Ouch! Two claw swipes from the large blot monster had sent D'daear reeling back, cringing at the sting that coursed through the afflicted area. He held strong though, having nerves of steel. Teeth gritting at the pain, it was will power that allowed him to persevere through the ouchiness and continue his assault. D'daear used cross-slash!
The onslaught continues as the merry band of keyblade wielders swing their mighty weapon away. D'daear did a combo!
With a the final blow, the tall boy fell back dramatically as if an iconic moment in an anime or movie. The claw was seen coming a ways ahead of time, but with the fatigue and injuries it was just too much to handle. D'daear fell back, knocked out for the count. A soldier had fallen it would seem. Steel and Kel had taken damage too which would've been a shock had D'daear been awake to witness it. Two fast nimble people had been struck for the first time. You'd think they'd be on one knee now, but with that came a resurgence from everyone; including D'daear. A phoenix down kept in his pocket had lit up and then disappeared only for the keyblade wielder to reawaken. Sitting up right effective immediately, he looked around in shock in attempt to re-access the situation. "H'whaaa? Huh? Wha happened?" he uttered pointlessly. The team had received a boost in morale it would seem as Karina and Steel yelled at the top of their lungs in defiance to this boss. Getting up on his two feet with the help of the keyblade, D'daear got up and rushed the boss along with eveyone. D'daear swung his keyblade around. Combo!
Seeing as there was still an opportunity, the combos kept coming. With a loud roar D'daear swung away at the gargantuan Phantom Blot. D'daear used a combo.
D'daear looked on wide eyed at the Giant Blots massive claw heading their. Joints went limp for a moment while he wondered how in the world they were going to dodge such an attack. Steel and Kel were by far the most nimble of the group. Heck everyone but him was fast. "Daanng dude.... Back at it again with the pain..." he uttered quickly taking up the keyblade to try to mitigate the damage. The claw punished the group, sending the tall keyblade wielder skidding across the floor on foot. Knees buckled as he stumbled forward, using the keyblade as support just in time to avoid falling face flat. He lifted himself back up with effort before gathering himself to continue the fight. D'daear launched forward and attacked with a C-C-Combo!
BAck at it again! Steel, Kel, and a revived Karina had taken the fight to the Behemoth of a boss. "Alright! Yeah go team!" D'daear shouted with enthusiasm. Considering to join in on the attack, he stopped and took a quick look at Hikaru. They had both taken a huge hit recently, and although he himself was still standing strong, D'daear noticed Hikaru could use a bit of aid himself. So he reached into his pockets and took out a Potion. "Hikaru!" he called out, tossing the soft drink to his comrade. D'daear used a Potion on Hikaru!
Oswald getting a bit fed up with this decides it was time to put his foot down. Dashing like a mad rabbit towards the Old Oak Tree, the rabbits jump was displayed for erbody to see as he leaped into the air with bad assery and spiraled like a boss. On the final revolution of his somersault he extended his foot out and stomped on the the Old Oak Tree bad guy. Stomp!
"You..." The colossal beast stared down at the adventurers, not with malice but with recognition. It's massive black wings were spread wide, making it seem even bigger than what it already was. And it had such an unsettling mouth. This was truly a first for D'daear, despite having fought a monster of similar terror back in Beast's Castle. Yet this was no heartless, let alone the magnitude of its appearance. It took the young man's neck to arch back a bit in order to be staring eye to eye with the creature. As if to make matters worse, there was something oddly familiar about this thing. The way it spoke just tugged at the D'daear's memory, yet nothing was coming up. It wouldn't be until Hikaru put the pieces together that the identity of this thing was revealed. When it had, blue irises lit up with recognition and horror. "The Phantom Blot?! No way!" he uttered in shock. "How'd he get this big?" Yes, the weak robed man in the monochrome world of the past had become this large thing. The same Phantom Blot who was going on and on about the past needing to stay the same, and that change was bad for business. This giant monster that towered over them was a direct result of it having escaped their encounter all those years ago. Blue Eyes trailed down to the feet of the Ink based phantom, in disbelief. The past. Future. One little mistake on their part resulted in this thing being birthed. A consequence. Way to mess up, right? "Tch..." uttered D'daear as he called forth the keyblade and brought himself to stance. The wastelands was home to many people and now it was ruined because of them. Weren't they supposed to be helping save the worlds, not bring ruin? The Blot laughed a mighty roar as he growled, "Best to perish with as little pain as possible..." D'daear awoke from his thoughts a little too late as a Huge wave of INk came rushing towards the group. It