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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 13, 2014 14:20:49 GMT -5
Kenji had seen enough. The keyblade shattering (something he had not thought possible), the possible death of its wielder, the other keyblader running in... He took all the information dispassionately. Anyone else would be horrified, but Kenji had learned to mask and mute his emotions. They clouded his mind, muted any sensible judgments. But now, it was time to act. At their orders, all of them - the Paladins, the Black Knights (though still hidden), and himself - moved in. In seconds, Kenji was there barking out orders. "Paladin Olorin, get the medical unit. Do whatever it takes to keep the keyblade knight alive," he said. The Paladin nodded and quickly called forth a medical team, which surrounded the still-rupturing wielder and did what they could - pour magic into him, use healing magics, and the like.
Meanwhile, Kenji made a quick motion with his head and the other Paladins (numbering three), surrounded the old man, each of their weapons pointing at a vital point. Kenji completely ignored the other keyblade wielder as he stepped forward. "I didn't think to witness a keyblade breaking. Certainly not in my lifetime," he said calmly, sizing up the man. He doubted even when surrounded by his best warriors, this man would show any fear or panic at all. Perhaps he wasn't even worried. "You have interesting abilities and a very powerful weapon. They've piqued my interest. I cannot allow you to leave."
With that, he summoned his own weapon - the Blade of Balance. He nodded to the Paladins. "Arrest him," he said calmly. The three nodded, and moved in to restrain him. If they succeeded, they would put on a pair of cuffs that shut off all access of magic to him, rendering him helpless. But something told all of them that it wouldn't go that easily...
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Post by Delta on Mar 13, 2014 16:07:45 GMT -5
Noticing the man on the ground, cracking, the man's demeanor finally cracked a bit. He'd never seen a keyblade tied to a soul quite so strongly. It was unusual, to say the least. He raised a hand, palm up and glowing softly, readying a healing spell of sorts. He wasn't the best healer, but he'd learned more than a few tricks in his lifetime, and he'd certainly not intended to kill anyone. "You really shouldn't judge-"
And then things complicated further. Suddenly there was another player in this game, one who had actually brought an army of sorts. The upside was that this army seemed to include specialized medics. They would probably be able to do more than he would anyways. The downside was that they planned to arrest him.
"Arrest me? Son, you don't even know who I am." The man drew his blade once more, and as the paladins closed in, glowed brightly, shining more harshly every moment until even the strongest warrior would have to squint or turn their gaze. And then he was gone.
A moment later, he reappeared a short distance away, blade held loosely at his side, and addressed Kenji. "Now, look here. I'm a bit busy. I don't have time or desire to get arrested, and trust me when I say it's not happening unless I want it to. I'm not here to kill anyone, or even start unnecessary fights. But what I do need to do is relieve the hotheaded one of his weapon. So I'll make this simple, son. Stand down or I'll be forced to knock you and some of your buddies out before I finish my job."
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Post by Prythian on Mar 13, 2014 16:27:37 GMT -5
Prythian felt new energy flow into him as he was surrounded by the medical unit. Unfortunately, he was also losing strength rapidly, and the cracking didn't slow at all, even with magical power and healing magic focused on him. Instead, it moved all the way down his body, reaching the tips of his fingers and toes shortly. Now covered in a web of glowing fractures on his skin. Prythian summoned up more power to talk, knowing that without more information, the people trying to help him wouldn't be able to stop it. Even now, liquid light dripped from the cracks, pieces of his soul evaporating as they hit the ground.
"It's not... physical." His voice held no pain in it, merely high difficulty in speaking. He certainly couldn't move from his position. "Spiritual... wound. Heart and soul... shattered. No more... focus for it." With a sudden inhalation, he gathered the last of his strength. "You must bind... the edges! Or the pieces will..." That was where the energy left him. Now, trying to put healing into him was like tossing water into the sand; gone in an instant.
