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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2011 1:00:04 GMT -5
Seven days. That was what she had told him. And she had given that odd man exactly what he wanted. Seven days to prove that girl's worth. And Bullseye attended to see to just that. If she failed to meet her standards? Well... Smiles said he wouldn't interfere. Somehow though she doubted he really meant that.
Smiles kept his words. But he often found ways around what he said. He was as sneaky as that smile on his face. There was no telling what was really going on in his mind. Like this girl? Why did he drag her into the committee. They didn't need an 8. It was an even number and not as lucky as 7.
Bullseye arrived in Wonderland through a portal, provided to her by Smoke. She was dressed in her traditional school looking uniform consisting of black dress pants, a white long sleeve shirt rolled up and a tan vest. Her long black hair was pulled back in a pony tail and strapped to her back was a short barrel shot gun.
She arrived in the middle of the maze. She had said seven days exactly. She would lounge around here until sunset. Then she would seek them out.
Finding a spot of the maze that was long enough for her to lay around she leaped ontop. Taking off her shot gun and putting it aside her she laid down with her hands behind her head.
The sound of movement though made her look below. She spotted a heartless sprouting from a shadow. Seemed like the little bugger had spotted her. With a sigh, she reached and picked up the shot gun. Pointing it at the creature she gave it a smile.
She pulled the trigger and the sound of fire shook the air. But no bullets came out of the gun. Instead a bulls-eye in red appeared on the heatless. A second later the red rings of the bulls-eye began to spin on the creature until it actually began to cut into the heartless. It ripped right into the creatures body and exited out the other side.
On a heartless it simply caused it to disappear. But on a human? It would have gone right through the other side of there body leaving there insides cut up like a bullet had richocheted off the organs.
Bullseye never missed her mark. And she wouldn't miss it later either.
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Smiles watched Ivory. He sat ontop a tree in the forest as hearltess after heartless attacked her down below. Currently they had her surrounded. It wasn't all that interersting to tell the truth. Either Ivory would kill them, or she would die.
Seven days. They had been training here for seven days now. In all honesty Ivory showed potential. She could be very good if she continued the way they were going. And Smiles was an excellent teacher. At least he thought so.
At the moment Ivory had her back to the tree and surrounding her were ten heartless of variety of types. The weakest of those was a simple shadow heartless with beedy yellow eyes and small arms and legs. The toughest... A novashadow that somehow managed to make its way to Wonderland.
Besides those there were a couple of Rhapsody of green blue and yellow, and a couple of creeper plants. Smiles... well he wasn't even watching Ivory. He was reading a book. It wasn't that bad of a book actually.
As a yellow Rhapsody came towards him he simply raised his hand. His gun was in his hand. With a pop the creature dropped back towards the ground. It wouldn't be coming back up anytime soon.
The type of training that Smiles had made Ivory do so far had probably seemed strange to her somewhat. After all, he had sent all the red guards chasing after her. Each one was threatning, "Off with her head". After that there had been tag with the Chestire Cat.
It was a game that he and the cat had played multiple times before. Ivory seemed to have a harder time with it though. Then there had been sparring under the Catirpillar's aromas. They had a variety of effects including making the person slow, sleepy, sick, and even shaky.
All were a variety of poisions and by the time that they were finished Smiles had to carry Ivory back to where they were staying. But when they returned the next day she faired much better.
Then there were the days between those. On those days Smiles had given Ivory books she had to finish by the end of the day. If she didn't he told her she wouldn't eat until she did. Hunger was an excelent motivator. Knowledge was power. Even if Ivory didn't understand that yet.
And at last there was today. They had oh... about five more hours before things got interesting. They really needed to finish up here. What was the challenge she was currently facing? Well Smiles had put it simply. "Defeat them without your armor. Or your weapons." It was an easy task for an assassin.
Smiles gazed down to the heavily breathing Ivory below. "Let's finish this up darling. We have a tea party to attend." And oh was it a tea party Ivory would never forget.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 4, 2011 1:48:27 GMT -5
Ivory had quite a long week. Under Smiles' teaching, she was forced to do all sorts of crazy tasks. At first, they had been rather difficult for her. There were times where she had to go hungry because she didn't read a certain amount of books fast enough.
Over all, in the single week she had spent training, Ivory guessed she was making progress. She hadn't died and that was something to account for. Still, only time would tell before the other would try to assassinate her. That woman from last time, Ivory had yet to see at the end of this week.
It was already around that time and honestly, Ivory was far too busy fighting off the Heartless than she was worrying about being killed later. Since she had to fight the things weaponless and without her armor, it wasn't exactly easy for her to fend them off. She had her back to the tree, facing the Heartless as she breathed rather hard. Smiles didn't seem to care while this was going on, he tended to be uninterested when it came to these repetitive training sessions.
Despite the torture she went through, Ivory was still hanging in there. She didn't give up. Maybe it was because of the fact her life was at stake? That seemed like a pretty good motivator. As she breathed, she heard Smiles' voice from above as he called out to her. According to him, they had a tea party to attend. What this could mean for herself, she hadn't a clue. 'I hope I can find a slight break in between if he has something up his sleeve for me again!' she thought. Ivory had become accustomed to being thrown into random dangerous situations for training because of him. It wouldn't surprise her if they went to a tea party where the other guests decided to toss fine china at them.
She had to resort on her bare hands for this fight and what sucked was that there was no easy way for he to do it. That is, of course, if she got them to fight amongst themselves instead of focusing on her so much. Why he pitted her into such a nasty situation, she still couldn't comprehend. With him telling her to hurry up, it didn't make her situation any easier.
"I'm trying!" she retorted. No matter what she did, the things just kept coming at her. Well, she had the right idea, slipping in and out of sight resorting to gorilla tactics. It was because of that, that she had taken down a few Heartless already.
