Yeah the (original) Deathspank nominations were put in by me. In hindsight, I should have realized this would cause confusion.
"No. I get it." Avra glanced over at Chrysanthemum. "It's just nice to know that, at least in some way, someone else understands what it's like." She went silent as the group finally approached the mansion. Avra pushed open the gate, covered in overgrowth from the vines that had been left unattended for who knows how long. The gate squeaked loudly as she pushed on it and entered the courtyard. Standing just outside the mansion's entry doors was their master. The Light Chaser stepped forward and blue eyes flashed from under his hood. "Good. I trust that you are all prepared for what is at hand then, correct?" "But what exactly will be our test, master?" Koa questioned anxiously. "There is but one test conducted to attain the Mark of Mastery." The man spoke. "The true nature of a person comes out in the face of adversity or, in this case, through combat with an opponent of equal or superior skill. Those who fail are those who succumb to emotions such as desperation, fear, and anger." The Light Chaser paused and slowly extended his right arm out towards them and pointed his finger right at Chrys. "As my first student, you will have the privilege of being tested first. Given that there are an odd number of you, I will step in to administer this exam myself." "She's fighting you!?" Koa exclaimed. "The purpose of this test is not to win but merely assess the depths of what you are on a base, almost primal, level." The Light Chaser explained calmly in a quiet tone. "Chrysanthemum, are you ready? When you are you need simply come right at me and attack with everything you have. There are no restrictions. You may use everything at your disposal during the exam." The Master clasped his hands behind his back and awaited his student's response. Thallasa placed her hand on Illiana's shoulder when the girl sped up to catch up with her. Thallasa said nothing as she knew that Illiana just needed time to process the sudden knowledge that Glyde was gone. They all did. Now that they had just begun to enter the forest and the sun continued to set she felt that the time for rest was coming. Her ear was kept open to the conversation going on behind her between Aria and Qamar. True to what she had already been thinking of, the group needed rest. "It will be dark soon. Qamar be able to see in the dark without magic but the rest of us cannot. We will have better luck finding Hen Wen in the morning." Thallasa paused. "Besides, I know we all need rest and time to process what has happened. I will not be forcing all of you beyond what is necessary. That would be cruel." "I hope Hen Wen is alright...she's all alone out here." Taran spoke quietly. "We're far away from the Horned King. I'm sure she will be okay for the night, Taran." Eilonwy placed her hand on Taran's shoulder. The boy smiled slightly in response and nodded. "Well if we're resting then I can set camp here! A bard is always prepared for any occasion! Uh...except getting captured." Without another word, Fflam began to gather dry twigs and stones to set up for a campfire. "Well I can conjure some tents up then. I suppose the world order can keep itself together if I allow us this small indulgence." Thallasa smiled faintly. "I think we've all earned some decent rest. So that's..." She counted the group. "Seven of us. Seven tents it is." She withdrew seven small golden crystals from her pocket and began setting them down in a circular pattern around the campfire Fflam was making, giving them all enough room from each other to give each person privacy. Once the crystals were set she snapped her fingers and in a puff of magic smoke seven fully set tents sprouted from the crystals. "Whoa!" Taran's eyes widened in amazement. "You're quite the master magician, madam!" Fflam complimented, looking away from the growing flames of the fire he had started. Dentro had tried to put up some resistance to Boreas's attacks but as the fight wore on it was clear he could no longer keep up and soon Dentro was down and was no longer even resisting the punishment Boreas continued to dish out. Seeing that Dentro's body was beginning to fade to the darkness Torrin stepped in and gripped Boreas by the shoulder to halt his attacks. "That's enough. He's done. You've finished the battle and we won." Torrin spoke calmly. "He's through and he'll be gone in a matter of seconds. I don't feel anything left for us here to fight so we can get out of here already." As he spoke he looked down at Dentro. His wounds were slowly healing but just the sheer effort of it only made the trails of darkness rising from his body thicken. "Haha...funny...I only ever wanted to kill more Heartless...to think I became one just to squander this power...What a waste..." Dentro spoke weakly. He struggled to lift his hand and blinked at it now that he could start to see right through it. "The Light Chaser told me that if I joined him we could stop it. All of it. No more Heartless. No more worlds falling...I just had to help him get rid of all the darkness in every realm. It sounded so far-fetched but when I saw his power...man...that power. If he couldn't stop the Heartless for good then who could? I never really had a family but the other students...they were close enough...it's too bad...I never got to tell them that..." His arm was mostly gone now by the time he made a pause to catch his breath. "Yo...Torrin? You're an expert on darkness aren't ya? What...what'll h-happen to me?" His eyes were wide and his hands began to shake as he spoke. Torrin had not expected an answer like that but, even as much as he had once despised the man before him Torrin felt some pang of empathy for him, however slight. "I don't know. Some say we return to Kingdom Hearts but others say our...souls persist and we are reborn to begin a new life in another place, in another time." "Hah...I like the sound of that." Flecks of darkness rose off from his body and Dentro looked away from Torrin and Boreas to gaze at the swirling sky of the world's heart above them. "I wonder what that'll be like... Maybe then...maybe in another life I'd get a chance to tell them...right? Yeah...that'd be good." In moments Dentro's body faded away leaving nothing behind. Torrin shook his head and opened a portal for himself and Boreas to leave. Torrin was the first to step through, saying nothing upon his exit as he was unable to express how he felt about it all. When the two headed through the portal they wound up on the same hill as the others, portaling in only several feet away from Takehiko, Tinarah, and Chrono. Torrin was relieved to see the three still alive and well but did nothing to greet them other than give them a slight nod of acknowledgement. His mind turned towards the others off in another world. He wanted to reunite but they all looked tired and were in need of rest before pressing on. Still, he wished to check in on them even if it was just to sate his own growing anxiety. Boreas gained 3 Levels! Boreas gained 1 Spell and 2 Upgrades (up to third tier). Boreas learned a new keyblade transformation! Torrin gained 1 Level! Claim your rewards in the OOC Thread!
"No. I get it." Avra glanced over at Chrysanthemum. "It's just nice to know that, at least in some way, someone else understands what it's like." She went silent as the group finally approached the mansion. Avra pushed open the gate, covered in overgrowth from the vines that had been left unattended for who knows how long. The gate squeaked loudly as she pushed on it and entered the courtyard. Standing just outside the mansion's entry doors was their master. The Light Chaser stepped forward and blue eyes flashed from under his hood. "Good. I trust that you are all prepared for what is at hand then, correct?" "But what exactly will be our test, master?" Koa questioned anxiously. "There is but one test conducted to attain the Mark of Mastery." The man spoke. "The true nature of a person comes out in the face of adversity or, in this case, through combat with an opponent of equal or superior skill. Those who fail are those who succumb to emotions such as desperation, fear, and anger." The Light Chaser paused and slowly extended his right arm out towards them and pointed his finger right at Chrys. "As my first student, you will have the privilege of being tested first. Given that there are an odd number of you, I will step in to administer this exam myself." "She's fighting you!?" Koa exclaimed. "The purpose of this test is not to win but merely assess the depths of what you are on a base, almost primal, level." The Light Chaser explained calmly in a quiet tone. "Chrysanthemum, are you ready? When you are you need simply come right at me and attack with everything you have. There are no restrictions. You may use everything at your disposal during the exam." The Master clasped his hands behind his back and awaited his student's response.
