Torrin looked over at Boreas and shook his head. "No. I've just seen too many worlds fall already. Far too many." He let out a sigh. Torrin took one last look back at the wall of flame and stepped away from it to get away from the noise of it. "I still don't get it." Torrin stated after a moment of thought after glancing over Boreas's way quizzically. Torrin's eyes shifted forward once more as he scanned the darkened heart of the world's landscape. "I was gone six years and it still feels like I've learned nothing." He said it with a hint of dark humor in his tone. "This world might fall, we're separated from the others, and I'm sensing something powerful up ahead so...This seems like a perfect chance to ask something." Torrin started walking, choosing not to face Boreas as he continued to speak. "I have spent a lot of time wondering how I'd explain it all to you and, in the end, I've always known there's not going to be something I can come up with that would have been a good enough excuse. The simple fact that you've shown me any friendship or loyalty is confusing. I ran from my responsibilities." He stopped and looked around. The darkness he sensed was no longer directly ahead but to their left. It had moved. Torrin's eyes narrowed and he changed direction to continue to follow his senses. "So, I must ask...why? Why haven't you told me off yet?"
Torrin looked over at Boreas and shook his head. "No. I've just seen too many worlds fall already. Far too many." He let out a sigh. Torrin took one last look back at the wall of flame and stepped away from it to get away from the noise of it. "I still don't get it." Torrin stated after a moment of thought after glancing over Boreas's way quizzically. Torrin's eyes shifted forward once more as he scanned the darkened heart of the world's landscape. "I was gone six years and it still feels like I've learned nothing." He said it with a hint of dark humor in his tone. "This world might fall, we're separated from the others, and I'm sensing something powerful up ahead so...This seems like a perfect chance to ask something." Torrin started walking, choosing not to face Boreas as he continued to speak. "I have spent a lot of time wondering how I'd explain it all to you and, in the end, I've always known there's not going to be something I can come up with that would have been a good enough excuse. The simple fact that you've shown me any friendship or loyalty is confusing. I ran from my responsibilities." He stopped and looked around. The darkness he sensed was no longer directly ahead but to their left. It had moved. Torrin's eyes narrowed and he changed direction to continue to follow his senses. "So, I must ask...why? Why haven't you told me off yet?"
Torrin stepped over towards Tinarah to take a look at the paper scrap she was holding and shook his head, clearly uninterested. "Doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile right now." He muttered. "The name Chryssa doesn't ring a bell to me either." Torrin walked away from the others and headed over towards Boreas. There was enough light to see in this place but he knew that if they were going to find the rest of the Heartless that were plaguing this world they would have the best chance of spotting it. However, before Torrin could say a word the world's core began to shake violently. Torrin nearly lost his balance and only managed to keep from falling over by planting his keyblade into the ground mid-stride. "What the–" A massive wall of dark flame tore through the floor beneath them and bisected the world's core leaving Torrin and Boreas on one side and the younger keyblade wielders on the other. The flames began to rise ever higher until there seemed to be no end to their height. Flying over was no longer an option. "Dammit! This world's stability is falling faster than I thought." "So much for planning." He muttered. "Hey! Take! Tinarah! Chrono! If you can hear me then find the source of darkness on your end and we'll do the same here!" His voice would just barely been audible through the roaring flames. Torrin had no idea how things would work out and his hopes to save this world were beginning to dwindle at the sight of the black flames before him. "Damn...not this world too. Not again." "Even if you are right, we do not speak of our own in such a way." Thallasa directed towards Qamar. "Come on. We need to get moving." The "P-perhaps we should get out of here instead? I d-don't want to be around this cursed place any m-more." Fflam stuttered, clutching his instrument tightly as he looked around the dark scenery as if he expected something else to come out from the shadows and surprise them. Having little patience Thallasa started walking and only paused to say to the bard, "Would you rather walk alone while you're still in the castle's shadow or follow us?" She continued walking and, not wanting to be left behind, Fflam hurried off after her without another word of complaint. Thallasa had begun heading back to the entrance where they entered from. "Glyde was cut off saying 'I need', not 'we need'. If Dallben had been in danger along with him then..." She trailed off and scratched her chin. The elderly mad had acted strangely when they saw him again and his mannerisms had changed. Even for the little time they had interacted, there was definitely something off about him. She had shrugged it off as a side-effect of being captured but she began to doubt that more and more the further her mind explored the possibilities. Surely she would have been warned of the existence of such powerful illusions. Thallasa sighed and pressed on as they rounded a corner around the castle. She froze in her tracks upon seeing it. "No..." Laying on the ground before them was Glyde's keyblade with shards of light evaporating from the blade as it began to fade away. The boy's brown cloak lay tattered on the ground with Glyde nowhere to be seen. "No wonder you know how to fight so well." Taran commented. "Do you think that...one day...Uh...never mind." "I've never met a lady knight before." Eilonwy looked back over at Illiana and smiled before she continued to lead the way forward. "I'm not sure where these lead. I think these used to be hallways that were in better shape when the great king who built this castle was still alive." She stopped walking upon finding a stone wall with a large uneven hole broken into it. The path would have normally been a dead end but the hole appeared just large enough for the three of them to crawl through. "Come on. I think we're almost out!" Just as quickly as she spoke she disappeared into the the hole. Taran looked at Illiana and shrugged before following after Eilonwy and entering an ancient dusty tomb that was filled with curtains of cobwebs and a thick layer of dust on every surface. "This must be the king's tomb." Eilonwy spoke quietly. "Whoa...he must have been a great warrior..." As Eilonwy searched the room for some kind of exit Taran began to approach the old stone tomb where a carving of the king's body was etched into the coffin's lid holding a sword. "Hm..?" Curious to see if it was real, the boy dusted off the handle revealing a gold jewel encrusted hilt. "A sword! A real sword!" He said excitedly in a hushed tone as he pulled the sword and its sheath out from the king's tomb. "Taran? What are you doing?" "What? Well he's not going to be using it." The boy sheepishly responded, his eyes fixed on his new possession.
Torrin stepped over towards Tinarah to take a look at the paper scrap she was holding and shook his head, clearly uninterested. "Doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile right now." He muttered. "The name Chryssa doesn't ring a bell to me either." Torrin walked away from the others and headed over towards Boreas. There was enough light to see in this place but he knew that if they were going to find the rest of the Heartless that were plaguing this world they would have the best chance of spotting it. However, before Torrin could say a word the world's core began to shake violently. Torrin nearly lost his balance and only managed to keep from falling over by planting his keyblade into the ground mid-stride. "What the–" A massive wall of dark flame tore through the floor beneath them and bisected the world's core leaving Torrin and Boreas on one side and the younger keyblade wielders on the other. The flames began to rise ever higher until there seemed to be no end to their height. Flying over was no longer an option. "Dammit! This world's stability is falling faster than I thought." "So much for planning." He muttered. "Hey! Take! Tinarah! Chrono! If you can hear me then find the source of darkness on your end and we'll do the same here!" His voice would just barely been audible through the roaring flames. Torrin had no idea how things would work out and his hopes to save this world were beginning to dwindle at the sight of the black flames before him. "Damn...not this world too. Not again."
