize him, if he could be asked to pay him any attention. Unlikely. The maxed man and his monster, the beings he recognized as the Foreteller of Blades, and Ukz, dominated the field of battle. A badly battered man lay on the ground. Amadeo, presumably. And, Axis stood between the two.

Simon wanted nothing more than to close the distance, put himself between the World-Breaker and Axis.

...But, the last time he and Axis dealt with the Blade, and he didn't stick to the plan, a world died. Who knows how many people with it. His hands tensed around the handlebars of the Glider, thumbs ready at the weapon controls, ready to blast the Blade with the full lunar power of the Sunslammer if he so much as made a move toward Axis. ...But, he held back. He refused the initiative. Though motionless, he used the comms he'd been given to communicate with Axis.

"I really hope you've got some kind of plan here, sweetie." He uttered, apprehension in his voice, which carried solely into Axis' helm.

He kept his gaze locked on, moving so as to be able to react to both the Foreteller, and to the massive Heartless. His thumbs twitched, ready to unload the arcane barrage on either, or both, of them at a moment's notice.

This wouldn't end well. It never does, with him. His mind betrayed him, running through every possible way in which this could go horrifically wrong. And offering up no win conditions. He muttered, again, this time out loud. Though, only at a normal speaking volume, it was a toss-up if he'd be heard or not.

"...Zugzwang."

by Seeker of Retribution Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:45 am

From Stopza:

"From they are time locked to the moment they are not, no time seems to pass for them. They are not aware of anything that happens during those five posts."

Mountain was not cast. We are still ground bound.

As Axis came flying towards them and tried to interrupt Hayden's blow, Hayden shouted in anger as his massive strength would prove overwhelming. Suddenly, Hayden's armor erupted into spikes that would be able to penetrate the metallic suit on contact as he batted at the girl with all of his Strength, four massive arms riddled with metallic thorns. "Out of my way!" He would not let them interfere. He was so close. This was a finish line. There was only one more after this. He could not let them stop him. He reared back and roared as he batted at Axis, and that was when everything metal in a long range was beset upon by rust. If metal would be their protection, if it would be their weapon, then he would kill the metal.

Time Consumer has removed Seven Cool Down Posts from Hayden due to total number of enemies in range.
GoB has used Spikes
SoR has used Graveyard, -50 MP. All metal in contact with the open air for 100 yards has started to rust. It will be destroyed if it remains in this range for three rounds.

by Seth Vicens Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:53 pm

As Hayden would move towards Axis and Amadeo, Seth knew he had to react quickly. With a running jump, he shifted into a cloud of crystals, reappearing barely in time to knock Axis out of the way of Hayden’s strike. As he fell upon her, he was taken aback as a light emerged from his chest. Standing before him now, was a grey wolf, wielding a sword in his mouth, which seemed to be an exact replica of Seth’s own sword. Seth jumped to his feet, standing between Hayden and Amadeo. He was most definitely scared, but he wasn’t about to let anybody die if he could help it. A small ball of sand would emerge from his body, before a flame would result in it exploding into various shards of glass. The shards would not get far, before they were stopped in the air by Seth.

AoR would hover from behind the mansion, his arrows primed and aimed at Hayden. They had yet to actively attempt to harm Hayden, because they had no true idea what he was capable of. They simply needed this to end without any possible bloodshed. The wolf, moving back and forth, would leave small patches of glass where it stood. Seth’s heart was racing, anticipating the retribution he would most likely receive for interfering. “Enough really is enough,” Seth growled as his allies took their places. "What more do you need?" In his mind, he felt things were now more complicated that Axis was here, now he actually knew that someone he knew was in danger, and he would fight even harder if necessary now. Of all places to run into Axis again…

Shards used by Seth. -10 MP. 110 MP remaining.
The Shift used by Seth
Aspect of Loyalty summoned by Seth. No DP remaining.
The Bright Moon activated – All Allied Cooldowns reduced by 1 post. The Gale of Frays now has cooldown reduced by 1 post.
Divine Intervention active. 2 Posts remaining.
The Gale of Frays – Ready
The Caretaker (Tier 1) activated by AoR, increasing Seth’s defenses. 2 Posts remaining.
The Caretaker (Tier 2) active, healing Seth and his allies (Axis, Amadeo) passively.