Now that she was backed against a tree, she wondered what she could do now. It seemed like there was no way for her to get out unless she resorted to some other tactic. She couldn't slip out easily now that they had her surrounded. What to do? Her light blue eyes darted from one Heartless to the next. Maybe she could get them to accidentally hurt each other?
One made a giant leap for her but she dived down. As she did so, the Heartless wound up hitting the tree face first. As it did so, another had tried to fire a bolt of lightning down at her. Rolling aside, she just narrowly avoided it. In the process, another lowly Heartless had gotten the full brunt of the lightning bolt that was meant for her. Now she was thinking!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2011 2:18:39 GMT -5
Smiles seemed like he wasn't paying attention to the battle below. But in reality he knew exactly where Ivory was and what exactly she was doing. They hadn't really worked on hand to hand combat since coming here. That was the point of this lesson.
Seemingly intrigued by his book, Smiles spoke aloud. "When one fights hand in hand in combat one must never be afraid to get their hands dirty. There are several points in the body that are vulnerable for almost any enemy. Take the neck. In the human body it could be considered the easiest to utilize. A simple twist of the head and the neck snaps."
Pausing Smiles turned the page. He then continued. "On any creature there are the eyes. Almost every creature depends on them for sight. An easy pluck causes confusion and pain. At some points a hard enough strike can cause fatality."
Turning the next page Smiles continued, "Along the body there is no point more fatal on the torso then the Solar Palax. Located right above the stomach a hard enough strike can cause death as well. Finally on the back of the body the back of the neck and along the spinal cord can cause an enemy serious damage. All creatures that stand have some sort of spinal cord. Utilize this."
Smiles seemed to be just reading for himself, but in reality he was teaching Ivory at the same time. It was up to her to put such information into effect however.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 4, 2011 2:57:15 GMT -5
As Ivory dealt with the Heartless, she could hear Smiles talking. It seemed like he was simply just reading aloud to himself but in reality, Ivory could tell he was informing her on what ways to take out her enemies. It couldn't be that simple, could it? She looked at the creatures. She had only just barely kept ahead of them although she did obtain a few wounds during this session.
Well, if eyes, throat, the spine and the chest were the weak points...she could utilize them for her advantage. Since two had already gotten injured because of accidental attacks or friendly fire, her odds were slightly better than before. Already, she could eliminate two on a more easy scale.
However, since she had started moving away from the tree to her back, the Heartless were intent on herding her right back toward the area. It seemed like they relied solely on getting her in one spot before they would try to get her heart. Well, Ivory wasn't going to allow that.
With new ideas in mind, thanks to Smiles whom had been surprisingly patient with her the whole week, Ivory decided to use them. As soon as she got back to her feet, she poked the nearest Rhapsody that flew a bit too close in the eyes. It was a blue color and the moment she did that, the attack it had planned for her was misfired and hit a yellow one. The attack on its team mate killed it instantly. During the distraction, Ivory managed to slip out of her corner and was once again concealed in the flora of the lotus forest.
She was learning the element of surprise, hand-to-hand fighting, and learning tactics as to how to take an enemy down. Learning their weak points gave her the advantage.
It went on like this for another good twenty minutes before finally it came down to the final Heartless. Out of them all, the Nova was still around. Ivory found it more difficult to handle because of how much bigger it was. Kicks to the chest wouldn't work well with this one. Not even strikes to the spine would help very much. They eyes were harder to get to as well.
The only thing that she could think of doing was somehow getting a good shot at the Heartless's neck. It resulted in her running around for a good few minutes until finally she saw an opening. Taking advantage of it, Ivory darted in and aimed a strike at the throat. Once she was certain her fist made contact with flesh, Ivory leapt back and away from it in case it retaliated.
'Did I do it?' she wondered.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2011 3:30:01 GMT -5
Smiles peered up from his book as only one heartless remained. At least she wasn't hopeless. If she hadn't been able to pick up on what he was saying... Well there was no point in any of this. One of the most important things was being open to one's surroundings. Sometimes you had nothing but your hands for a kill. You did not leave until everything was finished.
Ivory's first lesson of course had been about death itself. The world had a way or righting itself out. Your job was to kill. Do it and be done. Feel no remorse for your victims. The world would compensate for every death. When at last Ivory went for the neck of the Nova Shadow it was finished. Good timing too.
Smiles shut the book with a clap. There would be no praise coming from Smiles. Life alone was a prize. Best Ivory learn that now. "Come. Let's get to that tea party." Tucking the book away in a small pack he had hanging around his shoulder, he led Ivory out of the forest.
As they walked through the dark forest and even into the different roads and levels of greenery, Smiles dealt with any of the enemies they came across. A few heartless attacked them, but they were finished with easily with the pull of a trigger.
So it was they came to an area where a large odd looking house stood before them. In all honesty it was almost impossible to see how it managed to stay standing with its curves and different shapes. It looked like a bunch of blocks just thrown on top of each other.
In the front yard was a long table made for tea. As they walked into the area three strange looking people greeted them. The first was an odd man with a top hat and a variety of different colored patches of clothing. He greeted them with an odd "crazy" smile.
"Welcome. Just in time for tea!" He said to them. Sitting at a spot near the end of the long table was an odd looking rat. He stood two feet tall and his eye constantly twitched. Upon seeing Ivory he grabbed his tea cup and flung it at her.
"Have some tea!" With a crackle of laughter to follow the mad rat's arms fidgeted. Finally the last member was a small white mouse. She was dressed in a pink little dress and couldn't be taller then three inches. She sat on the table actually and sipped a small little cup of tea.
The man with the top hat gestured for them to take a seat. Smiles complied and indicated that Ivory sit next to him. "We have come to gossip."
The mad rat threw a small glass dish at Ivory. "Gossip! Gossip!" The man with the top gave Smiles a smile. He was kind to return.