"Even if you are right, we do not speak of our own in such a way." Thallasa directed towards Qamar. "Come on. We need to get moving." The "P-perhaps we should get out of here instead? I d-don't want to be around this cursed place any m-more." Fflam stuttered, clutching his instrument tightly as he looked around the dark scenery as if he expected something else to come out from the shadows and surprise them. Having little patience Thallasa started walking and only paused to say to the bard, "Would you rather walk alone while you're still in the castle's shadow or follow us?" She continued walking and, not wanting to be left behind, Fflam hurried off after her without another word of complaint. Thallasa had begun heading back to the entrance where they entered from. "Glyde was cut off saying 'I need', not 'we need'. If Dallben had been in danger along with him then..." She trailed off and scratched her chin. The elderly mad had acted strangely when they saw him again and his mannerisms had changed. Even for the little time they had interacted, there was definitely something off about him. She had shrugged it off as a side-effect of being captured but she began to doubt that more and more the further her mind explored the possibilities. Surely she would have been warned of the existence of such powerful illusions. Thallasa sighed and pressed on as they rounded a corner around the castle. She froze in her tracks upon seeing it. "No..." Laying on the ground before them was Glyde's keyblade with shards of light evaporating from the blade as it began to fade away. The boy's brown cloak lay tattered on the ground with Glyde nowhere to be seen. "No wonder you know how to fight so well." Taran commented. "Do you think that...one day...Uh...never mind." "I've never met a lady knight before." Eilonwy looked back over at Illiana and smiled before she continued to lead the way forward. "I'm not sure where these lead. I think these used to be hallways that were in better shape when the great king who built this castle was still alive." She stopped walking upon finding a stone wall with a large uneven hole broken into it. The path would have normally been a dead end but the hole appeared just large enough for the three of them to crawl through. "Come on. I think we're almost out!" Just as quickly as she spoke she disappeared into the the hole. Taran looked at Illiana and shrugged before following after Eilonwy and entering an ancient dusty tomb that was filled with curtains of cobwebs and a thick layer of dust on every surface. "This must be the king's tomb." Eilonwy spoke quietly. "Whoa...he must have been a great warrior..." As Eilonwy searched the room for some kind of exit Taran began to approach the old stone tomb where a carving of the king's body was etched into the coffin's lid holding a sword. "Hm..?" Curious to see if it was real, the boy dusted off the handle revealing a gold jewel encrusted hilt. "A sword! A real sword!" He said excitedly in a hushed tone as he pulled the sword and its sheath out from the king's tomb. "Taran? What are you doing?" "What? Well he's not going to be using it." The boy sheepishly responded, his eyes fixed on his new possession.
All but the "ACE" banner was done for Light Chaser. The information gif was pretty much done by hand. Spoiler
Tinarah, Chrono, Takehiko, and Boreas gained 1 Level! Tinarah, Chrono, and Takehiko gained 2 Spell Upgrades! (Up to Tier 2) Boreas gained 1 Spell Upgrade! (Up to Tier 2) Claim your rewards in the OOC Thread! Torrin called off his keyblade and rubbed his palms together once the battle was over. "There's still some things darker around here...but I can't pinpoint where they are." He commented as he looked around the area. The ground beneath them rippled and shifted but even as he readjusted his balance he could not see anything visibly change in the landscape before them. Torrin let out a low sigh and turned back towards the others. "Everyone holding up okay so far?" As he spoke a scrap of paper floated down towards them, its top half smoldering with purple embers. Spoiler "Oh really? Come now little old me could not have possibly have harmed your dear friend. Glyde was it? Besides," after handing Thallasa the remains of Glyde's communicator he held up his hands, "I am completely unarmed for I am but a simple pacifist. If he is as capable as you say he is I am sure a mere pedestrian such as myself could do him any harm." The man lowered his hands and frowned at the women. "Perhaps you would like my assistance in locating your friend?" Thallasa narrowed her eyes. The man talked too much to be trusted but, for now, they had little to go off of other than the fact that Glyde was still in trouble...or worse off. "No thanks. We can manage on our own." "Of course." Ardyn bowed his head slightly. "Well then, I shall be off. Fair tidings, young travelers. And do be careful. The company in these parts is less than welcoming to strangers of this world such as yourselves." "Wait what did you sa–" Before she could finish her sentence Ardyn vanished in the blink of an eye as if he was never there in the first place. "It appears that this world is no stranger to travelers from other worlds." She commented, her eyes narrowed on the spot where the man had vanished. "There's no time to worry about him. We need to keep looking for Glyde and see if Illiana's made it out yet." Eilonwy scratched her chin and looked thought for a moment before answering Illiana's question. "Oh I don't know actually. A day or two. I've only just managed to get into these tunnels and they have been such a dreadful maze to navigate. Come along now. I don't think you want to be trapped here for another minute, do you?" "Of course not!" Taran quickly headed over towards Eilonwy as she started to descend into the dirt tunnels below, the only source of light being the floating glowing orb that hovered by the princess's shoulder. "It's nice to meet other people in this dreary place. Are you a knight? Is that why you've come here?" She addressed the question to Taran but the boy looked down and shook his head slowly. "No...but my friend Illiana is a great warrior and her friends are too!" Taran explained, ducking his head underneath a low-hanging wooden support beam as he followed Eilonwy deeper into the tunnels. "Oh? Is that so?" She looked back at Illiana quizzically and tilted her head. "She doesn't look like a knight to me...but she does look like she comes from nobility. Are you a princess where you come from?"
Torrin called off his keyblade and rubbed his palms together once the battle was over. "There's still some things darker around here...but I can't pinpoint where they are." He commented as he looked around the area. The ground beneath them rippled and shifted but even as he readjusted his balance he could not see anything visibly change in the landscape before them. Torrin let out a low sigh and turned back towards the others. "Everyone holding up okay so far?" As he spoke a scrap of paper floated down towards them, its top half smoldering with purple embers.
"Oh really? Come now little old me could not have possibly have harmed your dear friend. Glyde was it? Besides," after handing Thallasa the remains of Glyde's communicator he held up his hands, "I am completely unarmed for I am but a simple pacifist. If he is as capable as you say he is I am sure a mere pedestrian such as myself could do him any harm." The man lowered his hands and frowned at the women. "Perhaps you would like my assistance in locating your friend?" Thallasa narrowed her eyes. The man talked too much to be trusted but, for now, they had little to go off of other than the fact that Glyde was still in trouble...or worse off. "No thanks. We can manage on our own." "Of course." Ardyn bowed his head slightly. "Well then, I shall be off. Fair tidings, young travelers. And do be careful. The company in these parts is less than welcoming to strangers of this world such as yourselves." "Wait what did you sa–" Before she could finish her sentence Ardyn vanished in the blink of an eye as if he was never there in the first place. "It appears that this world is no stranger to travelers from other worlds." She commented, her eyes narrowed on the spot where the man had vanished. "There's no time to worry about him. We need to keep looking for Glyde and see if Illiana's made it out yet." Eilonwy scratched her chin and looked thought for a moment before answering Illiana's question. "Oh I don't know actually. A day or two. I've only just managed to get into these tunnels and they have been such a dreadful maze to navigate. Come along now. I don't think you want to be trapped here for another minute, do you?" "Of course not!" Taran quickly headed over towards Eilonwy as she started to descend into the dirt tunnels below, the only source of light being the floating glowing orb that hovered by the princess's shoulder. "It's nice to meet other people in this dreary place. Are you a knight? Is that why you've come here?" She addressed the question to Taran but the boy looked down and shook his head slowly. "No...but my friend Illiana is a great warrior and her friends are too!" Taran explained, ducking his head underneath a low-hanging wooden support beam as he followed Eilonwy deeper into the tunnels. "Oh? Is that so?" She looked back at Illiana quizzically and tilted her head. "She doesn't look like a knight to me...but she does look like she comes from nobility. Are you a princess where you come from?"