smacked right into Karina, Hikaru, and D'daear, knocking Karina off her feet and onto the floor. When the rush of ink settled down, D'daear stood tall and strong, but coughing. "What was that?!" he exclaimed, taking a quick look around. Hikaru was standing, Kel and Steel had jumped to action unscathed and heading towards the Phantom Blot, and Karina... "Karina...! shoot..." he uttered. "There goes our heavy hitter..." He looked to Hikaru, knowing how well-versed in magic the blue haired youth was. Nodding to him, he entrusted her health to him while darting off to aid Steel and Kel. At this point he couldnt think about the past affecting the future, and its consequences. Right now he had to stay in moment if he was going to survive. Catching up, from a distance he could see Steel and Kel doing some Naruto epic fight scene stunts moment thing-----I mean----- he could see them moving quite fast, nimble with amazing acrobatic skills rivaling someone he knew. Together they laid their blades on the Phantom Blot before retreating. To his surprise, the Blot seemed.... indifferent about it. D'daear halted, shoes skidding against the earth beneath them in second thought. Perhaps caution was their best bet? Building up power in his right hand, brows furrowed as he took the blade with both hands and swung overhead onto the ground, slaming the keyblade with everything he had. The reaction sparked a trail of burst of light to spew up from the ground which headed towards the Phantom Blot. D'daear used Brave Shot! Power 300% CG 20% CD 5 turns Light
To everybody's surprise, the next help their little group got was none other than dog. To make matters more interesting, it was Mickey's dog, Pluto. Joy. Oswald's lips frowned slightly, as if disappointed from the type of help they received. The oak Tree thing declared the fight, and thus they began to fight mano a mano. Quick work was made of the minions, obviously and thus leaving the trio to fight the big ol Oak Tree. They clashed and hit away, but their endurance was beginning to run thin thanks to their previous battle. However, Pluto proved itself by digging up some good treasure that definitely turned the tide of the battle for the moment. Eyes widened a bit at the surprise dished out by Pluto. "Huh... I guess the Dog CAN help after all. Alright... maybe you're not half bad." Oswald managed, giving Pluto a respectful nod. The Black Rabbit gripped keyblade in hand, giving the Tree a big ol mean stare. "Alright then. Maybe what this fight needs is a good ol foot rubbin." he said, commencing to spit shine his right foot. LUCKY FOOT!!!
Standing nearby the group, the boy became a spectator; Indifferent about their current situation. As always the group was going to figure something out so there was no need to worry. Steel, a member of this keyblade bearing brigade was about to undergo some kind of procedure at the hands of a Mad Doctor that no one really knew other than Oswald and Gus. It was ironic really, how Oswald blatantly didn't trust them, but now the group had to put their trust in this MAD doctor because Oswald said so. Toned arms folded together as he blue irises watched the man be strapped down, only through peripherals noticing an isolated Karina. If there was an inner self to be expressed, he'd probably be rolling his eyes saying something like, "Oh not this again." "H-huh?" Mickey asked. "What are you doing? D'daear quickly turned his attention to the Mouse and Rabbit, missing out on the procedure that Steel was undergoing. Arms lessened their fold, a little stunned at what Oswald was doing. If it wasn't for the black rabbit speaking up, D'daear would have intervened. Being in the background, he let ears tune in to what the black rabbit said about Responsibility, Key bearer's Ceremony, people waiting for you, counting on you. Of course they were meant for Mickey, and of course this was Mickey's scene. However, words can resonate beyond that, and they resonated with D'daear deeply. In a way, he saw himself in Mickey's position all that time ago. Spoiler: Flashback Don't read if you don't care *shrug* “I can’t relax! Y-you’re asking way too much of me!” he shouted, walking past her in order to avoid her touching him. He approached a nearby wall to find emotional support by placing a hand on it on it as he leaned, other hand placed on hips. His body suddenly felt drained, weak from being hit with the news. Eyelids shut themselves as he tried to calm himself, but that was proving to be a mission in itself. The grandmother took slow and steady steps towards her grandson. “Listen…I know it sounds frightening, and I can’t even imagine what you must be going through right now…but… I need you to go look for her. You and I both know that a world needs its guardian. Right now, I’m the only one that qualifies for that.” She explained, trying to reason with him while still approaching him with caution. D’daear remained stationed while his heart continued to race. He was scared. He had grown in this world all his life, and never had he shown interest in these kinds of things; unlike his sister. He always just took each day as it was. Life had deemed him to be simple, someone to just live a peaceful life in his world. Now all of sudden