by Serenae Tue Jun 30, 2015 6:53 pm

Shirou acknowledged Serenae's and Tsumiko's choice and took off towards the beam. It was almost laughable how slow he was. Tsumiko took off after him, a smile beaming on her face. Serenae couldn't help but think about how enjoyable it would be to just pick Shirou up like a rag doll and haul him instead. So she did. She took off after him at a decent pace and attempted to take him off his feet and toss him over her shoulder like a rag doll. "Come on slow poke, we need to get there already!" she said, laughing as they approached the opening in the wall.

by Professor Velox Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:19 pm

As expected, they were faster then him. Suddenly, Serenae picked him up and threw him over her shoulder. "Hey, wai-wait, ack. Y-You couldn't just humor me?" Shirou said, his face getting red from the embarrassment. Back in his day, he probably could outrun the two. Now, he was just a sack of potatoes. He sighed, resigned to his fate.

"This guy is capable of creating duplicates of himself. He can summon large heartless, and I assume he is the one in control of the heartless around here," he told the two. He noticed that the heartless didn't try to attack them. They seemed to show interest, but otherwise left them alone. If they were controlled by Hayden, why were they so tame? "I wonder if he really has it in him to destroy a world," he muttered.

by **Tsumiko** Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:54 pm

“But we need to hurry up and get there, Shirou-kun! The longer we take, the more that guy can wreck havoc, no?” After hearing some form on commotion, Tsumiko looked over her shoulder to see what happened, the possibility of it being something bad causing her to worry for a short moment. She grinned wide when she seen the man tossed over Serenae's shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Being that she was a few paces ahead, she had to look over her shoulder to see.

Returning her attention forward, the songstress seen that they were fast approaching the hole in the wall that lead to the world's mansion. The way was guarded, however, by a set of heartless. These ones would presumably be under their opponent's control. While the heartless seemed tame enough, Tsumiko was sure that engaging them would likely set them off and make them hostile. But she doubted that they'd just let the three of them pass by without a fight, either.

“Coming though!~” she shouted to the heartless blocking the way, jumping up and kicking a nearby soldier in the helmet. It tumbled back, rolled once before getting to its feet and lunging at her with flailing claws. Tsumiko was easily able to dodge it, pushing off to the side and dancing around it. Hopefully her comrades would mind her behavior. Her nerves were erratic and being as cheerful as she was, was just her means of dealing with it.

“Make way!~” she chimed again, taking in a deep breath. Fusing the air in her lungs with magic, she stopped running long enough to release it in a blast of wind. It swept away the smaller heartless, leaving them with the more formidable ones.

Sonar Blast used
To Lessen the Load active: All MP costs are reduced by 15 per Character Tier || 15 x 4 = 60

23 stacks of Reverent Melody available.

by Seeker of Retribution Wed Jul 01, 2015 6:23 pm

Ba-bump.

Something so simple.

Ba-bump.

A rising compulsion.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

The more Hayden's aggression flowed, and the more savage he became, and he was failing to resist simply because he was falling to notice. This rage... this HUNGER... it was a natural state. It was the default. As he raged atop Amadeo's frozen form, Seth's attempt to get between them would almost certainly meet with disaster. The was not room between Hayden and Amadeo- mere inches, not feet or yards. Simply entering into this range would see the wolf knocked away with ease, and this would be something he learned the hard way with Hayden throwing his arms into the wolf to deflect it from moving into his personal space. The force alone would send it flying.

Ba-bump ba-bump

Hayden's proximity to his guardian was more mentally taxing than he realized. The merger, however temporary, was new to Hayden and while he had been resisting his Heartless urges since his desire for Hearts had began, this sudden surge made the "normal" call to devour difficult to resist. It was like a compulsion or charm, and almost above Hayden's notice his behavior was augmented. He was hungry. Amadeo. Axis. Seth, and more. It only took a few seconds. Why did this urge only take a few seconds to become so overwhelming?!?!