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Post by Raphael on Mar 13, 2014 17:51:05 GMT -5
Arin was caught off guard by the sudden interruption of the newcomer and his army of paladins. But he shook it off, as they seemed to have a common goal. But when the old man shined a bright flash of light and reappeared closer to himself and his new associate. Just hearing the old man say, matter-of-factly, that he was going to destroy Arin's keyblade, he flipped his stance to a defensive one, left side aimed at the old man and right side, keyblade and all, poised to strike "You can try, old man…But I don't plan on just giving you the chance to lock blades with me like you did the one before."
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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 13, 2014 18:47:57 GMT -5
The sharp flash caused all of them to avert their gaze, even Kenji despite his demonic eyes. When the light faded, the old man was now on a rooftop... and had labelled the second keyblade wielder his target. He scowled. The veteran sounded reasonable, sure, but he had his target. The magic and technology he had could definitely be useful... or perhaps it was something that needed to be sealed away permanently. Whatever the reason, he needed to be taken down, though he doubted his words were empty threats. He spared a glance to see how the fallen one was doing, and to his shock and growing horror, his medics couldn't heal him. Then he rasped out,
It's not... physical. Spiritual... wound. Heart and soul... shattered. No more... focus for it." With a sudden inhalation, he gathered the last of his strength. "You must bind... the edges! Or the pieces will...
Kenji then nodded to his medical unit, and they instantly shifted spells. The first realms that Kenji held in his empire were heaven and hell. Hell had fearsome magics, magics that could tear apart the soul and shatter them to pieces. So was it any surprise that heaven had magics that dealt with healing and mending souls as a counter? The arms race between the two realms had been fierce, trying to develop new ways to attack and defend, then finding new ways to counter that tactic, weapon or magic, then finding ways to counter the counter in turn. At any rate, the medics soon began using spells to mend the wielder's soul, repairing it and imbuing it with new strength. Whether it still shattered now was left to the owner's will. If it wasn't strong enough, it would shatter no matter what they did. But if his will was powerful - or desperate - enough...
He turned back to the older man and already saw the other keyblade wielder ready to engage. The three Paladins had already repositioned themselves around him, ready to take him down. If the old man thought they were mere thugs or cannon fodder, they were wrong. The Paladins and Black Knights were arguably as strong as Kenji as fighters, individually. "Unfortunately, you are far too dangerous and risky for me to let you leave, just like that," Kenji said dispassionately. He nodded to his Paladins, and they engaged him. For now, only two of them engaged him - a woman with short platinum-blonde hair and a rapier came in, wielding her blade with precision that went beyond mere mastery, and the other a gunman with uncanny aim and the ability to seemingly almost always find his mark.
They would be difficult opponents for anyone. The old man probably would not be able to withstand the assault...
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Post by Delta on Mar 13, 2014 22:54:50 GMT -5
How often life would surprise the man, creating situations that required levels of power he thought he would never need to use again. Techniques he thought would be unnecessary to use. Yet fate was not in his favor. In another, smaller flash, white armor surrounded him, tinged with gold. It was armor that had not seen the light of day in... Well, longer than anyone here had been alive. Bullets bounced off, not even denting the metal, piercing or explosive rounds inclusive. A blade, no matter how thin or precise, would find no purchase on the surface, no weak point to strike at. It was strong, light stuff, the kind of metal blacksmiths only dreamed of.
Thus clad, the man raised an gauntleted hand, allowing attacks to bounce off his armor as a dense ball of milky white power coalesced in his palm. "STOPJA." The orb ruptured, releasing a pulse of energy that covered the battlefield. Its strength was in its intensity, more than duration. Every person in range, save the target, Raphael, would almost certainly be frozen entirely in time. It wouldn't last long. But hopefully long enough to finish this job.
"En garde, kid."
The man shot at Raph, light trailing behind him, and blade coming up with absurd force.