Torrin shifted his blade into its halberd form and performed a Sonic Blade attack, dashing through the Heartless with powerful thrusts of the pole-arm with the last of the attacks placing him back near the group. At the same time Boreas seemed intent on drawing on the power from their bond which made Torrin feel a little odd but did nothing to affect his performance in battle. "Good work, everyone! Keep it up and we'll be done with these things in no time!" With a spin of the halberd he launched off two more Fire spells that ripped through the last of the Neoshadows and several Darkballs. "Almost." He muttered under his breath. Torrin looked over his shoulder for a moment to see how the others were doing. Tinarah's fighting still still bothered him but she seemed to be using it to good effect and both Chrono and Take were proving how comfortable they were in the heat of battle. Then there was Boreas. His friend's explosive magical power was enough to make Torrin eager to spar with him again. Perhaps not now but later down the road... HP: 130/160 AP: 0/76+10 MP: 32/50 DP: 5/5 Heartless Defeated: 11 Darkballs 10 Neoshadows Round 3 Torrin Chrono Tinarah Takehiko Boreas Heartless Remaining: 29 Darkballs (12AP) Torrin was critically hit for 36 Damage! (94/160HP) MP Rage activated! Chrono was protected by Takehiko! (64/85HP) Tinarah was protected by Takehiko! (37/80HP) Takehiko took 17 Damage! (78/120HP) Boreas took 24 Damage! (61/110HP) Shin-Zantetsuken – An instant attack that destroys 10 random enemies. Deals 160 fixed damage to bosses and cuts all effects down to 1 turn of duration or ends them if the effects were on their last turn. HP: 94/160 AP: 76/76+10 MP: 39/50 DP: 5/5 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus x2 MP Rage MP Hastera Doublecast Yellow Mage Yellow Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Over the Horizon Sonic Blade Strike Raid STATUS Inspiring Presence: 1 Turn 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: 64/85 AP: 54/54+10 MP: 7/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Red Mage ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz Vicinity Break Judgment STATUS Inspiring Presence: 1 Turn MY FRIENDS! – Whenever casting Cure on someone other than herself the spell heals 15 more HP. HP: 37/80 AP: 58/58+10 MP: 27/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Cure Boost Black Mage MP Haste White Mage White Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz STATUS Inspiring Presence: 1 Turn Provoke – Once per battle Takehiko can draw enemy attention from 2 allies. His defenses are boosted during this. HP: 78/120 AP: 42/42+10 MP: 25/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Reaction Boost MP Rage Wall ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ MP Gift STATUS Inspiring Presence: 1 Turn Inspiring Presence – Boreas makes a call to arms increasing the party's AP by 10 and Evasion by 1 Tier for 3 Turns. HP: 61/110 AP: 50/50+10 MP: 8/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Finisher Plus Black Mage Black Wizard Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ STATUS Inspiring Presence: 1 Turn Wrath of Darkness: 2 Turns
Torrin shifted his blade into its halberd form and performed a Sonic Blade attack, dashing through the Heartless with powerful thrusts of the pole-arm with the last of the attacks placing him back near the group. At the same time Boreas seemed intent on drawing on the power from their bond which made Torrin feel a little odd but did nothing to affect his performance in battle. "Good work, everyone! Keep it up and we'll be done with these things in no time!" With a spin of the halberd he launched off two more Fire spells that ripped through the last of the Neoshadows and several Darkballs. "Almost." He muttered under his breath. Torrin looked over his shoulder for a moment to see how the others were doing. Tinarah's fighting still still bothered him but she seemed to be using it to good effect and both Chrono and Take were proving how comfortable they were in the heat of battle. Then there was Boreas. His friend's explosive magical power was enough to make Torrin eager to spar with him again. Perhaps not now but later down the road...
BASIC INFORMATION Name: A.C. #001-E (Artificial Captain) "Ace" Crew Position: Captain Age: Unknown. He was constructed to appear as a humanoid male in his late 20s. Race: Android Birthplace: [Redacted] Constructed by Kestrel Robotics Personality: Blunt, logical, seemingly incapable of anger, and he always has an answer for everything, even when he doesn't. Though he presents himself as unfeeling and cold that could not be further from the truth. Bounty: 200,000 Units Crime: Destroyed the unmanned flagship he was designated to captain to test his abilities. He survived by jettisoning himself out an airlock where he was apprehended minutes later. APPEARANCE Hair: White Eyes: Blue Skin Color: Brown Height: 6'4" Distinguishing features: Blue electrical pulses can sometimes faintly be seen underneath his skin. (ignore the appearance inconsistency) Picture: Here (ignore the cracks) SKILL SET Weapon Proficiency: None. Programmed to be incapable of using a weapon against an organic being. Ace is capable of disarming and taking down targets in hand to hand combat. Special Skills: Enhanced strength, some piloting skill, superior tactical analysis capabilities, enhanced optics, and he is capable of learning any language given enough time. Spoken Languages: Many.
