The mission was a success. A subject had been retrieved, and brought back for testing. Although they hadn't necessarily gone unnoticed. They simply didn't know it was them yet. If he could find out a few key individuals that were tracking them, he could feed them false information and throw them off of their trail. Perhaps make it go cold entirely. Nevertheless, that would come later. Right now, there was a test subject and he needed to study it. India entered the room, with a fair bit of equipment hooked up to Colton. Isabella was in the room, and informed them of his poor health. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to seriously injure him." He pulled a syringe from the various tools he had brought with him. "This is a drug used to induce hallucinations. We're going to see how you react to stress." India smiled grimly as he approached him with the needle. Slowly, he stuck it into his arm and pumped the fluid into his body. With the chemicals inside of him, and..."unusual" things he might witness would likely be disregarded as mad visions, if not by him then by everyone else. He didn't glance at Isabella, merely thought of her presence. She was a telepath. That could get in the way of what he was about to do. He couldn't have her discovering his...talents. Of course, if she happened to not be peering into the boy's mind at the time, there would be no problems, right? Slowly and subtly, he reached out and touched Isabella's mind. He planted a small thought. So subtle it couldn't even really be considered a thought. It was more well perceived as an instinct. a gut feeling that you likely wouldn't even notice due to it not feeling out of place. It was an internal deterrent against looking into his mind for the time being. Now that she was out of the way, his attention returned to Colton. What made him tick, he wondered? The best way to find out...would be directly. In that moment, India walked within Colton's mind. At first, there was only darkness. An endless abyss of nothingness, but soon, one realized that it wasn't empty, there were eyes, peering from all around. Hm. Interesting. He looked over, and saw Colton standing at the edge of what was now a cliff, the scene having changed entirely. Thoughts tended to be erratic, never lingering in one place for long. Well, this should be interesting. With his inception, he could control the hallucinations to some extent. Give the mind an idea, and it tends to accept it, make it part of it, and build upon it. "falling." And falling he was. plummeting to his inevitable death as the cliff collapsed, when the dark and murky water changed into sky. The two of them were standing among dark and stormy clouds, lightning ripping across the air. The clouds began to subtly look as though they had designed shapes to them. a beast. A horrific monster, of indescribable form. This was, for all intents and purposes, a dream. The mind required very little information in a dream to accept it as not unusual. This monster didn't even really need any shape at all. Colton just needed to believe it did. All at once, it was no longer a cloud, but the beast itself staring him down.
As Calxiyn had teleported around with dark energies, She'd struck him with intense force. He was knocked back, onto the ground. His helmet cracked and was blown from his face, revealing his tan skin and shoulder length blonde hair. Had he been alone, he would've lost the fight then and there. His consciousness was fading, but he didn't worry. He knew what was going to happen. As expected a shadow stood over him. A blonde figure dressed in red acted as his shield, glowing with a barrier. Charlotte had come to his defense the moment he had sustained the injuries. Ander had begun healing him. With the magic washing over his wounds, stitching them closed, he rose to his feet. "They will not have to find out. The reason you will fall before us is the same reason Ezekiel did. We have the strength of one another to give us the power we need to overcome our trials. You see, THAT is the true meaning of power. Ezekiel did not understand that when he fought us. You have lost sight of that." Ra stood once again to his full height of 6"4, standing taller than most of his teammates. "Thank you, my friends." He said to Charlotte and Ander. He stepped forward, staring at Cal. "Let me remind you of the wrath of our power. Perhaps then, you will not be so quick to throw away what you have!" Extending his hand, a spray of lightning bolts rained from his palm onto their former ally.
