OOC: Yay! Star! BIC: Xardius looked over his shoulder. "Nul and the others are in trouble..." *** Alan Graives stood up. "Shall we continue then? Inside this next cavern is the first challenge: that of strength. Only one need participate for all to pass, but he can't participate in the next test."
OOC: So what you'd you guys need me for? Since all three of you are here, why don't you guys finish getting the Ultimatum sword?
OOC: Bwaha! I'm needed and so I arrive! Sorry, I was at Swing Dance Club. So I got it all figured out... But first, we need to find Kardas... BIC: Xardius stepped from the gummi ship, and immediately was thrown backwards by a blast of lunar energy. Stepping from the shadows, a figure appeared. Xardius spat out dirt. "Who are you?" "The name is Sorion," Sorion said, tossing his black hair. "I'm here to tell you that your pathetic friends Nulix, Bellatrix, and Geryl are in very grave danger of dying...See you." Xardius cocked an eyebrow as Sorion disappeared. "Um, should we put this off guys?" Xardius asked. Not waiting for an answer, he crammed everyone back inside and took off, heading for Sapphire.
OOC: All right...Kardas and another Brotherhood member, probably Xeno because Dual Wielder is no longer here, shall be destroyed...Tomorrow. Cause I gotta go. See you all.
OOC: Oh, yeah, you're right. But we stopped at Disney Castle before we went to Hollow Bastion. All right, see you Wing... And the League of Roth is...busy at the moment. Let's see: I do believe that Tera Roth is undercover with Alyt in the Enigmatic Knights... As soon as they make their move, he'll make his and the League of Roth will be back in action.
OOC: *snorts* We were just there actually. We left Disney Castle for the Libary world. But OK... Does everyone concur?
OOC: I know what you mean Wing. It's like there's no plot anymore at all, actually, just battle to battle. But you're right, we need a mission, not another battle. So let's see, I think our mission should be to collect the weaknesses of the Brotherhood, and see if we can find out more about the Brotherhood members in particular. This could take us all over...even into the dark side of the worlds... I think I'm onto something, what do you think?
OOC: We don't need to do something drastic...We need to change the focus of the UO. Up to this point, it's been battle after battle after battle...we forgot what really makes a great RP... 1. Superb RPers. 2. Deep plot and storyline 3. Great enemies and allies 4. (which we forgot) The other things that make up a great story Battles don't make up the story, they're a part of it. At the moment, the UO is losing its focus because we're just fighting dumb battles that are all the same after a time. We need to change the focus of the RP from battles to something else... I'm not saying we drop battles, but they should be much rarer and farther inbetween.
OOC: Gee...thanks!
OOC: OK, well, after this post, I'll work on the next chapter of the fan-fic.' BIC: Xardius' insides were raging with turmoil. Floating through the stars in the sleek silver gummi that he'd bought for the trip, he turned and looked at his two companions: Vexneah and Xegreny. Vexneah was asleep, but Xegreny was sitting, staring out the window. "I've been thinking," Xegreny said. "About what Nulix said...About whether or not we're doing something right as the Ultimate Organization?" Xardius nodded. "Me as well." Xegreny turned to Xardius. "I know I've got a piece of you in me, so I think I might know what you feel like..." Xardius shrugged. "Try me." Xegreny nodded. "You've been a warrior your whole life...a mercenary, a hired soldier, dirtying your hands over countless lives over your centuries of life as a phoenix...You've never thought about the consequences of your actions, only about your benefit...Now you realize how wrong that is." Xardius was silent. Xegreny continued. "Now you realize just how perverse your actions were, through Nulix's words. They've brought you up short, and you're wracked by guilt and inner turmoil over every word he's pronounced. The answer you gave is just that: a routine answer that wasn't really one at all." Xardius said nothing. "And now," Xegreny said, leaning forward, "now you're being forced to see yourself as you really are: a cold-blooded heartless murderer no better than the people we're fighting, if not worse...at least they've been locked away while you've been bloodying your hands. Intentions or not, they can't do anything worse than what you've already done. Now you know that your actions were wrong and you're obsessed with some way to bring redemption for yourself...except there is none, and you know it. There's nothing for you but to keep fighting, keep killing..." Xardius' jaws clenched tight. "And finally," Xegreny said, his voice dropping to a near whisper compared to the almost violent snarl of before, "you've just realized how much your poor pathetic miserable life is worth...nadda, zilch, nothing. You're absolutely worthless to everyone. The only thing you're good for is killing, and keeping others alive so they can kill too. That's what you're feeling." Xardius was silent for the longest time, eyes screwed shut, then he nodded. "Accurate...cruel but accurate." Xegreny leaned back. "Sorry, buddy. Not my call." Xardius nodded. "I grew up in New York City, now called Dark City. I guess I was a nice kid...I tried to do what was right. Then Organization XIII ripped my world apart. I was jettisoned from my home...but that's not the whole story. Organization XIII didn't have 13 members...until I got done with them. They'd captured several people in order to...transform them...into Nobodies. They were slaughtering the inhabitants of New York using Heartless, attempting to find someone who could withstand..." Xardius shook his head. "I didn't care. I just cared if I lived or not. I didn't even care about Marlene, the girl I wanted to marry. My family was dead, and I was thankful so I didn't have to worry about them too. I was a selfish brat being hunted by Nobodies. "They caught me and Marlene and a bunch of other guys near the crater they'd made with their castle. Me and Marlene were the only two left. Marlene slipped and fell, and I just kept running...I saw her fall, heard her call my name, and I did nothing...I just ran blindly, stupidly... "That cry wrenched