everything seems surreal. He was still finding it hard to believe the stories to be true. How was he supposed to just change his way of life overnight? “D’daear… please… listen to me… We need you.” she said, referring to Della and herself. The ambivalence weighed on him as he could feel the responsibility. He felt the sense of purpose for himself, and an opportunity to see the fairytales for himself which ironically stirred excitement! However, he could also feel the pressure of failure, the possible dangers he would encounter. Heck he was already feeling homesick just thinking of it. To be out there among the stars, wandering alone. The hand that was grasping the wall suddenly curled into a fist. It was out of his comfort zone, and this situation was clearly out of his control. Like a chess game, it seemed the circumstances had placed him on checkmate. This world needed his grandmother to stay in order to safeguard it. She was the only one who could wield a keyblade sufficiently. There’s was no one else in this world that he knew of who could do what his grandmother could do. HE had to find his sister. Mind went blank as he succumbed to the elder woman’s will. In an attempt at justifying his new purpose, memories of these two wonderful people came resurfacing. As the memories bubbled up into his conscious, it was clear that they had always been there for him, taking care of him like some baby. The strong protecting their young weak male. Beyond this world, there was so much more to understand. His grandmother always had that strength, and it seems Della had found hers; despite her irresponsible decision. D’daear gritted teeth in struggle as he understood how all this time they had been there for him. So maybe it was time HE was there for them. In that moment D’daear’s eyelids opened, revealing a sudden revelation...and fear. Ridden with anxiety, the young adolescent fought through it as he lifted his head up and fist away from the wall. Turning to face his grandmother, a heavy sigh escaped nostrils. Face was written with frustration and reluctance. He was scared, but now willing. With a small nod, he agreed to the idea. Noticing the boy’s submission, she gently took D’daear by the hand while giving him a sympathetic stare. “Thank you…” she said. The woman lured the boy to a couch in order for him to take a seat. Calmly, she explained to him what was to happen next. “Remember the day I had Della take the inheritance ceremony?” she asked, wondering whether D’daear’s memories could serve a purpose here. The boy gave an unsure look. Brushing the question aside she got straight to the point. “Well anyway…” she started, summoning her keyblade before his eyes. It was an amazing sight to behold. Light gathered near the palm of her extended left hand, and suddenly a wave of blackness stirred from within that light. The two elements blended together in harmony, soon parting ways in a dramatic show of power as a blade was forged. D’daear’s blue eyes remained glued to the weapon, unsure of how to react. With quick twirl of her wrist, grandma switched the grip on her keyblade and was suddenly holding it reversed; blade was facing away. She knelt down, and reached out with the equipped hand. “Here.” She said handing him the weapon. D’daear hesitantly grabbed the weapons handle, and held it. As Mickey took the keyblade in hand, Oswald motioned for the Mad Doctor to recite something that was unfamiliar to D'daear. It took him by surprise as this was not something he went through himself. A glow emerged from Mickey's touch as a reaction to the ceremony. Eyelids narrowed over irises as D'daear looked skeptical at the scenario because the glow never happened with him. "Is it...supposed to do that?" he pondered briefly. "Huzzah! The machine seems to have made a pathogen! Once we release it airbourne, all biological beings in this room should be able to gain the ink abilities needed to take the master blot down a peg or two!" A brow raised in question. "Ink abilities?" he queried pointlessly. Then the green mist appeared and washing over everyone. It saturated them all in its greeny mistyness of mist...s. Obviously the boy looked around him, wondering what the green mist itself was doing to them. After it cleared, he honestly felt no different than he had before, but who knows maybe the others were Really feeling it. Shrugging, he made is way to Mickey and Oswald where erbody was at. As he arrived, words were exchanged between Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They're plan was simple, which was nice; although Oswald's failsafe was...disturbing to say the least, but D'daear didn't bother to speak up. "Huh?" he uttered as Karina stepped into the conversation. Although her tone was legit, her words weren't. Then again, he barely knew her; but still... "R-right." he managed a little dumbfounded, Nothing unusual per say, but... she was just sulking on her own a little while ago. Made him wonder what inspired her; if you want to call it that. Scratching the back of his head in this small mystery, shoulders shrugged it off. "She probably just wants out of this world really bad then." Take a first step forward, he followed on behind her hoping the others would follow too.