Charlotte had guarded him from the dark magics, but what she could never protect him from was wounds inflicted on his heart by Calxiyn's biting words. She'd insulted his bird suit. You didn't just insult a guy's bird suit! What the hell? A small blue haired man dressed in a devil costume appeared on his shoulder. "That's it. She's goin' down." He cocked his pitch fork as though it were a shotgun. He recognized this man. It was one of the three who had infested his dreams with rants about birds. On his other shoulder, The white haired man fluttered down in an angel costume. "Now now, from above, the wicked shall recieve their just reward." Ra looked between the two. "Isn't there supposed to be a third?" "Listen, there were only two spots for this reference. Stefano got the short stick." "Yeah. I mean, we're not even doing the whole reference. There was supposed to be like this whole back and forth before this point." "Not to mention, do you see a chandelier? We're outside." Ra used suspiciously chandelier shaped Aero. "Yes." " *sigh* Alright we're going back to LvD. Not that it makes any more sense." "Catch ya later Azir." "Farewell." It occurred to Ra he could quite possibly be insane. He wondered who those men were. "Yo! Party members! Can all y'all come over here and like...Cut the chains or somethin' ? They're probably made outta swiss cheese. Everything else seems to be made of nonsensical materials." Beucette called out, hoping she would be freed. Man. If only someone in her group had a keyblade. They could just unlock them through the power of nonsensical starting weapons. "But yeah. If you could do that before the fight, it'd be great. I need exp too, ya know."
As Eigo lay injured on the floor of the cave, A figure materialized above him. The one who had guided him there. He had been sent deep within the world, so he had guided him to the place he would be most able to help. As R stood over Eigo, looking down on him, he knelt near the injured man. "Do not fear. Sapphire has gone to fight this man. He will flee the world, or he will die. There is no defeating someone with the power of kingdom hearts, save the X-blade, yet that falls under her command as well. This man will be defeated or driven from this world." R began to work cast some healing magic on the man in front of him. It wasn't the strongest. He was only versed in the basics of the magic type, but it would help him nonetheless. He thought about the words he had just spoken. They were an absolute truth. Sapphire could not be defeated. Yet, there was a group of rebels attempting to free a mysterious entity known as "the Hero", who could supposedly do just that. He had no idea who or what could possibly have that kind of power. Beuce walked through the streets of Riel, stroking his Jesus beard. After such an out of body experience, he seemed to have a better sense of honing in on current plot points. He walked over, until he finally came across Crybex and Sapphire. Wow. Like, i know Crybex was OP and all, but he had balls to just walk around killing things on Riel. "Yo, Sapphire! I'll help you out if you give me some kind of temporary god buff. Last time i tried to fight someone I did this totally badass combination of attacks, and they just Zhonya's. It was stupid. But yeah, i died. Then i met the Beuce above all and got sent back. I'd really prefer to not die again and you're obviously having some goddessy problems or something. So, we got a couple options here. Either you refuse my offer and...well everything works out fine. You accept my offer and...Once again everything works out fine. Or we just powerplay him to R and watch him fight arguably the strongest protagonist. yeah, Crybex buddy, take it from me. If you want to do the whole "purge the darkness" thing, this is not the place to do it. You kinda lose either way." Zavion listened to Freya and Lexcifur. It wasn't until after Lexcifur said something that she actually noticed his injuries. There was only one thing he could think of that could make her that out of it. "Yeah. I noticed." He said in response to her mind being somewhere else. He could see her heart, he knew exactly what was going on. He didn't quite know what to say about it, so he said nothing about it. "It turns out that there's more going on here than just a rebellion. Some of the people who joined up with this thing are real nutjobs. While i was in my world, a man tried to go on a genocidal massacre. We fought him, and I tried using Shinryu. That's where the injury on my arm came from. He ended up retreating after an intervention from mom. Speaking of...What do you mean 'again'?" Zavion questioned. Had they really been revealed? If so, why wasn't there a bigger fuss over it? Bartholomew returned to Disney Castle, awaiting the next series of events to happen. He now had a grudge against Phantom, and he wanted to make him suffer. Quality post is quality.