((OP old guy is OP, but playing along would be appreciated. XD))
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Post by Raphael on Mar 14, 2014 0:54:01 GMT -5
(Bear with me on the auto-hit Xand, but I don't think the old man would expect this from a teenager. Plus, given his armor, I didn't think you'd mind xD)
Arin gritted his teeth and rushed forward, swinging with his right hand. But just before the blades would connect, the blades vanished, and Arin was aiming his right hand, open palmed at the old man "Fire! A large wave of black flames projected outward from his palm at point blank range, engulfing the old man just as Arin was summoning his keyblade in his left hand, reverse hold. He swung it in a left hook fashion aimed at the old man's right side, masked by the flames and virtually unseeable given the intense heat and darkness in the fire. As soon as he made contact, teeth of the blade scraping at the old man's armor, the keyblade was gone again, and held in his right hand once more, keychain hanging outward while the dual blades ran alongside his entire arm
"I warned you, didn't I? I'm not going to just clash swords with you, I know better than that after what you did." Knees bent, he waited for the old man's next move, wondering how he was going to react with that fire spell slowly burning away at him "I may not be as strong as the other guy, but I'm not as predictable either…" *He jabbed the button on the pauldron strapped to his left arm and his body shone brightly, before donning a body of silver and black armor (predecessor to his official profile armor, that comes when he gets his stronger blade), with spikes protruding at the top of the head like wolf ears. The metallic suit could easily be identified as keyblade armor, an armor once forgotten, like the old man's was. "Your move, old man…"
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Post by Delta on Mar 14, 2014 13:32:06 GMT -5
A quick swing of the blade and a pulse of energy cleared the flames. The armor showed not a scratch from the teeth or the keyblade; nor would it be expected to, for the armor of a man that fought keyblade wielders all his life. The man simply shook his head, the movement barely perceptible beneath the armor. This young fool thought this was all a game? Rushing into battle headfirst, without thought for the kind of foes he faced. He was headstrong and hotheaded. Neither was a good quality for a keyblade wielder- he was only going to cause destruction and invite the darkness with that attitude.
That was why this had to end now, before the spell wore off. Before he was forced to face down a small army of elite warriors and their commander, while keeping his eyes on the keyblader that was his target, and without causing further injury to the shattered young man laying on the ground. Better to finish it now.
Light streamed from the armor, and the man held his sword upright, pointing to the sky. It multiplied into eight, forming a circle around Arin, then a dome of light appearing to connect the swords. The dome was only about three meters wide, and the man stepped inside as it sealed, becoming impenetrable. "My move? It was checkmate the moment you summoned that blade."
Then the other seven blades began to move, copying the old man's so that the movement was radially symmetric about the center of the dome. "There's no escaping it now. Block my strikes and let your undeserved blade shatter, or don't, and allow them to fall on you instead. I would prefer the former. But I have no time to play these games any longer."
The clock far above the battle field was almost up. Even afterwards, it would be difficult to enter the dome to help Arin or apprehend the man. But with all the forces of heaven and hell trying to get in, they would probably find a way...
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Post by Raphael on Mar 14, 2014 23:32:18 GMT -5
Arin turned his head left and right, seeing the numerous blades summon themselves forth. Hearing the old man using his own words against him got on his nerves, but his attention was more focused on the blades that no doubt had the same power that the old man's sword had. A faint aura surrounded Arin's body, a light that slowly began to intensify. While his body was glowing brighter, darkness began to swirl beneath him "This keyblade helped me escape the darkness, I can't afford to lose it…Justify your actions however you want, I'd rather give my own life than live without my keyblade as a reminder of the hell I endured to regain my freedom!"
The vortex of darkness engulfed his body, before exploding in a flash of light. But much to the old man's disappointment, his keyblade was gone, replaced by two differently aura-fueled swords. His armor remained, but now the old man's target was out of reach, at least for now. "The keyblade isn't my only weapon of choice…If they won't have any effect on you, then maybe these will…" Arin braced himself for the old man's strike, getting into a defensive dual-sword stance "Do your worst, old man, or do you have it in you to risk another innocent's life?" Just the change in the tone of his voice alone showed he was serious, and wasn't going to just let the old man have his way easily.
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Post by Delta on Mar 15, 2014 23:51:59 GMT -5
"Look at yourself. You say the keyblade helped you escape the darkness, yet you've embraced it. Those swords will help you even less than the keyblade might have."