Was hoping to do this at lvl 25, but w.e. Ill spend my 5 pts on Heart, giving me +10 stre. Spending 14 crowns on magic resist for +2. Total stre: 34 Total Magic res: 9 Remainder crowns: 3 As for nominating ppl, idk. I think everyone is up for it so its gonnabe hard to decide. If theres a call im down to participate to discuss this with erbody.
"we're totally going to follow them, right?" said Stratos. D'daear took a moment to look away from Beuce to give the little boy a shrug. " I cast my vote to follow if it means anything." he said out loud, looking throughout the room. By no means did he judge Mickey for what he had done years ago, but he couldn't help sense an awkward tension as he gave the little mouse a quick glance before continuing down the room. So what were they going to do... A penny for a thought as they say. "Beuce is right. They're our comrades. We have just as much of a right to do something to help them out..." He lifted a fist up to torso level. "I kinda get that Oswald might be dealing with some trust issues right now, but it's clouding his better judgement... And he's taking Steel with him. I don't know how he got those ink powers, and honestly it doesn't matter. He's one of us, and if Oswald is taking him, then I think we should go too...with or without that rabbits consent." he explained his feels. Turning to Mickey, "You. I don't care what you did, but I do care what you do now. Since we're all in this mess because of you, I think you should take the lead here..." A sympathetic smile emerged on D'daear's face while looking at Mickey Mouse.
ooc: Sorry for the half effort posts. This was perfect! They had taken down a mob of enchanted stumps and only one remained. Oswald dashed towards the remainder and assaulted the minion. Oswald attacked the Enchanted Stump 9!
D'daear remained still, becoming an observer in this strange moment that began to bud between Steel and Base, all the while keeping some attention to Raisor holding Oswald by the ears. Stuff was happening.
The sweet silence. Mickey had finally stopped talking, and for the most part had stopped embarrassing Oswald with childish positive reassurance. The black rabbit lunged once again at the same target Mickey Mouse had attacked, and whacked it with the other end of the keyblade. The two basically had this stump surrounded, and were slowly whittling away at its health. Hopefully they weren't too far off from victory. Oswald Attacked Enchanted Stump 6!
"Stop talking for just one moment, will you!?" Oswald exclaimed, trying to hide the embarrassment. With keyblade in hand, the black rabbit lunged forward and whacked one of the Enchanted Stumps, specifically the one Mickey had struck. The two of them were doing great for the time being. If all went well, then they could be done with this battle without much suffering. Oswald attacked Stump Numbah Fo.
"Im fine!" Oswald shouted, shaking off the pain. The assault on the Rabbit left him a bit annoyed, but it wasn't anything that would cause him to fume at the ears. Yet Oswald took it upon himself to show these stumps who was boss. Running up towards the mob, the Lucky rabbit leaped into the air and did a somersault before performing a dive kick at one of the Stumps. Oswald used stomp on Enchanted Stump 10!
"Hmph." was all the bunny uttered as he took a step into the fray. It was a nice change of pace to see the Mouse struggle. Putting impish attitude aside, The Black Rabbit went to work. Reaching into his pockets, he whipped out a controller of some sorts that had only one button on it. With a snicker, right index finger hovered over the button and jabbed at it once. Sometimes a battle could be one with mere brains instead of brawn. In other words, ingenuity. "Heads up!" he shouted.
