Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 18, 2023 11:25:02 GMT -5
Traverse Town, a world in the realm between which ended up being many people's first (and usually) last stop once they had lost their world. It was unique not only because it was a melting pot of different people from different worlds and cultures, but because it also changed and shifted to cater to their needs while still being a quaint and calm town with a sky of unending night, in which stars can be clearly seen. Naturally it was the perfect place to really start Viorela's tour of the universe and everything in it! Who is Viorela you might ask? Well keep reading dear reader, and all will be made clear! A rainbow colored portal would seemingly come into being, with two people stepping through... wait... correction! Two people and a singular, whole Steve! "Steve, I thought I told you not this time!" The tall, lanky silli-man scolded him. The Steve responded with Steve Sounds, waving a passport at him as he clung to his coat tails. "Eh? You already did the paperwork? Let me see that!" The Silli-man grabbed them and started going through them, leaving The Steve and a young girl to their own devices. The two of them immediately wandered off to go have a looksee at the main plaza. The Steve had a little backpack and also some kind of little flag as he Steved about, pointing things out to her as if he was a tour guide. "Does this place use Jelly Beans as currency, little one?" She asked her Sightseeing Steve who responded with Steve Sounds. "Oh.." she checked her handbag and frowned at the Jelly Beans she had, the common currency where Hatty and his Steves had made a home for themselves. "Bean for yer thought young miss? Also you got lucky this time Steve, but next time when there's actually customs, you might not be so lucky!" the Silli-man came up behind them, lightly smacking the Steve on the head with his passport. "Yes Hatty, this place doesn't use Jellybeans for currency... and I'm a little peckish," the girl admitted simply, giving 'Hatty' a pouty face. "Ah yes, the currency these worlds use is called Munny... redundant I know but it's spelled as if a kindergartner was asked to spell it. You could also just think of it as Lucre, or Gold Pieces like back home," Hatty explained as he took his hat off and reached down into it, much further than you'd think was physically possible until he brought out a small bag that clinked pleasantly. "Here you are, but let us not tarry. For some reason this plaza is Heartless free, and if you were hoping to find one, we'd have to go into one of the other adjacent districts," Hatty added. "That is acceptable," the girl replied as she bought some pastries, offering one to Steve who turned his non-existant nose up at it. He wanted the jelly beans. "Steve don't be rude, or I will yeet you back home so fast, Speedy Sprinting Speedster Steve will think you a rival," Hatty scolded him again. Steve begrudgingly (although only briefly) accepted the pastry which he nommed on like a squirrel. Then the odd trio headed off! There were Heartless to find- for totally not evil or sinister purposes. "What's that building there Hatty? It's rather big," the girl asked about the clockwork building. "A building of gears, it has a bell at the top there too so I presume it's a clocktower of some description. Anyhow, we should be accosted any time now..." Hatty explained and almost as if right on cue, after going down some stairs, several heartless did appear. A couple Soldiers, an Air Soldier, and two Shadows. "Oooh, is that them?" The girl's eyes lit up excitedly. The Steve meanwhile looked less enthused, brandishing his little flag like a rapier. "Yes young miss, which one catches your fancy? I'll spare that one for you~" Hatty replied, brandishing his micane with an edge to his voice. "No need to be so mean, Hatty. The poor things don't know any better- do you?"The girl cooed as a shadow slithered over, considering her as if curious before it was picked up and held. There was something now slightly different about The Heartless' eyes, which were normally yellow, had taken a more neutral white. "There there, Hatty won't obliterate you if you behave~" the girl continued to coo before finally releasing the heartless. Whatever just happened, the lot of them seemed to just vanish back into the ether where they came. "Oh, shy aren't they?" She noted. "As I prefaced to you earlier, they are for the most part unthinking creatures not unlike the family's gargoyle guardians. Though I am pleased to see you haven't lost your touch in charming otherworldly creatures," Hatty replied. "Are there others?" She asked curiously, Steve Steved up to her. "I see... is there anything else worth seeing around here?" She pressed. "I'm sure there's something here or there that might catch your fancy. I on the other hand am becoming physically uncomfortable with this peaceful sight seeing. This is the longest screen time I've had in a decade at least, and my body burns with the desire for some exertion!" Hatty ranted with a rising and falling tone of voice as his body twitched and spasmed, giving off a dark aura for a moment. "Well, this is the first time in about as much time as I've been physically alive to walk. But if yer bored, Steve, my new pets and I can keep going while you enjoy yourself," she gave her parasoul a spin. "I'd be honored if you stuck around. It'd be an entertaining show~" Hatty admitted, his body returning to 'normalcy' apart from the unusual proportions. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh very well... but only for a little while," and with that the trio would return to the plaza. A place normally devoid of Heartless except for that one time Sora had to deal with them for some reason but never again. "Alrighty, let's see who steps up to the plate~" Hatty chortled, snapping his fingers and on command or maybe just waiting in the wings because of his 'strong heart,' Heartless started appearing. Naturally this caused quite the ruckus as people fled, with The Heartless chasing them. "You could summon them at any time?" The Girl sounded like she was scolding him for not doing that sooner. "They obey those with strong hearts, but the moment they see weakness- they pounce you like starving dogs," Hatty explained as he turned his attention to the chaos he had stirred up, waiting for someone to take the bait and make themselves known. He had been aching for a pointless fight to the almost death...
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 18, 2023 13:29:50 GMT -5
((OOC: Posting from phone so no font colors or nothing 😮💨✌️ The Vagabond has arrived!))
"You and your friends are so lively..." A voice rang out among the chaos erupting through the Second District plaza. It was somewhat mundane and hollow, considering the situation, though. "Something good must have happened~" Standing atop the large Gizmo Shop tower was a broad and tall hooded figure in a large steel-blue coat littered with pockets. Though their arms were at their sides, hands shoved in the main pockets of their large unzipped coat, two massive arms of darkness perched from their back like wings.