"Oh surely you have heard of the news. A stranger has arrived. Black tales follow that one. Chestire tells me so!"
Nodding Smiles asked, "And news from the home front?"
The man just smiled. "Oh nothing new there. Red searches for something she doesn't know. It'll find her sooner then she hopes and not at all for the reasons she thinks. Heartless thump thump thump. And the woman with no face seeks the White Queen."
Smiles just had two more questions. "And what of the key? Has he arrived?"
The man just smiled. "Maybe he has. Maybe he hasn't. This one doesn't know."
"Have some more tea!" The mad rat said to Ivory before flinging a hot cup of tea at her again. Smiles reached over to the tea pot and poured himself a cup of tea. Taking a sip of it slowly he gestured that Ivory could take some as well if she wished.
One more question. "And what about that request I asked of you?" This time the man's smile got really wide.
"Oh it's all ready. Just head into the house whenever your ready." Smiling, Smiles sipped his tea. Soon as he finished they would be heading into the house. And Ivory's training would continue.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 4, 2011 4:27:44 GMT -5
Ivory watched as the Heartless fell forward and dispersed in a puff of smoke. Seeing it fall, she knew that she could finally take a breather. Leaning onto her knees, her hands holding her up, Ivory just stood there breathing hard for a time. As she did so, she heard the sound of Smiles' book snapping shut. Looking up toward where he was, she wondered what this 'tea party' had in store for her. After spending the week with him, she had learned to expect dangerous experiences.
Wiping sweat from her forehead, wary of what she might encounter next, Ivory obediently followed Smiles' lead. She was grateful for the fact that he took out any enemies along the way that they came across. Ivory needed a small break after all of that strenuous fighting. Whatever Smiles could have cooked up for her next, she wasn't sure what but knew to be wary during the time she had spent here.
As they came upon a strange building with a long table set up outside of it, she could only look on in wonder. Wonderland never ceased to amaze her. There were all sorts of crazy things, things that weren't always easy to comprehend half the time. This new setting, as she set her sights upon the other beings present, she couldn't help but feel wary. The smile on the guy with the top hat's face seemed off and the way the others looked that accompanied him wasn't too comforting either. What lay in store for her now? Already, she was side glancing at Smiles uncertainly.
Suddenly, upon seeing her, one of the attendees picked up a tea cup and tossed it right at her telling her to have a cup of tea. Even though she felt tired, Ivory side stepped it, just narrowly avoiding getting a cup in the face. 'Why am I not surprised?' she thought. She had been half expecting this sort of thing. Her days with Smiles were never normal since coming here.
As the man gestured for them to take a seat, Ivory wasn't so sure of sitting down. At this point, she was paranoid of everything around her. Seeing Smiles sit down in a chair, unharmed and untouched, Ivory didn't need for him to indicate that she could seat herself as well.
Sitting down next to him, she heard him explain that they had come here to gossip. "Gossip?" she repeated before glancing over the table at the other tea party attendees.
She didn't like the idea of coming closer to where there was more access for the rat arsenal wise. Sure enough, no sooner had Smiles finished what he was saying to her and she looking over the table when the same rat now tossed a glass dish in her direction! Ivory was forced to make a strange twist to get her face out of range once more, nearly tipping over in the process. Honestly, after those attacks, Ivory couldn't help but give the rat a look of obvious dislike. Just what had she done to deserve that? Or was he merely that bonkers that where he had good intentions, they always came out bad?
Ivory kept a wary eye on the rat as she listened to what Smiles was saying with the man in the top hat. What was being said was rather confusing to her. Maybe they were using secret code names? Smiles hadn't yet taught her any of the lingo they used just yet. Guessing that is what they were discussing, she tried to make some sense of it. When the word 'key' was mentioned, Ivory couldn't help but wonder if it might've hinted at a keyblade user of some kind.
She hadn't seen many of them, only the one from Halloween Town. She didn't know that Smiles had killed him then but after hanging with Smiles, she had learned many things and guessed the 'key' was Smiles next target. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though, already in the corner of her eye she could see the rat moving toward the fine china again. Looking toward him, she saw him toss a cup of hot tea at her!
The cup she could avoid, the hot tea though, on the other hand...well, she wasn't so good in avoiding. It hadn't completely drenched her but she did get some of it on her arms and it burnt badly. Gritting her teeth, she picked up the napkin and wiped at where she was burning rapidly. The sensation of her skin being seared went away and she sighed silently in relief. Seeing Smiles indicate that she could take some tea if she wished, she honestly would rather decline.
However, since she wasn't sure how these beings would react if she didn't, she decided she'd better. Picking up a cup, she poured herself some tea. Her peripheral vision focused on that crazy rat. Sipping some of it, she heard what Smiles asked the top hat guy next. It was something about a request. Apparently, it was ready and in the house.
Side glancing at Smiles, she couldn't help but feel wary once more. What else could he have in store for her now? Well, she would only find out when the time came, it seemed. Until then, she was going to try and enjoy the cup of tea she had before she had to dodge another flying cup or dish.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2011 16:59:29 GMT -5
Smiles finished his cup of tea. Just in time too. The warm of it felt good going down his throat. They really didn't have much time left. They needed to finish this up so they could get inside the house. They had about three more hours before sunset. Then they were would be no time for training. Smiles knew Bullseye very well. She would not waist a moment.
Turning to his hosts he gave them an appreciative bow from his seat. "Thank you so kindly Hatter. Your hospitality was great as always."
A shout from the peanut gallery, that would be the mad rat, prevented the Hatter from responding right away. "Why not one more cup of tea?!" He shouted before throwing the tea pot at Ivory.
Both the Hatter and Smiles ignored that. The Hatter tipped his tall hat. "It is always a pleasure to have friends at my table. And of course there is that manner we discussed..." The Hatter trailed off but Smiles knew exactly what he was talking about.