Indeed, each of the floating swords held the same strength of will that his own did. Now they rotated, each copy merging back into the original. "You think that these blades, blades forged of your will, can stop me? The fact is, it all comes down to will. Whose is stronger? More justified? Who, you could ask very simply, is more in the right?"
The man took two steps forward, sword held lightly up. Very slowly and deliberately, he lowered it,letting the edge come into contact with the dark blade. It cut through easily, as if the boy's blade was made of butter, the man hardly even putting force behind the cut. The tip of the black blade clattered to the ground. With a sudden twitch of his hand, the man's blade shot to the side and cut the white blade from its hilt. Then he raised the blade to graze across the armor, cutting gently through it with extreme precision. The blade never touched Arin's skin or even clothing- it only sliced through the armor, leaving a long gash across its front. Then he raised the sword to point the tip at the boy's heart.
The old man's armor dissolved into thousands of lights like fireflies. "I can assure you, your keyblade is the only thing that stands a chance against this sword. Any other weapon will fall to pieces without a second thought. But if I am wrong- if you are pure of heart and motive- if you, in fact, understand the burden of the blade- if you, unlike so many, deserve to wield it- you will find that it is stronger than mine. And if it is not... well, that which should not exist will cease to."
Above, the clock struck twelve. Suddenly time resumed, and everyone would find that ARIN and the man were gone, presumably both of them inside the opaque dome of light that shone like the sun. Truly, it was blinding to look at, and near impenetrable from the inside and outside. Odds were high that it would not be gone until the old man wanted it to be.
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Post by Prythian on Mar 16, 2014 0:02:26 GMT -5
Prythian gasped as he felt the spells sink into his spirit. They targeted the torn, shattered fragments of his soul and heart and tried binding them together into their original form, attempted to find out where one lined up with another... and failed. It was as if each piece was from a completely different being, the fragments not matching up at all. But before the spell failed completely, something else took over it, reaching out from one of the soul fragments and grasping it. With quick ease, the spell got looped around the borders of broken soul, not fixing the problem but surrounding the fragments and preventing them from drifting further apart.
Prythian released a sigh and managed to roll over, closing his eyes to prevent just staring into the sky. The cracks remained on his body, glowing softly, but no more liquid leaked out of them. For now, at least, the deterioration of his condition had halted. "Thank... you..."
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Post by Raphael on Mar 16, 2014 0:47:09 GMT -5
Arin just stood there, listening to the old man's words as he sliced through the swords and armor so easily. The old man was true in some respects, but there was something that the old man said that made his. As the armor started to splinter outward from the slice mark, Arin removed his helmet, and dropped the sword handles, whatever blade left on them vanishing in a bright flash. "You really shouldn't judge…" Using the old man's words against him, he locked eyes with his taller opponent. This time, his eyes weren't as hotheaded, but were more somber "I haven't embraced darkness, I've accepted the fact that it's a part of me, just like everyone else in the universe…My time in the darkness stained my heart, there was no fixing that. The keyblade helped me bring balance to my heart between light and darkness. While I don't deny I fear it, the darkness in my heart, balanced with the light, has made me stronger."
He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, the gauntlets cracking now as thoughts about retaliating with the keyblade mulled over in his mind "I understand the challenges of bearing a keyblade, and I know that there are people who use keyblades for dark purposes…You have no reason to believe anything I say in my defense, but I came from a time when being a key bearer meant something important to the people of this universe…To protect the residents of the light realm, not bring its destruction..."
Taking a deep breath, he summoned his keyblade and opened his eyes, looking at the old man with full, unbridled determination *…I guess this is my test, to see if what I learned back in that era truly did make me worthy of this keyblade, or if that event in the keyblade graveyard was just an accident…I'm putting everything on the line doing this…And I'm putting every ounce of power I have in me on this final strike…I just hope it's enough* Black and white wisps began to swirl around the two blades, criss-crossing between the blades in a figure 8 fashion, moving faster and faster until it looked like nothing but a wide, swirling, monochrome blade "There's no escaping until the inevitable happens, is there?…You got your wish old man…Time to see if I truly am worthy of this blade…" Bringing both hands to the kyblade's hilt, he swung with all of his might, pouring every ounce of light, dark, and physical power he had into the strike, and praying to whatever god existed in this universe that he succeeded in pulling off the impossible.