The Vagabond leapt from the rooftop.
SMASH! Using the Darkside hands to cushion the landing along the lower rooftops around the plaza, the hooded vagrant's shadowed eyes peered down at the luxuriously dressed masked man with curiosity. They smell funny... It was a scent familiar to that realm—the stench of darkness...but different? It cut through despite the amount of Heartless and darkness permeating the Second District.
Just who, or rather what, was this traveler?
The Vagabond had returned to Traverse Town in the hopes of conducting more research on World Hearts. Finding a being with a curious smell that could summon the Heartless on a whim wasn't what he'd planned for. "If you were lonely, you should have just waited—this world is already littered with Heartless." He couldn't conduct his research if the world was swallowed whole! Look at how the last experiment had gone.
How had it gone, again? His memory really was in a sorry state, these days.
"I'll be your friend, too~" With a hearty laugh, the hooded vagrant finally made it onto the lowest roof without being close enough to get caught up in the chaos of the Heartless. "But only if you get yours to settle down!"
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 18, 2023 13:58:52 GMT -5
Well, that happened much faster than even his expectations- not that he had very high expectations mind you. People avoided his posts like some kind of plague. Oh The Vagabond would definitely have a time trying to wrap even his head around this one. The hat wearing man was very unlike anything he'd normally encounter, though being somehow similar wasn't inaccurate either. But one of them smelled especially funny. As for the girl, she had something strange about her as well. Contrary to what 'normal' hearts were, hers seemed to be more of a dark beacon which may have partly explained why the wild heartless were so easily swayed. The Steve was... a Steve. "Is that batman I see? Wait no, different universe entirely," Fasilli's body twisted and moved unnaturally as he turned to address the newcomer, and his oh so totally Batman entrance. Really, all it was missing was a declaration of being The Night or something.
"Hatty, they're trying to upstage you," the girl teased with a knowing smile.
"How forward thinking of you to not assume their gender my lady- but I have plenty of friends whose names I never bothered learning. I'm bored and crave some excitement! You'll do just fine," Hatty taunted, noting that while they had noticed him, the heartless weren't immediately clamoring to try and get at him. "Ah, you're one of those brooding loner types who play with the things that bump in the night? No matter, get down here before I have to come up there," Hatty challenged as he reached behind his back and pulled out... a pie! He pulled back, his arm becoming unnaturally long and like a taut slinghsot, he launched the pie straight at The Vagabond's face! This was soon followed by some heartless, with the ones who could fly having an easier and cheaty time of it- no gravity to keep them down~
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 18, 2023 18:04:24 GMT -5
Watching how the hatted fellow twisted and contorted, the Vagabond grimaced in the familiarity of it all. Just what state is their heart in, I wonder...? Intrigue had begun to worm its way into the foggy and jumbled mind scrambled from too many visits to a forgotten place and experiments gone wrong.
"Hatty, they're trying to upstage you." Sighing a bit at the girls words, the Vagabond prepared himself. How could a shadow upstage the night, after all? He'd hoped to avoid things escalating...but he had research to get to. There were a decent amount of Heartless in the area now, but he didn't really have to worry about those as much.
"I'm bored and crave some excitement!" Yep. This guy wasn't interested in conversation, or helping the Vagabond find the world heart. They wouldn't be interested in the fact that they'd tipped the scales, simply by being here. "Get down here, before I have to come up there," Launching a pie of all things his way, the hooded vagrant saw some of the Heartless moving his way as well.
"You're too impatient...! What if I was allergic!?" He couldn't recall if he had any allergies—but couldn't those be deadly!? Using a large Darkside hand to reach and palm the pie with a squish! (the Vagabond's empty stomach growled in protest, angry at the waste of potentially fine sustenance), the vagrant began to glow with a faint dark aura of purple hues mixed with black as his own hands began to perform odd signs with their fingers.
"I'll come down—but only when there's some peace and quiet!" The Vagabond reached out onto the roof with his hands as dark sigils of a bizarre origin began to stretch out and zig-zag across the building and towards the plaza. Using his Sealing Technique I, the vagrant summoned a ward that stretched from the low rooftop he perched on into the plaza, though it only went about 1/3 of the way.
While up, a mostly translucent purple mirror-like surface would shimmer and shine, keeping out weak agents of darkness such as the minor Heartless on the battlefield. Protected from the enemies coming his way now, the Vagabond leapt down from the rooftop into the Plaza. He landed within the bounds of the ward, the large arms protruding from him clenching into massive fists that were shrouded in dark energies.
"You realize you can't rely on those creatures...yet summon them freely. We aren't too different, you know~ Are you sure your heart's set on fighting?" As he spoke, the Vagabond lunged forward, using one of the large arms to propel him forward. With the Heartless at bay, it was a matter of reaching the masked figure and capturing them!
A large Darkside fist lashed out for the hatted summoner, raw force and darkness behind the blow.