Ba-bumpBa-bumpBa-bump

Almost. He caught himself. The compelling desire to feed loomed in his mind as he rebelled against his own nature and clutched the clawed hands to his mask, the other arms smacking into the ground as he pressed upwards. The foretellers internal struggle was bleeding out- he could not be man and Heartless, and this shook his control of the Heartless outside. The ones in the forest, and the ones in the market place began to become more active than mere observers. The weaker Heartless began to swarm the approaching trio, with the most powerful Heartless approaching the group soon after. Even from the sky, looming overhead, the large behemoth of a "ship" that floated began to descend, revealing a wicked face and glowing, yellow eyes. This was no ship. This was a Heartless, and it was beyond massive.

Babumpbabumpbabump

Hayden's control of the Heartless did not sway for long, but it did not fully return. The Heartless forces were thrown into Chaos in an instant, their hive mind confused as Hayden's thoughts drowned out their drive to seek the Keybearers and the Hearts of the worlds. They began to run rampant, not attacking the citizens but each other, lashing out in a self destructive frenzy. In mere seconds of the in-fighting they began to visibly damage the buildings around them, endangering the innocents inside...

by Krysta Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:59 pm

"Ninety-five...Ninety...Six!"
Hyalus scrambled off one of her glass panels as a Gargyole Heartless attempted to ram through it, its empty golden eyes fixated on her. The tween felt her body go icy with just how many of these creepy crawlies were all over this world...who knew how many people had been hurt in just this amount of time... She was far from a Keyblade Wielder, but the very least she could do with her ability was prevent them from coming back for a brief while. Hopefully, most of the denizens had managed to get away from the bulk of the damage. Rolling to the ground with a less-than-graceful stumble, the girl whirled around and let her dual pistols riddle the oncoming Heartless with a clip full of bullets. The beast exploded in a mist of fine ink, dissolving into nothingness as it returned back to...well, wherever it was the Heartless came from.
"Ninety-seven," she breathed, taking a moment's respite to catch her breath. "And...I am now lost."

Lost, was accurate. She was now in the woods, far out of the range of the town limits. Somehow she'd completely lost track of where she was chasing some of these things, and had managed to end up in a place she hadn't even considered going. Still, combat didn't exactly allow her to plan things out the way she'd like to. It was dark, cool, and creepy here, and Krysta was not a fan. She needed to get back to town, and see if there were any more Heartless trying to make a snack out of an innocent victim...but had no idea where she was relative to that point.
"Super," she muttered.
Suddenly, the scanner on her wrist went utterly berserk. Jumping in fright from the unexpected noise, Krysta stuck her nose onto the screen with excited terror, eyes glued to whatever readings were this massive enough to trigger such a loud commotion. There was something utterly ENORMOUS, something she'd never even thought could register this high before, only a couple of hundred yards away. It fluctuated in so many different variables of elemental energies, that she almost had to do a double-take. Whatever this was...there was no way it could be any sort of mineral. This was something...alive, and very, very dangerous. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Oh that is just SUPER-DUPER," she bellowed, rolling her eyes. She didn't WANT to go over there and try and fight whatever was giving off these readings, but what other choice did she have? Whatever it was, it might be dangerous to the people here...and she couldn't just leave people in danger. After all, she'd grown up in Traverse Town for most of her life, a world where people looked out for one another...why should she treat the people here any differently? Truth be told, this was the biggest, strongest readout she'd gotten since leaving home...and she was scared. But she had to be brave. She had to fight, even if she didn't want to. People needed her. She had a gift for magic and a talent for making things turn out that she needed to use for the right reasons. Her glorious quest might never get finished if she died or something, but for now, it'd just have to wait.

Gathering her courage, Krysta began racing towards the direction of the Old Mansion, though she had no idea that was where she was headed towards. She only followed the direction of the power readings, hoping she wasn't alone in this endeavor to keep people safe. She wasn't quick, to say the least of it, but after a few short minutes, the girl had come across three people in the middle of the thicket... From what she could tell, there were two women there, and for some reason, a guy on one of their shoulders. Looked pretty odd, to be honest, but maybe he was injured? Hyalus didn't know any curing magic, but the least she could do was see if they needed something. Waving her arms up, she tried to get their attention.
"Hey! Hey! Are you okay over there? Do you need any--"

Quite literally out of nowhere, a swarm of Heartless began to descend upon them. Shadows, Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, Yellow Operas, Bit Snipers, and all manner of weaklings were appearing in droves, all headed right for them.
"Help?"
The Mooglette squeaked in terror, prepping Stiria and Nix for another round of gunfire as she scrambled away from the wash of Darkness closing in on them. They were getting surrounded, and quickly, too. If something wasn't done...Krysta was too scared to even think about it. The Heartless had given her nightmares since she was a child...She'd never seen one of them take a victim before, but knew she didn't want to.