It was like the other side of a trash dispenser; or in this case a people dispenser. The portal continued just wouldn't stop spitting out people. D'daear watched motionless as one after the other they came, head bobbing back and forth between the arrivals. There was Beuce, Stratos, Raisor, Base, Steel. This is definitely...not everyone... Heart sank a bit at only seeing five keyblade wielders. When the portal would shot out two more, spirit was lifted only momentarily. It was Hikaru, Mickey, and Horace who had emerged. Perhaps the portal was going to give them more people? Explanation was had, to which D'daear merely kept quiet the entire time while others asked their questions. Eyes were constantly wandering to the portal, hoping more people would come through. While he waited, it was explained that more portals were scattered throughout the wasteland which explained how the other keyblade wielders were able to make it here....well most of them. It was pleasant news when Oswald revealed that the others were captured and NOT killed; which once again explained why they were lacking so many people from their large group. Irises shifted away from the portal, now assuming that no one else would be coming through. Well, at least Mickey is alright... Would've made our search for him pointless... "Mickey... Mouse..." Oswald interrupted, saying each syllable of his name with a burning hatred. D'daear looked to Oswald, recognizing the tone in his voice. It was like anger that would seep into jaws and tense, forcing words to come off rather rigid. Eyes widening, D'daear took a hesitant step forward in the midst of Oswald's and Mickey's conversation. "Uuuh Oswa-" he tried to interject. The Black rabbit lunged at the Mouse, tackling him to the floor in unknown anger. If it hadn't been for Raisor, their fight would've stirred dust and smoke. He saw as Raisor held the rabbit by both ears and laying down the law.
Spoiler: Two Months earlier Lvl: 20 Spoiler: Two Months earlier "Stupid - NGh... IMPS!!" A massive blade was brought down on the head of a small demon. Shards scattered into the virtual air like dandelions upon the creatures health meter meeting null. The feeling of muscles nearing their limits was almost uncanny to Jankano. Being in a virtual world, there was no possible way to actually feel pain of any kind, and yet here he was on the verge of passing out. Lungs expanded constantly with each passing breath. Nostrils could no longer take in the necessary amount of air the body was requiring, so mouth was gaped open in its stead. The warrior clad in strange attire was surrounded by these little demons called, Imps. Some were airborne, and others were just running around like children up to no good. "I found a spot!" shouted a nearby male gunner. irises looked on beyond the horde of imps and towards the massive stone wall with a strange emblem on it. They had made it to the boss rooms door. Jankano looked back to the rest of the team. There was a guy spear wielder, a girl katana user, and a girl gunslinger. Giving them a nod, the group nodded back and jump into the fray. Weapons were fired, sharp ends of blades met with 1s and 0s constructing the illusion of flesh. Magic was flung, and summons were called upon. By the end of the fight, all that remained was one Imp with an injured wing lying flat on the ground squirming under Jankano's boot. Their team's sniper had done a grand job at keeping the airborne enemies controlled. With merciless eyes, he dug the giant swords tip into the creatures skull and watched it burst into data. "Alright! Awesome work guys!" shouted the gunman that was dropping down from its nest. Blade was sheathed onto back, with nothing to say while everyone else thanked each other for their services. After everything he had been through in the past four months, any semblance of a cheery guy had faded away. At this point it was useless to say anything. These people aren't Jankano's friends, they're just mercenaries selling their services just like him. Hence, why he didn't bother to play the part of amigo. All this, it was purely business. That's how it started and that how it was going to stay. As he turned around to leave, one of the players called out to him, drawing the others attention. "Hey! Where are you going?" The swordsman continued to walk while saying nonchalantly, "We're done here. They paid us to do this much. I'm not up for giving a free service." "Yeah, but The guild should be coming in soon to help fight the boss room! Don't you want to be a part of that?" Jankano merely waved them off while remaining on the path leading out of this dank cave. The guild the player was referring to were the contractors, and they had only paid him for clearing the path. It was none of his concern anymore whether the customer beat the boss room or not. The money was already in his account anyway. Doing this was nothing more than honoring his end of the contract. The sniper flung the gun over his shoulders and let arms dangle on both ends. "Jeez. What's up with him?" "I don't know, and I don't care. If he wants to play some solo player bullshit attitude, then that's his problem. More X P for us." the female katana user replied. "Hah! Right? Besides, what kind of player doesn't use a summon anyway?" "Duuude! Yeah what's up with that? The entire time he never once called out his summon! Who the hell does that?" the spear wielder queried, planting the blunt tip of the spear onto the ground. The