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 18, 2023 19:26:35 GMT -5
"Allergic to pie flavored pie? Absurd! Slander and lies I say!" Fasilli quipped, giving his micane a twirl in his hand, completely relaxed and not even remotely concerned for what might be coming next. That was the fun part! Not knowing! So far he concluded that this fellow was aligned with 'the darkness' in some manner, and he had seen those Dark Arms before- not from this fellow specifically but just in general he had seen a Darkside before. Interesting~
Oh, his throwaway minions were being made useless. Well this would've been a very sad and disappointing tussle if Batman was felled by such goobers. Fasilli enjoyed a quick cup of tea as The Vagabond finally came down, tossing the empty cup aside and getting ready for whatever came next. What was coming next? Based on his movements, something along the lines of a charge. How many ways did Fasilli have to avoid such a basic, simple, and classic maneuver? Let him count the ways! Fasilli's body just simply, turned into an icy cold mist as The Vagabond charged through him, with Fasilli reappearing just within five feet of him so the artic wind he had become could lightly chill The Vagabond and slow him down. This was followed by an Ole and the sound of clapping. Both the girl and Steve also clapped a little. "I wouldn't even consider this wassling if that's all you can do, but I hope yer not like that one guy who goes into an hour long soliloquy about the power of Darkness, Kingdom Hearts or Nothing. Only I get to ramble on and hear my own voice! Speaking of which, let me really set the stage~" Fasilli rambled about nothing as he did a little cartwheel and flip back to his feet, power gathering around him as he Gandalfed his micane into the ground.
There was then a harmless but still incredibly bright flash of light, stretching across the whole area and engulfing it. As vision returned, The Vagabond would suddenly be accosted by the sounds of cheering from... a great many Steves in audience stands, surrounding what looked like a circus ring. Yes his eyesight was true and would reveal that he was definitely in a big top tent, but everything had a slight wibble or wobble like a mirage losing focus. Oooh but his magic would feel very stronk, like it took some flintstone vitamins! "Steeeeeves and Stephs! Silli's Studios is proud to present, for the first time since ever for MY entertainment- a new playmate!" Fasilli declared, using his micane to basically make his voice that much louder. "And before I forget, proper introductions! As ever, I am your host with the most, from astral sea to sandy coast, the one who backs up his boast and magician who makes all others toast! The magmagical metaversal magician who survived The Heartless Eon eating the heart shaped moon, and former member of The Chaos Legion, FASILLI!" Fasilli was really giving the special effects Steves work to do as he formally introduced himself, motes of light forming his name big and proud just over his head.
"And on the losing side... we have..." Fasilli's arm would do that weird stretchy thing again, keeping the micane close enough for Vagabond to introduce himself... if he was inclined to of course.
Also in this madness, Fasilli's girl companion and Steve had their own little VIP booth- as in the girl and two other Steves were there, and the other Steve was just there by happenstance. There was a white clad Steve who looked like some kind of military officer, and a Steve that stuck out, and when you stick out in a whole mob of misfits that's saying something. He was clad dark, and his mask was a darker grey with cracks. He looked like he was taking all of this much too seriously.
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 19, 2023 1:56:26 GMT -5
As the large Darkside fist reached and whiffed at empty cold air, the Vagabond stumbled forward through the now empty space. They were quick to recover themselves, the massive arms acting as though legs, hoisting them off the ground. "Brrrr! See, I figured we were alike!" Speaking through chattering teeth due to the icy wind that he'd passed through, the Vagabond shook off the cold after huddling up in the thick jacket he stayed sheltered in.
The masked figure's style screamed elusiveness.
Rather than true malice or blood-lust, the Vagabond was sensing far more entertainment and subterfuge coming from the dapper figure. They're a disrupter, all right... But what kind, exactly? So far, besides summoning the Heartless, this character hadn't done anything too overzealous yet. A worlds balance was a finicky thing, Traverse Town's especially...so such a whimsical being could prove both promising and terrifying.
Suddenly, a light was shining down over the plaza. Blinded by the sudden change in scenery, the hooded vagrant shielded themselves with their normal arms until it passed. "Woah...!" Surrounded by dozens of cheering and clapping Steve's, the Vagabond found himself standing on a stage with the masked figure. Finally learning their name, Fasilli, the dapper host craned a microphone his way.
"Uh..." His voice crackled and echoed over unseen speakers, sounding a bit choked and hoarse at first until he cleared his throat. "I'm...uh—call me...the Vagabond!" It was less a name but a title. He'd forgotten his name some time ago. Before that, he'd given it up—not that he could remember that painful memory anymore. For a moment, the hooded man stood there awkwardly, unsure of himself now that there were so many eyes on him and such bright light everywhere...
"Who are all these people? Is it really safe for them all to be here like this...?" Sure enough, the man had paused, seemingly gauging what was to come. Despite this, the large Darkside arms still clenched and swiped absentmindedly from his back every now and again.
It seemed they had a mind of their own, when not commanded and laying dormant...
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 19, 2023 7:57:09 GMT -5
This was a deduction that The Vagabond was making which was inaccurate, as Fasilli was anything but elusive and if anything would move heaven and earth to grab people's attention. Although perhaps in this instance with his companion, he was restraining himself just a little bit. Buuuut that was chipping away bit by bit now that they were effectively in his realm. "You make it only slightly more difficult to poke fun at you if you use titles like that. But I figured you were some kind of hobo!" Fasilli teased anyway after bringing the mic back, giving it another flashy flourish in one hand. "And yes, they're not really here but can still see us. Such is but a glimpse of the power I wield, like the tip of an iceberg that sank the titanic!" Fasilli continued with a reference no one in character was going to get.
"It's fine if they don't, it wasn't meant for them silently judging voice in the sky!" Fasilli countered to the narrator, not using the mic so it was harder for people to hear. "Anyhow... enough talk- have at you!" Fasilli declared, the mouth of his mask taking on a more crooked grin as he placed one foot back.
Then with the tap of his back foot, the earth under his feet suddenly startede to rise and slide forward like some kind of Earthbender.Then it for some reason became... Magma?!"Surf's up duuude," Fasilli cackled as the magma wave came right toward The Vagabond. During the wave, Fasilli wouldn't stick around, and would instead do a back flip off using the momentum to carry him the rest of the way and passed The Vagabond. He pulled out a knoife of magical energy, hurling it in some direction where it corrected and tried to aim itself at The Vagabond.