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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 16, 2014 13:40:32 GMT -5
Damn it. They had underestimated their opponent.
The Stopja spell had caught them all of guard, and they all found themselves unable to move. Their consciousness had also been stopped by time, rendering them unknowing of all that had transpired since the activation. Kenji's Black Knights worked to dispell the Stopja, but it was futile. Nothing they could do seemed to remove the spell. At least they could still watch the fight and inform Kenji of what was going on as it unfolded. And mercifully, the medics that were attending to the fallen keyblade wielder were spared from the Stopja, though they were about to lose... and suddenly, they managed to stabilize him. Not heal, but stabilize. Well, it'll have to do for now.
As the Stopja wore off, the Paladins stopped their motions jut in time to prevent themselves from hitting either empty air or each other and looked around confusedly, just as Kenji was. The Black Knights rapidly informed him of the situation, from the breaking of Raphael's other weapons, to the armor and other capabilities of the older swordsman, and last but not least, the current location of the combatants: Inside the dome. Kenji scowled. He had been outwitted by his opponent and their lack of caution.
"Get that dome down!" he barked. The Paladins instantly went in, using any anti-magic and anti-barrier moves they could to break through it - without much success. The brightness of the dome certainly didn't help matters either. Great. Was there nothing they could do?
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Post by Delta on Mar 16, 2014 15:42:08 GMT -5
Finally, the ordeal was over. This had been one of the most interesting 'missions' he'd assigned himself. It wasn't every day you ran into two keyblade wielders and the emperor of heaven and hell all at once.
Rushing forward and striking upward, he met the opposing blade with equal force. Was he stronger than the boy? Did he have more energy in his attack? No. If anything, the youth and keyblade had more energy than he would ever have. But these were curious weapons they held. The keyblade was a weapon of heart, and his blade a weapon of his own will. What gave him strength- what made his blade stronger- was his purpose. His drive to remove blades from those unworthy to wield them was his strength. And though the boy might be strong, his will could not be as strong as this. His heart, however balanced, was not yet worthy of the blade it had created. And his mind did not yet understand fully what a keyblade was.
Perhaps he would, in time. But for now, his blade bit into the keyblade. A little at first. It fought back, he would give it that. Perhaps the boy knew more of his responsibility than he'd assumed. But not enough. The blade shuddered, then cracked, and finally just exploded into black and white fragments.
The barrier came down, all at once, pulsing outward in a great wave of energy. In that moment, while he still had surprise on his side, the man raised his hands, glowing yet again. "Sorry you couldn't study me, kid. I'm just on too tight a schedule. Good afternoon."
Then a beam of light fell on him, releasing yet another pulse of white energy. When it cleared... The man was gone.
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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 16, 2014 16:55:27 GMT -5
When the barrier was lowered, the pulse of energy was enough to get everyone on the defensive - but long enough for them to see that another keyblade was broken, and that the old man looked more or less fine. Everyone was in a defensive stance on reflex... which meant that nobody had time to move in and secure the older man before he could get away.
Sorry you couldn't study me, kid. I'm just on too tight a schedule. Good afternoon.
With a beam of light, he was gone. Kenji swore. Damn it. He thought he had seen almost all the universe had to offer with his travels and wars, but evidently not. That old man was far stronger than anything he had anticipated. Although Kenji now had a better measure of his abilities. But who can say when - or even if - they would encounter him again? His Paladins came back and knelt before him. "My apologies, my lord," the blonde swordswoman said. "We allowed him to escape." Kenji waved her off. "It's nothing - he had powers far beyond our expectations. It wasn't your fault." He sighed as he considered their next course of action.
"Get the reconnaissance divisions to start looking for the man. Any trace of his magical signature, appearance, anything. Medics, if you've done all you can with the boy, start seeing to the other one, just in case." As his soldiers went off on their orders. Kenji sat down to ponder. This was not good in any sense of the word.