The first blows had been struck. Calxiyn had hit them hard with her dark magics, but they'd withstood them and dealt a fair bit of damage to her. Veilan seemed to have taken the worst of the beating. He extended his hand toward the man next to him, and loosed a flow of healing magic to wash over him, healing his injuries. "Hold strong, Veilan. We will overcome this demon, just the same as we did against Orpheus." He turned his attention back toward their enemy. "You are correct. Ezekiel was a fool. Yet, knowing this, you follow in his footsteps. Tell me, 'dragon of hell', which of the two seems more foolish?" Looking over the rest of the group, he saw that they were, for the most part, still standing strong. "Dale, Gaius, Veilan, Therity, keep on the offensive! Give her no quarter! Ander, for the moment, you and I will heal the wounded. Should the level of our injuries change, we will switch out our roles. Charlotte, Thank you. As i am protected, i will ensure we do not fall!" Ra called out orders to the party. Anyone with a mind of tactics knew they were what needed to be done.
The mouse king immediately ordered a chase scene with his guards. As long as they didn't squeak lock her, she was fine. She yelled out in response to the mouse king. "Oh you want to burn me do you? Well two can play at that game! Your mother! Hah! Showed you!" Earning herself the title of honorary grandmaster of comebacks, she began to run from the guards. The chase scene was on. A massive group of mice began running after her. In a very comical fashion, Beucette outran the massive horde of mouse guards, given her speed stat was significantly higher. "Yeah, a full party would be nice! Hurry up an' put yer typin' caps on and get posting! You don't want to lose best girl!"
Beucette looked down at the mouse king. They seemed to be building a fire for the nutcracker. On one hand, they could find their missing teammates, save the nutcracker, and then go and confront the mouse king. It seemed the logical thing to do. it wasn't even really a matter of it would take too long or something. There wasn't really any reason not to go through with that plan. But on the other hand, yolo. Beucette stepped up on the railing of the balcony and leaped off, raising her sword above her head and flailing it around in no particular pattern. Leaping off down into the courtyard, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "LEEEEERROOOOOYYYY JEEENKIIIIIIIIIINS!" And with that, Beucette had successfully fucked the team over unless they won and went down as legends. In which case i should get a reward for being the luckiest dumbass ever.
Calxiyn had mentioned something about a "moon drip ceremony" and instructed Boreal to complete it. No doubt that was how they intended to free the demon. Perhaps that was what had caused the unnatural light from the moon, and what inflicted the curse on the residents of the island. That meant that not only would defeating them stop the demon from being released, but would accomplish their original goal. From beneath his mask, his eyes burned with anger at the girl who had betrayed them. "Have you learned nothing? You seek to become the very person Ezekiel now strives to turn away from! The pursuit of power is not meant to be accomplished through a shortcut! I have seen it before, and it is never worth the price! I have been betrayed again in the mad pursuit of strength. Yet, this time, you have betrayed us all!" Ra beat his staff against the ground, causing a rain of lightning to fly downward from the sky. Ra cast thunder. "That's the spirit!" Beucette said as Clara gained newfound determination. Conveniently enough a bunch of Plot devices fairies came to help them. A large amount of vines hung down, ready for them to grab. Reaching out, Beucette wrapped her fingers around the plant, holding on for the journey to their boss' layer.
pff, look at this guy and his well rounded stats who even does that? Clearly you are supposed to pick one or two stats and completely ignore everything that isn't those. Everyone knows that.