Fasilli did this quite a few times, making some of them fire daggers, or ice daggers. But inspite these clearly violent and harmful acts, Fasilli's entire demeanor didn't have a drop of malicious intent. He was definitely trying to hit The Vagabond, but it would seem like this still fell into the realm of playing for the masked magician.
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 19, 2023 13:27:51 GMT -5
"I figured you were some kind of hobo!" The Vagabond visibly staggered a bit at the all too accurate assumption made by Fasilli. He had a home, once...didn't he? His thoughts were broken off by the masked performer having a back and forth with seemingly no one...or at least not someone the Vagabond could hear. "Enough talk—have at you!" Did the mask make a face!?
As the ground shook and formed a wave of magma, the Vagabond would leap high into the air by pushing off the ground using the strength of the large Darkside arms. Hot!!! The heat coming from below was causing him to sweat. What would have happened if that had hit him?! Fasilli was already applying more pressure—hurling shimmering blades of energy through the air his way! "Talk about whiplash~ Can't you commit to one thing?" Though he'd raised one of the large arms protruding from his back in defense, the vagrant was prone in the air as the blades closed in!
While some missed, one icy knife hissed across the Vagabond's own arm. Despite the thick hooded coat the drifter wore taking the brunt of the blade, the icy magic chilled to the bone! A flaming knife was blocked by the raised Darkside arm, sinking harmlessly into the otherworldly limb—disappearing into darkness. Landing on the area of the floor near the magma with only a slight stumble, the Vagabond had spun and prepared a spell of his own!
"You've probably seen this one before...!" Shrouded by one of the Darkside arms defensively, in his own palms was a gathering mass of darkness. The hooded man fired off his Darkra spell. The purple and black orb had a sickly hue as it was hurled across the battlefield to seek the masked magician! As he'd cast his spell, the other massive arm protruding from his back had lashed out...
SHOOM! Slamming into the ground, it sank into a pool of darkness—only for its fist to emerge on the other side of the stage! Despite the extra reach this gave, it also looked like it had rooted the Vagabond to where they stood.
It seemed the hooded man had managed to form a pincer attack with his spell and odd extra limb!
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 19, 2023 17:50:05 GMT -5
Fasilli watched with mixed feelings to how his attacks fared. Sure the Magma Move was big, loud and very 'get out tha way' but how it was dodged was so... expected. Guess those big meaty claws couldn't just punch the magma away. Someone invested in winning would note that was a good thing to know, but Fasilli had already won in his mind and was just doing this because he can. "Spice is the variety of life mr. one trick pony- there you go again using those Hulk Hams to move around~" Fasilli taunted, already on the move again after The Vagabond landed. He was of course avoiding the magma for now, trying to get closer as if he was trying to be close enough to hit as The Dark Hobo started doing a thing. Oooh, was he gonna be able to use his thing? Fasilli's free hand was now moving and juggling about three glass orbs now, slightly smaller than a baseball. Ah yes, there was the attack now... oh but he was trying to do a thing...
Ah...
Fasilli figured out what was going on and barely had enough time to move before A GIANT FIST suddenly shot up from the ground, catching him and making him comically tumble all over the place yet still somehow kept those glass orbs from hitting the ground. He actually kicked one into the path of the Darkra spell, pulling it inside where it landed on the ground with a pokeball ping sound. "I caught me a Spellmon!" Fasilli joked, his head doing an owl twist as he had previously landed face first into the ground hard. Was it worth it? Of course it was! "Oooh, is this what pain feels like? HILARIOUS!" Fasilli laughed maniacally as his body unnaturally picked itself back up, even his clothes seemed to right themselves to his orientation.
"Think fast!" and with that Fasilli pulled out a handfull of actual, physical knives! Of course they didn't stay that way for long, each being a different element as he hurled them in Vagabond's general direction. There was a fire, an ice, an electrical, a wind, and a light one. These did not move quite the same as the other ones, they moved with more of a purpose and would try to avoid the beeg beefy arms to get at him. In the meanwhile, Fasilli had picked up his new Darkrai trapped in a ball, juggling the other two empty ones in his free hand.
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 19, 2023 20:22:10 GMT -5
Finally, he landed a hit! But what had just happened to his spell...? The Vagabond wasn't really good at magic, truth be told—so he really shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. "I caught me a Spellmon!" Fasilli twisted and contorted from where they'd fallen from the ground, causing the hooded vagrant to recoil a bit instinctively as he began to reel in the extended arm.
For a second, I thought I hit 'em too hard... This masked silly-man was bizarre in some ways that were less comfortable than others. The maniacal laughter wasn't helping. Perhaps they're composed of Darkness itself? The Vagabond had been trying to assess the nature of the odd being before him...but he continued to wind up with more questions than answers, as time dragged on.
"Think fast!" Having recovered themselves from the floor in a gross display of body contortion, Fasilli hurled more knives at the hooded traveler! There was one in particular that concerned him more than others...
"I'd try—but it'd do me no good." Both large arms of darkness recoiled towards the man's back, folding like wings while swelling and flexing in size. For a moment, it almost looked like they were contorting too, but in far less intricate ways than the masked performer had. "My mind's been pretty foggy, lately..." The arms began to flap with surprising force behind them—the Vagabond couldn't become airborne with these 'wings', but he could at least create a powerful gust!
Blasting at the incoming blades with heavy waves of air, the hooded vagrant's body was thrown backwards a dozen feet, toppling over! He hadn't planned on that. "This is why it's dangerous to venture outside your wheelhouse!" Wobbling as the large arms helped him catch his balance, the Vagabond regained himself. They're slippery, that's for sure. One possibility the vagrant didn't want to scratch off or the list was capture. Earlier, Fasilli had showcased many displays of magic and avoidance already. Mixed with the knives, it was clear they were skilled at keeping an opponent at bay and evading attacks.