Then...strangely...they began to attack one another. Even in the thickness of the forest, Krysta could see the larger Heartless were doing it, too. Large Bodies, Defenders, Wryms, and some she couldn't even identify, off in the distance. They shuddered and shook, as though something were effecting their willpower, driving them to strike at each other rather than the group. Although part of the youth was happy that their luck had turned out for the better...she still felt as though something were still very, terribly wrong.
Noticing she'd approached the group of strangers, Krysta shrugged.
"S-Sorry...I didn't know where else to go and...I guess I panicked a little," she muttered, apologetically. "Are you guys okay? Do you live here? Do you know what's goin' on? I just got here, and all this broke loose...it's pretty chaotic...I'm lost, and a little scared, too," the tween admitted.

by Serenae Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:55 pm

((We're actually approaching the hole in the wall that leads to the forest, not through it yet.))

Shirou seemed slightly disgruntled at her picking him up and tossing him about. He commented on his current position over her shoulder to which she replied, "Nope!" Serenae kept up with Tsumiko, slightly behind her; Tsumiko jumped off several of the heartless, kicking them aside while jokingly announcing to them that they were in the way. She then launched a powerful shock wave in front of them, clearing the rest of the path to the forest. Shirou began explaining the things he remembered Hayden being capable of doing.

As Tsumiko knocked the masses of heartless aside, the heartless all simultaneously began rising up all around them. They all erratically moved around for a moment. Serenae thought that Tsumiko's spell had done something to them but when she thought back to it, all her ability did was knock things aside. Quickly examining their surroundings, Serenae noticed the heartless were attacking everything near themselves, potentially causing damage to buildings and people. "That's not good!" Serenae said, as her path was blocked by a rather menacing looking Invisible Heartless. With Shirou still over her left shoulder she dodged around it to the right, summoning her Blossom of Dusk and hitting it with a spinning slash to knock it aside. "You know, this is going to be REALLY hard with you being so pathetic at the moment," Serenae said to Shirou as she continued forward. "Tsumiko, there's no way we can stop all these heartless! The only way we can fix this is to get to the masked man and stop him. Then we can come back and clear the heartless out."

Serenae continued forward, towards the hole in the wall, smoothly evading attacks so that Shirou wouldn't be bounced around on her shoulder.

((For the love of God people, don't forget to acknowledge the planet sized heartless approaching the world.

"Even from the sky, looming overhead, the large behemoth of a "ship" that floated began to descend, revealing a wicked face and glowing, yellow eyes. This was no ship. This was a Heartless, and it was beyond massive."

))

by Professor Velox Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:16 pm

"Hey, I'm not completely useless," Shirou said. Or, at least, tried to say as he bumped up and down. He almost bit his tongue. He then took in a deep breath and exhaled, breathing out a stream of orange flames. The flames expanded and moved as if they had a life of their own. They engulfed every Heartless that was nearby. Shirou increased the temperature to the highest he could, effectively incinerating every heartless in sight. "Useless my ass," he mumbled.

He then frowned and looked up. "So...uh...what are we gonna do about the guy up there?"

by Seeker of Carnage Sun Jul 05, 2015 3:35 am

It was a lot. All the chaos, from all the "heroes" trying to protect ash. They fought and heartless retaliated, and L'Ombra simply sat there and watched. He took amusement in what was happening, in what the people were causing when he realized the heartless were merely beastly sentinels. When the ship appeared, L'Ombra knew it was his time to leave. There was no waiting for Marigold there, so for now he'd wait and take a ship. Turning to see heartless before him, he took his stride and batted away any holding hostility towards him. He had no place fighting a deadly battle and he was going to leave anyways. No ties to the world bound him, so the scrap bucket left behind by some punk kid who did what he did to the world was his ticket out. Taking it, he left Twilight Town. Or died from a ship firing down his ship. Whichever happened, he'd be leaving the world.