katana user turned towards the boss room and crossed her arms. "Like I said, it's HIS problem. Just forget about him..." A sigh came out of the marksmen relaxing with his sniper, while the others looked down in spoiled mood. The girl using pistols looked on to the ground solemnly while the group began to set up a campfire for the time being. Holstering the pistols, the gunslinger placed hands on hips while remaining on foot. "Hey, you guys think that was The Man without a Partner?" she spoke up, hands remaining on hips. The group looked up to the standing girl. "Nah. Just because he didn't use his summon doesn't mean it's him." marksman said. "Yeah, I heard The Man without a Partner was like already level 50 or something. And the guy is like 8 to 9 feet tall!" said the pole arm user. "8 to 9 feet!? I thought he was 7 feet!!" "Nope! 8 to 9 feet! I mean then again, I've never seen him so I'm just going off of speculation. And get this, the reason he doesn't use his partner is because it gets out of control. It'll start flying around slaying everything in its path." The gunslinger interjected, "Out of control? How can a summoner NOT control their summon? Isn't that taboo?" He shrugged at her, merely letting eyes fall into the fire. "Like I said, I don't know the guy personally, just information I gathered from rumors and stuff." Groaning in annoyance, the female swordsman fell on her back. "Uuuuuuugggghhh! Guys! Just drop it already! If a guy like that even existed, then don't you think we'd be way into beating the game by now?" Now Lvl: 30 It was just another day in this virtual world many were forced to call, "Home". 6 months had gone by, with the remaining lot of players having made very little progress in escaping this world. Just like so many, Jankano had forced himself to accept his new reality. It felt wrong, but it was for the best. Making this VRMMO the new reality helped him accept what needed to be done in order to survive. With the right mindset, mercenary work had become the chosen profession. It wasn't exactly a skill like blacksmithing, potion making, chef, etc, but it was something. There was a Bulletin Board set up in the town's entrance where many would post jobs. Most of the people who posted these jobs were people who; for obvious reasons, couldn't do it themselves. Blacksmiths who need ore, materials, etc but lacked the skills needed to survive outside these walls, Bounty(s) for people who had been wronged by Pkers or merely needed an area cleared long enough for the player to gather the materials they needed. Crap like that. Whether it be a body guard, escort, delivery, or anything, you would always see Jankano there every day. With six months of repeating the same routine over and over again, the man had acquired quite the wealth. Mind you he wasn't aristocracy or anything, but he did manage to invest his earnings for better returns which merited a network of good contacts. The money made helped fund gear, repair costs, health pots, housing, and acquire information on the latest events, rumors, etc. It made him chuckle a little when he heard one rumor in particular. At level Thirty, he was fully geared; for his current level anyway. The pattern was always the same: you buy new gear for your level, wear it out until you reach a new cap, and then sell gear. Repeat. Sometimes you wouldn't even be able to get a buyer, so the next best thing was to break down the armor and weapon for Materials with which to sell. Either way, there was profit involved. Jankano walked down the street, armor clanging like chains as he made his way past an INN in search for Samantha's Shop. His appearance was rather grim; literally. Exposed torso revealed bandages covering 75% of it, with silver gauntlets protecting forearm and hands. A strange cloak wrapped itself behind shoulders which connected to a black and red turtleneck. A skull acted as right shoulder pauldron while over the cloak, and a larger skull acting as tasset for his right hip. A belt with ammunition wrapped itself around waist, dropping to hip on the other end in a skew manner. Black pants with red belts attired his lower body and again silver colored the metallic boots he adorned with red and black dyes. His demeanor for the moment was that of any man living out his life. Many could mistake him for a cheery or upbeat fellow, but only those that truly knew him understood the mask he wore. Beneath it all was a hardened warrior who could easily give his enemy a death stare so vile that they could sense his blood-lust intentions without even having him speak. Sometimes, they could even flinch without him even doing anything as he can project his predatory intentions on the battlefield without him actually doing anything. Anyway, down the street he went minding his own business. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the steps leading to the shop's entrance. Eyes immediately fell upon someone whom he'd assume was a customer knocking on Samantha's door. Taking the initiative, Jankano walked up the stairs and grabbed a hold of the doors knob, excusing himself with the customer before bothering to take a glance. He paused upon recognizing the man's face, leaving the passageway half opened with hand still holding on to the door knob. "Oh, Silentblade." he called in soft surprise. Not wanting to stay in the way, the Jankano walked himself in and held the door for other. "I guess you're here to stock up for another days work too?"