Reaching into his pockets, Smiles pulled out a small munny pouch. He tossed it and the Hatter swept it up in his hat. Placing the hat back on his head his smile grew twice its size. Tea Parties here were always interesting. The Hatter was one of the few people who ever caused Smiles boredom. Not many people could claim that.
It was natural that they were good friends. The Hatter took no sides in the war. Then again no one had asked him to enter it either. He was odd enough that he would probably join whatever side asked him. Smiles smiled at that thought.
Finally turning to Ivory he stood. "Let's get going then." He walked over to the single door in the house hold. There were no windows now that he was close enough to see. Then again a window in such a place would have looked odd in such a fine piece or architecture.
Opening the door, Smiles stepped inside. Once inside things looked very odd. They were in what looked like a single room that was made more for a crazy rat then humans. Smiles had to hunch slightly unless he wanted to bang his head against the ceiling. It was odd for such a tall house to have a small room.
The room was filled with different things such as couches and such but they were too small for any of them to sit in. There was one thing though though. A single round table in the center of the room. It was still small compared to them but large enough for the mad rat.
"Watch your head." He said to Ivory. When she had entered he reached down to the table and picked up a small two inch bottle. Inside it was an odd green liquid. There was just enough for a single gulp each. Just as he had asked of the Hatter.
Smiles turned to Ivory, who seemed to be adjusting to the odd room. "Take a single gulp. No more." He waited.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 5, 2011 1:57:03 GMT -5
Ivory knew they weren't going to dally here for much longer. Smiles had a tendency to not wait in one place for an extended period time unless he had to. Here, it looked like he was just gathering his information and then he'd be done with this tea party. Ivory warily kept her eye on the crazy rat as she continued to drink her tea. Any sudden movement and she would be diving for the ground at a moment's notice. She didn't enjoy the idea of getting things thrown at her.
Smiles appeared to be getting ready to leave, bowing to those in his seat, she could tell by the way he was talking that this meeting was finally drawing to a close. As expected, the rat spoke up again and this time, instead of tossing a tea cup or a dish, he went and tossed the whole tea pot at her!
Having become accustomed to this by now since she had been here, Ivory dived for the ground and just barely avoided getting it in the face again. Her eyes narrowed with disapproval as she emerged from the ground a moment later.
Seeing that Smiles had finally stood up and beckoned for them to leave, Ivory didn't need telling twice. Getting up off the ground, brushing herself off, she nodded. "Yes, Smiles." With that, she followed his lead away from the tea party. She had at least spared the others a thankful bow of her head before tagging along after Smiles. The two of them were approaching the house that had been indicated earlier.
Stepping inside after Smiles, she was rather surprised by the look of the interior. She had expected a human dwelling, not something like this. It was quite tiny inside and she felt like if she moved wrong, she could accidentally get herself and Smiles stuck. 'Best to not even move a muscle!' she thought, looking around with just her eyes.
There was a table and some sort of concoction that Smiles just picked up. What could be contained in that? She had somehow managed to avoid knocking her head on the ceiling as Smiles spoke. Take one gulp? She peered inside the bottle curiously before shrugging. "Alrighty, understood." With that, she took the bottle and took one gulp before handing it back to Smiles. She had no clue what she just drank or what it was going to do to her.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2011 2:15:37 GMT -5
Smiles took the bottle after her and finished the rest of the bottle. He gave her a smile. Any second now and they would find themselves having a whole new look at this place. Sure enough it happened. One moment they were hovering over to keep from hitting the top, the next the world was suddenly growing larger and larger.
It was a matter of seconds before Smiles found himself only three inches tall. That potion had not cheap. He planned on making full use of the things provided here. Seeing Ivory was somewhat surprised by what the potion had done he decided to fill her in.
"This potion lasts two hours. It's just enough time for you to finish. Well finished with what we can hope to accomplish in a week's time anyway."
All the experienced she received during this training would be doubled when they were restored to their normal height. Smiles of course would not be relaxing this time. There would be enough enemies for all of them. This would also be an excellent place to show Ivory just how much she had changed under Smiles tutelage.
"Don't hold back." He told her with his signature smiles. Clapping his hands together he summoned his gun. "Here they come!" And they did. There were hundreds of them pouring out of the shadows of the edge of the room. Appearing they took various shapes and sizes, mostly being the same type as the ones they faced in the forest.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 5, 2011 2:42:09 GMT -5
Ivory didn't expect anything like this to happen next. Without warning, the area around them started to grow larger and larger. Blinking, she couldn't help but wonder as she and Smiles suddenly became nothing more than three inches tall. The area around them just got one hundred times bigger! "What the-?!" she exclaimed.
Smiles knew she was taken aback by what just happened and went on to explain why this had to be done. Whatever they took, it would only last for two hours. Just long enough to complete something that he had intended for her here. At least, what they had done here in just a week. "So this is technically this week's final test then?" she inquired as she watched Smiles summon his gun.
At first she thought he was going to have her spar with him here judging by what had been said. However, she soon learned quickly that this was not the case. Looking around them, out of the wood works, a large number of Heartless came out from nearly everywhere! They were trying to swarm her and Smiles! "Holy jeebies!" Ivory exclaimed, rummaging swiftly through her pocket. As she did so, she curled her fingers about the mini statuette and summoned her black dragon armor.
Unsheathing her twin katanas, Ivory rushed to the group coming at her, swinging her blades this way and that. For now, she didn't resort to her other attacks. She didn't think darkness really helped her against Heartless anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2011 3:05:56 GMT -5
Two hours seemed to fly by for Smiles. Well training for him always went that way. How it went for Ivory? Well that depended on how she fared. If she was exhausted.... Well then it would probably seem like it had lasted forever. But Smiles wasn't even breaking a sweat by the time they had finished.