Thallasa placed her hand on Illiana's shoulder when the girl sped up to catch up with her. Thallasa said nothing as she knew that Illiana just needed time to process the sudden knowledge that Glyde was gone. They all did. Now that they had just begun to enter the forest and the sun continued to set she felt that the time for rest was coming. Her ear was kept open to the conversation going on behind her between Aria and Qamar. True to what she had already been thinking of, the group needed rest. "It will be dark soon. Qamar be able to see in the dark without magic but the rest of us cannot. We will have better luck finding Hen Wen in the morning." Thallasa paused. "Besides, I know we all need rest and time to process what has happened. I will not be forcing all of you beyond what is necessary. That would be cruel." "I hope Hen Wen is alright...she's all alone out here." Taran spoke quietly. "We're far away from the Horned King. I'm sure she will be okay for the night, Taran." Eilonwy placed her hand on Taran's shoulder. The boy smiled slightly in response and nodded. "Well if we're resting then I can set camp here! A bard is always prepared for any occasion! Uh...except getting captured." Without another word, Fflam began to gather dry twigs and stones to set up for a campfire. "Well I can conjure some tents up then. I suppose the world order can keep itself together if I allow us this small indulgence." Thallasa smiled faintly. "I think we've all earned some decent rest. So that's..." She counted the group. "Seven of us. Seven tents it is." She withdrew seven small golden crystals from her pocket and began setting them down in a circular pattern around the campfire Fflam was making, giving them all enough room from each other to give each person privacy. Once the crystals were set she snapped her fingers and in a puff of magic smoke seven fully set tents sprouted from the crystals. "Whoa!" Taran's eyes widened in amazement. "You're quite the master magician, madam!" Fflam complimented, looking away from the growing flames of the fire he had started.
Dentro had tried to put up some resistance to Boreas's attacks but as the fight wore on it was clear he could no longer keep up and soon Dentro was down and was no longer even resisting the punishment Boreas continued to dish out. Seeing that Dentro's body was beginning to fade to the darkness Torrin stepped in and gripped Boreas by the shoulder to halt his attacks. "That's enough. He's done. You've finished the battle and we won." Torrin spoke calmly. "He's through and he'll be gone in a matter of seconds. I don't feel anything left for us here to fight so we can get out of here already." As he spoke he looked down at Dentro. His wounds were slowly healing but just the sheer effort of it only made the trails of darkness rising from his body thicken. "Haha...funny...I only ever wanted to kill more Heartless...to think I became one just to squander this power...What a waste..." Dentro spoke weakly. He struggled to lift his hand and blinked at it now that he could start to see right through it. "The Light Chaser told me that if I joined him we could stop it. All of it. No more Heartless. No more worlds falling...I just had to help him get rid of all the darkness in every realm. It sounded so far-fetched but when I saw his power...man...that power. If he couldn't stop the Heartless for good then who could? I never really had a family but the other students...they were close enough...it's too bad...I never got to tell them that..." His arm was mostly gone now by the time he made a pause to catch his breath. "Yo...Torrin? You're an expert on darkness aren't ya? What...what'll h-happen to me?" His eyes were wide and his hands began to shake as he spoke. Torrin had not expected an answer like that but, even as much as he had once despised the man before him Torrin felt some pang of empathy for him, however slight. "I don't know. Some say we return to Kingdom Hearts but others say our...souls persist and we are reborn to begin a new life in another place, in another time." "Hah...I like the sound of that." Flecks of darkness rose off from his body and Dentro looked away from Torrin and Boreas to gaze at the swirling sky of the world's heart above them. "I wonder what that'll be like... Maybe then...maybe in another life I'd get a chance to tell them...right? Yeah...that'd be good." In moments Dentro's body faded away leaving nothing behind. Torrin shook his head and opened a portal for himself and Boreas to leave. Torrin was the first to step through, saying nothing upon his exit as he was unable to express how he felt about it all. When the two headed through the portal they wound up on the same hill as the others, portaling in only several feet away from Takehiko, Tinarah, and Chrono. Torrin was relieved to see the three still alive and well but did nothing to greet them other than give them a slight nod of acknowledgement. His mind turned towards the others off in another world. He wanted to reunite but they all looked tired and were in need of rest before pressing on. Still, he wished to check in on them even if it was just to sate his own growing anxiety.
"Oooo. Neat." He fell just as he said those words, having appeared to have lose his concentration when he realized that she hadn't used magic. "Oomph!" He let out a low groan. "Ouch." His eyes flicked over to the time. One minute remained. "Sorry. Guess I wasted a lot of time chatting with you. Sorry. Wait I already said that." He rolled to the side to once more get distance from Karina and stumbled as he regained his footing. Arctus tapped his keyblade to the ground and swept upwards, once more sending sparks Karina's way as he leapt into a barrage of attacks, following the same pattern as before in his movements.
"Oooo. Neat." He fell just as he said those words, having appeared to have lose his concentration when he realized that she hadn't used magic. "Oomph!" He let out a low groan. "Ouch." His eyes flicked over to the time. One minute remained. "Sorry. Guess I wasted a lot of time chatting with you. Sorry. Wait I already said that." He rolled to the side to once more get distance from Karina and stumbled as he regained his footing. Arctus tapped his keyblade to the ground and swept upwards, once more sending sparks Karina's way as he leapt into a barrage of attacks, following the same pattern as before in his movements.
Arctus did a standing block to hold his ground just as Karina rushed him with some sort of magical barrier thing. It pushed him back and knocked him off balance making him fall over but he recovered quickly enough. "Huh...you might not intend it that way but those words actually hurt." But why did they? He didn't want to press the matter mentally anymore. Not when he needed to focus on the here and now. "Thought we said no magic! Ah. Well it's okay. I know this is important to you." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I pass this test or not. It really doesn't. I came to stand by someone I believe innnnaaaannnddd that turned sappy real fast. You can pretend I said something else. Gr! Battle!" Arctus swiped his blade upwards cutting into the floor and sending sparks at Karina before rushing at her again to cut at her with attacks coming in from multiple angles.
Arctus did a standing block to hold his ground just as Karina rushed him with some sort of magical barrier thing. It pushed him back and knocked him off balance making him fall over but he recovered quickly enough. "Huh...you might not intend it that way but those words actually hurt." But why did they? He didn't want to press the matter mentally anymore. Not when he needed to focus on the here and now. "Thought we said no magic! Ah. Well it's okay. I know this is important to you." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I pass this test or not. It really doesn't. I came to stand by someone I believe innnnaaaannnddd that turned sappy real fast. You can pretend I said something else. Gr! Battle!" Arctus swiped his blade upwards cutting into the floor and sending sparks at Karina before rushing at her again to cut at her with attacks coming in from multiple angles.
"Whoa!" Arctus took the first hit Karina launched at him but as she tried to knock him down he held up his keyblade to block the blow. Being in mid-air, this still sent him crashing into the ground. He recovered quickly and brushed himself off. "A little more desperate than anticipated." He muttered under his breath as he turned to face her and began parrying her blows as she dealt them, the clashing of their blades ringing throughout the room. "What? We're not friends? I know we don't have history but..." Arctus called off his keyblade the instant after Karina swung at him again and ducked under her blade. Before she could recover he rushed her to tackle Karina to the ground. Rather than attack her again he rolled to the side to make some distance between them and recalled his keyblade. "You know...a thought came to mind. I can almost imagine how livid you'd be if I just started running around the room until time ran out. I know I could run for that long. I've got stamina for daaayyyssss...but...I don't know. Just a random thought. Sorry. I thought it was funny." He rambled, choosing to talk instead of fight. "Oh...right. Fine. Fiiiiine. I'll take this seriously." Without any further ado he leapt at Karina and brought his blade down at her.
