6:45 AM, Aria park outskirts Whether by chance or by design, the four individuals who had attended the rally known as Kieren, Vance, Roshe, and Valen ended up in close vicinity to one another once they'd branched away from the crowds. They ran aimlessly for the moment, until they heard a commotion in an alleyway. There was a clash of steel, and one voice cried out in pain. As they passed by it, there was a well dressed man laying unconscious on the ground within. Above him stood five armed indiviuals, and papers scattered about. One of the men raised a weapon to finish the man off, but was stopped by a quick jab on the arm to get his attention. "Hey, Donny, we got company! Leave him for later!" As they five men turned their attention to the newcomers, they readied themselves for the upcoming battle which was sure to be tougher than their previous one.
Beuce looked to AJ as he asked about the tome he was reading. It they were all going to go after the guardians at some point, so there wasn't really any reason to hide it from him. Although, with all these people in the crowd, it could make them stand out if they were talking about magic and other worlds. "I'll tell you later. We're not in the right crowd for that kind of discussion, if you catch my drift." Afterwards he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch lined with grey scales. The container in which he kept his Munny. "Wait do you not have munny? I thought we all did. Most places I've seen accept this as currency, despite being disconnected. It's kind of odd, come to think of it." He sorted through it and counted it up. A little over 6,000 all in all. That should be more than enough to cover whatever clothing they were buying. Ignis seemed to be growing increasingly flustered, which only drove the urge to tease her. Beuce didn't say anything in response but gave a coy grin. he brought his hand up to his mouth and made a locking motion, before throwing away the imaginary key. "Well, I'll need something with gloves. This kinda stands out." He knocked on the glass arm with his left hand, causing a melodic resonant sound. Far from what you would expect from typical glass. AJ: 2 Ignis: 2 Beuce: 2
Beuce looked on as the castle gates appeared to be open for a coronation ceremony. Well, that was their way in at least, but it hardly helped them talk to the two girls. Beuce shook his head at AJ's proposal that they find out what the Duke was up to. "I guess we could keep tabs on him just to be safe, but I doubt he could hurt a fly if he wanted to. Still though, you're right about us not exactly blending in." Ignis then chimed in hesitantly with her idea about dressing up. Beuce gave a slight chuckle at her pleading not to make her wear a dress, but decided not to tease her about it too much. "Well, unless you can turn back into Raisor at will, I don't see another option. I'm not a fan of stuffy clothes either, but it's the easiest way to blend in. Come on lets hit the town quickly and try to find something we can wear. We'll pick you out something pretty." Beuce said, changing directions and heading toward the closest thing he could assume to be shops.
Beuce didn't speak much during their long boat ride. He wasn't entirely sure how many days it was, but he was beginning to go a little stir crazy. He was left almost entirely alone with his thoughts. Ignis slept for most of it, which only left AJ. A smaller party than he was used to, and with two people he hadn't spoken to very much. He knew Ignis better out of the two, but he knew AJ well enough to know that he was a good kid. He'd jumped in the way to defend Kaida from Aux. The whole scene replayed in his mind. How powerless they were against No Heart. They'd only just managed to escape. If he came after them again, they might not be so lucky. If they were going to stand a chance against him, they would need to get much, much stronger. Around the end of the first day, Beuce reached elbow deep into his pocket and pulled out a large tome. One on old and powerful magics. No Heart was certainly strong physically, but from the way he fought, Beuce deduced he was probably a mystic. Initially, this had been his plan to defeat Nequa, but now it seemed more like No Heart was the one they'd be needing it for. His grudge against Nequa was all but forgotten in the wake of new events. One defeat at her hands seemed so small in comparison. Though, that wasn't to say he wouldn't be dealing with her when the time came. He flipped through the pages to the section about the elemental guardians and began pouring over the tome. After a few hours AJ offered him some food, but he turned it down in favor of continuing to read. Ignis, by this point, had woken up and took the boy up on the offer instead. Munching down on the fruit. It was oddly star shaped, so he noted that as being a little weird. He reread the section on the elemental guardians, but it didn't offer him much. Only that they were some primordial forces of nature who could only be challenged by keyblade masters and would grant the greatest power of their element to those who