They'd arrived at their destination. In front of them stood Boreal and Calxiyn, at the top of the temple. Boreal seemed quick to force thrust the decision upon her. He placed the mask upon her face, causing her to undergo a change. She was no longer the girl they knew. He looked at the mask, and recalled seeing it once before, when it was being decided what would be done with Ezekiel. "If you want to kill him, then I dare you to try. You'll have to go through me first, and the dark power that I've been holding back. Even...if it changes me forever." So, this was the dark power she had spoken of. Ra stood silent for a moment. He knew nothing of the mask. Not it's origin, not it's power, and not the extent to which it changed those under it's effects. If she knew what it did, then it had likely changed her before. If she'd returned from it's influence, then it was possible to retrieve her mind from the darkness. If she was to answer for this, she would need to be herself. Ra stepped forward next to Charlotte and Veilan. He would fight beside them, and bring Cal back to them, for better or for worse. "Boreal. You have beckoned a wrath you do not wish to face. You are but a grain of sand. When every trace of you is lost, we shall remain." His head turned toward their current opponent. Their guild mate, Calxiyn. "You have forgotten yourself. The moment the mask was placed upon you, control was lost. If that means we must now fight against you, then so be it. The flames of the eclipse will bear down upon you as well!" Ra beat his staff against the ground, causing a flame to light at it's tip. Beucette simply stared as the castle fell, made of cardboard. Then a cage trapped them and proceeded to be carried away by bats. "I...That...What is i don't even..." She stood there, dumbfounded at the unbelievable simplicity of the trap. Either they were all idiots, or there were some damn good painters in the enemy ranks. She watched them fly off, cage in tow. "Well, that happened alright." She looked over to Clara, who had dropped to her knees in despair. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I've looked for plenty o' princesses in my time. For some reason, no matter where i look, they always seem to be in another castle...It's weird. Anyways, all we gotta do is go kick their door in, and take 'em back. Simple as that. No harm done."
Beuce listened as Glen spoke his mind. He asked what the point of it all was. Beuce scratched his head. To be honest, he didn't really know what they were fighting for. What was he fighting for himself? It was no secret Glen didn't really like him, but he seemed nice enough at heart. He felt like he should say something to help him out. "Well, I guess the point of it is to make sure more people don't follow them. Maybe revenge. It depends on whether you're the kind to pursue that. In any case...I think a keyblade isn't meant to be this all powerful tool that just magics away all the world's problems. It's made to bring you trial after trial. Give you hardships. But, wise men know that hardships don't break you down. They build you up. You come out strong for them. Then, you use that strength to fix the problems you set out to solve by your own power. It's been said that with great power, comes great responsibility. Things are tough. For keyblade wielders, I'm not sure things ever get any easier." Beuce stopped for a moment, staring off into the distance, then looked at Glen and gave a small smile. "But you know what? I'm okay with that. War is the only thing I've ever known. If things got easy for me, i settled down and had a normal life, i think I'd go stir crazy. And besides, great power may come with great responsibility, but you know what else it comes with? Great ass kickings to the people that piss you off. Now, what do you say we direct our trial hardened feet right up the apprentices asses?" Beuce said with confidence.
India listened intently to the man as he spoke. He didn't seem too enthusiastic about it, but he did end up agreeing to go along with their goal. That implied he was willing to go against the law to achieve his goals. In addition, it was evidence supportive toward his disdain for psychics, though didn't outright prove it. He listened to him explain why they shouldn't have given their names and titles. First off, it was clear he already knew who they were, so lying to him would be a moot point. Second, unless he was in league with one of the greatest information brokers in the world, he wouldn't be able to find out anything about him, no matter how hard he searched. He'd made sure of that. He didn't need to argue the point, as Isabella had already done so rather well. He gave a slight smirk, and a mental applaud. Lucas had instructed him to stay behind and monitor communications. He saw no reason in arguing. Why not let him think he was in control for a while? "As you wish. I will stay in constant contact with you, as well as monitor any and all frequencies. Your eyes from afar, if you will." India said, walking over to a computer in the room. "Though, you're well aware of the risks. If you alert anyone while undergoing the abduction, you may be killed. I will make sure that doesn't happen. If danger approaches, or the operation is about to be compromised, i will detect it and alert you with enough to to withdraw. Try to avoid any over the top fighting if possible. It's difficult to monitor someone hearing a commotion and coming to see what's wrong."
