After the match had ended, Stratos looked around to see that everyone else had made it out safe and sound as well. With the arena around them disappearing, Stratos reconvened with them, only to see that Team Sark had won their match as well. While he wasn't exactly confident in his ability to out maneuver the opposing team on a light cycle, he was happy for the reprieve they had gotten just now. As Hikaru asked about strategy, Stratos thought about it for a moment. It wasn't as though he knew enough to give general riding tips, but based on the last match he figured he had come up with something. "Well, for one thing, I think it's best if you force them into a corner. You can't really stop the light cycle so doing that will probably force them to crash." 2/10
As the match continued onward, Stratos got a better hang of the controls and felt riding the light cycle came more naturally to him. The same appeared to be true for the other members of his team, as they had managed to both continue driving along and even beat out some of the other riders on Team RAM. Stratos had attempted to catch up with his fellow team members, who seemed to be doing fine on their own, in order to try and defeat the final opponents they were against. As he started driving along, he was soon met at even pace with the final rider of Team RAM. As the two looked at each other, they both understood that the one who passed the other one first would be the winner. As such, both Stratos and his opponent throttled the engines of their light cycles, speeding up the pace, but still evenly matched. While each tried to surpass the other, neither side seemed to be giving an inch. This speed continued to be equal as they approached a nearby wall, both knowing that they needed to turn past it. As such, when they got close enough, they both turned at the same time, with equal sharpness in angle. It was at this point that Stratos realized that, even if only by a slim margin, he was ahead of his opponent. When they had turned the corner he had been on the inside of the turn, his opponent having to turn later then him. With that in mind, Stratos had an idea pop into his mind as to how to defeat the other light cyclist. As such, in order to do this, he needed to keep at the same speed he had before, matching pace with the opposing rider once more. While they seemed to be sneering at him, Stratos tried to keep his focus on the wall ahead. He knew there would only be one chance to get this done, and if he messed it up it'd end quite horribly for him. As the wall approached, the boy looked over to his opponent, giving them what last stare before the final leg of this game began. As they both approached the wall, Stratos took a sharp ninety degree turn at it before his opponent did. Being ahead on the path now, the boy started to create a light trail from his light cycle, creating a wall of hard light for the enemy to crash into. As he did this, then turn towards the wall he just turned away from, at about the same time that his opponent turned away from it initially. With barely any time to spare, Stratos turned once again, mere inches from the wall, and beginning to scrape against it. His opponent had crashed into the hard light wall, having no other option but to go straight into it, and went flying forward as a flurry of red and white sparks from the shattered light cycle went everywhere. The rider hit against the ground, bouncing and skidding a bit before meeting the same fate that their bike had. While he had won, Stratos was off balance from his stunt and had to try and stabilize his bike, or else he would've met the same fate as the opponent he just beat. With his bike righted back into the correct position, the boy merely drove on and joined the rest of his team as they ended up being the only ones left on the field. "Hey, great job guys," Stratos congratulated, the first of their two matches having been finished. 10/10 Words: 603 EXP Writer Totals: Aislinn: 47 EXP Kel: 44 EXP Stratos: 108 EXP Hikaru: 33 EXP Blessed Thief: Kel: 90 Munny Stratos: 90 Munny
As Stratos had continued to pilot the light cycle, he could feel that his balance was getting better and better. Soon enough, he felt like he had gotten the basics of riding this strange device down and a bit of confidence surged through him, only to then soon be put to question. As he would be reminded, they weren't training, they were in a match. And so the opponent hadn't been so curtious in letting them get everything down. Seeing a red light cycle come from the side, it sped past him only to then turn at an impossibly sharp angle. With a bright red glowing wall in his way, Stratos knew that crashing into it would be bad news bears and had to think quickly as to how he was going to get out of this. Attempting to turn, it didn't really respond how he was expecting it to, and the boy was running out of options. Seeing a button on the device, he then carefully at it, and with nothing left to lose pressed it. Turning at a ninety degree angle, the boy felt the sudden momentum shift and was jarred by it. However, having avoided the red wall, he was now simply moving alongside it, safe from danger. With a better grasp on the controls, he felt like it was time to actually try competing against the Team RAM. 3/10