"Whoa!" Arctus took the first hit Karina launched at him but as she tried to knock him down he held up his keyblade to block the blow. Being in mid-air, this still sent him crashing into the ground. He recovered quickly and brushed himself off. "A little more desperate than anticipated." He muttered under his breath as he turned to face her and began parrying her blows as she dealt them, the clashing of their blades ringing throughout the room. "What? We're not friends? I know we don't have history but..." Arctus called off his keyblade the instant after Karina swung at him again and ducked under her blade. Before she could recover he rushed her to tackle Karina to the ground. Rather than attack her again he rolled to the side to make some distance between them and recalled his keyblade. "You know...a thought came to mind. I can almost imagine how livid you'd be if I just started running around the room until time ran out. I know I could run for that long. I've got stamina for daaayyyssss...but...I don't know. Just a random thought. Sorry. I thought it was funny." He rambled, choosing to talk instead of fight. "Oh...right. Fine. Fiiiiine. I'll take this seriously." Without any further ado he leapt at Karina and brought his blade down at her.
Arctus checked the time once more. Minutes had passed. Part of it was for contemplation over his last fight and part of it was a purposeful stalling of time. He rose to his feet and pressed his hands to his back and stretched out to pop his back. "Guess I've waited long enough." He stepped over towards the door and pushed it open towards what his next fight would be. But he knew from the beginning exactly who his last fight would be against. "Oh hey! Sorry for keeping you waiting. Did I keep you waiting long? I didn't expect to see you here! Neat! Went through all those rounds and boy were they tough! But I told you I'd be fine! So we're masters now right? That was all seven fights? Did you fight a bunch of nobodies too? Not the things that are bodies without a heart but...eh you know what I mean. The terminology of that stuff is poorly thought out." He held up his hand to count on his fingers the fights he had but stopped on the sixth. He recounted them and raised an eyebrow. "Hey wait. I only did six. Did you do six? We're fighting each other in our final round, Karina? That sucks. I feel so pressured fighting you in such an important setting. I'd rather this be a normal sparring match. You know, tire ourselves out and bond while sharing deep dark secrets about ourselves." Arctus spoke quickly and crossed his arms, frowning a little. "Ah...well. I suppose now that we're forced here it'd be insulting if I just rolled over and gave you the win, huh? I mean you want this more than I do, right?" Arctus scratched the back of his head. "Uh...sorry...rambling...I get all rambly when I'm nervous. Ehehe...ha...haha...haaaah..." His shoulders slumped. Arctus lowered his arms and summoned his keyblade before waving it around like it was some strange foreign object. "You want to keep things fair for my sake at least? No magic. In my last fight I threw this thing and realized it wouldn't come back like my sword did. That was...ah...embarrassing. Haha...I'm still getting the hang of this I guess." He laughed self-consciously. "So uh...is there any special last round ceremonial stuff we need to do before starting or do we just go at it?"
Arctus checked the time once more. Minutes had passed. Part of it was for contemplation over his last fight and part of it was a purposeful stalling of time. He rose to his feet and pressed his hands to his back and stretched out to pop his back. "Guess I've waited long enough." He stepped over towards the door and pushed it open towards what his next fight would be. But he knew from the beginning exactly who his last fight would be against. "Oh hey! Sorry for keeping you waiting. Did I keep you waiting long? I didn't expect to see you here! Neat! Went through all those rounds and boy were they tough! But I told you I'd be fine! So we're masters now right? That was all seven fights? Did you fight a bunch of nobodies too? Not the things that are bodies without a heart but...eh you know what I mean. The terminology of that stuff is poorly thought out." He held up his hand to count on his fingers the fights he had but stopped on the sixth. He recounted them and raised an eyebrow. "Hey wait. I only did six. Did you do six? We're fighting each other in our final round, Karina? That sucks. I feel so pressured fighting you in such an important setting. I'd rather this be a normal sparring match. You know, tire ourselves out and bond while sharing deep dark secrets about ourselves." Arctus spoke quickly and crossed his arms, frowning a little. "Ah...well. I suppose now that we're forced here it'd be insulting if I just rolled over and gave you the win, huh? I mean you want this more than I do, right?" Arctus scratched the back of his head. "Uh...sorry...rambling...I get all rambly when I'm nervous. Ehehe...ha...haha...haaaah..." His shoulders slumped. Arctus lowered his arms and summoned his keyblade before waving it around like it was some strange foreign object. "You want to keep things fair for my sake at least? No magic. In my last fight I threw this thing and realized it wouldn't come back like my sword did. That was...ah...embarrassing. Haha...I'm still getting the hang of this I guess." He laughed self-consciously. "So uh...is there any special last round ceremonial stuff we need to do before starting or do we just go at it?"
Torrin gripped his shoulder and called back his keyblade which had reverted back to its base state. Cure magic poured out from his hand to seal the wound in his shoulder but it still felt sore afterwards. "Hold on Boreas, I'm coming." Torrin spoke under his breath as he regained his footing and ran over to Boreas's side who was doing everything he could to keep Dentro on his toes. Several attacks Boreas threw his way were sidestepped but those that connected were quick to heal. Even as Dentro staggered back from the headbutt he grinned in confidence over his newfound abilities. He stopped Boreas's downward cut with his hands even though the keyblade dug its way into them and pushed Boreas's blade aside before delivering a swift kick to his chest. "You can't beat me!" Torrin brought his blade down on Dentro who raised a hand in preparation to catch it only for Torrin to desummon his blade and call it back into his hands when the swing had already been completed before thrusting it right into Dentro's gut. Torrin ripped the blade out and while Dentro was still heading from the attack he shifting the blade into a halberd and ran it through Dentro's chest, running forward and tipping him over to pin him to the ground. "Stay down. You're done." Torrin pulled the halberd out, reverted the blade back to normal, and stabbed him once more. The previous wound leaked darkness and appeared to be healing very slowly. "Your abilities weren't really all that impressive, were they?" "Shut up! I ain't done yet!" Without even moving Torrin's keyblade, Dentro ripped himself from it leaving a jagged gash in his body. He stood up slowly looking barely capable of holding himself up. Even as his wounds healed it was apparent he had spent most of his energy just healing himself rather than fighting back. "I'm invincible! You hear me!?" "Maybe your ego is but your body clearly isn't." Torrin mused. He looked over at Boreas. "This is just sad. It wouldn't even take both of us to finish you off now." "Shut it! I'm not done with you!" Dentro limped forward towards them but the streams of darkness rising from his body showed that he was done for. "You really just don't get it? Boreas? If you want, you can finish him off. Though I doubt he's even worth the effort."