The masked performer wasn't a Heartless, the Vagabond could tell. It didn't seem like there was a Nobody symbol anywhere in sight, either—but the mask, the way the body twisted and moved—there was something to this being that made it impossible for curiosity to remain at bay. I still have the World Heart to think about, though... He sighed, things had gotten so complicated, all of a sudden.
"I'm still open to being friends, you know~" His tone seemed less sincere than his words, but that was just his own skepticism at the offer being taken. It would be nice, though—to have some help finding Traverse Town's heart, instead of another bizarre entity to hinder him in his research... The large Darkside arms were already on the move, he wasn't going to wait around for an answer this time. He learned his lesson. The Vagabond's intentions were clear from the start.
As the large arms stretched out to cover the newly formed gap between the two, the hands opened and stretched as though reaching to grab or crush. Raised high, the arms stopped short, beginning to lower and SLAM! in opposing intervals as the entire ground beyond them would shake and rupture! It wasn't just creating an earthquake effect, the very ground itself seemed to be breaking apart into jagged spires and hurling dangerous chunks through the air towards Fasilli...
It was a sudden assault of pillars and debris!
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 19, 2023 20:48:28 GMT -5
Those knives would only be deterred so much, doing little spins as they regained control of their momentum and started to float about again. Yes, those would need more than a gust of wind to get rid of. Fasilli would be finding The Vagabond's inner musings incredibly interesting if he was a mind reader, if he could also pay enough attention. Perhaps his companion and Steve had more insight as they were watching the whole scene. Speaking of watching, there had been a momentary gasp when the crowd's obvious fan favorite took a tumble, taking his... disturbing recovery equally disturbingly well as if this was nothing new or out of the ordinary. "They say your mind starts thinking faster when in mortal peril..." Fasilli Foreshadowed as his 'eyes' shifted through the entire color spectrum after a second. "I'm sure I can help with that~" ah yes, now he was hinting at making The Vagabond's current place here even less enjoyable by normal standards. But at least Fasilli was a good enough sport to let him get back up, the knives flittering about like some angry bees... very large bees but still bees because what is a dagger but a bee? What? It stabs you with its butt!
"I don't recall ever saying no, just that I already have friends whose names I've already forgotten. Back in the day, we'd also have bazookas and things to shoot at one another!" Fasilli rambled with a giggle. Good times... he was surprised The Couch of Chaos was still there last he went there. Oh wait there was another attack coming at him, and not a magical one or one that used energy. Drat, he wanted to catch more Magimon before his first gym badge!
He quickly pocketed the crystals as a pair of gold 'limbed' wings with mirrored glass which shifted between every color of the rainbow emerged from his back, expecting he'd have to fly out of the way of those arms. He was half right. "Bad Donkey Kong, your B-Down is bad and you should feel bad!" Fasilli mocked, put on the defensive as he used those new physical traits to dodge and weave. To better expedite his safety, the flying madman would then brandish a sword which he seemed to just poof into existence, and another fistful of physical knives- which were all light this time. With a close call as something shot up right infront of himself, he let them fly in random directions. They would then try to move around and through the debris, trying to stab The Vagabond as the previous five swooped in from a different angle... very much like a swarm of angry bees defending their honey- err... Hive. Fasilli is not their honey.
Fasilli meanwhile would start humming something as another sword was in hand, using them and his new wings to try and keep from being thwacked by- whoops that chunk of flying magma almost got him!
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 22, 2023 17:39:18 GMT -5
"Bad Donkey Kong!" While Fasilli chastised the Vagabond with a name that would have rang familiar in their other life, they noticed the knives from before seemed to remain in the air—albeit thrown off course. While the masked performer began to grow a pair of wings themselves and fly around to dodge the wreckage blasted forth from the raw power of the Darkside limbs, the hooded vagrant noticed how now all of the new knives summoned were indeed what he dreaded most: Light Magic!
Well, there goes one hypothesis... Not that it would have been much of a comfort if Fasilli was an entity of pure Darkness, to start with. While the Darkside arms retreated from the smashing assault, the Vagabond set to work at protecting himself from the dozen of blades coming his way! Clasping his hands together, a dark aura would surround his form as he gathered energy, just as the knives were closing in... "Protect!" The hooded man was suddenly shielded by a translucent purple, blue and black energy that surrounded him.
Ovular in shape, the Dark Barrier shimmered eerily as the knives would thunk! and ting! uselessly against its walls. The darkness surrounding it would lash out at the light, its sworn enemy, trying to sap away its nemesis energy and explode against it on impact. As the assault ended, the Darkside arms would flex and return to a ready stance, fists clenched and protective around the sides of their host. "You really shouldn't play around with such dangerous things..."
For added measure, one of the Darkside fists would begin to punch and slam down on the blocked and fallen blades—if they remained, hopefully smashing them to pieces once and for all. "I'll forgive you, though, since we're friends~" It wouldn't be visible, as his face was still hidden in the shadows of his hood, but the Vagabond was smiling. Whatever this 'Fasilli' character was up to...the researcher still couldn't sense any genuine malice.
Even if they were to upset the balance of Traverse Town...perhaps the Vagabond could get through to them and then restore that balance and still conduct their research! One thing at a time. That's right, he couldn't get his hopes up just yet. The masked performer still seemed to have energy to burn! Unlike them, the Vagabond wasn't much of a fighter, especially against those who weren't weak to Darkness or utilized the Darkness primarily...he was running out of tricks.
Especially since it wasn't like he was going to undo any of the Seals for something like this!
"So—how long are you in town for?" Making idle conversation, the hooded drifter lifted themselves off the stage with the large Darkside arms once more. Using the dark limbs as though legs, the Vagabond moved across the platform within two quick stretches, one of the massive arms reaching out and slashing a clawed hand through the air at Fasilli! As it did, the claws on said hand began to grow and extend...