As Team SARK had managed to defeat their opponents it had seemed that it was the group's turn to get going now. As Tron apologized for the lack of practice they had gotten for their light cycling, Stratos was not at all comforted by his encouragement. "I don't think that's how-," however he was cut off as their opponents appeared before them. As they lashed out a threat, Stratos looked to Aislinn, wondering if they were talking about her only for Hikaru to inform him otherwise. Pointing to himself confused, Stratos said, "I'm not sure if I should feel offended or not." Before he could make sense of the threat, he was interrupted by a booming voice playing out announcing the start of their match. Holding out the cylinder, he summoned his light cycle up and took to the wheel. As the motorbike rocketed forward, leaving a trail of light behind him, Stratos wasn't even quite sure what it was he was doing. Outside of not falling off and dying of course. Trying to get the hang of things, Stratos was trying to both calm himself down and steady the swerving motorcycle, as he attempted to teach himself the basics of just how to pilot this thing from pretty much no experience. It wasn't exactly like riding a keyglider, at least not his. But others might've had more luck with some similarities. Thinking about it, the boy tried to remember how others with those did use them, and tried to base his knowledge off of that. 1/10
With introductions and agreeing to what was essentially the least gratifying mission one could join, Aeira stood around and listened as Lea went on to explain what it was they were doing. All they had to do was split off and find two separate keyblade wielders. Simple enough. The girl wasn't at all that worried about having to deal with keyblade wielders, in spite of the tales she had heard, though she was confused as to what weapons such as those were doing in a land such as this. With no good feelings come off of it, she merely resolved herself to the mission at hand. Looking over to the other group, her cold, serious eyes focused on the girl named Kiara, getting an off feeling from her. Aeira wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about this girl, on an almost instinctual level that she didn't like. As she couldn't really peg it down, she didn't really linger on it for too long and instead looked to the rest of her group with a far more neutral expression. Looking to the others she said, "well I'm ready now, so let's get going."
As Tron explained what had happened to the last team he was with, Stratos didn't feel any more comfortable aiding him. Nevertheless, he couldn't very well turn the man down now. As such, he simply took the light cycle and awaited their turn to go and compete against everyone else. It was then that they saw Team Sark, and Stratos felt a bit dumbfounded. There were quite a few familiar faces, and as Hikaru spoke to Stratos, the keyblade wielder said, "don't worry, I think I do too." He wasn't sure why the four keyblade wielders over there were aiding the enemy team, and he didn't know any of them really well. However, even he could tell that the expressions they wore seemed very uncharacteristic of them. Nodding at what Kel had said, he followed up with, "yeah. I'm not sure what's going on here but it's got bad written all over it."
As Stratos had tried to introduce himself to the man, he then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over. With a pleasant look of surprise he saw that both Aislinn and Kel had followed them into the world to help them out. "Hey guys, nice to have you with us. We were just introducing ourselves to this guy." He pointed to Tron. Hikaru then introduced him to the other two as well, and managed to convince Tron that they too were Security Programs. Stratos wasn't quite sure what being one entailed, but hopefully it fell in line with pretty much everything they'd normally do anyway. Tron went on to describe how he needed people to help him end this man, Sark's, reign over wherever it was they actually were. When Stratos looked at the light cycles and was proposed to join a team to fight against Sark by doing such, the boy gulped briefly at the idea of going on one of those. His track record with using vehicles wasn't that great, and dying if he crashed didn't seem like something he wanted to get involved in. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea," he said to Hikaru. Though, this was the only way they were going to get anywhere, and so Stratos followed with, "but I think we don't have much of a choice in the matter. So, you can count me in Tron."
As Stratos walked into the new room, he paused a bit in his step, slightly taken by the completely different aesthetic of the world he was in now. The whole of the world seemed to have some odd, ever present lighting of mostly a soft blue color. Currents seemed to run all around the walls and floors, giving off their own color of light, and the area they were in seemed to not actually be solid ground. It was more like some solid chunk of land, that was oddly symmetrical, and floating around in an otherwise large void; the void itself having a large grid pattern run through it. The boy then looked at himself, to see that he was no exception to this lighting rule. "Well, this has certainly never happened before," the boy mused. Somehow, his clothes had taken a more bluish hue to themselves, a series a lighter blue currents running through them as well. When Hikaru had mentioned that they were "digital" now, the boy said, "well uh, I've never been in a program before. Or used one, for that matter, but I guess this is what it's like." Looking around for a bit, he just raised an eyebrow saying, "well, I guess that's kind of neat then." It was then that the two of them were approached by a new figure, one who seemed to look like a regular person outside of the very fitting attire for where they were. As he introduced himself, Stratos was a bit confused as to his question but simply said, "well uh, hello there Tron. Nice to meet you. We're uh, Lockers? Openers?" He looked to his partner as if asking for confirmation before saying, "something like that. We're a bit new here, sorry."