There had been no end to the heartless. That was exactly what Smiles was looking for though. They were known to continuously come in this area. If you were the right size of course. Thanks to the Hatter they were.
And so it was that they were still fighting when suddenly the room began to shift. And once more, Smiles was forced to hover. The army of heartless from before was non-existent. At least they appeared to be.
Smiles gave Ivory a small smile. Best get out of this house. He exited first through the door. It surprised him slightly to find that the sun was beginning to set. Time flew by when one was fighting. It had been a boring battle. Not at all interesting as he had hoped. But no matter. Things were going to get interesting very fast. The Hatter and their guest from before were no where to be seen. The Hatter... Well that man was never in one place for very long. He was such an interesting person! Not a bore at all! So far Ivory had yet to peek his interest the way he had hoped. That was his honest opinion.
Had he made a mistake in choosing her? He had seen potential in her. Well... If she were able to prove her importance to Bullseye. Well that would perk his interest in her once again, as it had when she first discovered him killing the Keyblader.
"Come. Best start moving. The tiger will be starting now. Best find a place for you to make a stand."
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Bullseye had been sleeping happily. Well as happily as she could anyway. She had been dreaming of the past. The past was filled with good and bad memories. Thankfully they were good dreams this time. Bad dreams put her in a spoiled mood.
However her eyes flashed open as a dream ended. It was time! Sitting up, Bullseye looked to the sky. Yep, the sun was setting. "Let the hunt begin." She said with a smile, leaping down off the maze top.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 5, 2011 4:38:50 GMT -5
Ivory fought with all her might. At first, she didn't seem to have that much trouble. Still, the numbers got overwhelming. Yet, Ivory still managed to make a stand. She hadn't resorted to her powers at first but once she realized if she didn't give it her all, she would die. Knowing this, a sudden fire seemed to have come alive within her being.
That alone seemed to be what kept her going. She was like a cornered animal and she wouldn't stop until she was safe. It was this new vigor that allowed her to resort to the dark energy her armor utilized. Oddly enough, it seemed the vigor she used managed to over power the Heartless that weren't too powerful. It were as if the darkness the armor used was stronger than the dark energy the Heartless consisted of. Either that or a higher amount of it. Yet, Ivory wasn't corrupted by the darkness. Why was that?
Eventually, two hours had passed and the pair of them were still standing. Eventually, they grew to their normal size again. Looking around, Ivory blinked. It took her a moment to realize that she no longer had to fight to the death here. "That was...tense."
The Heartless swarm appeared to be gone. It were as if nothing had happened. Looking over at Smiles, she saw that smile on his face before he headed back out of the house. Finding it hard to believe that she was still alive, Ivory followed Smiles out of the home. The beings from before were gone. It relieved Ivory to not see that crazy rat. He enjoyed tossing things at her far too much.
When Smiles spoke, a feeling of dread filled her heart then. The girl from before, the one that was intent on not giving her a chance, would surely be around soon. If Smiles was right, Ivory would have to be prepared somewhere. Honestly, Ivory was worn from the fights she endured earlier today. How did he expect her to keep going like this? Maybe, when this was all said and done, if she lived then she could take a bit of a break. All this fighting was enough to have anyone die from exhaustion.
"R-Right!" she answered, following his lead. Had she really improved since the last time? Well, she guessed after that horde and the one before that, that if she was alive now then that counted for something. Ivory hadn't dropped her armor. She felt she'd better be ready right away since this girl that hated her guts would surely want to start right off. Better to not make it easy for her by not having any protection in case she decided to use a sneak attack on her.
"I...thank you for teaching me this week." She decided she might as well thank him. It could be her last words for all she knew. During her time with Smiles, she hadn't caught wind of her twin brother, Darius. Had something happened to him? Her mind was always wondering where he was and why he hadn't come for her. She always relied on him, being the younger of the two. Had he simply given up on her? Where most of her said no to that, another smaller part of her was saying otherwise. The feelings she had were already beginning to change about her twin brother. Soon, very soon, she would feel nothing but hate toward Darius for failing her.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2011 17:24:30 GMT -5
Smiles led the way. Where too exactly... Well that remained to be seen. In all honesty he had no idea where he was going himself actually. He just figured that they would come upon the right spot soon enough. Making the way down different odd looking areas he came close to the wall maze.
A maze wouldn't be the greatest place to make a stand. Someplace different would be better. Continuing on he led them back to the forest. A forest could provide excellent coverage from an enemy. It was a place where gorilla tactics ruled. Not the right place either....
Leading them further he came to a clearing in the forest. Was this place right? Smiles himself thought so. Best stay in the center. They'd see her coming this way. "This place is as good as any." He said more to himself then to Ivory.
Walking over to the center he plumped himself on the ground. Smiles himself would play no part in what was going to happen. Well no physical part. That would be all up to Ivory. But that wasn't to say that he wouldn't be tilting things in a way. He had promised Bullseye that he would not interfere. He made no plans too. So long as she kept her part of the bargain and gave Ivory a fair chance to prove herself.
Smiles figured she was probably anxious. It would be expected given the situation. "Just remember what you learned this week." That was the best advice he could give.
They did not have to wait long. Bullseye appeared without sound. One moment the forest was silent, the next she was walking out of the forest. Dressed in her casual clothes, as always, Smiles noticed. Her black eyes were set on Ivory alone. Even though she held her shotgun next to her casually, Smiles knew she would be ready at a moment's notice.
She stopped six feet away from them. "Smiles." Bullseye spoke first. It was as much recognition from her he would get. Such a predictable personality to be honest. Still every so often Bullseye did something that Smiles judged was not part of her personality. How would Ivory react to this.
Bullseye eyed Ivory up and down before talking to Smiles once more. "Ready to see your pupil die?"