Acting like long blades of darkness, the claws grew into the size of Zweihänders as the arm lashed out in a wide arcing slash!
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 23, 2023 11:56:29 GMT -5
So far everything was proceeding to Fasilli's not plan. What's a not plan? It's when you make other people believe that you have a plan when everything is happening the way you want it. Which contrary to popular belief, Fasilli didn't have the same sentiment. He had an ace up his sleeve and was really just dragging this out until he was able to or wanted to bring it out. But the knives serving as a distraction to get him to stop being a barrel tossing ape happened exactly as intended! "It is precisely because they are dangerous that they should be played around with! If nothing else they should be played asquare with!" Fasilli quipped, letting his swords loose which... also started to float and levitate with minds of their own; those would be a little more difficult to break than the daggers. A new attack was thrown at him! The Hobo used Night Slash! To which, it was Fasilli's turn to whip out the obligatory 'Reflect' card!
"And at least long enough, I'm sure there's plenty of exposition and you seem like someone who knows a lot about my assistant's favorite magical element~" His barrier was more flashy, kind of like you were having a hallucination brought on by questionable substances which made you see bright flashing rainbow colors. It was was also solid enough to where you couldn't See-Li any more. A fact The Hobo would discover a moment later as the now flying swords floated in, trying to pincer attack him as the barrier went down and revealed... Fasilli was gone!
The crowd gasped dramatically and looked around, then asquare and atriangle. But not up. "And so I strike! Like an unseen dodgeball in an echoing gymnasium!" Fasilli cackled from up high. THEN his body started to give off a weird magical aura, little veins glowing brightly through his clothes as he did a show-offy loop-de-loop... and then suddenly launched himself straight at The Vagabond with a still slower than lightning speed but still impossible by normal human standards speed, swinging another pie directly at his face. How much time did The vagabond have until The Grand Finale?~
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 28, 2023 14:46:05 GMT -5
"I'm sure there's plenty of exposition and you seem like someone who knows a lot about my assistant's favorite magical element~" The Vagabond was confused by the showman's words but couldn't focus on them, flinching as a bright and mystifying barrier was summoned. Exploding in a bright light as the Darkside claws scraped uselessly against the magical shield, Fasilli's voice echoed throughout the stadium as the magical swords began to slice through the air!
What the—?! Not only had the pincer attack taken him by surprise, but the hooded vagrant was stunned to find the masked performer missing as the barrier faded. With one Darkside arm suspending him in the air and the other having been used to attack, the Vagabond was left wide open as both swords lunged forward...! Shwing! Slice! Instead, the hooded researcher recalled the dark limbs, allowing himself to free-fall, twisting his body and doing his best to dodge the attack with his own reflexes.
"Argh! My bottle deposit!!" Blood and empty potion bottles spilled out from an open gash across the Vagabond's leg. One of the sword's had barely missed, while another had managed to slice just above his knee! As a result, one of the man's cargo pockets burst open, causing dozens of small empty glass bottles to spill out and break below as the large Darkside arms slowly began to bubble and resurface on his back.
"Do you have any idea how much Munny that just cost me!?" As the large Heartless arms reappeared, one of them swatted at the magical blades while another caught the Vagabond and suspended him in the air once more. "I was so close to getting another coupon, too..." Slumping a bit dejectedly, it seemed the vagrant was so focused on their lost bottles and possible coupon they forgot all about the battle. The free Darkside hand that had been swatting at the swords paused, taking a moment to pat the poor man on the top of his hooded head with a finger...
"And so I strike! Like an unseen dodgeball in an echoing gymnasium!" Jolting in surprise at Fasilli's voice, the Vagabond looked up to see them flying down at them for a direct hit—with another pie no less!
"H-hey, wait! What if I'm aller—" The Vagabond didn't get to finish his sentence. It all happened too fast and he'd been unprepared. SMASH! The pie smooshed full forced directly into his face, causing the hooded vagrant to careen and reel backwards off balance as his own arms flailed uselessly at his sides. The large Darkside arms kept him stable in the air, though one went to swat at the perpetrator of a potential allergenic episode...
GrrrrrOOOOOwwwwLLlllll! An embarrassingly loud stomach grumble erupted throughout the stage as suddenly the Darkside arms and the Vagabond went rigid and still. Chomp! Munch! Crunch! Suddenly, the Vagabond's face was pressing itself into the pie! He was eating it! The large Darkside arms that had raised a hand formed a 'thumbs up' instead of swatting at Fasilli as the hooded vagrant seemed to mumble out between bites.
"Hey, this is pretty good! I'm not allergic!" He'd forgotten how long it'd been since he'd ate. Maybe balance upsetters weren't the worst of his problems...
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Mar 28, 2023 15:13:00 GMT -5
And the collective crowd of cheering Steves... Steved! The only two who seemed less enthused by the shenanigans was the Officer Steve, and the Serious Steve who just watched with a neutral tone. They may have seen this trick enough times- not that Serious Steve was impressed by anything anyway mind you. Fasilli nimbly with still incredible agility, did a backflip and flashy flip back to his feet and a distance away just as one of the arms used Flail. Fasilli jumped up and with the help of his wings, just jumped over the attempt as he settled down on his tip-toe and fixed his hat. Then the belly of the beast bellowed, spooking some Steves. Fasilli however found it Sillarious. "From the sounds of it you should really eat more," Fasilli scolded with a finger waggle, making some kind of cartoony sound as he reached behind his back and pulled out... a Hoola Hoop? What Sillnanigans was he up to now? "But while I've enjoyed this little rust rustling, I can hardly call it a warm up. There's always room for improvement I say, and now it is time for the curtain call... you might need this~" Fasilli continued cryptically, rolling the hoola hoop and putting a little more distance betweeb himself and The Vagabond while gathering shimmering sparkles into his hands. As this was happening, every Steve around was putting on Sunglasses, and the girl that had been traveling with Fasilli was offered a pair from The Steve in her lap. "Oh woe to thee, ye people of order! I hope your homes continue to smolder and that you never rise again, and leave me be and leave my friends!" Fasilli started to sing as he clenched his hand around the sparkles and 'tossed' them up high with a thin beam of light that parted the big top roof. Revealing an endless sky of stars above as Fasilli bowed in total hammy showman fashion, the stars quickly started to twinkle a little too brightly. A beam of red light then suddenly came crashing down into the ground, and then a green, blue, yellow, violet- Beams of light were crashing down in rapid succession! Some of which would totally be coming down on The Vagabond but it seemed like Fasilli had no control of where they came down.