Beuce looked at Karina, curiously. If they chose what the endgame was at the time of casting the spell, then it probably had something to do with the course of events they were caught up in. Why would he know what it was in this time period? So far, none of them had asked about the book, and it was good that they hadn't. "I'm going to go check up on Glen, but before i do...You know that..thing we're looking for? The important thing? Well, it may not be too good of an idea to ask the master about that. The walls have ears." Beuce said, indicating to the book. They'd met a man in a white coat, who didn't seem to be a natural part of this time. They had no idea why he was there, and they didn't know for sure he wasn't still listening. If it did turn out he was a spy for No Heart, then they'd be giving the information right to him by asking. If No Heart got ahold of that information, then there'd be no stopping him. Even if they found out too, there was no way they could beat him to it, or in a battle for it. He doubted they'd be able to beat no heart even if they had all their wielders together. They were running out of chances. The order was scattered, Eraqus was taken, Yen Sid was turned to stone. They had no one left to hide behind. This book was the last chance they had, so they couldn't afford to risk inadvertently delivering it straight into the enemy hands. They couldn't get the information from this Yen Sid. If they could find out his endgame and free him from the stone, that would be different. But for right now, they had to take their chances. He walked off after Glen. He sat down beside him. "A munny for your thoughts?"
Ra couldn't breath. The rage nearly choked him. He'd been betrayed before in the face of power, and now it was happening again. How many times must he go through this? He followed behind Dale, scowling beneath his mask. He spoke up when Veilan asked what they were going to do about Cal. "It's madness! Seeking to release this demon in some foolhardy attempt to preempt it's wrath! She has betrayed us for a man she barely knows. We will give her a chance to see reason. If she refuses, then we will strike her down along with Boreal to stop them. She will stand with Sapphire Eclipse, or fall beneath it. The choice is hers." Ra said bitterly. Perhaps he had misjudged her. She was shaping up to be the kind of person Ezekiel worked to get away from. If she would fight against them, there could be no place for her among them. He would strike her down, right beside the man she betrayed them for. Beucette used blitz because apparently we're in a boss fight. gg alert system.
His eyes stung from crying. His arms were sore from shoveling the soil. His stomach hurt from hunger. He hadn't eaten in three days. But the worst of his pains was the one in his chest. Nothing could compare to the aching hole she had left. Rienzel felt a slight tug on his pants leg. Looking down, he saw a little girl. She had curly dark blonde hair, just like her mother. She looked up at him, confused. "Daddy...Where's mommy?" The question stung like no other. How could he explain it to her? He looked down at the makeshift wooden cross that stood over the patch of recently placed soil. It was one among an enormous field. Countless just like it stood aligned in this place. The only thing differing was a small plaque in front of it. "Here lies Kyra Lillian Krane. Loving mother and wife. She will be missed." Rienzel knelt down to eye level with the little girl. He gave a pained smile. "Your mother has...gone away." "Did she die...?" "...I'm afraid so." The little girl looked down at her skin. Her veins had begun to turn snow white, she had started to lose weight at an alarming rate. The symptoms of the white scrawl were unmistakable, and incurable. She was dying, just like her mother...Just like so many others. "I'm going to die too, aren't I?" "No!" "But i have the sickness! I heard what the doctor said! They can't fix me!" "Josephine, I won't let anything happen to you." The girl began to tear up. She sniffled and buried her face in her father's chest before breaking into a full sob. Rienzel could do nothing but wrap his arms around the little girl. She was the only family he had left. She was everything to him, and he knew she was dying. "Daddy...It hurts...I'm scared..." "I know, Josephine. I know. I'll protect you." He said to his daughter. Although, to be honest, he didn't know if he was saying it for her or himself. The man stood, brushing her hair. Together, the two of them walked home to their small village. There were only a handful of people left in it. By the time they had gotten back, Josephine had fallen asleep, and he carried her in his arms. He entered their small home and walked to the next room. Placing the little girl on the bed, he kissed her forehead, as if to say goodbye. This couldn't be how things were meant happen. Fate couldn't be so cruel. Things had been thrown astray. Waving his hand, an opening in the veil appeared before him. He was going to set history back onto the proper course, even if it meant diving into the very thing which destroyed his people. He would go headfirst into the light and fix things. "I'll save you...I swear."