Taran was shaken when Illiana spoke to him so harshly but nodded slightly in response, narrowing his eyes a bit as his eyes burned with a newfound resolve. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself! I'm fine!" He brushed his tunic over after she released him and crossed his arms, kicking at a pebble at the ground. "But I don't know how we'll get out of here." Just then, one of the stone slabs underneath them began to shift and a girlish grunt could be heard. Light shone through the crack in the floor and the stone slab was lifted and pushed upwards and flipped over revealing a hole that lead down further below. A girl poked her head out and a glowing yellow bauble floated up alongside her head illuminating the room. She looked left. She looked right. The girl frowned as she was not facing Taran or Illiana when she popped up. "Hm. I thought I heard a noise up here." As she readied herself to go back down from where she came she caught sight of the two and smiled brightly, her glowing bauble floating over to light up the space where the two stood. "Oh! Was that you?" "Y-yeah! Yes...I..." "You both are being held prisoner aren't you?" "Yes!" Taran spoke as his eyes followed the magical orb of light that circled himself and Illiana. "It lights up!" "I'm being held against my will too. And of course it does, it's magic!" She laughed and pulled herself up to stand in the room with the other two. "Oh I hate this place. I do hope there aren't any rats in here. N-not that I really mind them, you know. I'm princess Eilonwy. And you both are?" "Uh. I-I'm Taran." The boy nervously spoke, his hand reaching for the back of his neck as he shifted awkwardly in place. "He wasn't where we last left him." Thallasa answered Aria. "If he was in trouble there would be no reason for him to enter the castle so I have to assume he might have made his way around or he was captured. In either case, I needed to make sure you were alright before moving on to continue looking for him." Eventually the trio had arrived at a point where the whistling of the wind was at its loudest. The dark path continued on for who knows how long but as Thallasa held the torch over towards the cracked stone wall the flame swooshed and danced about. "Here." She said as she lowered the torch to look through the cracks in the wall. Sure enough, wind was blowing through from the other side of the wall. Once more she placed her hand on the wall to preform the same spell as before to cut a hole for them to escape from. In seconds she was able to push down the stone bricks in the wall causing it to crumble and gave them their way out. She stepped through and found that they were standing just a few feet away from a cliffside with a straight drop down to the jagged crags below. The rocky path before them traced around the castle's outer walls. "What now?" Fflam spoke up from behind the others. "Well we're not splitting up again. Come. Perhaps if we–" "Excuse me? Are you looking for someone?" A man addressed the group. Thallasa spun on her heel, dropping the torch and now holding her keyblade in both hands towards the man. "Goodness no! Don't hurt me! I'm only trying to assist you!" He threw up his hands into the air. Thallasa was confused how this stranger had gotten the jump on them and even though he appeared to be unarmed and unwilling to fight she kept her blade up. Already Fflam was sneaking off behind the other girls to keep his distance. "Who are you?" "Someone who would see the Horned King dead. A traveler of sorts." The man reached for his hat and took it off briefly as he bowed towards the group. "Ardyn Izunia, at your service, madam." He answered slyly. "I don't suppose you lost a pig recently? I saw one fleeing from the moat and headed east into the forest." Thallasa lowered her keyblade but said nothing to give him an answer. "Have you seen a boy around here? He would have been wearing a pin like mine." She pointed towards her communicator. "Oh? Why I can't say that I have..." He tapped a finger to his chin but then quickly snapped his fingers. "Ah! But I did come across this curious trinket that may have once resembled your broach. A pity though," he held up a smashed communicator, "it was already crushed when I happened upon it. Perhaps this boy you are seeking was careless."
Taran was shaken when Illiana spoke to him so harshly but nodded slightly in response, narrowing his eyes a bit as his eyes burned with a newfound resolve. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself! I'm fine!" He brushed his tunic over after she released him and crossed his arms, kicking at a pebble at the ground. "But I don't know how we'll get out of here." Just then, one of the stone slabs underneath them began to shift and a girlish grunt could be heard. Light shone through the crack in the floor and the stone slab was lifted and pushed upwards and flipped over revealing a hole that lead down further below. A girl poked her head out and a glowing yellow bauble floated up alongside her head illuminating the room. She looked left. She looked right. The girl frowned as she was not facing Taran or Illiana when she popped up. "Hm. I thought I heard a noise up here." As she readied herself to go back down from where she came she caught sight of the two and smiled brightly, her glowing bauble floating over to light up the space where the two stood. "Oh! Was that you?" "Y-yeah! Yes...I..." "You both are being held prisoner aren't you?" "Yes!" Taran spoke as his eyes followed the magical orb of light that circled himself and Illiana. "It lights up!" "I'm being held against my will too. And of course it does, it's magic!" She laughed and pulled herself up to stand in the room with the other two. "Oh I hate this place. I do hope there aren't any rats in here. N-not that I really mind them, you know. I'm princess Eilonwy. And you both are?" "Uh. I-I'm Taran." The boy nervously spoke, his hand reaching for the back of his neck as he shifted awkwardly in place.
"He wasn't where we last left him." Thallasa answered Aria. "If he was in trouble there would be no reason for him to enter the castle so I have to assume he might have made his way around or he was captured. In either case, I needed to make sure you were alright before moving on to continue looking for him." Eventually the trio had arrived at a point where the whistling of the wind was at its loudest. The dark path continued on for who knows how long but as Thallasa held the torch over towards the cracked stone wall the flame swooshed and danced about. "Here." She said as she lowered the torch to look through the cracks in the wall. Sure enough, wind was blowing through from the other side of the wall. Once more she placed her hand on the wall to preform the same spell as before to cut a hole for them to escape from. In seconds she was able to push down the stone bricks in the wall causing it to crumble and gave them their way out. She stepped through and found that they were standing just a few feet away from a cliffside with a straight drop down to the jagged crags below. The rocky path before them traced around the castle's outer walls. "What now?" Fflam spoke up from behind the others. "Well we're not splitting up again. Come. Perhaps if we–" "Excuse me? Are you looking for someone?" A man addressed the group. Thallasa spun on her heel, dropping the torch and now holding her keyblade in both hands towards the man. "Goodness no! Don't hurt me! I'm only trying to assist you!" He threw up his hands into the air. Thallasa was confused how this stranger had gotten the jump on them and even though he appeared to be unarmed and unwilling to fight she kept her blade up. Already Fflam was sneaking off behind the other girls to keep his distance. "Who are you?" "Someone who would see the Horned King dead. A traveler of sorts." The man reached for his hat and took it off briefly as he bowed towards the group. "Ardyn Izunia, at your service, madam." He answered slyly. "I don't suppose you lost a pig recently? I saw one fleeing from the moat and headed east into the forest." Thallasa lowered her keyblade but said nothing to give him an answer. "Have you seen a boy around here? He would have been wearing a pin like mine." She pointed towards her communicator. "Oh? Why I can't say that I have..." He tapped a finger to his chin but then quickly snapped his fingers. "Ah! But I did come across this curious trinket that may have once resembled your broach. A pity though," he held up a smashed communicator, "it was already crushed when I happened upon it. Perhaps this boy you are seeking was careless."