were able to defeat them. There were some cryptic riddles but he couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. He imagined that he wouldn't be able to solve the riddles until he was right in front of them. So they were supposed to find this thing...Somewhere in the universe...ten times. Great...Beuce sighed and snapped the book shut. That was just dandy. Looking out the window, it seemed like they were finally approaching their destination. A rather sunny world, seemingly in some sort of celebration. Well, that was a refreshing change of pace after being in the realm of darkness for so long. The keyblade master winced as he stepped off the boat. His ribs were healed enough that they were unlikely to actually hinder him from doing what he needed to, but they were certainly still sore enough to make things unpleasant. Beuce turned back and sighed as the boat vanished. It looked like they were stuck on this world for the moment. Well, at least it was a pleasant one for the moment. He shook off the dreary thoughts for the moment. That wasn't going to help them, and all it would do was drag down his mood even further. He wouldn't be able to cheer up completely for a while to come, but sulking wouldn't do anyone any good either. Soon, they were approached by a short man who claimed to be the "duke of Weselton". He said he was looking for two women named Elsa and Anna, both names he recognized as being Princesses of Heart from the data worlds. Beuce put his glass hand to his face and stroked his chin with a finger. He had no idea why their enemies would be after the Princesses of Heart, but he knew some of them were. It would be a good idea, whatever the reason, not to let them fall into their hands like many of the others had. Come to think of it, he briefly wondered if Luna was alright. Their group had split up again. With No Heart out to kill at least three more of them, it wasn't reassuring to not know the condition of the others. In any case, he turned his attention back the situation at hand. They needed to find a way to get closer to these two girls, even if only to keep an eye on them. He looked around at their surroundings, as the other two had told the Duke that they were just passing through. He didn't seem to know anything about them anyway, considering he was asking them for information. If it had been quite a while since either of them had left their homes, that definitely helped in narrowing down where they were. He looked up at the rather large castle off in the distance. It was a safe bet to assume that's where they were. The only issue would be getting a discreet audience with them, and being able to stick close. They needed to protect them and keep an eye on them, but three people couldn't just walk in, ask to be the princesses' personal body guard squad and expect to get a good response. They couldn't just break into their bedrooms through the window either. Well, they could but that would make them look even more suspicious than announcing themselves as a bodyguard. If there was going to be any way to get an Audience with the two women, they'd need to blend in. Outsiders, especially outsiders of the world, likely wouldn't be trusted. He took one last look at the Duke of Weselton gave a short hum. He tapped AJ and Ignis on the shoulder, before nodding to the castle in a "lets go" gesture.
The black coated man nodded in response to his partner. "Catching it as all well and good, we should be able to do it between our elements, but the first thing we need to do is find the thing. Any ideas on that front?" He asked. He wasn't sure what exactly she was capable of. She was one of the two he was supposed to off, though, so she had to be fairly powerful. He made a mental note not to judge her based on her appearance. "Surely we'll never find it if we run around aimles- Well i'll be damned" He said as a white blur darted under his feet. He turned on his heel and chased after it, so as to not lose track of it and ruin this incredible stroke of luck.
Luther looked at the board listing the participants and then to the blue haired girl who was to be his "partner". He put his hands in the pockets of his coat and ran a gloved hand over the void disc. She was the one he was expected to use it on. That should be easy enough, given his element of surprise and his element. While he wasn't powerful enough to create full scale, long lasting illusions or even solid ones, He could certainly fool her eyes enough to be able to trick her for a moment. Long enough to touch her with it. Especially if he proved competent in this task to come. "125 mph...Hm, that's certainly not a normal rabbit then. I'm fast, but i'm not quite that fast. I think our best bet would be to chase it into a corner and then box it in. Thankfully, I believe I've got the tools for that." He said to Mizu, attempting to appear genuinely interested in completing this mission. Well, if he were going to make it convincing, his bet bet was to actually try to complete it. And so, he prepared himself for what was sure to be the most annoying thing he'd ever done.