Torrin gripped his shoulder and called back his keyblade which had reverted back to its base state. Cure magic poured out from his hand to seal the wound in his shoulder but it still felt sore afterwards. "Hold on Boreas, I'm coming." Torrin spoke under his breath as he regained his footing and ran over to Boreas's side who was doing everything he could to keep Dentro on his toes. Several attacks Boreas threw his way were sidestepped but those that connected were quick to heal. Even as Dentro staggered back from the headbutt he grinned in confidence over his newfound abilities. He stopped Boreas's downward cut with his hands even though the keyblade dug its way into them and pushed Boreas's blade aside before delivering a swift kick to his chest. "You can't beat me!" Torrin brought his blade down on Dentro who raised a hand in preparation to catch it only for Torrin to desummon his blade and call it back into his hands when the swing had already been completed before thrusting it right into Dentro's gut. Torrin ripped the blade out and while Dentro was still heading from the attack he shifting the blade into a halberd and ran it through Dentro's chest, running forward and tipping him over to pin him to the ground. "Stay down. You're done." Torrin pulled the halberd out, reverted the blade back to normal, and stabbed him once more. The previous wound leaked darkness and appeared to be healing very slowly. "Your abilities weren't really all that impressive, were they?" "Shut up! I ain't done yet!" Without even moving Torrin's keyblade, Dentro ripped himself from it leaving a jagged gash in his body. He stood up slowly looking barely capable of holding himself up. Even as his wounds healed it was apparent he had spent most of his energy just healing himself rather than fighting back. "I'm invincible! You hear me!?" "Maybe your ego is but your body clearly isn't." Torrin mused. He looked over at Boreas. "This is just sad. It wouldn't even take both of us to finish you off now." "Shut it! I'm not done with you!" Dentro limped forward towards them but the streams of darkness rising from his body showed that he was done for. "You really just don't get it? Boreas? If you want, you can finish him off. Though I doubt he's even worth the effort."
Arctus was left with an odd feeling after his last match and now that he saw who his next opponent was the pit in his stomach only sank further. "That's playing dirty." He muttered under his breath. "It's been some time. Right partner?" "You don't get to call me that, phony. Just shut your mouth and let's get this over with!" Arctus charged immediately and his blade connected with the tonfa his opponent drew out. A fist from his opponent's free hand connected with Arctus's gut forcing him backwards but he quickly recovered a spun his blade to bring enough momentum to cut into the tonfa that blocked his attack and use his leverage to force his opponent closer for a devastating kick that forced him to let go of his weapon. Before Arctus could close in his opponent pulled a pistol on him and opened fire. "Gah!" Arctus clutched his side, bloodying his hand, as he rolled out of the way from the rest of the incoming fire. "Still slow on the draw! Well let's see if that fancy weapon of yours holds a candle to my gear." He pulled out a small spherical device and threw it between them before tapping on his temple causing a visor and breathing apparatus to materialize around his face. A thick cloud of black smoke poured out from the metal sphere which completely obscured Arctus's vision and caused him to begin coughing. Arctus pulled his coat up over his mouth and nose but it helped little in preventing him from coughing in the smoke. "Dammit Peralta. Don't drag this out." Arctus squinted but he knew it wouldn't help. The sound of footsteps came behind him but when he turned all he could see was blackness and Peralta's footsteps faded off into the distance. Instinctively he ducked just before the bang of a pistol discharge echoed in the room. A bullet grazed his ear. There was another bang from behind him and this time his leg was struck. Arctus gritted his teeth and used his keyblade to keep from falling over. He let out a heaving cough and adjusted his coat once more. "Damn! Screw this! I'm not playing this game with you!" Arctus stabbed his blade into the ground and a gravitational shock wave blew back the cloud of smoke just enough to reveal the outline of his opponent. Arctus threw his keyblade at him catching him in the shoulder and knocking him over. "You've forgotten where you came from." Peralta reached for the knife in his boot and cut at Arctus's thigh the instant he came within reach. As Arctus fell over his opponent leapt on him, ready to finish the job. The sound of a blade piercing through flesh crunched in Arctus's ears as it was all over in a split second. "W-what!?" Shards of light floated off Arctus's keyblade as it had just been summoned into his hand and right through Peralta's gut. "Hah...clever..." He dropped his knife and fell to the side as Arctus's keyblade disappeared. "Don't expect me to be back a third time." He smirked. "That was a good match, right C–?" The fight was over. The digitized recreation of an old memory was gone and Arctus let out a sigh of relief now that it was over. "Damn..." He took in a deep breath and winced as he sat up. Arctus looked at the unlocked door where the last fight was to be held and then glanced at the time remaining. Everything had worked out. "Damn it..." Arctus closed his eyes and waited, counting the seconds.
Arctus was left with an odd feeling after his last match and now that he saw who his next opponent was the pit in his stomach only sank further. "That's playing dirty." He muttered under his breath. "It's been some time. Right partner?" "You don't get to call me that, phony. Just shut your mouth and let's get this over with!" Arctus charged immediately and his blade connected with the tonfa his opponent drew out. A fist from his opponent's free hand connected with Arctus's gut forcing him backwards but he quickly recovered a spun his blade to bring enough momentum to cut into the tonfa that blocked his attack and use his leverage to force his opponent closer for a devastating kick that forced him to let go of his weapon. Before Arctus could close in his opponent pulled a pistol on him and opened fire. "Gah!" Arctus clutched his side, bloodying his hand, as he rolled out of the way from the rest of the incoming fire. "Still slow on the draw! Well let's see if that fancy weapon of yours holds a candle to my gear." He pulled out a small spherical device and threw it between them before tapping on his temple causing a visor and breathing apparatus to materialize around his face. A thick cloud of black smoke poured out from the metal sphere which completely obscured Arctus's vision and caused him to begin coughing. Arctus pulled his coat up over his mouth and nose but it helped little in preventing him from coughing in the smoke. "Dammit Peralta. Don't drag this out." Arctus squinted but he knew it wouldn't help. The sound of footsteps came behind him but when he turned all he could see was blackness and Peralta's footsteps faded off into the distance. Instinctively he ducked just before the bang of a pistol discharge echoed in the room. A bullet grazed his ear. There was another bang from behind him and this time his leg was struck. Arctus gritted his teeth and used his keyblade to keep from falling over. He let out a heaving cough and adjusted his coat once more. "Damn! Screw this! I'm not playing this game with you!" Arctus stabbed his blade into the ground and a gravitational shock wave blew back the cloud of smoke just enough to reveal the outline of his opponent. Arctus threw his keyblade at him catching him in the shoulder and knocking him over. "You've forgotten where you came from." Peralta reached for the knife in his boot and cut at Arctus's thigh the instant he came within reach. As Arctus fell over his opponent leapt on him, ready to finish the job. The sound of a blade piercing through flesh crunched in Arctus's ears as it was all over in a split second. "W-what!?" Shards of light floated off Arctus's keyblade as it had just been summoned into his hand and right through Peralta's gut. "Hah...clever..." He dropped his knife and fell to the side as Arctus's keyblade disappeared. "Don't expect me to be back a third time." He smirked. "That was a good match, right C–?" The fight was over. The digitized recreation of an old memory was gone and Arctus let out a sigh of relief now that it was over. "Damn..." He took in a deep breath and winced as he sat up. Arctus looked at the unlocked door where the last fight was to be held and then glanced at the time remaining. Everything had worked out. "Damn it..." Arctus closed his eyes and waited, counting the seconds.