Torrin remained close to the group, not so much for his own sake but more to keep the others covered. He made swift work of the Heartless with his two blades destroying them as they approached. "There's bound to be more here than what we're facing!" He spoke to the others. In a single strike Torrin had decided to hasten their victory by using his technique to cut down a group of Neoshadows and Darkballs before Warping back over towards the others. Torrin spun both of his blades around and aimed them at a group of Neoshadows before casting a Fire spell, launching a large fireball that exploded and destroyed several more Heartless. It was rare for him to unleash so much power so early during a fight but he had grown weary of wasting time and was growing impatient to regroup with the others. They needed to clean this mess now and he was going to move this along as quickly as possible. HP: 160/160 AP: 2/76+10 MP: 48/50 DP: 5/5 Heartless Defeated: 10 Darkballs (5 with Shin-Zantetsuken, 2 with Combo Plusx2) 15 Neoshadows (5 with Shin-Zantetsuken, 2 with Combo Plusx2) Round 2 Torrin Chrono Tinarah Takehiko Boreas Heartless Remaining: 48 Darkballs (12AP) 33 Neoshadows (16AP) Torrin took 30 Damage! (130/160HP) MP Rage activated! Chrono took 21 Damage! (64/85HP) Tinarah took 21 Damage! (37/80HP) Takehiko took 25 Damage! (95/120HP) MP Rage activated! Boreas took 25 Damage! (85/110HP) Shin-Zantetsuken – An instant attack that destroys 10 random enemies. Deals 160 fixed damage to bosses and cuts all effects down to 1 turn of duration or ends them if the effects were on their last turn. HP: 130/160 AP: 76/76+10 MP: 50/50 DP: 5/5 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus x2 MP Rage MP Hastera Doublecast Yellow Mage Yellow Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Over the Horizon Sonic Blade Strike Raid STATUS Inspiring Presence: 2 Turns 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: 64/85 AP: 54/54+10 MP: 7/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Red Mage ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz Vicinity Break Judgment STATUS Inspiring Presence: 2 Turns MY FRIENDS! – Whenever casting Cure on someone other than herself the spell heals 15 more HP. HP: 37/80 AP: 58/58+10 MP: 16/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Cure Boost Black Mage MP Haste White Mage White Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz STATUS Inspiring Presence: 2 Turns Provoke – Once per battle Takehiko can draw enemy attention from 2 allies. His defenses are boosted during this. HP: 95/120 AP: 42/42+10 MP: 25/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Reaction Boost MP Rage Wall ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ MP Gift STATUS Inspiring Presence: 2 Turns Inspiring Presence – Boreas makes a call to arms increasing the party's AP by 10 and Evasion by 1 Tier for 3 Turns. HP: 85/110 AP: 50/50+10 MP: 22/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Finisher Plus Black Mage Black Wizard Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ STATUS Inspiring Presence: 2 Turns
Torrin remained close to the group, not so much for his own sake but more to keep the others covered. He made swift work of the Heartless with his two blades destroying them as they approached. "There's bound to be more here than what we're facing!" He spoke to the others. In a single strike Torrin had decided to hasten their victory by using his technique to cut down a group of Neoshadows and Darkballs before Warping back over towards the others. Torrin spun both of his blades around and aimed them at a group of Neoshadows before casting a Fire spell, launching a large fireball that exploded and destroyed several more Heartless. It was rare for him to unleash so much power so early during a fight but he had grown weary of wasting time and was growing impatient to regroup with the others. They needed to clean this mess now and he was going to move this along as quickly as possible. HP: 160/160 AP: 2/76+10 MP: 48/50 DP: 5/5 Heartless Defeated: 10 Darkballs (5 with Shin-Zantetsuken, 2 with Combo Plusx2) 15 Neoshadows (5 with Shin-Zantetsuken, 2 with Combo Plusx2)
"Huh. That's...that's an interesting experience to say the least." He commented on Tinarah's anecdote and, now that he thought about it, when he saw her fighting that he noticed something odd about her style. Some of the techniques she used were similar to his basic tactics of fighting. It was uncanny to see some of his moves mirrored through her and it definitely made him uncomfortable. He tried to shrug it off but in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of how she could have learned that kind of style. He knew but he refused to allow the thought to linger in his mind. Before he could say anything more towards Tinarah he could feel the pressure of the surrounding darkness increasing. Torrin called for his keyblade and split it in two to prepare for combat but even as his golden eyes scanned the area he saw nothing. "Hey Boreas. You getting anything?" The world's core began to grow darker and darker as the faint light around them began to fade. Sets of yellow eyes began to materialize around the group and within seconds over a hundred Heartless surrounded them. "You know what? Never mind. Pretty sure you're seeing what I'm seeing now. Everyone stay together!" Round 1 Torrin Chrono Tinarah Takehiko Boreas Heartless Remaining: 66 Darkballs (12AP) 51 Neoshadows (16AP) 12 Yellow Operas (4AP) 7 Red Nocturnes (4AP) 12 Blue Rhapsodies (4AP) Shin-Zantetsuken – An instant attack that destroys 10 random enemies. Deals 160 fixed damage to bosses and cuts all effects down to 1 turn of duration or ends them if the effects were on their last turn. HP: 160/160 AP: 76/76 MP: 49/50 DP: 5/5 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Combo Plus x2 MP Rage MP Hastera Doublecast Yellow Mage Yellow Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ Over the Horizon Sonic Blade Strike Raid STATUS None. 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: 85/85 AP: 54/54 MP: 15/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Red Mage ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz Vicinity Break Judgment STATUS None. MY FRIENDS! – Whenever casting Cure on someone other than herself the spell heals 15 more HP. HP: 58/80 AP: 58/58 MP: 5/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Cure Boost Black Mage MP Haste White Mage White Wizard ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz STATUS None. Provoke – Once per battle Takehiko can draw enemy attention from 2 allies. His defenses are boosted during this. HP: 120/120 AP: 42/42 MP: 30/30 DP: 0/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Reaction Boost MP Rage Wall ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ MP Gift STATUS None. Inspiring Presence – Boreas makes a call to arms increasing the party's AP by 10 and Evasion by 1 Tier for 3 Turns. HP: 110/110 AP: 50/50 MP: 29/30 DP: 3/3 FORMS None active. PASSIVE ABILITIES Guard Defender Combo Plus Finisher Plus Black Mage Black Wizard Doublecast ACTIVE ABILITIES Dodge Roll Blitz+ STATUS None. Thallasa nodded at Aria. "Correct. Some naturally have senses stronger than others in that regard and it is only with training that masters can clearly see the light of a Princess of Heart. Even then...sometimes it can still be hidden." She scratched her chin and stepped forward. She looked back at Qamar and took the torch from the young woman. "Thank you. That will help." "A-a-are you ladies witches?" Fflewddur spoke quietly, his body now hunched over further towards his instrument as he crept after Thallasa. "Not exactly. But you have nothing to fear from us, Mister...Fflam was it?" "Y-yes! That's me haha...Fflewddur Fflam, bard extraordinaire!" "Quaint." Thallasa gave a small smile towards the bard causing the man to blush and stammer before retreating to the back of the group. "Hm. I'm afraid we will have to get out of here first. Glyde is in trouble and we need to get to him. Hopefully Illiana and Taran will have made their escape by then but if they haven't we'll have to come back for them." "Come back!? Are you mad!?" Fflam exclaimed, the fear clearly set in his eyes. "Sh. We may be under the main structure of the castle but I don't know if our voices will carry to where someone can hear us." She cautioned as she led the way, holding up the torch to light their way as they walked through the dirt path. They came to an four-way intersection of tunnels. Thallasa held out her torch to the left seeing nothing but darkness beyond. She held it out to the path directly ahead and once more saw nothing but darkness ahead. Who knew how far these tunnels went? They did not have the time to get lost. She held the torch to the right and as she set her focus towards yet another dark path she could hear a very faint and distant whistling sound. She raised her eyebrow and took a step towards the right path. It was barely audible but a muffled whistle, the sound of wind, could be heard off in the distance. "Come. I think there's an exit down here." "Really? How can you be certain?" "Just follow me."