Remember that hoola hoop? There was a Steve poking his head out of it making Steve sounds to try and get The Vagabond's attention, as if saying jump in! He'd ducked back down into the hoop as more beams would rain down from above, doing more damage than The Vagabond's Ground Pounding earlier via orbital bombardment~
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 2, 2023 16:41:48 GMT -5
For a moment, the Vagabond forgot about everything else happening. They were simply lost in pie goodness. Munch. Munch. Munch! It wasn't until Fasilli scolded them with a wagging finger that the hooded vagrant jolted too, fumbling with the now empty pie dish as it fell and clattered to the ground below. "Now it is time for the curtain call... you might need this~" Slowly lowering himself back down towards the stage floor with the help of the large Darkside arms, the Vagabond was still wiping pie from his shadowed face as the masked performer rolled a...hoola hoop towards him?
"Uh...what?" While Fasilli backed up slowly and the many Steves in the crowd began to donn sunglasses, the Vagabond toed at the child's toy with confusion. One of the large arms protruding from his back even scratched at his hooded head, the other shrugging while the vagrant shoved their hands in their jacket pockets. "Are we gonna play a game or something, now?" His voice was a tad bit dejected. He didn't want to work off the pie he'd just eaten—he'd just managed to fill his stomach for the first time in who knows how long...
"Oh woe to thee, ye people of order!" As Fasilli began to shout out some cryptic things he didn't understand, the Vagabond slowly began backing away from the hoola hoop. Was it a trap? Was the hoola hoop going to explode or something!? The masked performer was tossing some sparkly dust into the sky or something...that probably wasn't a good sign. Or was it? Truthfully, the vagrant couldn't really get a read on the situation, lately.
Vrrrrr...SHOOM! Just then, the stage began to rumble as the lights around them seemed to flicker and dim. A gigantic beam of light flooded down from above, cannoning into the ground directly behind the Vagabond! "Yeeeeeow!" The red light had shone directly behind him, hitting one of the large Darkside arms and slicing through it completely! Usually, the Vagabond didn't feel pain in the Heartless limbs that aided him...but he did just then!
Spinning on his heels while shouting out in surprise, the hooded man began to backpedal as the injured dark appendage slowly began to reform, the other coiling tightly against his back as more giant beams began to rain down from above! What is this?! Was it Light Magic!? That must have been why it hurt the Darkside limbs so severely... The Vagabond was grimacing from beneath his hood—this wasn't good news at all!
While the ground rumbled and shook with every beam that fell, the vagrant stumbled and scrambled to dodge and stay running—like an ant trying to avoid a cruel child's magnifying glass shining rays of sunlight. I've got to get out of here! Curiosity be damned! If he stuck around, he was toast! He needed to get back to Traverse Town...
Just as the Vagabond was readying to call it quits and summon a Dark Portal, his most recent stumble had his gaze falling on the forgotten hoola hoop! "Ah, what're you doing there...?" Confused for a moment as he crouched on his hands and knees, the hooded vagrant tilted his head at the Steve that was popping out of the sitting hoop, as though a hole, waving at him. It was almost like it was telling him to follow...
KraKOOM! Another beam, violet in color, erupted against the stage beside him! Deciding it would do him no good to be cautious now, the Vagabond scrambled forward and dove for the hoola hoop! "Woah! Sure enough, he fell in, like it was a hole. Crashing down below, the man groaned as his hood fell, exposing his dull matte green eyes to the harsh light as his pale face littered with freckles and stubble grimaced and groaned in pain.
He'd landed on a small card table! Sitting around it were a variety of Steves, the room itself having no walls and just a floor as it seemed to simply float in space emptily...
"Phew...thanks!" The Vagabond's large Darkside arm's had disappeared, dissolving during the crash. He'd flash a 'thumbs up' to the Steve who'd signaled him into the hoop before sitting up on the table, looking around at the other Steves playing cards. "Er...all in?" Chuckling a bit and scratching at his cheek with a sheepish expression, the Vagabond would slowly rise and wobble his way off the table, taking care not to mess up their game further.
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Apr 2, 2023 19:30:37 GMT -5
The Vagabond's response would be an assortment of Steve-Sounds as they scooted around the table to make some more room as one fetched him some cards. This was far beyond just playing poker for a bunch of jelly beans, this was a man's game! There were pokemon, yugioh, uno, normal playing cards, and some magic the gathering. As for the rules... for however long The Vagabond would be here, the only thing he knew for sure was that each unique 'damage/hp' was scaled appropriately via MATH... the lowest sum of math infact because why would you complicate things with triple digits? Certain cards worked as intended with some values being tweaked with the math. As for how one won this game... seemed like the only surefire way for one to win was whoever was first to get fed up with the other players, and accuse them of cheating before devolving into a cartoonish dust cloud of brawling.