Chrono, Tinarah, and Takehiko gained 4 Levels! Each character gained an Ability! Aria, Illiana, and Qamar gained 2 Levels! Two of Aria and Illiana's Spells have been Upgraded! Qamar gained a Spell! All characters gained a new Keyblade Transformation! Claim your rewards in the OOC Thread. Kefka fell to his knees clutching his chest and chuckled. "Hah...haha...why can't I feel my legs? This isn't very funny!" He looked at the three who had bested him and blinked at them in confusion. "I just wanted to watch everything burn. Was that so much to ask for?" Trails of darkness rose from his body as it seemingly began to evaporate. "Joke's on you though, you stupid goody two-shoes! I get the last laugh!" Kefka stood back up and lowered his hands revealing the frozen hole where Tinarah's spell had burst through. One foot moved forward. Then another. Then another. The clown continued in a crooked limping gait towards the trio as he laughed and screeched hysterically. "Imma get'chuuuu~! I'M GOING TO STRANGLE THE LIFE OUT OF YOU LITTLE ROACHES!" With each step he took the more transparent his body began to look. Kefka sprinted right for the trio, his hands outstretched towards them maniacally cackling. Poof. Kefka was gone before he ever reached them leaving not a single trace. The wall of black flames bisecting the world's core began to fall and the gentle quaking of the ground beneath them began to settle. Before any of them could act there was a flash of light temporarily blinding them. When their sight returned Takehiko, Tinarah, and Chrono could now see that they were standing atop the hill of Edna's mansion. Torrin shifted his keyblade into an axe as he began to charge at Dentro from the opposite direction. If his last hit couldn't finish him off then Torrin decided hitting him harder would do the trick. Boreas kept Dentro busy, landing in several solid hits that caused him to stagger and even manage to knock him over. As Dentro fell to the ground he extended his hand and a bolt of darkness rushed past grazing Boreas's arm. Torrin brought down his axe on Dentro the instant he hit the ground. The axe dug deep but there was no sign of blood despite the fact that Torrin's axe had cleaved all the way through Dentro's shoulder and upper torso. "What the–" "What's the matter? You don't have the juice to finish the job?" Dentro grinned as he gripped the axe with his usable arm and tore it from his body. Torrin stepped back as he watched in shock as Dentro's body mended itself once more. In seconds his body had returned to normal as if he had never been harmed in the first place. "Gotta try harder than that!" "Let's see you recover when nothing remains!" Torrin swung the axe downward and an arc of flame rushed out from the blade engulfing Dentro in a raging inferno. Sparks crackled around his weapon as he readied another spell and as Torrin raised his axe to hit Dentro once more a black ray pierced through the flames and struck Torrin through his shoulder forcing him to drop his keyblade. Dentro stepped through the flames, burns already vanishing from his body as he brushed himself off. He wiped off a bead of sweat from his forehead. "That one...almost...stung." Dentro spoke between short deep breaths. "Good work, everyone." Thallasa looked at Aria then over at the group who originated from this world to ensure that they were alright before checking on Qamar and Illiana. Perhaps a little worse for wear, but they all seemed to be doing fine. "The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can rest up and find our way to Hen Wen." She led them out of the tunnel and pointed over towards the forest the rocky cliff face was overlooking. "Our best lead is that she is somewhere in or beyond that forest." It was either follow the directions of a shady character or search blindly and Thallasa was not about to send the students out alone to spread out in the search of a pig. "Come on." Orange rays of light could be seen in the distance from beyond the heavy veil of clouds that blanketed the castle skies. The sun was setting over the rest of the world even if the gloomy dim lighting above them never changed. Thallasa headed down the barren landscape. Now that the guards had been cleared out, the air of urgency from before had dissipated.
Kefka fell to his knees clutching his chest and chuckled. "Hah...haha...why can't I feel my legs? This isn't very funny!" He looked at the three who had bested him and blinked at them in confusion. "I just wanted to watch everything burn. Was that so much to ask for?" Trails of darkness rose from his body as it seemingly began to evaporate. "Joke's on you though, you stupid goody two-shoes! I get the last laugh!" Kefka stood back up and lowered his hands revealing the frozen hole where Tinarah's spell had burst through. One foot moved forward. Then another. Then another. The clown continued in a crooked limping gait towards the trio as he laughed and screeched hysterically. "Imma get'chuuuu~! I'M GOING TO STRANGLE THE LIFE OUT OF YOU LITTLE ROACHES!" With each step he took the more transparent his body began to look. Kefka sprinted right for the trio, his hands outstretched towards them maniacally cackling. Poof. Kefka was gone before he ever reached them leaving not a single trace. The wall of black flames bisecting the world's core began to fall and the gentle quaking of the ground beneath them began to settle. Before any of them could act there was a flash of light temporarily blinding them. When their sight returned Takehiko, Tinarah, and Chrono could now see that they were standing atop the hill of Edna's mansion.
Torrin shifted his keyblade into an axe as he began to charge at Dentro from the opposite direction. If his last hit couldn't finish him off then Torrin decided hitting him harder would do the trick. Boreas kept Dentro busy, landing in several solid hits that caused him to stagger and even manage to knock him over. As Dentro fell to the ground he extended his hand and a bolt of darkness rushed past grazing Boreas's arm. Torrin brought down his axe on Dentro the instant he hit the ground. The axe dug deep but there was no sign of blood despite the fact that Torrin's axe had cleaved all the way through Dentro's shoulder and upper torso. "What the–" "What's the matter? You don't have the juice to finish the job?" Dentro grinned as he gripped the axe with his usable arm and tore it from his body. Torrin stepped back as he watched in shock as Dentro's body mended itself once more. In seconds his body had returned to normal as if he had never been harmed in the first place. "Gotta try harder than that!" "Let's see you recover when nothing remains!" Torrin swung the axe downward and an arc of flame rushed out from the blade engulfing Dentro in a raging inferno. Sparks crackled around his weapon as he readied another spell and as Torrin raised his axe to hit Dentro once more a black ray pierced through the flames and struck Torrin through his shoulder forcing him to drop his keyblade. Dentro stepped through the flames, burns already vanishing from his body as he brushed himself off. He wiped off a bead of sweat from his forehead. "That one...almost...stung." Dentro spoke between short deep breaths.
"Good work, everyone." Thallasa looked at Aria then over at the group who originated from this world to ensure that they were alright before checking on Qamar and Illiana. Perhaps a little worse for wear, but they all seemed to be doing fine. "The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can rest up and find our way to Hen Wen." She led them out of the tunnel and pointed over towards the forest the rocky cliff face was overlooking. "Our best lead is that she is somewhere in or beyond that forest." It was either follow the directions of a shady character or search blindly and Thallasa was not about to send the students out alone to spread out in the search of a pig. "Come on." Orange rays of light could be seen in the distance from beyond the heavy veil of clouds that blanketed the castle skies. The sun was setting over the rest of the world even if the gloomy dim lighting above them never changed. Thallasa headed down the barren landscape. Now that the guards had been cleared out, the air of urgency from before had dissipated.