"Huh. That's...that's an interesting experience to say the least." He commented on Tinarah's anecdote and, now that he thought about it, when he saw her fighting that he noticed something odd about her style. Some of the techniques she used were similar to his basic tactics of fighting. It was uncanny to see some of his moves mirrored through her and it definitely made him uncomfortable. He tried to shrug it off but in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of how she could have learned that kind of style. He knew but he refused to allow the thought to linger in his mind. Before he could say anything more towards Tinarah he could feel the pressure of the surrounding darkness increasing. Torrin called for his keyblade and split it in two to prepare for combat but even as his golden eyes scanned the area he saw nothing. "Hey Boreas. You getting anything?" The world's core began to grow darker and darker as the faint light around them began to fade. Sets of yellow eyes began to materialize around the group and within seconds over a hundred Heartless surrounded them. "You know what? Never mind. Pretty sure you're seeing what I'm seeing now. Everyone stay together!"
Thallasa nodded at Aria. "Correct. Some naturally have senses stronger than others in that regard and it is only with training that masters can clearly see the light of a Princess of Heart. Even then...sometimes it can still be hidden." She scratched her chin and stepped forward. She looked back at Qamar and took the torch from the young woman. "Thank you. That will help." "A-a-are you ladies witches?" Fflewddur spoke quietly, his body now hunched over further towards his instrument as he crept after Thallasa. "Not exactly. But you have nothing to fear from us, Mister...Fflam was it?" "Y-yes! That's me haha...Fflewddur Fflam, bard extraordinaire!" "Quaint." Thallasa gave a small smile towards the bard causing the man to blush and stammer before retreating to the back of the group. "Hm. I'm afraid we will have to get out of here first. Glyde is in trouble and we need to get to him. Hopefully Illiana and Taran will have made their escape by then but if they haven't we'll have to come back for them." "Come back!? Are you mad!?" Fflam exclaimed, the fear clearly set in his eyes. "Sh. We may be under the main structure of the castle but I don't know if our voices will carry to where someone can hear us." She cautioned as she led the way, holding up the torch to light their way as they walked through the dirt path. They came to an four-way intersection of tunnels. Thallasa held out her torch to the left seeing nothing but darkness beyond. She held it out to the path directly ahead and once more saw nothing but darkness ahead. Who knew how far these tunnels went? They did not have the time to get lost. She held the torch to the right and as she set her focus towards yet another dark path she could hear a very faint and distant whistling sound. She raised her eyebrow and took a step towards the right path. It was barely audible but a muffled whistle, the sound of wind, could be heard off in the distance. "Come. I think there's an exit down here." "Really? How can you be certain?" "Just follow me."
Arctus gave his keyblade another swing and once he showed signs of realizing that getting his old sword back was impossible he lowered the blade and shook his head. "Oh well. Fare thee well, blade of night. Guess I'll have to deal with this poor substitute for now." He shrugged and called off the keyblade, placing his hands into his pockets. "I'm up for some more adventure. Besides, how hard could this possibly be? If you hit things hard enough they won't be obstacles for long." Arctus gave a small smirk towards Karina. "Yeah. I'll go with you. I'll try not to slow you down if you promise me how to...uh..." He extended his hand and flicked his wrist. "...if you show me how to bring that thing back. Wait. No. I think I got it." He flicked his wrist again but still the keyblade did not appear. He shrugged. "Eh. Whatever. I'm sure I'll figure it out on my own. No need to tutor me."
Arctus gave his keyblade another swing and once he showed signs of realizing that getting his old sword back was impossible he lowered the blade and shook his head. "Oh well. Fare thee well, blade of night. Guess I'll have to deal with this poor substitute for now." He shrugged and called off the keyblade, placing his hands into his pockets. "I'm up for some more adventure. Besides, how hard could this possibly be? If you hit things hard enough they won't be obstacles for long." Arctus gave a small smirk towards Karina. "Yeah. I'll go with you. I'll try not to slow you down if you promise me how to...uh..." He extended his hand and flicked his wrist. "...if you show me how to bring that thing back. Wait. No. I think I got it." He flicked his wrist again but still the keyblade did not appear. He shrugged. "Eh. Whatever. I'm sure I'll figure it out on my own. No need to tutor me."
Arctus raised an eyebrow at Karina and, realizing he let something slip, scratched the back of his head and tried to play it off as if he had not misspoken. "Yeah." Surely there was no harm in keeping it vague. There were too many worlds out there for anyone to narrow it down to one with a handful of details. "It's um...well you've read stories before right? Because it's basically like that back home. Er...not one of the happy ones. You've got your tyrranical leader there, his army of inhuman minions, and an oppressed people with no power to undo that kind of damage. I...uh...made it out of there and started work as a–" Before he could explain any further he was cut off by Joshua stating that Arctus needed to return to his own group. Apparently it was a keyblader exclusive test. Arctus made an annoyed face and narrowed his eyes. "Now look here. Just because I don't have a keyblade doesn't mean I'm ill-equipped for this stupid thing you're setting up here." He reached back for his sword to prove a point. He drew the blade. "This here sword has every bit of firepower as a keyblade." He pointed the blade at Joshua and then lifted it up over his shoulder. He chewed on his lip and tightened his hand on the grip of his sword. He lowered it to begin to point at Joshua once more. "And one more thing. What makes you think that you–Waitwhathow?" The blade he had pointed at Joshua's face had transformed in the simple swish of motioned and now in Arctus's hand he no longer held his black blade but a keyblade. A blade of key. ...No, keyblade definitely sounded better. He held the blade closer to his face, inspecting it closely and twitched an eyebrow. "Uh. Karina? Help. My sword is broken. How do I get it back?" He shook the keyblade a few times to no avail. "No seriously. Where'd my sword go? Where did it go?" He laughed nervously and lowered the weapon. "Um...I...guess I'm one of you now? That was a lot less fanfare than I hoped for." He frowned.
Arctus raised an eyebrow at Karina and, realizing he let something slip, scratched the back of his head and tried to play it off as if he had not misspoken. "Yeah." Surely there was no harm in keeping it vague. There were too many worlds out there for anyone to narrow it down to one with a handful of details. "It's um...well you've read stories before right? Because it's basically like that back home. Er...not one of the happy ones. You've got your tyrranical leader there, his army of inhuman minions, and an oppressed people with no power to undo that kind of damage. I...uh...made it out of there and started work as a–" Before he could explain any further he was cut off by Joshua stating that Arctus needed to return to his own group. Apparently it was a keyblader exclusive test. Arctus made an annoyed face and narrowed his eyes. "Now look here. Just because I don't have a keyblade doesn't mean I'm ill-equipped for this stupid thing you're setting up here." He reached back for his sword to prove a point. He drew the blade. "This here sword has every bit of firepower as a keyblade." He pointed the blade at Joshua and then lifted it up over his shoulder. He chewed on his lip and tightened his hand on the grip of his sword. He lowered it to begin to point at Joshua once more. "And one more thing. What makes you think that you–Waitwhathow?" The blade he had pointed at Joshua's face had transformed in the simple swish of motioned and now in Arctus's hand he no longer held his black blade but a keyblade. A blade of key. ...No, keyblade definitely sounded better. He held the blade closer to his face, inspecting it closely and twitched an eyebrow. "Uh. Karina? Help. My sword is broken. How do I get it back?" He shook the keyblade a few times to no avail. "No seriously. Where'd my sword go? Where did it go?" He laughed nervously and lowered the weapon. "Um...I...guess I'm one of you now? That was a lot less fanfare than I hoped for." He frowned.