A sinister growl overshadowed the sounds of battle as a frantic clawing threatened to break down the doors of the Opera House. Nearly all combatants stopped, if only momentarily, to look at this newfound intrusion. Suddenly the doors burst open and Nox returned, along with two massive flaming beasts that let out a series of barks and bays. Their obvious bloodlust was only contained by their master heeling them back. The dottari retreated as best they were able from the crowd, and the thugs made a break for it. Obviously, this wasn't part of the plan they'd been told. If the crowd wasn't frantic before, it certainly was now. The hellhounds, as soon as Nox released their leashes, pounced into the crowd and began tearing flesh from bone as the civilians screamed in horror. Nox herself, meanwhile, extended her hand and began firing beams of black and crimson fire. The hellhounds joined their master in unleashing a torrent of flames and destruction from their mouths. While the vast majority of the numbers would be able to escape, there were far too many casualties for this protest to be called anything but an atrocity. The message that Thrune wasn't to be trifled with was what'd they'd hoped to send, and it likely wouldn't leave the minds of anyone in this town for a long time... KIntargo Population: 11,865
The thugs moved forward to attack, but being clearly less well trained and likely just thugs for hire, they weren't fairing as well as the Dottari. One, being injured and watching another of his ranks be skewered through the chest by some kind of malicious watery death spirit, he turned on his heel and began to flee as best he could, only to be cracked on the back of the head by Reno's morningstar. Reno used summon monster I to summon an eagle! Eagle full attacked 15, 19, and 6 2 hits 6 damage total Roche moved and cast Cure Light Wounds on Vance Restored 4 health Kieren moved and attacked Thug 4 26, Critical Threat! 26, Critical Hit! Dealt 28 damage Thug 1 moved and attacked Roche 13, missed! Thug 2 moved and attacked Kieren 14, missed! Thug 3 moved and attacked Andros 7, missed! Thug 5 moved and attacked Valen 4, Failure threatened 10, critical failure... As the thug ran to attack the minstral who seemed to be producing sounds that his instrument shouldn't be able to produce, he seemed like an easy target. However, his impatience would cost him dearly, for he didn't truly know the effects of the music. More specifically, the effects it had on those around them. He failed to notice the rising anger of the crowd. As he brought up his weapon and went to swing downward, his arm was stopped and he felt a grip on his wrist, along with a grip on his heart. He looked up to see the large orc casting a shadow over him with murder in his eyes. The thug was pulled back into the group of angry and growingly violent protestors. What happened to him afterwards was no concern of anyone else, save that it wasn't a fate they wanted to meet. Thug 6 attempted to flee Attack of Opportunity from Reno and Eagle 19 and 17 two hits Dealt 5 damage total Thug 7 moved and attacked Arthur 14, Hit! Dealt 5 damage Thug 8 moved and attacked Valen 6, missed! Round 2, Purrah's turn
Nox retreated back into the Opera house as the fighting began to break out. She gave one last spiteful look to the crowd and turned back into the building. She didn't seem the type to run away. Instead...She was getting something. The Dottari, being trained professionals, were the first to act against this riot. Though one of the ranks had already been taken out and another was dazed by this Elf's magics, they held strong and fought still. The two nearest purrah ran forward and swung their maces. The first, who had several broken ribs and was unlikely to last much longer gave a swing that was far stronger than one would expect with injuries like that, but the Catfolk woman was able to stop the weapon with her bare paw. Taking the initiative on her momentary distraction, the other Dottari close by charged forward to take advantage of the situation. The man stared wide eyed as Purrah raised up her foot to the level of his chest and stopped the blow dead in its tracks. Meanwhile, The dottari stationed to the east of the building were having far more success outside of the one who screamed in pain, clutching his eyes along with like 15 people in the crowd you jackass. The armored guards ran forward and, in what was probably the best display they would've been able to perform, swung their maces from high and low at the same time. Vance's momentary hesitation resulted in a direct hit from both. One cracked him in his forehead, and the other rammed into his stomach. In the furthest east position, a more intelligent Dottari pulled out his bow and fired into the crowd. Purrah moved forward and Attacked Dottari 2 24, Critical threat~! 12, failed to confirm... Dealt 10 Damage! Valen started a raging song! Arthur fired at Chelish Thug 7 12, Hit Dealt 2 damage Andros manifested A Panoply of Blades 27, Critical threat~! 27, Critical HIT!! Dealt 26 damage Vance moved and used acrobatics to avoid being hit Vance cast Color Spray! One Dottari failed their save Velvet charged at Chelish Thug 9 24, Critical Threat~! 17, Critical HIT!! Dealt 12 Damage Sneak attack dealt 6 further damage Dottari 2 attacked Purrah! 17, Missed... Dottari 3 Moved and attacked Purrah 14, Missed. Dottari 4 is Stunned and Unconscious! Dottari 5 Moved and Attacked Vance! 24, Critical Threat! 10, Failed to confirm... Dealt 4 damage Dottari 6 Moved and attacked Vance! 24, Critical Threat! 17, Failed to confirm... Dealt 3 damage Dottari 7 Attacked Valen! 10, Missed Reno's Turn!