Quinn nodded as Sasha walked away from him. He was now left walking the city alone. He didn't really know what to do with himself. He simply walked aimlessly, letting his mind wander. Eventually, he was snapped back into reality by bumping into a rather large looking man. "Watch where you're goin- Hey...Don't i know you from somewhere?" Quinn glared at the man. He had the look of a mercenary. Big, burly, bald, scars everywhere, eyepatch. He was textbook thug. "I don't know who you are...But lookin' at you just seems to piss me off." "Really? Seems to me i got the raw end of the deal as far as the view goes." The prince retorted. "What did you say to me?! You don't have any idea who you're screwin' around with, do you kid?" "Happy mountains?" "...Lucky guess." And suddenly, Quinn was surrounded by thugs. Well, this was bad. A fight was unavoidable, and with the difference in numbers, there was no way he could come out on top. He was just glad Sasha had left earlier. He didn't want her getting caught up in this. With a **** eating grin, he readied himself. He'd go down fighting. Or at least he would if he hadn't spontaneously combusted and died. Well. That was odd. Balthar would have recovered, but precious was being a dumbass and trying to debuff his injuries. Balthar's last thoughts before he died were "wait...what?"
India listened to the conversation from the corner of the room, not looking over. He seemed to be tinkering with something, not paying attention, but he was listening quite intently. He'd let Isabella play her game with him. It would be a good way to test his character. Perhaps see what kind of man he was. She was as eccentric as ever in her approach, using illusions to make a grand entrance. She introduced herself as "The professor of fun" her self proclaimed title, followed by giving her actual one. The man wore a smile as he spoke to Isabella, though it was fake. Rather convincing, but fake nonetheless. He was at least polite on the exterior. Though within was discomfort. He didn't like Isabella, and it was for more than simply her odd nature. Her powers, perhaps? Was this man one who had a hatred of psychics? Time would tell. He turn around in his chair, looking at the weapon in his hands. A small disk, with three hollows evenly placed around its sides. "Finished." He said, pressing a button on it. Three blades instantly sprung out of the hollows, crackling with electricity. "Hmm...Perhaps the magnetics device could be applied to other weapons." India muttered to himself. Though he had been working on the device, he had been extending his consciousness to listen in on Lucas' thoughts. What he got was unexpected. "Carrots, eggs, cheese, milk, butter, bread, that girl is cute, hamburgers, ketchup." It wasn't anything to do with the current situation, just garbage information. A grocery list. Interesting. Either he was controlling his thoughts well enough that even he would hear nothing but the useless information, or his powers were being intercepted. "My name is India Ulysses. I'm the mental specialist. I study the inner workings of the mind. Speaking of..." India turned to Isabella. "Why wait for one to be arrested? It would be quicker to...Take matters into our own hands in the apprehension of a test subject." He said to the "professor of fun". In reality, it wasn't her that he was speaking for. He looked at Isabella, but waited to see Lucas' response. If he went along with it, it would further support his dislike of those with psychic powers. How he went about agreeing to it...that would be the real tell.