"Are you well, miss?" The android calmly questioned Lydia. Ace glanced over at Grav while holding back Xy, having heard the other prisoner quietly question what they could do. Unfortunately, before Ace could respond Xy had pulled herself from his grip and tried to walk away before turning around to get a surprise attack in. Her aggression level and expression on her face when she turned away had already given him a ninety-one percent chance of her turning back to attack and, predictably, she did. What he didn't predict was that she would hit someone else. Judging by their similarities this human who was knocked over was related to the other who had asked for Ace to allow the women to fight. "Let them fight? That kind of reasoning is why you're here and not free." He responded towards James just as Xy charged at the human who retaliated against her. Ace stepped in her way and held the woman back. "C'as don se ras kaid!" Ace lowered his voice further so only she could hear before speaking again. "There is no honor in getting yourself killed here and it does nothing for your people." If she calmed down he would have released her and stepped back to give her space.
"Are you well, miss?" The android calmly questioned Lydia. Ace glanced over at Grav while holding back Xy, having heard the other prisoner quietly question what they could do. Unfortunately, before Ace could respond Xy had pulled herself from his grip and tried to walk away before turning around to get a surprise attack in. Her aggression level and expression on her face when she turned away had already given him a ninety-one percent chance of her turning back to attack and, predictably, she did. What he didn't predict was that she would hit someone else. Judging by their similarities this human who was knocked over was related to the other who had asked for Ace to allow the women to fight. "Let them fight? That kind of reasoning is why you're here and not free." He responded towards James just as Xy charged at the human who retaliated against her. Ace stepped in her way and held the woman back. "C'as don se ras kaid!" Ace lowered his voice further so only she could hear before speaking again. "There is no honor in getting yourself killed here and it does nothing for your people." If she calmed down he would have released her and stepped back to give her space.
Thallasa noticed the students were really hurting and decided now was the time to finally heal them all. She casted Cure and the powerful green glow of her magic enveloped the girls bringing them back up to shape. As the master knocked out several more thugs the tide had sharply turned in their favor and before them were four of the Horned King's goons nervously holding their ground. Thallasa spun her keyblade and made it disappear, giving a small smirk. She motioned for the others to put an end to the fight so they could finally move on. HP: 122/200 AP: 0/100 MP: 15/90 Round 3 Aria Illiana Qamar Thallasa Enemies Remaining: 4 Thugs (20 AP) Aria took 18 Damage! (63/95HP) Illiana dodged! Counter Heal activated! (60/60HP) Qamar took 17 Damage! (36/70HP) Thallasa took 35 Damage! (87/200HP) Rainbow Glow – Aria casts an armor of light on the party that lasts for 3 turns. Their defenses are increased by 30%. HP: 63/95 AP: 48/48+30 MP: 5/30 DP: 2/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard White Mage Link Boost Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Sonic Blade Vicinity Break STATUS Watera: 1 Turn Rainbow Glow: 1 Turn Gaia's Bane: 2 Turns Counter Heal – Illiana's Evasion is permanently raised by 1 Tier. Whenever Illiana dodges an attack she automatically regains 10 HP. HP: 60/60 AP: 60/60 MP: 14/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus Black Mage Second Chance Defender MP Rage Black Wizard Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll STATUS Rainbow Glow: 1 Turn Serenity – When low on MP Qamar's defense is increased 15%. HP: 36/70 AP: 60/60+10 MP: 5/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus Second Chance Finisher Plus Defender ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Sonic Blade STATUS Watera: 1 Turn Rainbow Glow: 1 Turn HP: 87/200 AP: 100/100 MP: 15/90 STATUS Rainbow Glow: 1 Turn
Thallasa noticed the students were really hurting and decided now was the time to finally heal them all. She casted Cure and the powerful green glow of her magic enveloped the girls bringing them back up to shape. As the master knocked out several more thugs the tide had sharply turned in their favor and before them were four of the Horned King's goons nervously holding their ground. Thallasa spun her keyblade and made it disappear, giving a small smirk. She motioned for the others to put an end to the fight so they could finally move on. HP: 122/200 AP: 0/100 MP: 15/90
Dentro held out his hand to create a dark barrier that stopped the magical bolts shot from Boreas's crossbow and dropped it when he came running forth to attack. "Nice try but it ain't happening." Dentro twisted to the side to avoid the first stab and jumped up to land on Boreas's glaive. Just as Dentro was going to fire off a spell right into Boreas's chest Torrin cut at Dentro from the side knocking him away from Boreas. Torrin's blade cut deep into Dentro's chest and floored him several meters away only for Dentro to almost immediately jump back to his feet to brush himself off as if nothing happened. "Oooo that almost stung!" He grinned as the cut already started to seal itself shut with dark tendrils forming around the wound. "Well he's definitely gotten faster." Torrin directed towards Boreas. "And tougher. A hit like that would've killed him." He eyed the injury that had already faded away on Dentro and narrowed his eyes at their opponent. "You up for some old fashioned tactics? I go left. You go right." "Yo! I can hear you talking over there! All the strategizing in the world ain't gonna give you losers a win! Did you see the hit I took!? I shrugged it off! Face it. I'm too tough for you!" Ignoring Dentro, Torrin glanced over at Boreas. "Ready?"
Dentro held out his hand to create a dark barrier that stopped the magical bolts shot from Boreas's crossbow and dropped it when he came running forth to attack. "Nice try but it ain't happening." Dentro twisted to the side to avoid the first stab and jumped up to land on Boreas's glaive. Just as Dentro was going to fire off a spell right into Boreas's chest Torrin cut at Dentro from the side knocking him away from Boreas. Torrin's blade cut deep into Dentro's chest and floored him several meters away only for Dentro to almost immediately jump back to his feet to brush himself off as if nothing happened. "Oooo that almost stung!" He grinned as the cut already started to seal itself shut with dark tendrils forming around the wound. "Well he's definitely gotten faster." Torrin directed towards Boreas. "And tougher. A hit like that would've killed him." He eyed the injury that had already faded away on Dentro and narrowed his eyes at their opponent. "You up for some old fashioned tactics? I go left. You go right." "Yo! I can hear you talking over there! All the strategizing in the world ain't gonna give you losers a win! Did you see the hit I took!? I shrugged it off! Face it. I'm too tough for you!" Ignoring Dentro, Torrin glanced over at Boreas. "Ready?"
"THAT IS IT. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU MEASLY MORTALS. THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHILD'S PLAY!" Kefka screeched. Dark magic began to flow from his fingers and black bolts of magic shout out from his fingertips striking both Chrono and Tinarah. The magic did no damage but caused pain to surge within their arms which would have reduced their ability to guard against Kefka's attacks. "NOW DIE!!!" The clown leapt high into the air and pointed his palms at the group before unleashing an onslaught of elemental magical attacks that rained down fire, ice, and lightning on the trio. Round 6 Chrono Tinarah Takehiko Dark Kefka HP: 299/1,000 Attack Power: 19 Break Gauge: 80 / 100% Chrono and Tinarah were inflicted with Pain! Chrono was critically hit for 57 Damage! (2/85HP) Tinarah took 32 Damage! (16/85HP) Takehiko took 26 Damage! (40/120HP) MP Rage activated! 12 Damage stored by Bad Karma! Temporis Imitatio – The more AP left unused at the end of the turn, the higher the chance Chrono will dodge an attack by leaving an afterimage of himself instead of Guarding. The Time Clone will attack with a random Active Ability Chrono has learned when activated. HP: 2/85 AP: 56/56 MP: 23/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Red Mage ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz Vicinity Break Judgment STATUS Pain MY FRIENDS! – Whenever casting Cure on someone other than herself the spell heals 15 more HP. HP: 16/85 AP: 58/58 MP: 19/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS Magic's Dance: 2 Turns PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Cure Boost Black Mage MP Haste White Mage White Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz STATUS Pain Provoke – Once per battle Takehiko can draw enemy attention from 2 allies. His defenses are boosted during this. HP: 40/120 AP: 44/44 MP: 15/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS Paladin Form: 2 Turns PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Reaction Boost MP Rage Wall ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ MP Gift STATUS Bad Karma: 12 Damage
"THAT IS IT. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU MEASLY MORTALS. THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHILD'S PLAY!" Kefka screeched. Dark magic began to flow from his fingers and black bolts of magic shout out from his fingertips striking both Chrono and Tinarah. The magic did no damage but caused pain to surge within their arms which would have reduced their ability to guard against Kefka's attacks. "NOW DIE!!!" The clown leapt high into the air and pointed his palms at the group before unleashing an onslaught of elemental magical attacks that rained down fire, ice, and lightning on the trio.