Taran shifted and groaned in pain. The boy's eyes slowly opened and his vision began to return to him. "W-what happened?" He rubbed the back of his head and winced. "Ow!" The boy turned his head from side to side to examine his surroundings and found that the stone room they were in held no way out. Even the hole which they were thrown through had now collapsed and was blocked off. "We're trapped..." The boy sounded defeated as he pushed himself to sit up. "I failed Dallben and Hen Wen..." Taran frowned and stared at Illiana before speaking again. "I'm sorry I brought you into this. If I had just kept a better eye on Hen Wen you wouldn't be in this mess." Thallasa shook her head slightly in disappointment but refrained from making a comment. Now was not the time for scolding. "Hm. Well it's good that you have taken Hen Wen out of harm's way for now." She turned towards the older man standing behind Aria and Qamar and gave the man a short nod. "A pleasure to meet you." "The pleasure is all mine. But...not to be rude but...can we leave now? I don't want to be captured again." "Of course. Finding you was easy enough. The presence of dark magic here makes Aria stand out like a torch in the dark." Already as she spoke she was walking forward, pausing for a moment to decide where to go from there. Heading back upstairs would only lead back into a fight and blindly walking around hoping to find another way out seemed like a poor plan. "We're going to have to make a new path if we're going to avoid the Horned King's thugs." Thallasa knelt by a wall and knocked her hand against the stone. The sound that rang out was thin and high pitched leading her to assume that there was nothing behind the wall. Rather than smash through it with her keyblade she figured the use of magic would be fine for a situation like this. After all, Fflam already knew magic existed. Thallasa held her palm to the stone wall and a shimmering liquid flowed from the tips of her fingers and began to form a circle along the cracked stone. The keyblade master pulled her hand back and stepped away to watch as the water started to spin faster and faster as it cut away at the stone wall and in seconds the glowing water vanished leaving a visible outline of a circle cut into the wall. Thallasa pushed on it and, like a cookie cutter, the circular piece of stone wall was budged backwards. She gave it a harder push and the circle of stone slid back and fell backwards onto a dirt floor revealing a dark series of tunnels beyond. The woman ducked her head and stepped through the newly made hole in the wall before motioning for the others to follow her. Pagos and Zeno casted Blizzaga, taking off chunks of the Demon Plague. After seeing Koa knocked unconscious they realized that if they were going to have any chance of beating the Heartless they would have to let Koa stay down for now and attack with all they had. "I know you're right!" Avra shouted, believing that Chrys was right in switching to pure offense. Avra jumped in right after her fellow Chaser and struck at the Heartless swarm with everything she had. Following her were Pagos and Zeno who brought down their keyblades immediately after Avra. As the final blows were dealt the Heartless swarm rose to the sky looking to be unstable as Neoshadows were shed off the main body of the Demon Plague and dissipate into puffs of black smoke. The Demon Plague exploded and hundreds of hearts floated up into the sky before disappearing. Koa, Avra, and Pagos gained 7 Levels! Zeno gained 6 Levels! Chrysanthemum gained 5 Levels! Claim your rewards in the OOC Thread. A green light bathed over the students and Koa began to stir back into consciousness and soon enough he was back up on his feet looking dazed and bruised but fine nonetheless. The Light Chaser clapped as he approached his students. "Good. Good work, all of you. You've made tremendous progress. All of you." The man placed his hands on his hips. "At everyone's current rate, you all should be able to pass your Mark of Mastery Exam within twenty-four hours. This is good news indeed." He reached up to scratch his chin with a gloved hand and contemplated for a moment. "The power of a master will be required for a task down the road." The Light Chaser explained. "It's no secret that there are other keyblade wielders, other masters, standing in our path. Unfortunately, they already have possession of a Princess of Heart. Soon to be two. Naturally, they will keep one of those Princesses of Heart within their home base, a world known as Illusia. My abilities are beyond those of any other but that world is home to the most powerful keyblade masters in this realm and doing battle against them would be...messy." This was the first time he ever mentioned Illusia or even referenced the Council of Lights to his students. "By having the lot of you trained as masters, a show of force would persuade them that fighting the side of light would be a fruitless endeavor. Having all of you young keyblade wielders show your conviction would be the very thing that convinces them to stand down and see reason." The master explained.
Taran shifted and groaned in pain. The boy's eyes slowly opened and his vision began to return to him. "W-what happened?" He rubbed the back of his head and winced. "Ow!" The boy turned his head from side to side to examine his surroundings and found that the stone room they were in held no way out. Even the hole which they were thrown through had now collapsed and was blocked off. "We're trapped..." The boy sounded defeated as he pushed himself to sit up. "I failed Dallben and Hen Wen..." Taran frowned and stared at Illiana before speaking again. "I'm sorry I brought you into this. If I had just kept a better eye on Hen Wen you wouldn't be in this mess."
Thallasa shook her head slightly in disappointment but refrained from making a comment. Now was not the time for scolding. "Hm. Well it's good that you have taken Hen Wen out of harm's way for now." She turned towards the older man standing behind Aria and Qamar and gave the man a short nod. "A pleasure to meet you." "The pleasure is all mine. But...not to be rude but...can we leave now? I don't want to be captured again." "Of course. Finding you was easy enough. The presence of dark magic here makes Aria stand out like a torch in the dark." Already as she spoke she was walking forward, pausing for a moment to decide where to go from there. Heading back upstairs would only lead back into a fight and blindly walking around hoping to find another way out seemed like a poor plan. "We're going to have to make a new path if we're going to avoid the Horned King's thugs." Thallasa knelt by a wall and knocked her hand against the stone. The sound that rang out was thin and high pitched leading her to assume that there was nothing behind the wall. Rather than smash through it with her keyblade she figured the use of magic would be fine for a situation like this. After all, Fflam already knew magic existed. Thallasa held her palm to the stone wall and a shimmering liquid flowed from the tips of her fingers and began to form a circle along the cracked stone. The keyblade master pulled her hand back and stepped away to watch as the water started to spin faster and faster as it cut away at the stone wall and in seconds the glowing water vanished leaving a visible outline of a circle cut into the wall. Thallasa pushed on it and, like a cookie cutter, the circular piece of stone wall was budged backwards. She gave it a harder push and the circle of stone slid back and fell backwards onto a dirt floor revealing a dark series of tunnels beyond. The woman ducked her head and stepped through the newly made hole in the wall before motioning for the others to follow her. Pagos and Zeno casted Blizzaga, taking off chunks of the Demon Plague. After seeing Koa knocked unconscious they realized that if they were going to have any chance of beating the Heartless they would have to let Koa stay down for now and attack with all they had. "I know you're right!" Avra shouted, believing that Chrys was right in switching to pure offense. Avra jumped in right after her fellow Chaser and struck at the Heartless swarm with everything she had. Following her were Pagos and Zeno who brought down their keyblades immediately after Avra. As the final blows were dealt the Heartless swarm rose to the sky looking to be unstable as Neoshadows were shed off the main body of the Demon Plague and dissipate into puffs of black smoke. The Demon Plague exploded and hundreds of hearts floated up into the sky before disappearing.