-EXIT-

by **Tsumiko** Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:01 am

Seeing a massive wave of heartless suddenly descend upon then, Tsumiko's eyes widened and her heart wanted to stop at the sight of them. There were so many, it seemed almost impossible. Serenae twirled about them with a graceful ease as she stuck a tall Invisible heartless. Shirou, from over her shoulder, consumed a good about of them in a burning flame. The sound of the mage's voice brought her attention back to the task at hand. Their objective wasn't the heartless themselves, but the one controlling them, the masked man that was attacking the world and its leader.

“R-Right! Of... course...?” As the songstress was making a beeline for the hole in the wall, she was awestruck to find that the heartless had begun attacking themselves. They jerked and struggled against what seemed to be a will not their own. It was a very strange to see the creatures of darkness behave as such, but Tsumiko took it as her cue to sally forth and pass them. For now, she'd just have to take Serenae's suggestion and come back to eradicate them when the masked man was dealt with.

Passing through the hole, sidestepping several of the heartless, Tsumiko passed into the shade of the forest's trees. It was within the green cover that Tsumiko's alert eyes landed upon the face of a young girl. Approaching the three of them, the songstress stopped running to look at her with some concern playing her silver-blue orbs. What was a child doing out here in all this mess..? She turned to face Serenae and the man over her shoulder, grinning sheepishly at them with a question in her expression. If the two of them went on ahead of her, she'd understand completely. They didn't really have much time to spare. Hearing what the little mooglet child had to say, the songstress hardly wanted to leave her there. Bringing her with them was hardly any safer, but at least at that point, Tsumiko could protect her until all this was over. Who knew when the heartless would return to their normal behavior, not that it was any more 'normal' before they started attacking their own kind.

Look back to the child, she tried to keep her answers to the point, and hide her rising fears. “We're just fine. No, we don't live here. Right now, we're on our way to hopefully put a stop to the attack on this world. It is pretty scary, huh?” Tsumiko gave a nervous chuckle that she tried to hide, lightly scratching her cheek. “But stick close, hm. We're gonna kick some butt and take some names. At least you won't have to be alone this way. Right? C'mon. We'll do what we can to keep ya safe.” The songstress motioned for the girl to follow her with a soft smile before running off further into the forest. Looking up, she seen the massive, over-sized heartless hovering above the mayor's mansion. The sight made her shudder, but the songstress managed to maintain her air of confidence.

24 stacks of Reverent Melody available.

by Seeker of Retribution Mon Jul 06, 2015 8:22 am

Hayden rose to his feet, his extra arms smashing at Amadeo and grabbing his limbs. As time faltered and they began to return back to normal, Hayden lifted Amadeo by the limbs, restraining him with his immense strength. The man must have been unconscious, or close enough to it. and yet Hayden in his state driven by mania and agony as his mind fractured within itself screamed for his Heart. Yet something remained inside of Hayden beneath the hunger that still held sway. Not the lust that drove Heartless, but the hate driving the man that once was. With this in mind, all eight of Hayden's arms divided amongst Amadeo's limbs, two for each, and they began to pull. Hayden roared as he pulled on Amadeo's limbs, "I WILL RIP YOU IN HALF!"

Hayden was not ignorant to those that further approached him, turning his head to scoff at those who would arrive. He knelt down, and in a single moment he leapt before they could arrive, Amadeo in tow, soaring through the air towards the ruins of the train station. "I will deal with them," Hayden foamed incoherently towards Amadeo. "I will deal with ALL of them, right after I have finished you." Hayden landed not only with a thud, but he made sure that he would put all of his force and weight onto Amadeo when he did.

In the air, the massive Heartless saw something leaving the airspace of Twilight Town. A powerful burst of energy fired from its form, intercepting the gummi ship and damaging it severely. The thing would be incapable of flight.

by Keyblade Warrior Terra Mon Jul 06, 2015 11:46 am

...The first thing he saw, was the dark man absorb the Heartless into his skin. For a moment, the Keyblade Warrior felt his spine and skin shudder all at once. This man was beyond corrupted by Darkness...he'd practically become Darkness itself, it seemed. The armor he wore, it was so similar to the set he'd seen Simon take on in Daybreak Town... Black and gold, shining in the fading light of the sun, immaculate and terrifying, a symbol of iconic strength... The weapon he had...it looked almost like...
It looked like a Keyblade.
This man had been a Keyblade Warrior like him, once.