The bottle hit the wall and broke, and the elven man in the front of the screamed in a rage-filled voice that overshadowed all the rest. He cried out his spiteful yells, demanding that Thrune and all his cohorts be exiled from the city. The dottari were growing increasingly nervous and afraid of this man. His brow furrowed as he roused those around him to join in his violent revolution to right what was wrong. Soon, others began to throw things at the dottari. It seemed like tensions were growing by the second. The red haired woman standing in front of the door glared daggers at him, seemingly thinking what she should do about it. For a brief moment, all the voices were silenced when the window to the balcony on the second floor of the opera house burst open, and the shadow stepped forward. A tall, imposing man in armor stepped forward. He was adorned in many places by the pentagrams of Asmodeus. Though many had never seen him before, his wine glass in hand and arrogant, contemptuous sneer looking down at the gathering protest made it very clear who he was. This was the man who had been causing all their troubles. The very reason this protest was taking place to begin with. This was Paracount Barzillai Thrune. He had come to address his new people. Once the initial surprise of him making an appearance was over, the anger returned to the crowd as they shouted even louder. They demanded he leave at once. Let there be a proper election for the new mayor. Free the silver city from its iron chains. Barzillai simply turned his wine glass, listening to the pleas of the city folk. "People of Kintargo. Is it with hatred you look upon me and the House of Thrune?" He asked A piece of rotten fruit flew from the crowd with a surprisingly well aimed accuracy and pegged him in the shoulder. "NO ****. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE, THE ANGRY MOB AT YOUR DOORSTEP OR THE **** FLYING THROUGH THE AIR AT YOUR GUARDS?" A very upset man from the crowd screamed out. "I see. I must apologize for I have not yet adapted to your...quaint country ways. Nevertheless, I have heard your complaints, and rest assured i will take them to heart. The happiness and well being of the people of Kintargo is in my utmost interest, I take pride in updating your archaic laws to a more modern standard. You say that you will not stand for me in a position of power? Your lord-mayor has heard your complaints. It is with a heavy heart that I issue this proclamation in response to your demands!" He motioned for a servant, who brought him a clipboard and a piece of paper. He took a moment to write it down, and handed it back to the servant who brought it downstairs and passed it off to one of the Dottari. The guard looked surprised upon reading it, but reluctantly nailed it to the wall of the opera house. All nonnative ships’ captains must remain on board their ships and are barred from setting foot on land within Kintargo’s city limits—their crew and agents are free to come and go, but their actions are directly the responsibility of their captains, and any crew caught breaking Kintargan law shall have its punishment visited upon the crew members as well as their captain. Any captain caught setting foot in Kintargo is to be punished by squassation. "All ship's captains are hereafter barred from leaving their vessels and setting foot on Kintargo's docks and streets under pain of squassation. Effective...Let's say, four days ago!" It was then that all hell broke loose. The crowd broke into even more shouting and screaming than before, and began throwing more deadly objects such as rocks and knives. One person even managed to get a lucky hit and plant a dagger directly into the throat of the red haired woman standing in front of the door. She plucked it out and the flesh sewed itself together in a black and crimson smokey fire. "Nox, deal with this rabble." Barzillai casually spoke down to the red haired woman at the front door. "Dottari!" She called out. "Do your duty to Cheliax and Thrune!" The dottari all drew their weapons on command, loyal and ready to follow their orders. This was about what had been expected in response to the riot, but what people didn't expect was from all within the crowd, several people threw their hoods down and drew weapons as well, attacking anyone nearby. Screams of terror erupted as the crowd began to burst into panic. Some fought, others fled, but the utter disarray made it hard for anyone to gain much ground. Due to the panicked crowds, all squares are difficult terrain. Purrah's turn! Purrah: 22 Valen: 22 Arthur: 20 Andros: 20 Vance: 18 Velvet: 15 Dottari: 11 Reno: 10 Roshe: 9 Kieren: 7 Thugs: 7