ஜ Name: Rienzel Krane ஜ Age (Reality and if it applies looks/acts like): 1426, about 24 ஜ Appearance: ~ ஜ Small bio: Spoiler: Bio Once, there was no darkness in the realm of light. It was a shining world of what many believed to be purity. That changed when India tore the veil that divided the realms. Darkness came pouring into the realm. Into the hearts of in inhabitants. Into the air. The realm was polluted with the foreign substance known as darkness. However, there are two sides to every tale. In the realm of darkness, Light came flooding in. It manifested itself in a very different way than the realm of light. The bodies of the people were unable to cope with this new force. A plague known as the White Scrawl tore through the population. There was no cure for what the light did to them, no matter how hard they searched for one. The toll it took on the people was far too great for them to thrive. They no longer knew pride or happiness. They lived in a graveyard. How could they? The population didn't grow as time went by. It simply began to drop at a slower rate. There were only a precious few remaining, and even then, more died by the day. The Scawl knew no age, no gender, no sympathy. It took who it pleased, and left gaping holes in the hearts of those it did not. That was the nature of light. It desired to be everywhere, and was relentless in its pursuit to do so. ஜ Reason for rescuing the hero: To set history back on the path it was meant to be on. ஜ Weapon (If applicable): Staff, Spirit blade. ஜ Power (If applicable): Veil Magic. The ability to draw on and manipulate distortions in the veil between realms. Intermediate magic skill Spirit Blade: Rienzel carries around the hilt of a sword, and can will an ethereal blade to appear on it. It can deflect most projectiles, and sends a backlash of energy at the one who fired them Veil wall: As he fights, he tears through the fragmented energies in the air and the bodies of others and reconstructs them around him, passively creating a shield to mitigate damage he takes, though it's rather small without directly damaging something. This also makes him extremely effective against magical barriers and protections. Sealing force: Rienzel can forcibly close any sort of abnormal pathway, including portals, dark corridors, and tears in space. Veil's passage: Fancy veil magic dark corridors Fade away: Becoming momentarily displaced, Rienzel only half exists in the realm and becomes effectively intangible for a moment. If he is inside the body of another person when the effect ends, they are blown back with an explosive force as he returns. Stasis field: Rienzel creates a small dome around him, about two heads taller than the average person. Enemies who enter this field find the very fabric of existence fighting against their every action. The dome fades after a few minutes. Mark of the Rift: Rienzel creates a metaphysical rift in the veil. Depending on which side of the it is used on, it sucks away light or darkness back into its own realm, though if it exists inside the body of another, it bears a great resistance to being drained. ஜ Other: "Sometimes you have to break a bone before it can be set."
\o Beuce indeed high fived Hunter back, then handed Gwen a burn heal, for she surely would need it. However, hunter then tried to Xindai Stratos over to the side of evil in a very dirty and come on-y fashion. It was honestly pretty creepy. Soon enough, Hunter realized it wasn't going to work. Turning from Stratos, the man ran at Beuce, swinging his sword full force. Ordinarily, Beuce would have been godmodded enough to counter the blow with ease but...he just couldn't. Shitfacing Ohm had just taken too much out of him. The sword struck him straight in the chest. Beuce was sent flying backwards. Not even just normally, either. In like a slow motion hair covering his eyes drops of blood floating in the air around him anime kind of way. He was done for. His HP...It had hit zero. After what seemed like an eternity of milking the dramatic fall back, Beuce landed on the ground. He coughed, blood covering his mouth. Weakly looking over to his young padawan, Beuce motioned for Stratos to come closer, then powerplayed him closer because fuck the police. He took his hand, ready to give a dramatic dying speech. "Stratos...I leave it up to you now...You can do it. I know you can. You're a man now, Stratos. There is only one thing you need to do..." Beuce coughed again, causing more blood to come up out of his mouth. "Speak to them." With his final words of wisdom spoken, Beuce let go of his hand and closed his eyes. He'd know what to do... His task was at an end. His body began fading away into dust, as a breeze blew his ashes away. Beuce was gone... Spoiler: A moment of silence As the spirit of Beuce floated along in the endless space of nothingness, he could feel himself slipping. The colors were gone from his post. He was fading away. This would be the end for him, wouldn't it? "no." He'd lived a good life...He'd had good friends. Maybe it was alright if he just faded away now. "No." There were other Beuces. There would be other RPs they could be put in. He was no longer needed. He could rest in peace. "NO!" The voice boomed against Beuce's ears, causing him to open his eyes to the emptiness surrounding him. He was immediately met with a blinding radiance. It wasn't so much a light, but the very existence of what he was looking at was something beyond mortal comprehension. He steeled himself and looked at it directly. He knew immediately what it was he had encountered. "You..." He said, awestruck as he stared at the figure and the glowing clouds surrounding it. The figure stood before him, clouds blowing in the wind, just as their white hair did, all brimming with radiance. "Beuce, you have forgotten me." "No! Never!" "You have forgotten yourself and so you have forgotten me. Look inside yourself Beuce. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life." "How can I?! You...You said you'd always be there for me! When i called, they all came. Every one of them...Except for you..." Beuce said, dropping to his knees as tears streamed down his face. "You said you would...But...you didn't." He felt a hand on his shoulder, a gentle touch as he looked up. He saw the face of the one who stood before him in plain view. A kind smile on their face. "You know that's not true. I have always been with you. Think back. Look inside yourself, at the banner of us all. I was there. I have always been there." Beuce thought back to the banner of Unlimited Beuce Works, He could only stare at him, tears pouring out of his eyes. He was right. He'd been there the whole time, and he'd never even known. The man took his hand from Beuce's shoulder and walked away, turning his back to him. "It is not yet your time. Return to the Role-play. Take your place in the circle of life." "How can i go back?!" "Remember who you are. I live in you. You are me, and the one true Beuce." He began to fade as light enveloped Beuce from him. "No! Don't leave me!" "Remember...Who you are...." Finally, he faded from view entirely. Beuce opened his eyes, back on Riel. He could only lay silent, taking a moment to take in what had just happened to him. He was sent back. He couldn't leave the RP yet. He still had tasks at hand. He rose to his feet, new determination to further the plot awakened from deep within him.
Jedediah gave a laugh as Eon asked him about women. Well, he was a man who knew what he wanted, that was for sure. The king could appreciate that. He nodded, giving a silent promise to show him what he asked for later. It was then that Travis returned. He immediately began talking to the goddess. He asked her age, curiously. It seemed the rumor about her was right. She was little more than an infant as far as elven standards went. Elves matured to adulthood about as quickly as humans did, but remained in their prime for centuries to come. He chuckled and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I hate to tell you Travis, but her job description means she's a bit out of the question, as pretty as she might be." He said, then looked around the group, stopping at Iota. "Her on the other hand would make a fine wife for you! She's even got white hair! Everyone likes white haired girls! You can arrange the date over dinner!" The king said, doing his fatherly duty of embarrassing his son by shipping him in public. What happened next was somewhat surprising. The depressed looking boy with the snake had challenged him to a duel. The elven king grinned, nodding his head. "I like your spirit. If it's a duel that will sate your thirst, a duel you'll have! Although I'm afraid it won't be to the death. You're our guests. It wouldn't be very hospitable of me if i were to kill you." He said with confidence. "Tonight, after dinner, we will meet in battle in the Grand Arena! If we are to fight with all our might, then shall we bring our pact partners into the fray?" He grinned. He had confidence that he could win no matter what his answer. Why not give him a little bit of control over their field of battle? "In the meantime, it's a good thing you showed up when you did. Our other guest was searching for you, m'lady." Jedediah said to Celina. "I believe you've met her before. Heiarch Etos came to me in search of you when news of the castle's fall had reached her. She asked me to help find you, but it seems there is no longer any need for that. Evidently, she had some important business to discuss with you. I didn't ask what it was. You'll need to discuss that with her yourself." "The Heiarch? The priest that oversees the selection of the new goddess? She's here?" Sinbad asked, speaking up. He hadn't been expecting such an important figure to be here. King Jedediah and his son were a given. It was their city, after all. But what was the Heiarch doing there? Evidently she knew Jedediah on a personal level, enough to ask him for help. Perhaps they were friends. Jedediah nodded at him. "Aye. The priestess arrived just yesterday, claiming that if anyone could help her find you, it was I. Unable to turn down a plea for help from an old friend, I accepted. However, it seems you found your way to me instead of the other way around. The lord works in mysterious ways. Perhaps this is another blessing."