"O-of course!" Taran nodded quickly at Illiana, nervously gripping at his sword. "You can count on me to keep them safe!" As the battle between the keyblade wielders and thugs went on only one of the thugs made it past them. Fflam cried out and cowered behind Taran while Eilonwy shouted, "Taran look out!" The boy held the sword out in front of him and with no effort on his part the sword glowed brightly and tugged him forward, cutting the thug's sword in half like it was little more than wet paper and when it came in for another swing the thug screamed in pain upon being cut before turning and fleeing the battle. "Woah...I did it! Did you see? Haha! I did it!" The boy exclaimed happily. Eilonwy rolled her eyes and Fflam gave a nervous thumb's up from several feet further back into the tunnel. "Oh come on. I'll keep you safe!" He pointed proudly at himself. "N-n-no thank you! I think I shall wait here until the battle is finished!" The bard called out. Meanwhile, Thallasa had already struck down several bandits on her own, deftly taking each one out with a single blow. HP: 150/200 AP: 0/100 MP: 45/90 Enemies Defeated: 6 (1 by Taran) Round 2 Aria Illiana Qamar Thallasa Enemies Remaining: 24 Thugs (20 AP) Aria took 17 Damage! (41/95HP) Illiana took 19 Damage! (19/60HP) Qamar took 19 Damage! (13/70HP) Thallasa took 28 Damage! (122/200HP) Rainbow Glow – Aria casts an armor of light on the party that lasts for 3 turns. Their defenses are increased by 30%. HP: 41/95 AP: 48/48+30 MP: 5/30 DP: 2/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard White Mage Link Boost Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Sonic Blade Vicinity Break STATUS Watera: 2 Turns Rainbow Glow: 2 Turns Gaia's Bane: 3 Turns Counter Heal – Illiana's Evasion is permanently raised by 1 Tier. Whenever Illiana dodges an attack she automatically regains 10 HP. HP: 19/60 AP: 60/60 MP: 13/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus Black Mage Second Chance Defender MP Rage Black Wizard Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll STATUS Rainbow Glow: 2 Turns Serenity – When low on MP Qamar's defense is increased 15%. HP: 13/70 AP: 60/60+10 MP: 5/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus Second Chance Finisher Plus Defender ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Sonic Blade STATUS Watera: 2 Turns Serenity Rainbow Glow: 2 Turns HP: 122/200 AP: 100/100 MP: 45/90 STATUS Rainbow Glow: 2 Turns
"O-of course!" Taran nodded quickly at Illiana, nervously gripping at his sword. "You can count on me to keep them safe!" As the battle between the keyblade wielders and thugs went on only one of the thugs made it past them. Fflam cried out and cowered behind Taran while Eilonwy shouted, "Taran look out!" The boy held the sword out in front of him and with no effort on his part the sword glowed brightly and tugged him forward, cutting the thug's sword in half like it was little more than wet paper and when it came in for another swing the thug screamed in pain upon being cut before turning and fleeing the battle. "Woah...I did it! Did you see? Haha! I did it!" The boy exclaimed happily. Eilonwy rolled her eyes and Fflam gave a nervous thumb's up from several feet further back into the tunnel. "Oh come on. I'll keep you safe!" He pointed proudly at himself. "N-n-no thank you! I think I shall wait here until the battle is finished!" The bard called out. Meanwhile, Thallasa had already struck down several bandits on her own, deftly taking each one out with a single blow. HP: 150/200 AP: 0/100 MP: 45/90 Enemies Defeated: 6 (1 by Taran)
"Down goes Melus and here comessss..." Arctus kicked open the next door leading to his new opponent to find himself face to face with Lea. "Old man? Long time no see...yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "Wasn't expecting you. I'd give you a progress report but you're not really here. Don't worry, old man. I've got a handle on things." Arctus spun his keyblade in his hand and smirked. "Still...it would've been fun if I had been put up against you in your prime. Oh well. Can't lament about what ifs." A fire spell came his way and Arctus charged forward, cutting through the wave of flame with his keyblade and brought his blade down onto Lea who just barely managed to stop his attack by holding his chakrams up in a static block. "No hard feelings, boss." Arctus kneed Lea in the gut and jammed his keyblade into one of Lea's chakrams before ripping it out of his hand and sending it flying off to the opposite end of the room. Lea jumped back to get some distance before Arctus could continue the assault. Pillars of fire erupted around the two and the floor was soon covered in flame. Lea leapt backwards and disappeared behind the wall of fire leaving Arctus alone in the center. He wiped off a bead of sweat from his brow as the air continued to heat up leaving his throat and even his eyes feeling dry. And the heat only continued to intensify. Suddenly Lea came zooming in at an extreme speed with flames trailing behind him. Arctus barely managed to roll away but even that action caused him to burn his coat and cause him pain. Lea disappeared behind the flaming wall once more only to reappear leaping down at Arctus from a different angle an instant later. Reacting purely out of instinct Arctus swung his blade upwards catching Lea mid-air and sent him reeling onto the floor. The flaming arena dissipated but Lea wasn't ready to give up the fight. The two clashed blades in rapid succession and Lea attempted to gain the upper hand by hastily headbutting Arctus who in turn retaliating by immediately doing the same and tackling Lea to the ground. Their weapons were torn from their grip and the fight devolved into a messy affair. Arctus wound up on top and proceeded to beat the daylights out of Lea's digitized representation until it was all over. "Dammit Lea..." Arctus muttered as he caught his breath. He held out his hand towards his fallen keyblade and called it back to his hand. After taking a moment to regain his composure he headed off to his next fight.