Because I hate myself or something, did a bunch of musical missions in like, 2 days. So here, submitting them all. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnwBC7mDCo6H2JUZM2fZ1cRlyVPyprWF7 Spoiler: Details Son of Man (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Strangers Like Me (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Two Worlds (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) You'll Be In My Heart (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) Love (1 Crown, 100 Munny) Little April Showers (1 Crown, 200 Munny) Baby Mine (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Someone's Waiting for You (1 Crown, 200 Munny) A Dream is a Wish (2 Crowns, 100 Munny) A Perfect World (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Reflection (1 Crown, 300 Munny) Tale as Old As Time (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) When Will My Life Begin (3 Crowns, 200 Munny) Mother Knows Best (3 Crowns, 300 Munny) Cruella De Vil (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Winnie the Pooh (1 Crown, 200 Munny) He's a Tramp (1(+1 from Monthly Bonus) Crown, 100 Munny) On my Way (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) One Little Slip (2 Crowns, 200 Munny) Candle on the Water (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) Why Should I Worry (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) When There Was Me and You (2 Crowns, 300 Munny) Also gaining 22 Extra Crowns from Counterpoint In final total count will also include the rewards from I Have A Dream as the stats have not been updated yet. Gained 4900 Munny Gained 65 Crowns New Totals: 8950 Munny 135 Crowns
As his partner directed his attention to the "Space Paranoids," Stratos looked at it. The neon lights were certainly eye-catching and the name seemed a bit out there as well. As Hikaru said it was retro, Stratos couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. "I'm not really sure what 'retro' is. But yeah, it definitely looks interesting. So let's go." As he walked towards it, he noticed that there was numbers next to each of the gates. There were probably a few things that this could mean, but Stratos had thought it probably had to do with the participants themselves. And if it was the limit, that meant they were going in with less people then before. Looking to the others he said, "well, since we're all probably splitting up from here on out, good luck guys. I know I don't need to tell you, but it's probably dangerous going forward, so stay sharp. And let's go win this game." With that, the boy walked through the Space Paranoids gate, seeing what would lie behind.
I go where the partner goes. Space Paranoids
Stratos was both confused and relieved to here that Base had made it back to them safely, but didn't try to put much more thought into the "how he got here" part. He turned to Hikaru and nodded at his affirmation of it beings nice to have others back. He wasn't quite sure what was going on with the others, but as he looked around he noticed that a good deal of the others who he had met at the Castle of Illusion weren't here anymore. He didn't know what had happened to them, but could only hope that they were, at the very least, safe. It was then that he brought up the fall of Central Haven to which Stratos waved the compliment away, saying, "thanks, but I just did my pat like anyone else would." While Stratos might've appeared to be downplaying his contribution, ultimately it hadn't mattered. They had still lost, and no amount of heartless slaying during that time changed it. Nevertheless, pulling himself out of a bit of a somber slump, he nodded once more, and said, "likewise. If I recall correctly you fought against the Shadow Blot, which couldn't have been an easy feat to pull of either." With that out of the way, the group's splitting off were then interrupted by the new man in charge of their games. They were apparently supposed to figure out some kind of password to break through a digital lock to then get to the world's real keyhole. That seemed a bit more...involved then the last mission they had. Nevertheless, the group had a game to go complete and an exam to pass. As the gates opened, Stratos looked around to see where the next places he could go to were. However, as he was looking around, the group then was greeted by a rather large yet friendly man. As Glen seemed to be going along with that they were part of a game, which they technically were anyway. Stratos merely said, "yeah, we're part of a new game here and figured we would just go exploring a bit. Get to know the area. Speaking of, partner," he turned to Hikaru, "where did you want go check out first?"
Addendum. Kaida, Stratos and Aislinn would gain 5 Crowns due to the +1 Earned from Counterpoint.
Aeira needed very little convincing as to getting them to do what had to be done. She leaned back where she was standing, simply listening to what it was Lea saying about what their duty and mission was. The green haired girl didn't really care much for the objective of aiding those in the light who wielded the legendary keyblades, nor was she particularly worried about the people trapped in the realm of darkness. The idea of being outside of rules and morality wasn't something that Aeira gave much care to either, though with that thought process it likely helped. Simply put, Aeira only really cared as this was a place they could fight. A place they would grow. A place they could get stronger. And in doing so, fight their fate. Looking at Lea, a look that was serious and determined, the girl began. "Glory ain't really my thing. anyway. So you can count me in." The green haired girl then turned her attention over to the newcomer. There was something about the girl, Karkiara, that just bothered Aeira on a somewhat unexplainable, instinctual level. As such a slight irritation was briefly present across their face before it faded away. Looking at them dead on, they just pointed to themselves and said, "Aeira."