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Post by Prythian on Mar 16, 2014 18:00:14 GMT -5
((If it's alright with you guys, Prythian isn't going to do much for a moment. Stabilized he may be, but he's drained enough that he won't be taking initiative on things. I'll keep up with the thread enough that if one of you guys interacts with him I'll post, though.))
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Post by Raphael on Mar 16, 2014 23:37:56 GMT -5
Just as it did with his keyblade, his armor shattered and dissolved, leaving Arin falling to his knees, hands keeping his upper body from falling forward as he stared at the ground, speechless. The flash of light didn't even phase him when the old man vanished, but his words stuck to his thoughts
"Sorry you couldn't study me kid, I'm just on too tight of a schedule…"
He felt nothing, only emptiness inside, knowing that his heart wasn't strong enough to save his keyblade from destruction. He reached out, trying his hardest to summon his keyblade forth again, but the only thing he managed was a few sparks of light, then nothing. His keyblade was gone, and he was the one who took the risk. *…I failed…I put everything my heart had into that strike…but I still failed…*
Suddenly, he was surrounded by medics, fussing over him. He waved them off, getting to his feet "…I'm fine…More or less…I'm not dying…" picking up his swords, he used every ounce of his will into reforging the blades. His black sword was easy, since it was just the tip. But his light blade, he struggled to pour more light from his body, forcing his own power to shift in balance. His hair and eyes began to shine a bright silver, and his sword regenerated slightly faster. When the tip finally formed, he recalled his blades, and cut off his drive form, reverting his appearance back to the way it was before. Pocketing his swords, he walked over to the crystalline human laying on the ground "…You alright?"
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Post by Prythian on Mar 17, 2014 12:14:28 GMT -5
There was a pause while Prythian opened his eyes and sighed, looking at Arin. "...No." The word came with a finality. "I'm not going to... disappear right away, but I can... feel it. Any remaining life... I have left is measured... in weeks at the most, possibly... days." Colors shifted beneath the gem and the cracks that ran across both it and along the rest of Prythian's body. "Unless I can... figure out how to stop it, then... it's just a matter of time before... I fall apart. I wonder... if it will be like a crumbling statue... or if I'll simply dissolve..."
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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 17, 2014 14:59:52 GMT -5
Kenji looked up from his ponderings as he watched the two keyblade wielders. Looking at just their appearances, the cracked one obviously seemed more damaged and hurt. But he knew to look beyond such things. The look of their eyes and expressions... he had seen those before. Expressions of despair, pain, loss. The expression of those who no longer knew their path and aren't aware anymore of what they need. He knew those expressions before... because not only had he seen many people who were the same, he himself was also like that, not too long ago. He sighed. He couldn't in good conscience leave them like this, and besides, they were the best lead he had on that mysterious old man.
He stood up and looked over at the medics. He nodded towards the cracked man. "Take him to the medical center of my palace," he said. "Monitor him and stabilize him. If possible, repair the damage. If not, see what you can do to prolong his life at least." Kenji had heard every word that the cracked man had said, but he had best not underestimate the abilities of heaven and hell, which have been there since time immemorial. Perhaps they could do something, perhaps they could do nothing. But they had to at least try.
Kenji looked over at the other man. He seemed... lost. Bewildered. Like he no longer knew where to go. He needed to recuperate too, but that of mental strength and spirit rather than body and heart. He looked over to a Paladin. "And show the other one to a guest room within our palace," he added. The Paladin nodded without question. The Paladin came forward, bowed to him, and said, "Our lord invites you to the palace. Please come with me." Without waiting for an answer, he placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported with him.
Meanwhile, with the cracked man, the medics had helped him into a floating bed that they had teleported in, and with that, transported him to where the medical center was located. Kenji sighed, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and teleported with them as well.
There was work to be done.
Gonna make another thread at Kenji's palace. I'll post it up here when it's ready.
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Post by Archer Zero on Mar 17, 2014 15:18:56 GMT -5
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