"Down goes Melus and here comessss..." Arctus kicked open the next door leading to his new opponent to find himself face to face with Lea. "Old man? Long time no see...yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "Wasn't expecting you. I'd give you a progress report but you're not really here. Don't worry, old man. I've got a handle on things." Arctus spun his keyblade in his hand and smirked. "Still...it would've been fun if I had been put up against you in your prime. Oh well. Can't lament about what ifs." A fire spell came his way and Arctus charged forward, cutting through the wave of flame with his keyblade and brought his blade down onto Lea who just barely managed to stop his attack by holding his chakrams up in a static block. "No hard feelings, boss." Arctus kneed Lea in the gut and jammed his keyblade into one of Lea's chakrams before ripping it out of his hand and sending it flying off to the opposite end of the room. Lea jumped back to get some distance before Arctus could continue the assault. Pillars of fire erupted around the two and the floor was soon covered in flame. Lea leapt backwards and disappeared behind the wall of fire leaving Arctus alone in the center. He wiped off a bead of sweat from his brow as the air continued to heat up leaving his throat and even his eyes feeling dry. And the heat only continued to intensify. Suddenly Lea came zooming in at an extreme speed with flames trailing behind him. Arctus barely managed to roll away but even that action caused him to burn his coat and cause him pain. Lea disappeared behind the flaming wall once more only to reappear leaping down at Arctus from a different angle an instant later. Reacting purely out of instinct Arctus swung his blade upwards catching Lea mid-air and sent him reeling onto the floor. The flaming arena dissipated but Lea wasn't ready to give up the fight. The two clashed blades in rapid succession and Lea attempted to gain the upper hand by hastily headbutting Arctus who in turn retaliating by immediately doing the same and tackling Lea to the ground. Their weapons were torn from their grip and the fight devolved into a messy affair. Arctus wound up on top and proceeded to beat the daylights out of Lea's digitized representation until it was all over. "Dammit Lea..." Arctus muttered as he caught his breath. He held out his hand towards his fallen keyblade and called it back to his hand. After taking a moment to regain his composure he headed off to his next fight.
Ace had thought that the Rami and Human girls would not get into a fight over political affairs considering the Rami hadn't immediately acted aggressive. Still, the situation wasn't totally unsalvageable and he took it upon himself to keep the Rami from continuing the fight by gripping Xy by her arm. He easily held her back away from Lydia and gave one short squeeze on her arm to let her know he was capable of using more force if necessary. "Obviously the human was ignorant of the plight of your people. Fighting, however, does not change the situation. We are stuck with each other for the foreseeable future and infighting is a useless endeavor. So if you assist in changing the situation we're in you will cease this nonsense." Ace spoke calmly with a weight of authority in his voice.
Ace had thought that the Rami and Human girls would not get into a fight over political affairs considering the Rami hadn't immediately acted aggressive. Still, the situation wasn't totally unsalvageable and he took it upon himself to keep the Rami from continuing the fight by gripping Xy by her arm. He easily held her back away from Lydia and gave one short squeeze on her arm to let her know he was capable of using more force if necessary. "Obviously the human was ignorant of the plight of your people. Fighting, however, does not change the situation. We are stuck with each other for the foreseeable future and infighting is a useless endeavor. So if you assist in changing the situation we're in you will cease this nonsense." Ace spoke calmly with a weight of authority in his voice.
Torrin eyed the new emblem on Dentro's arm and raised an eyebrow. "You're a Heartless now? Can't say I'm surprised. From the moment I met you I could smell how rotten you really were." "I s'pose it's ironic I became one, huh?" Dentro grinned and flexed his arms back. "But I ain't complainin'. I gots all sorts of new power now! I've never felt better and I don't even need my keyblade to kill you and your friend there! So bring it on!" A dark aura surrounded Dentro and continued to grow until it towered over him. Even if he was cocky the strength he began to put on display for Torrin and Boreas was anything but a farce. In the blink of an eye he closed the distance between himself and the two before creating an explosion of dark energy that sent both of them flying backwards. "Now let's play! First one to die loses!" Kefka cackled as the battle went on. "Round and round the cycle goes where it ends nobody knows!" He bounced around, hopping around the trio as he laughed wildly, clutching his gut as he ran and hovering every couple of steps as he glided along his path. "How long do you kids think you can keep it up? You'll be dead soon so why keep trying?" Round 5 Chrono Tinarah Takehiko Dark Kefka HP: 527/1,000 Attack Power: 19 Break Gauge: 70 / 100% Chrono took 26 Damage! (59/85HP) Tinarah took 18 Damage! (41/85HP) Takehiko took 24 Damage! (59/120HP) MP Rage activated! Temporis Imitatio – The more AP left unused at the end of the turn, the higher the chance Chrono will dodge an attack by leaving an afterimage of himself instead of Guarding. The Time Clone will attack with a random Active Ability Chrono has learned when activated. HP: 59/85 AP: 56/56 MP: 17/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Red Mage ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz Vicinity Break Judgment STATUS Solar Surfer: 1 Turn MY FRIENDS! – Whenever casting Cure on someone other than herself the spell heals 15 more HP. HP: 41/85 AP: 58/58 MP: 13/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Cure Boost Black Mage MP Haste White Mage White Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz STATUS Super: 1 Turn Provoke – Once per battle Takehiko can draw enemy attention from 2 allies. His defenses are boosted during this. HP: 59/120 AP: 44/44 MP: 5/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Reaction Boost MP Rage Wall ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ MP Gift STATUS Super: 1 Turn Avra's face softened when Chrys approached her and the girl gave a slight nod in response. "Yeah...of course. I know that." She spoke lowly. "It feels so far away now, you know? When the Light Chaser recruited me he had just saved me from Heartless that were drawn to my keyblade. I wasn't a stranger to them because both of my sisters had keyblades but they weren't home and I was. My home was nearly destroyed and if he hadn't shown up...well you get the gist." She sighed. Now that they were back in town and the dark mansion loomed in the distance, her eyes fixed on their destination. "I wanted to tell them I was alive but it was either that or follow the Master on his mission. They would have never have approved of the Light Chaser's methods but I made my choice and I wouldn't change it but it hasn't been easy. Maybe once the Heartless are all gone for good they'll accept that I made the right choice."
Torrin eyed the new emblem on Dentro's arm and raised an eyebrow. "You're a Heartless now? Can't say I'm surprised. From the moment I met you I could smell how rotten you really were."
Avra's face softened when Chrys approached her and the girl gave a slight nod in response. "Yeah...of course. I know that." She spoke lowly. "It feels so far away now, you know? When the Light Chaser recruited me he had just saved me from Heartless that were drawn to my keyblade. I wasn't a stranger to them because both of my sisters had keyblades but they weren't home and I was. My home was nearly destroyed and if he hadn't shown up...well you get the gist." She sighed. Now that they were back in town and the dark mansion loomed in the distance, her eyes fixed on their destination. "I wanted to tell them I was alive but it was either that or follow the Master on his mission. They would have never have approved of the Light Chaser's methods but I made my choice and I wouldn't change it but it hasn't been easy. Maybe once the Heartless are all gone for good they'll accept that I made the right choice."
Arctus dusted his hands off once Luther was down. "I suppose illusions don't really do well against area of effect attacks, do they?" He mused. "That's good to know." He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. "Unlike you, I understand the gravity of the sitch. ...I should really stop saying things like that, huh? Not really any point in acting the part in front of phonies." He shrugged and continued on to push his way through into the next match. "Oh? Yet another member of the Black Coats? Not exactly a trip down memory lane, huh Melus? If memory serves, you won't be any more difficult to bring down than Luther."
Arctus dusted his hands off once Luther was down. "I suppose illusions don't really do well against area of effect attacks, do they?" He mused. "That's good to know." He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. "Unlike you, I understand the gravity of the sitch. ...I should really stop saying things like that, huh? Not really any point in acting the part in front of phonies." He shrugged and continued on to push his way through into the next match. "Oh? Yet another member of the Black Coats? Not exactly a trip down memory lane, huh Melus? If memory serves, you won't be any more difficult to bring down than Luther."
Yay. A Decade nomination. Not the one I expected.
You'll never get that super cool Riku pin now.