Smiles couldn't help but smile. He had expected as much from Bullseye. "A contest of strength is it? Come now, your far more experienced then my pupil here. How can a pupil of Fang's ever hope to stand up against mine?"
Anger flashed across Bullseye's face. "You promised not to interfere!" She shouted, her face going red.
Smiles looked taken aback. "I am doing noting of the sort. I am merely pointing out the truth. How can you judge yourself against someone else when your too busy trying to kill them? Ivory doesn't stand a chance against someone of your experience. You have had a year to train before you were inducted into the committee she has had only a week."
His words had put her in a tangle. As much as it was clear that she would have liked to argue against Smiles, she couldn't detest the truth of the words. Smiles had known that all along.
"Then how am I supposed to judge her?!"
Smiling he raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to interfere and give you my opinion?"
Bullseye raised her shotgun and pointed it at Smiles. "Don't you test me you smiling bastard. Just answer the damn question."
Smiles placed his index finger to his temple. "Well.... seems to me that to figure if someone is capable of entering the committee they should have to do what all entrees are required to do."
Bullseye suddenly smiled. "Fine. But I'm adding a twist too it. We race. If I win I get to kill her."
Smiles nodded. "Fair. But if she wins, you must acknowledge her as the second referral into the committee. And I believe since she is so below your level, she have a head start."
Bullseye didn't like that, but it was something she knew she couldn't push Smiles on. "Ten minutes no more."
Nodding once more, Bullseye took a seat. "Time starts now!" She said.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 5, 2011 22:32:07 GMT -5
To say she was a little anxious was an understatement. Ivory didn't wish to die. So, the thought of being pitted against someone whom had more training than she did was unnerving. Surely, they didn't expect someone that only trained for a week to hold their own against someone that had more experience?
Walking along with Smiles, she couldn't help but feel her anxiety increase with each passing moment. It wasn't until Smiles had finally plopped down in a forested area when Ivory really began to feel anxious. If she didn't keep her cool, she would've turned and ran for it. 'Just what have I gotten myself into?' she wondered. She had been wondering that very same thing since the day she ran into Smiles for the first time.
Now, that Smiles was sitting down, Ivory was standing and looking uncertainly around. This girl, she figured would be the type to merely shoot her first chance she got. She had made it very clear that she didn't like Ivory at all. Ivory was wary for a very good reason.
As if he had sensed her anxiety, Smiles spoke. His only words of advice were to just remember what she had trained for this week. Well, that was just as helpful as a grain of salt. Still, it eased her down a little bit. Right now, she enjoyed what rest she was getting. After the fighting with the Heartless, one could understand that she was a bit tired from it. The only thing that might spark her up again would be an adrenaline rush.
The whole area was silent. Then, as if it were her cue, out walked a woman in casual clothing with a shotgun resting on her side casually. Judging by the look in her eyes, this woman had no qualms with killing her right off. Ivory could tell that she only seemed to be looking right at her. Ivory looked back at her but only to merely keep her eyes on her rather than not or appear as if she were challenging her since Ivory would rather not.
The way she looked her up and down, Ivory just looked back at her, having a difficult time in trying to keep herself calm in appearance. Hearing the woman speak, Ivory felt a nasty chill go down her spine. She was just going to do away with her rather than see what her worth was.
Smiles seemed to not want it to end like this since he spoke up right when the girl spoke to him. Ivory silently agreed with him but she didn't dare speak. It was clear on the girl's face that she was angry with what he was saying. Yet, she didn't act upon her anger and hurt her right now. She was focused on Smiles the entire time. His words of truth seemed to be what held her back...for now. Ivory guessed she would at least live another few minutes before this girl decided to do what she wanted to do.
It didn't take long before the girl asked Smiles how she was suppose to judge her. Smiles questioned her if she were asking him to interfere and give advice on it. She didn't seem to want to dally, lifting her weapon and pointing it right at Smiles as she swore at him and told him to not test her. Even though Ivory had known Smiles for a week, she didn't appreciate seeing this woman treating him like that. Her eyes grew a tad colder as she looked upon Bullseye for the moment but refrained from saying anything. Smiles was very smart, he knew how to get himself out of a situation if the need be and was certainly far more experienced than either of them. She respected him for it and was appreciative for him having gone through all this trouble. Ivory knew he wouldn't need her to speak up for him so she held her tongue. Besides, it could prove fatal to her if she spoke out of turn. This girl seemed rather reckless because of her fiery personality.
It was eventually decided that they would race. Where to, Ivory hadn't a clue and didn't feel like running in blindly only to have gone off course just because she didn't know where she was suppose to be going. As Bullseye seemed to get herself situated, deciding a ten minute start would be fine for Ivory, she looked to Smiles questioningly.
"You didn't say where we were racing to. Where am I to race her to?" she inquired, hoping that she'd at least get an answer. If not, then she was going to have to run in blindly and pray she finds her way to where ever.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2011 23:02:17 GMT -5
Smiles sighed. He guessed it was too much for her to pick up on what she had to do right away. "That's not hard to figure out Ivory. You want to join an assassination committee, well it would make sense that those who enter have to prove their loyalty and skill. And how do you suppose they do that?"
He asked her with a knowing smile. "Find the person who holds the key. Use what you learning to get to your target before our dear friend here." With that he shooed her with a wick of his hand. She had best get going. She would need all the time he had needed.
Smiles had given her all she needed today. The Hatter had told them before that the queen was on the front lines. Most likely the key would be there. After all the more people who gathered the more the heartless gathered. And of course what was the task of a keyblader. Why defeating heartless of course. Hopefully Ivory understood that all.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 5, 2011 23:44:16 GMT -5
Ivory knew perfectly well that she had to get into an assassination committee if she hoped to continue living. That much she did know. If anything, she had thought it was a normal race kind of thing. Well, Smiles soon pointed out the obvious. She would need to go after 'the key'. Since she guessed it was a he and had guessed earlier that 'key' might have meant keyblade wielder, she figured that was whom she had to find.