The idea made him sick to his stomach. He could feel it churning inside of him. Why was it now that he'd met so many Keyblade holders with Darkness burning through them? Were they the only ones who had survived the bloody war so long ago? All this time of searching, and still he'd found nothing but Darkness to greet him. There were brief glimpses in Aqua and Eraqus, but he'd seen neither of them in so, so long... It felt as though the Darkness were surrounding him, trying to swallow him whole...
No.
Terra refused to allow it!

Quite suddenly and unexpectedly however, the youth found that his muscles weren't obeying him. Everything was becoming sluggish. Terra's heart froze; was this another memory spike? No, he thought. They were quick. They never distorted his perception of time like this. In fact, he'd felt sluggish since he'd come near this Darkness-plagued Keybearer. How could he even hold a Keyblade, when he was a Heartless himself?* Could he even be killed by the Keyblade?**
These were questions that were, literally, for another time. Everything went blank for the longest. It was as though he'd fallen asleep, somehow. The very last thing he clearly recalled, were the two beside him suddenly coming to a complete stop, frozen in suspended...time.

And his eyes...his damned, golden eyes...
Terra almost felt as though he were going to vomit, looking at them. The same color as Simon's, the same color as the Heartless, and the same color as the bald-headed man in his many askew memories...

"Darkness rules your heart—it gives me control. Muscle and sinew that once obeyed you now rebels against you. How you can remain here at all confounds the mind."

All at once, the brunette found himself flying through trees. His body soared through at least three or four with the force that, while at first was just a shockwave of rippling power onto his chest, became a full-fledged mass of pain. His back finally stopped his trip, jolting with agony as his force was halted by a larger tree, sending him falling flat on his face. There wasn't a part of his torso that wasn't throbbing in agony. Gingerly, Terra rolled himself over onto his back, a sharp sting of shock prodding him in his sides. This corrupted Keybearer had broken at least two of his ribs just from that one pulse. It was more than Jett had ever done. Whatever this man was...he was well beyond any sort of Heartless he'd ever seen--a person who could control time itself--and there was no way Terra could get close enough to do anything about it.

"As I recall, you couldn't even handle your own darkness. How, then, will you triumph over mine?"

Wincing, the oaken-haired lad rose to his feet, his focus entirely on trying to keep himself balanced on his own feet. Pain was clouding his vision and his thoughts, but he knew...He knew he couldn't give up. It was his duty as a Keyblade Warrior to fight, and protect the people here...if that cost him his life, even at this stage, even so early in his journey...Then it was something he'd simply have to do.
Teetering with every step, Terra began to move back towards the site of the mansion, ignoring the plague of squabbling Heartless, picking out bits of wood from his clothing, skin, and hair as he walked.

"I...won't triumph over it....I'll destroy it."

Critical damage received.
13/20

*((...There are several reasons why they shouldn't, but this point has already been argued.))
**((Hell yeah. With extreme prejudice, even.))

by Seeker of Carnage Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:15 pm

CRASH! L'Ombra's ship smashed against the ground, exploding in a pyre of flame. It didn't kill him, because before the ship would explode he'd exit it. Stumbling out of the passenger seat, he'd make his way into a building holding numerous civilians trying to hide for their life. His mask was fragmented, but still it hid his face well. Blood came from his arm, which he had a civilian patch up as he loaded his pistol. The sniper was destroyed in the crash along with his syringe gun, leaving him with his scimitar and pistol. When he could regain his bearings, he looked at the civilians and raised his gun. They screamed, but he used the fact that they were surrounded by heartless to gun them down. Nobody could see the Shadow's eyes. Exiting the building, he figured it was time to see what the hell was going on. He didn't actually know a good way on over to the Mansion, so he decided to keep his view from afar and climbed to the top of the building. Heartless fought one another, and he stared at the giant ship heartless. "What a bother..."

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