While everything within the world had come to its resolution, Stratos sat back and waited for them to get the news on their mission, when suddenly everything had shifted. Suddenly he, and the rest of his group, and the others for that matter, were in some place different. While it was certainly a bit jarring, Stratos didn't actually seem to make much note of the predicament. After all, if it wasn't as if this was the first time the group had been forcibly teleported somewhere else. Nevertheless, there was a strange voice that reverberated throughout the area, explaining what was going on. While Stratos wasn't quite sure who this person was, or what some of the words he was using even meant, but it seemed like he was now the one in charge of their examination in the Reaper Games. He was a bit concerned by this, as the games already had a high enough stakes behind them, but having a new examiner who actively wanted to kill them was a bit worrying. Sighing, the boy figured things would pretty much work themselves out or they'd all die horribly, and just went with it. While they were shown a strange puzzle to begin with, it seemed that the blond haired newcomer had figured it out pretty quickly, and thus showed them what it had meant. "Hey, nice work there." After complimenting the newcomer, Straots looked at the list to see who it was he was working with. He saw the name Hikaru next to his. This caused the boy to scratch his head a bit in confusion. He knew that name sounded familiar, but he wasn't exactly sure whose face it belonged to. Looking around, Stratos knew pretty much everyone else in the room, easily able to associate a name to them, except for one. Reasoning that the blue haired boy was Hikaru, Stratos walked over to him and said, "Hikaru, right?" He pointed to himself saying, "Stratos. Anyway, it looks like we're partners for this portion of the exam." Reaching out his hand to shake, Stratos said, "pleasure to make your acquaintance." After that was done with, Stratos registered something that Ananta had said, looking and saying, "wait, Base is here?"
As the groups had unleashed one final barrage of attacks against the two large heartless, they seemed to have been completely overwhelmed. The Volcanic Lord and Blizzard Lord had both been destroyed by the force of the keyblade wielders, and with that, vanished into a puff of darkness with their hearts being released into the air. However, though they had killed the two largest threats, they were not the only one. Watching the scene between Frollo and Quasimodo in what can only be described as a rollercoaster of emotions too great to be put down into words, Stratos was relieved to see that everything had all worked out. With a grin on his face as the keyholes of the world were sealed, them presumably having completed their mission, he then heard his partner congratulate him. Turning to her with a smile on his face he said, "yeah, you were pretty good out there yourself. Hit like a truck against those two heartless." While he was briefly reminded of power displayed by someone else, he then shook it off and gave Aislinn a thumbs up saying, "glad to have you on board our merry band of misfits, Hero."
With the attack having gone off, Stratos could feel something within him get started up. It was a feeling he hadn't had for quite some time. Though he had used this attack numerous times, the feeling he had was quite like it was when he had first started his journey. When he had been fighting against Mim, he move he had used to help fell her in all of her forms. It was this feeling that was welling up in his heart this time. Harnessing the power of this feeling, lightning started to crackle across Stratos's body and converged onto the tip of the keyblade. As the lightning reached there, the a ball of energy started to form, though it grew more and more intense with each passing second. When it had finally reached its apex, Stratos launched the miniature sphere from his blade, attacking the large heartless with the radiant explosion to come. Stratos used Trip Around the Sun on Blizzard Lord.
Tasteless. Such is Flavor. Or the lack of it. Hark, oh flavorless of posts as I beseech thee to let mine will be done and let the aqueous spheres find their mark on the demon of flames. Stratos used Aqua Splash on Volcanic Lord
Stratos chuckled a bit at his partner's joke, but said, "I don't know about wine, but I think Glen had something to drink on him." As the girl stated to end this quickly, Stratos nodded. "Let's." The two lords seemed to have reached that point that most large heartless seemed to have, when they were damaged beyond a certain threshold. After taking the fire balls and some ice attacks from the minature cubes had summoned, Stratos responded with his own fire. He could feel that this was the last one he had in the tank, but there was something else within him that felt a bit off as he conjured it. Not sure what to make of it, the boy simply fired his attack off at the freezing one. Stratos used Fira against Blizzard Lord.