The halfling man gives a surprised yelp. He'd been so focused on reaching into the pocket of the gruff man, clearly a laborer of some kind, in front of him that he hadn't even noticed the half-elf walk up behind him. His yelp alerted his would-have-been victim, who turned around and gazed down with wide eyes at his coin pouch in the small man's hands, and the elf who had him by the arm. The man wrested the pouch back from the thief's fingers. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, he would've made off with this before i was any the wiser." The grateful pickpocket victim said to Kieren. "Here, take this as thanks." Kieran obtained 6 GP
Chapter One: Fledglings of Silver 6:00 AM, Aria Park Kintargo population: 11,900 Even with the cobblestone streets still wet from the morning dew, and the sun just barely beginning to break over the horizon and shed its light onto the silver city, Aria Park was filled with dozens of Kintargans. They stood outside the opera house where the newly appointed lord-mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune, currently resided. In the sudden absence of their former mayor, Barzillai was appointed at his request as mayor of this city by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II. Local rumormongers were still buzzing about her mysterious disappearance. Some say that she was bribed, some say she was murdered. Some say that she was simply praying a bit too hard to Cailean one night and slipped on her stairs. Whatever the case may have been Barzillai Thrune was in power now, and that was what caused this gathering. Angered complaints filled the air and blurred together. Most complained about the ridiculous proclamations and demanded that he revoke them. Others screamed that he had no business here at all, and called for his immediate resignation. Though, far more of them just seemed to be angry with the situation in general and were content to yell their frustrations. A few Chelish loyalists argued against what they called a growing demand for anarchy. The one or two civilians foolhardy enough to approach the opera house and attempt to enter were quickly pushed back by the Dottari, who looked to be growing increasingly nervous. At the doorway stood a slender woman with red hair, looking disdainfully down at the crowd. A shadow passed through the window of the second floor in the opera house, but didn't appear to reveal itself to be anything more just yet. Tensions were high, but hadn't come to a boil quite yet. For now, it was just yelling. More and more people continued to arrive. Some joined in the yells, some tried to out-shout and silence those who had opposing views, and some just simply watched as if scanning the crowd. If one listened to the less boisterous and more personal conversations, they might be able to pick up a rumor or two. There was a shout or two about a pickpocket, but it was largely ignored by all but those closest to them, drowned out by the myriad of voices. It seemed like the protest would go on for several hours...
Beuce winced in pain as the feeling of his broken ribs began to set in. He was ready to keep fighting despite the unwinnable situation to attempt to keep Kaida from sacrificing herself, but there was something else that distracted all of them. Even No Heart. The blue haired boy. The first person he'd met since he left Riven. The one who'd been alongside him the whole time, the only one left, ran forward through a barrage of spells. "Thanks for everything" He said. Another way to say "Goodbye." He could only watch as he plunged the keyblade into his chest. Beuce tried to form words in his throat. To force his lungs to push forward the air to plead with him to stop, but nothing came. It was too late. "I'll see you later"...Why did he have to say that? It was like an extra punch in the gut knowing that it wasn't true. For all their training and all the strength they'd gained. All the growing they'd done, facing themselves and conquering challenge after challenge, it still came to this. They couldn't stop it. They couldn't prevent the situation from needing to happen. He returned to Aux. He wasn't sure if he'd be in there, but even if he was, he'd never be the one they'd known. Hikaru wasn't Aux, not just a replica of someone else. He was Hikaru. The glass from his hand creaked against the metal of his keyblade under his grip. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He knew Kaida wasn't the only one willing to lay down their lives to protect the rest, but he'd wished with all his might no one would actually end up needing to do it. He looked to Aux, punching the ground in a rage and screaming to the heavens. He wanted to go over and jerk him up off the ground and sink his fist into his jaw. To scream at him and tell him it was all his fault. If he hadn't been taken over, if it hadn't been for that darkness of his, Hikaru wouldn't have had to do that. He wanted to approach Kaida and tell her that she wasn't the only one who felt that pain. They'd all lost him. He wanted to run at No Heart and unleash everything he had to bring him down right then and there, even if it killed him. He wanted to bring Hikaru back...but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. He just swallowed his shaking breath and stood there holding his keyblade. His face contorted as he fought back all the emotions that were building up like a dam threatening to break. It wasn't fair. He felt silly complaining to himself about it being "unfair" now of all times, but there was no other way he could put it. He was powerless to stop it. Just as powerless as the day he'd left Riven and found his way here. He'd always been the one who told them they needed to press forward when they got distracted or lost heart at the hardships ahead. He knew they had to move for now. They were still standing in front of their greatest enemy, and they didn't have time to grieve just yet. He had to come up with a plan. Something he could do. When he realized heavy heartedly that there was only one thing they could do. It was all they'd ever done, really. But now, in this moment, it was thanks to Hikaru that they even got the chance. He raised his hand and channeled his power to do what needed to be done. Space began to discolor and from an amber wall between them and No Heart, along with his clones, creating a momentary reluctance within them to attack. They'd muster the strength to shatter the wall in moments, but it was as much of a deterrent as he could muster right now. In some ways, Hikaru's Sacrifice had given him the clarity to realize that this wasn't a battle they could win. He walked over to the distraught Kaida, and pulled on her to motion that they should get going. He knew she didn't want to move right now. Lord only knows how much he didn't. He shook his head at Ananta. This wasn't the right path to take. Facing him now would only get more of them killed, and it would only make the pain even worse. He would've said that he could stand to see anyone else die here, but it was far beyond "couldn't stand it". His head was spinning at the fact of what happened. He tugged once more at Kaida, not wanting to force her from the spot but realizing that they didn't have a lot of time. He'd carry her if he had to. His ribs screamed at him to stop. To just lay down and accept his fate. As the sound of breaking glass rang out behind him, he knew No Heart had torn down the barrier and was coming for them. He pressed through the pain. The others would have to make similar measures to hold him off long enough for them to escape. He walked toward the ships. That was their way out. looking onward at them, he realized that was all they'd earned in the mark of mastery. Passage back to the realm of light. Hoping they could fight back was just wishful thinking. But at the very least...They'd gained enough power to hold him at bay long enough to escape. Beuce stopped only long enough to look down at his hand. The silver ring with the letters SOS engraved on them. Everything washed over him all over again. Hikaru had been the one to keep them together. These were proof of that. He clutched his hand, feeling the metal warmed from the heat of his skin. Even with him gone, they had a task that needed to be done. He just hoped they were up to it.
"I wouldn't imagine it'll take very long." Luther said from behind Aeira. He, along with Melus and X-ray had been transported there by Nequa. He imagined it would've been a lot more convenient if she hadn't butchered Lima, but that was neither here nor there and he wasn't one to complain. "It's about time you all returned. What were you doing all this time...?" The man asked, genuinely curious. "Whatever it was, it seems like we're headed to the realm of light now. We just need to win this 'Reaper's Game' and we'll be off. It couldn't be that hard." Luther said. He felt a little odd saying that, considering it was his job to make it as hard as he possibly could. If things had gone differently, he might have considered these people his comrades, but their time together was just too short to develop any sort of attachment. Instead, it was best to just get it over with here.