So, once again, they were targeting a keyblade user? What did their employers have against them? Well, there was no use in questioning further. There was no need for it. The clock was ticking and she'd better get a move on it! Inwardly, she was slapping her forehead for not realizing sooner that she should be going after a target of some kind. Of all the stupid things!
"Right! Understood!" she stated once Smiles was finished. Without further to do, she set off at a run.
From what she had learned moments ago, there was some sort of war that would be taking place. Where there was a war, from what she had gathered, it meant more hearts were congregated in one area. Surely, Heartless would be eager to get their bearings on at least one heart per Heartless. There was no doubt in her mind that the army gathered somewhere would surely have a Heartless problem. Where there were Heartless, surely that was where a keyblade wielder would be. The issue was just finding the army now.
That shouldn't be too hard considering the group would be evidently large. If anything, finding one person out of the lot would be the problem. Also, if she were expected to kill someone, then it would be even harder considering there were more witnesses. Maybe if she pretended to be on their side?
Well, she'd think of something once she got there. There was no time to waste. If she dilly dallied, Bullseye would kill her if she got to the army first. Not wanting that to happen, Ivory felt a new sense of urgency flow through her veins. It was just like during those times when she fought to the death. The thought of her mortality being threatened made her work harder.
It was the spark that made her move faster. She was tired but she didn't want to die either so her body took it as the initiative to get moving. If she didn't move fast enough, she would die. 'They've got to be around here somewhere!' she thought, leaving the forest and coming out toward the castle area. It hadn't been that far from the forest but it would take some time to locate the group and find the target.
Right now, she was trying to search for them while wondering how she was going to even manage to kill them. She could use deception but time wouldn't wait that long.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2011 0:42:53 GMT -5
Red sat upon her throne at the end of the battlefield. Her legs were plopped up on a dwarf's back and she sipped from a wine glass. She was a large woman gowned in a red dress with long black hair and a crown of gold upon her head. She was the queen of all of Wonderland! It would not due for a queen to dirty her feet upon such filthy soil.
Even as she drank her fancy wine, she listened to a tall man beside her. He was dressed in a black suit and white tie. "Your grace. Sir Lance has sent a runner from the battle field."
Sighing, the queen gazed around her. Said runner was a skinny boy no older then thirteen. This really was no court, but it would not due to stay at home while her knights fought gallantly for her. Besides if there was treachery afoot she had to be ready to deal judgement. Besides she wanted to see that piss ant of a girl and her false white queen die under Sir Lance's blade. He had promised to bring her their heads!
"Speak!" She commanded of the runner.
The boy was too afraid to look up at the queen. So when he spoke his face was tilted to the floor. "Sir brings tidings of the battle. He wishes to tell your Grace that her knights are performing excellently. The enemy is fleeing from their swords and spears your grace."
Red was happy to hear this. Perhaps this war wouldn't last as long as Lance thought it would. "Excellent."
She was ready to dismiss the boy but he spoke up. "But..." The queen leaned forward in her seat. Did she just hear a "but"! "The enemy has brought a Knight of their own. A man who wields a key shaped blade. They are deadlocked your Grace. Sir wishes you to send in the dragon."
Red clutched her fists in anger. She said nothing as her face went beet red. Finally four words escaped her lips at a shout. "Off with his head!" As if coming out of the air two card soldiers appeared. They grabbed the boy by the shoulders and dragged him off. He of course went crying and screaming.
Sighing, Red took another sip of her wine. She had been hoping to save the dragon. Turning to the tall butler at her side, "Send in the dragon I guess." If anyone hurt her baby... Well it would be off with their head!
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The keyblader's name actually was key. It was just spelled Kei. He was a teen no older then Ivory or even Allie, as he called her. Not that he had much time to think about her. And boy did he like to think about her!
Kei remembered back when he had first met her many years ago. She had forgotten all about Wonderland as she had grown older. But now! Now she was stunning! A true princess! And if the White Queen was to be believed, the hope they all needed to finally defeat the red queen.
But there was no real time to think about these things. Heartless were attracted to him like a fly to sugar. His golden keyblade whirled through the air as he struck this and that. Of course there were the card knights as well. They were a pain to deal with as well. But things were looking good so far!
As he dealt with another enemy though a sudden roar shook the entire area. The battle field stopped. For a moment no one moved. Even Kei looked around in wonder. And then he saw it! A creature with two large red wings and a cruel sharp teethed mouth and a red scaled body. It landed in the middle of the battle field.
With another roar it opened its mouth and hell poured out! The fire that poured onto the field took enemy and ally alike. "Seriously! A dragon!" Kei shook his head. How were they supposed to stop that thing!
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Bullseye finished her count. She stood at once and looked over to Smiles. "It's been ten minutes. I hope you enjoyed time with your pupil. You won't be seeing her again."
The smile that crossed his face pissed her off. That damn fool never stopped smiling. He always seemed to know something everyone else didn't. "What? Have something to say?" She asked.
"Nope. Just know that if you kill her...." And suddenly Smiles was no longer smiling. His face changed. And it was such a change that Bullseye couldn't even tell it was the same person. His face grew tense, his eyes as big as they usually were, slanted. He was at completely at a relax pose, yet his eyes and the malice that came off of him was like nothing Bullseye ever had seen before.
Smiles continued. "You'll cease to be interesting." There was an emphasis on the word. Bullseye knew that if that happened he would kill her.
She didn't know what to say. She was actually stunned. But suddenly Smiles was back to the way he was before. "Best be moving... Your loosing." Bullseye didn't need to be told twice.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 6, 2011 1:20:57 GMT -5
There wasn't anyone there at the castle, as was expected. Ivory figured if there was a war somewhere, they'd be out more towards an open area so they could all congregate. The thing was, she needed to find a trail to follow. That was why she had come this way. After all, there had to be footprints or some stragglers going from the castle to the battlefield. Not sure why a war was taking place, Ivory just searched the given area attentively.