A green light bathed over the students and Koa began to stir back into consciousness and soon enough he was back up on his feet looking dazed and bruised but fine nonetheless. The Light Chaser clapped as he approached his students. "Good. Good work, all of you. You've made tremendous progress. All of you." The man placed his hands on his hips. "At everyone's current rate, you all should be able to pass your Mark of Mastery Exam within twenty-four hours. This is good news indeed." He reached up to scratch his chin with a gloved hand and contemplated for a moment. "The power of a master will be required for a task down the road." The Light Chaser explained. "It's no secret that there are other keyblade wielders, other masters, standing in our path. Unfortunately, they already have possession of a Princess of Heart. Soon to be two. Naturally, they will keep one of those Princesses of Heart within their home base, a world known as Illusia. My abilities are beyond those of any other but that world is home to the most powerful keyblade masters in this realm and doing battle against them would be...messy." This was the first time he ever mentioned Illusia or even referenced the Council of Lights to his students. "By having the lot of you trained as masters, a show of force would persuade them that fighting the side of light would be a fruitless endeavor. Having all of you young keyblade wielders show your conviction would be the very thing that convinces them to stand down and see reason." The master explained.
"I don't know!" Bowler Hat Guy called out in response to Boreas. "She was a woman and wore a black coat. Like the ones you kids have! Kefka talked to her the most and he's gone!" To no surprise, the villains were of no help identifying the woman who helped them manufacture the magitek device. "You've worn one of these before? That's surprising." Torrin commented towards Tinarah before moving forward to hold his hand up. He looked over towards the heroes who were now busy trying to clean up the mess left behind by the villains. "We'll be able to say our goodbyes to them once we're through here. Just be prepared for some heavy combat and stick together." He hesitated for a moment and looked back at the group beside him once more. There was no point in trying to hide any of it now that they knew where he was from. With a quiet sigh he created a portal of darkness in front of them. "Come on. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can regroup with the others." Without waiting any further Torrin was the first to step through the portal and once the last of the group went through the portal closed behind them. Once the group stepped through the other side they found themselves amidst a large ethereal place where darkness swirled above them and their only source of light was the glassy floor beneath them which was covered in just enough water to make their footsteps splash but not enough to actually them wet. In fact, even if they reached down to touch this "water" they would have found that it wasn't really wet at all and would not cling to their skin or clothing. "Yeah...there's definitely a lot more darkness here than there should be." Torrin commented, taking a few steps forward as he looked around the area. "I'm sensing Heartless but I don't see them." He looked back at the others, his eyes glowing gold. "Stay on guard."
"I don't know!" Bowler Hat Guy called out in response to Boreas. "She was a woman and wore a black coat. Like the ones you kids have! Kefka talked to her the most and he's gone!" To no surprise, the villains were of no help identifying the woman who helped them manufacture the magitek device. "You've worn one of these before? That's surprising." Torrin commented towards Tinarah before moving forward to hold his hand up. He looked over towards the heroes who were now busy trying to clean up the mess left behind by the villains. "We'll be able to say our goodbyes to them once we're through here. Just be prepared for some heavy combat and stick together." He hesitated for a moment and looked back at the group beside him once more. There was no point in trying to hide any of it now that they knew where he was from. With a quiet sigh he created a portal of darkness in front of them. "Come on. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can regroup with the others." Without waiting any further Torrin was the first to step through the portal and once the last of the group went through the portal closed behind them.
Alder stepped forward after watching how poorly Mora's interaction went with her parents and took a deep breath. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust us anymore but I want to make amends for the harm we have caused your people and your world. No apology will undo the wrongs we have done you but I've made sure that the machine that caused this damage could never be used again and, in time, perhaps one day you could allow me to return to help revitalize this world." The words did not carry the eloquence Alder wished he could impart in them but they were genuine and carried his remorse leaving him to hope just that would be enough for Mora's family. "Alright. I suppose there's no other option but to leave this place." He stepped back and looked at Cerdic and Mora, raising an eyebrow after having heard a part of what Cerdic had said regarding a teacher for Mora. "If you don't mind me tagging along, I'd be comfortable with teaching her. If...that's alright with you, Mora. Two teachers wouldn't be so bad."
Alder stepped forward after watching how poorly Mora's interaction went with her parents and took a deep breath. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust us anymore but I want to make amends for the harm we have caused your people and your world. No apology will undo the wrongs we have done you but I've made sure that the machine that caused this damage could never be used again and, in time, perhaps one day you could allow me to return to help revitalize this world." The words did not carry the eloquence Alder wished he could impart in them but they were genuine and carried his remorse leaving him to hope just that would be enough for Mora's family. "Alright. I suppose there's no other option but to leave this place." He stepped back and looked at Cerdic and Mora, raising an eyebrow after having heard a part of what Cerdic had said regarding a teacher for Mora. "If you don't mind me tagging along, I'd be comfortable with teaching her. If...that's alright with you, Mora. Two teachers wouldn't be so bad."
"Why would you even think about coming back here!?" The old bard questioned Aria. "Don't you know where you are!? Haven't you seen him!? We should run and save ourselves while we have the chance!" Fflam exclaimed, clutching the instrument strung to his chest. The sounds of footsteps coming closer from down the dungeon echoed closer and closer. "Oh no! Someone's found us!" Meanwhile, as Illiana followed after Thallasa, the woman watched as Taran began to run ever faster until the boy overtook Illiana and dragged her forward down the path the master was leading them. "No!" Taran skidded to a halt seeing that they had ran into a dead end where the path ended. Before them was a circular pit that was a straight drop down into a sealed off stone room. Even if they jumped down there would be nowhere to go. "We have to turn around! Maybe there's another way out!" "You're right. There's no way forward." Thallasa commented, placing her finger on her chin. "It's a shame though. I really thought we had a connection but alas, your journey is at an end. Though I am surprised you felt no sense of trepidation upon being led here. Children are so willing to accept what is easy but I suppose you will not get the chance to learn from your mistakes." Standing before them now was a man who took off his hat to give the two a short bow before returning his hat to his head, flashing a sinister grin towards. "I do believe I put on quite an impressive performance, don't you say?" Before Illiana and Taran could react the man extended his palm and a wave of darkness knocked the two down the pit where they would make a hard crash into the dark and cold stone room below. Meanwhile, back with Aria and Qamar. Master Thallasa had arrived before the trio, her keyblade drawn and looked at the group with some confusion. "I'm glad to see you both well but Qamar, I thought I told you to go with Illiana. And..." She paused, looking at the bard. "Excuse me, who is this you've found?"