Then after some length of time, the sound of explosions and pew pew pews seemed to stop. A familiar masked face then seemed to emerge from whatever gateway into this little pocket dimension to further confirm this. "It's safe to come out now, by the way. Oh yer playing Card Games, as long as Steve doesn't cheat with exodia or something it's a fun way to kill time," Fasilli intoned before pulling his face out of the hole. If The Vagabond decided to bid his new Steve friends goodbye, he'd return back to the traverse town district as if nothing had happened.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 2, 2023 20:24:46 GMT -5
Having sat down at a vacant seat at the table, the Vagabond was given some cards of varying types and joined in the game. Scratching at the mop of disheveled hazelnut hair atop his head, the scruffy vagrant had a weirdly nostalgic feeling towards some of the cards they held—others they'd never seen before. Thankfully, with the help of a few kind Steves, it didn't take long to get into the swing of things! "Yahtzee!" Swiping some of the jelly beans from the pile on the table after a particularly successful round with a grin, the Vagabond wasn't quite sure why he'd yelled that phrase out...let alone where he'd heard it.
"It's safe to come out now, by the way." Fasilli's head popped in from the hoola hoop ring above. Mentioning cheating, some of the Steves seemed indignant while others seemed to quickly try to hide their sleeves, causing others to peek and find stashed cards. While a cartoonish brawl quickly began to take place around the table, the Vagabond sheepishly chuckled and stood from his seat, backing away from the explosive dust cloud marred with stars and spinning birds while pulling back up their hood.
"Well, thanks for the game everyone...and the beans!" Popping a few of his winnings into his now hidden mouth, the hooded vagrant looked up to the hoola hoop Fasilli had poked their head through while pocketing the rest. Darkness began to bubble and pool on their back as the large Darkside arms reformed, reaching up to grab the rim of the portal and pull the Vagabond up and out of the small pocket dimension where the Steves played cards and fought amongst themselves...
"Oh—I'm back!" Coming through the hoola hoop, the Vagabond was relieved to find himself standing in Traverse Town's Second District plaza. He'd been fighting with the masked performer in an odd stage formed with magic or some other powers...so it was calming to return to the eternal night of Traverse Town, where the soft lanterns gave off a gentle warmth and the light from businesses he could never afford to be in illuminated the courtyard.
Looking around, the hooded man wondered where Fasilli had gone. They're interesting, that's for sure... Interesting, and dangerous. Able to upset the balance, the performer had dozens of tricks and powers that proved to be difficult for someone like the Vagabond to deal with. He hoped they could get along...both for the sake of his safety, as well as his research!
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Mega
Dream Eaters
Posts: 145
Gender: Male
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Post by Mega on Apr 2, 2023 20:39:18 GMT -5
"Think fast!" Fasilli called after a conveniently placed 'fake wall' fell over with the sound of sad plywood- it sounds exactly like you think. There were mere not-seconds as Fasilli had a bazooka mounted on his shoulder, aimed right at The Vagabond! Then Fasilli fired... ANOTHER pie right at his face!
"Hatty, don't give him a heart attack now..." the girl accompanying Fasilli scolded.
"Ha! You don't know how funny that prospect actually is. Anyway, I believe we're in the walk around and exposition phase of events," Fasilli handed his Piezooka to the Sightseeing Steve who started to wobble and struggle under its weight.
"Well- I do have questions if that's what you mean," the girl shrugged his rambling off.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 3, 2023 10:06:03 GMT -5
"Think fast!" Fasilli's sudden shout caused the Vagabond to spin in alarm. Seeing the foreign weapon they shouldered aimed right at him, the hooded vagrant shouted out and raised their arms as the large Darkside limbs protruding from their back mimicked the defensive stance. Another pie was launched, rather than anything deadly—though the Vagabond still flinched as the large Heartless limbs still swiped the projectile from the air, lowering the treat for his inspection.
"Hatty, don't give him a heart attack now..." For the first time since their battle had occurred, the Vagabond's notice fell to the girl in fancy clothing that accompanied Fasilli. Just who are these two, really...? What brought them here, of all places? The two were an odd yet somewhat fitting dynamic, with Fasilli harking and quipping at the girls seemingly logical reasoning.
"Ha! You don't know how funny that prospect actually is." While the masked performer tossed the pie shooting weapon to a little Steve that stood nearby, the Vagabond tilted their head curiously. He didn't get the joke.
At least it seems the fighting's over... What a relief. Sighing a bit as he relaxed, the hooded vagrant grabbed the pie from the large Darkside arms as the massive limbs began to retreat, disappearing into his back and dissolving as dark pools swallowed them up from his shoulder blades. Picking at the dessert with his gloved hand, the Vagabond felt torn. He was kind of full from the previous pie, but didn't want to waste such precious nutrients...
"I do have questions, if that's what you mean." The girl's inquiring voice yanked him from his conundrum and back to the Second District plaza he stood in. Glancing between the odd party that was before him, the Vagabond gave a nod. He had questions, too.
"Makes sense...though you're all more interesting, in my opinion." The fact that the group had initially summoned Heartless in a world rampant with them still made the Vagabond a bit weary, but for now they seemed pleasant enough. It was all a bit confusing—but the hooded vagrant was willing to take what he could get. "Alright, let's chat, then!" Seemingly making up his mind, the Vagabond pointed to the fountain jutting out from the wall mural not too far from them.
"To start with—why were you all summoning the Heartless? You know they're pretty common on this world...right?" Though the girl was the one to bring up questions, he didn't see the harm in starting. It wasn't like he was about to answer her inquiries freely, without some give and take, anyway. Setting his pie down on the edge of the fountain, the Vagabond hopped up onto the short wall and sat next to his treat. He sprawled out a bit lazily, laying on his side and kicking his feet up while resting his hooded head on his hand.
It was almost like he was getting ready for a nap...
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