Sure enough, she found what she was looking for. Such a large army couldn't go unnoticed even if the tracker was inexperienced. There, in the ground, she found a lot of footprints. Some were even made by horses. 'Looks like I've found their trail!' she thought before following it quickly. Time would soon be up where Smiles and Bullseye were.
Unaware of the threat that Smiles gave Bullseye, Ivory remained focus on the task at hand. She couldn't afford to waste time seeing as Bullseye would surely kill her. Not wanting to make it easy for that girl, Ivory kept moving on.
Following the trail, noise finally reached her ears. Looking ahead, she could see movement in the distance. Wandering toward the edge of the forest, she spread aside foliage to find two armies facing each other. One was red and the other was white. If she didn't know any better, she would be mildly reminded of a chess game almost or some sort of card game.
Seeing a big burst of flames, she couldn't help but stare seeing a gigantic dragon! "Whoa! He's bigger than Anubis!" she stated. Well, there was no use sticking around and staring. She had a job to do!
Coming out of the woods, she hurried over to the battlefield. Surely, with all the confusion, she'd be unnoticed for the most part? If that were the case, she could use that to her advantage to get close to where ever the keyblade wielder was. He had to be here, the Heartless were and they seemed focused going to one direction. At least, most of them did. Keeping her peripheral focused on the dragon, Ivory assessed where the Heartless were going and she soon found the 'key'. He had to be no older than she was.
Now, the issue was getting near him. She couldn't just zig zag through the others easily. Everyone was fighting in a confused tizzy. With the dragon, it just made matters worse. 'I won't give up! I want to live!' she thought, hurrying into the crowd. Upon seeing her, some cards turned to fight her. Ivory transformed into her armor and sent out dark energy at them. If anything, she knocked them aside. Surely by now, Bullseye was hot on her tail!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2011 14:50:54 GMT -5
Bullyseye was not on her trail. In reality she was already at the battle field. Arriving just after Ivory, she surveyed the battle field. "That was a stupid decision. I never should have agreed to this stupid thing. But Fang...." She thought to herself.
Fang had wanted her to get rid of this girl. But how was she supposed to accomplish that now? She couldn't kill her. Not with Smiles..... Just thinking of that expression made a shiver crawl up her spine.
"Damn politics." She thought. Everyone in this organization had their own agendas. Did Bullseye have an agenda? Well yes but for the most part she sided with Fang. He was her mentor after all.
Eyes drifint across the battle field they stopped at the dragon. "Just great." She mummbled. She would no doubt have to get past that dragon to find the target. The dragon itself wasn't too much of a problem if she had a weapon like Smoke's. But she didn't. Her shotgun worked best at close range.
There was nothing to do but enter the battle field. She had an idea where the target would be.
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Kei's blade struck right and left as he struck down heartless and soldier. This battle was beginning to get bloody. And that dragon wasn't helping! Someone needed to take care of it. "Time to be the hero." He said aloud.
Gathering his courage, Kei began to make his way towards the dragon. He cut down anyone who was in his way.
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Smiles was laying down in the grass of the opening. He hadn't moved from the spot. With his eyes shut he almost seemed to be asleep. But he wasn't of course. "I know you're there." He called aloud.
Sure enough a voice answered next to him. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was. "Yes, yes. An interesting time you come here again Smiles." No doubt that stupid cat was smiling as he said it. He always knew more then he said.
"Always." Smiles responded.
"Tell me friend, the girl? What is interesting about her?" That was one thing that Smiles and the cat shared. They lived for the interesting.
"There is something about her cat. I can't point my finger on it yet. But already things have started to get interesting. Just look at what my throwing her in the organization has done. I know that this has nothing to do with Bullseye and everything to do with Fang."
The cat gave a laugh. "You are always on top of things. But why would Fang not want her in the committee."
Smiles laughed. "He has his reasons I'm sure. And we will find out eventually. Things are shaking up now. I get goosebumps just thinking about it." he did actually.
The cat laughed once more.
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Post by Sprow on Dec 6, 2011 22:40:41 GMT -5
Ivory, in the confusion, did her best to keep track of where the keyblade user was. If she didn't, her chances of staying alive would be run out. She couldn't allow that! Ivory wasn't going to let Bullseye kill her if she could help it. Right now, it didn't occur to her that maybe in the future, this could just be the prelude to more attempts on her life from Bullseye or someone else pulling the strings behind her. She was just focused on the here and now.
It was her focus that kept her going. In the battle field, it wasn't easy weaving her way through the crowd. People were fighting everywhere around her. The dragon didn't make things any easier. It was times like this that she wished she had some sort of control over other dragons but that was just silly. Who would expect a gigantic dragon to be in the midst of all this fighting? It was ridiculous to assume! That and even if Anubis were here, he wouldn't be able to handle the thing being tinier than that dragon.
Speaking of the dragon, it was off toward her left. As she got to where she last saw the keyblade wielder, she was forced to take pause and look around with confusion. "Where did he go?" she said aloud to herself.
It didn't take long to find out. Turning toward the dragon, since she could hear its roars getting louder signifying it was coming closer her way, she turned to find the target. He was running right for the dragon! No doubt, he was intending to fight it and maybe kill it. 'It could make things easier if the thing just killed him in the process!' she thought. That gave her pause though. 'Even if it would, something tells me that it wouldn't suffice if that were to happen!' she thought.
So, where was Ivory? Running toward the dragon after the keyblade wielder! Since she didn't have a clear shot, her dark energy only being able to reach a distance of at least six feet or five feet ahead of her in a straight line, she couldn't attempt it yet.
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