Beuce groaned as he was slammed into the ground, followed by a massive boot driving him further down. The wind left his lungs, and he gasped, struggling to fill them with oxygen once again. He reached up, pushing against the man with a growl of exertion. His eyes slid over to Kaida and Aux. AJ was quickly dealt with. Kaida stepped forward to No Heart and Beuce gritted his teeth in frustration. "KAIDA!" Beuce shouted out in rage. "You think we fought all this way just so you could go and sacrifice yourself?! Give us a little more respect than that! We're not going to lose you or anyone else! If you want to go and get yourself killed so easily, then why did we fight tooth and nail through this whole time?! We're going to win. We're going to win..." The second one was muttered, more to himself. He looked up at the No Heart clone above him. They'd done nothing but hit wall after wall this entire time. They'd always managed to climb over it, but this one was so dauntingly high it seemed to stretch into forever. He gritted his teeth. They'd never given up before, and he didn't intend to start now. The tasks before them had always looked impossible, but every single time, they'd gotten through it together. "Well, I've never had glass ribs before..." He slammed his fist against the ground, channeling magic through it. A bright light appeared beneath Beuce, and exploded against his back. The enhanced physical force from his strength pushed him upward violently, giving him the shove he needed to break away from the clone. However, he heard a loud crack as No Heart was shoved off him. Pain radiated radiated through his chest. "Don't you dare give up on us. We won't give up on you..." The man called to Kaida.
Beuce struggled with everything he had against the stop spell, but it was far too powerful for him to break. No Heart walked up and spoke to Aux, the only one who remained unfrozen. It seemed like Kaida had all but told the future. Aux turned against No Heart, refusing to follow his orders to murder his friend, but his true intentions mattered very little. No Heart ignited the darkness inside Aux and took control of him. Beuce's eyes went wide as the hulking man walked ominously towards Kaida. He ordered every muscle in his body to tear through the magic. He pleaded with the Shedim Lords to give him the power to do something. Anything. They were finally on the right track. They were masters. They couldn't possibly be this powerless. Beuce would've screamed in frustration if he could move his mouth. He was helpless. But they weren't all helpless. Steel awakened a power from within himself and broke free of the stop spell, delivering a kick to No Heart, breaking his concentration and freeing them. Wasting no time, Beuce spun on his heels to face No Heart. A.J. and Hikaru had gone to protect Kaida. "Beat some sense into him, will you?!" Beuce called out to the three. There was a time when they wouldn't have stood a chance, but not anymore. They had the power to fight back. "We'll deal with this." He said, glaring at No Heart and his clones. He held his keyblade forward, parallel to the ground, and its power was awakened. The two gems that acted as the keychains began to shine and transfer their energy into the other, becoming one force. "Dichromatic Resonance!" A red and blue aura surrounded him, and his mixed powers attuned to one another. He charged at No Heart, but the clones barred his path. The man gave a swipe of the now red-coated magical end of his keyblade. a pillar of light with a pale rose tint roared through the sky, as though it battered aside the air that stood in its path. It crashed to the ground with incredible force, attempting to remove the duplicate in his way. "Steel! Don't let him cast, and we might be able to do this!"
Beuce smiled as the black coats left, then turned to face forward. They had a task ahead of them as well. He looked at the boats and Hikaru, who called dibs on the left boat only to be frozen in time. At first he made the same assumption Aux did in that it was simply a harmless prank, but the moment Kaida was frozen, he realized something was dangerously wrong. He instinctively summoned his keyblade, but that was all he managed to do before everything stopped.
I'm gonna make my own status. Without any blackjack or hookers.
Beuce smiled as the other masters in the SOS joined in the gesture to show that they felt the same way he did. Although, he didn't look at them he only looked Karina head on. As each person said their part, she looked to each one of them. Likely she thought about them and her relationship with them. How she didn't really want to leave, and what them offering her a way back in meant exactly. Tears began to run down the girl's face. Eventually, thea last one to join in wasn't offering a keyblade. He was offering the SOS ring that he'd given to all of them. A symbol that she always was, and always would be, one of them. "Welcome home." The girl cried and hugged him, saying that she was sorry. He just smiled and hugged her back, putting his still flesh hand in her hair and patting it gently. "Ah it's alright. Now I have a neat story to tell." When she back up, she summoned what appeared to be her own keyblade, reflective of her. Beuce eyed it up and down and gave an approving face. "Well, it's not quite as nifty as mine, but it'll get the job done." He teased and gave a wink. He wondered what power it held within it, but decided he didn't need to ask. He'd find out. They all would, when the girl fought alongside them in battles to come.
After Ignis said her piece, he continued. "You think we don't want you around? You want proof you're not a lost cause?" He held out the double ended weapon to her, it practically called out empathically for her to grab hold of it in response to its users will. "Prove it to yourself." He took a deep breath. "In your hand, take this key."