my soul...and I cried later, sure...But the funny thing was: I didn't regret my actions. I needed to live, even if it was at the expense of others." Xegreny interrupted him. "But you sacrificed yourself for the Guardians." Xardius looked up at Xegreny, and Xegreny was shocked to see there was absolutely no emotion in them. "I only did that because I can't die." It hit Xegreny then...Xardius' daring attacks and boldness and courage was a facade over the fact that Xardius was literally invincible. He could be killed, but not only was it difficult, but impossible because as soon as he died...In a flash of flame, he could come back, a raging inferno once again...Suddenly, Xegreny's whole light of Xardius changed... Xardius continued. "I met Scourge while running from Organization XIII. He took me to the Sea of Chaos, and that's where...that's really where I learned to be heartless. "In the Sea of Chaos, you don't have time for thought. You don't have time for much, other than bloody murder. That's what battle really is: Sheer, bloody, rapacious murder. It's not about right or wrong...It's about survival. And, oh, was I good at that...I killed and killed, and I grew in skill and power until I could kill for hours on end. "Right or wrong isn't what drove me to lock up Scourge and steal his power...It was greed. Sheer power-driving greed for his phoenician powers and the glory of eternal life. "Afterwards, I joined the Guardians. I didn't want them to see who I really was, so I hid under the face of courage and brotherliness. In time, it encased me completely, like a shell. Inside, I was empty. I floated in the void, the reactions coming immediate now. Emotions flooded over me like water, but I'm not sure I ever really felt them. "When I joined the Ultimate Organization, I joined it do battle. I was back in the mode of kill or be killed, as a Nobody. And the Ultimate Organization reminded me of the Sea of Chaos..." "Hold it!" Xegreny snapped. "The Ultimate Organization is not a group of vicious killers!" Xardius nodded. "Quite the opposite. But we entered a war, unprepared, uncaring, unthinking...we killed our opposition easily...too easy. We got cocky, we got away without having to deal with the consequences of our actions. This is why Nulix is having problems now... "Terrible in our supposed righteousness, we chased Vecked into Kingdom Hearts itself, determined to kill him...but why? The reason is simple: our complex, misplaced hidden hearts craved the battle...we wanted more...just like me. I felt at home for the first time in my life. Consumed by bloodlust, we did the worst thing we could do: we ripped into the affairs of another world like a freight train bulldozes a wall, and became entangled in a chaotic war that we could have avoided. "Now I see the truth, as you said Xegreny. I've looked at my actions, mirroring the UO's, and I see the path that we're going on..." Xardius squeezed his eyes shut, his heart wrenching. "We're acting like toddlers...someone does something we dislike, we beat the snot out of them. Someone opposes us, we eliminate them. "Now...now we're facing something we might not be able to beat: due to our own stupidity...to my stupidity..." Xardius looked up, his eyes cold. "As I breathe, so does the Ultimate Organization. I believe now that the Ultimate Organization is breathing its last breaths..." His eyes turned murderous. "And I, for one, am going to be glad to see it go." OOC: What'd you think of that?
OOC: 'Kay, I won't feel too bad then. So what are we going to do?
Actually, Jaxed, you didn't.... And I'm sorry for not being here to edit this. I'll do it when I come back later today.
I'll try to watch out for that, thanks guys. Nulix, you should probably send it back to me for a FINAL edit after you edit it, so I can edit your stuff as well. Plus it will give me the chance to go over and edit my stuff too, after taking a break (it helps with perspective).
OOC: Blame it on me guys. I wasn't here, so how could you do anything with the Brotherhood, really? The reason I wasn't here was because I was banned from the computer by my parents for not cleaning my room...for a whole week. My room is a big mess, so I can't really blame them. The group thing wasn't a bad idea, but it just isn't practical. Unless everyone in the group is there, you don't want to do anything, because the missing member of the group will miss out on what you're doing. This is extremely hard to do as well, because everyone lives in different areas and gets on at different times of the day. We'd have to do some work to get everybody into groups, not just OK, you're with him and good luck. Schedule a meeting time, and such. We could always just go in a big group like always. Usually, at least one of us is here, and such. I'll be gone for a while today, but I should be able to get on later...about when you guys start appearing. Again, I apologize for not being here. I'll be back later.
Alan stared at Nulix. "No, but I did read that fan-fic you were writing."
OOC: That's okay, I gotta finish Chapter Three anyhow.
Alan shrugged. "I could tell you. The silent one...courage. The moody one...strength. The beautiful one...charity." Alan smiled. "Enter the domain of the Sapphire."
OOC: Ok, Gambler. BIC: Alan noticed Nulix's suspicious air. "I live in the nearby capital of Sapphire. This land is the only farmable land in the desert, so I'm one of the people who tend this land." He motioned towards the cave. "In our legends, the Sapphire jewel is a beautiful source of power. However, you have to pass three trials: The Test of Strength, Courage, and Charity. "No one's been able to pass them all, so no one's gained ultimate power. Lucky, because not everybody has had good intentions going in... "And before you ask, yes I've tried to gain the Sapphire jewel...But no, I did not pass." Alan shrugged. "Hope that helps. Oh, and don't be afraid. Fear will just drop you down a hole you can't get out of..."
"My name is Alan Graives," the young man said. "I come here often to be alone." He looked to be about 15 or 16, with dark hair and blue eyes. Despite the heat, he wasn't sweating. "I'll be happy to guide you," he said. "Follow me." He started for the cave.
"Perhaps you should try the cave over there," a man said, walking up to them. "You are here for the Sapphire, aren't you?"
