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Post by Conrí on Jul 4, 2019 22:40:22 GMT -5
Aillil glanced at Rand,not sure what to do. He shuddered when the red haired man said his name, and then a dizzying array of emotions came rushing at him through the new weave that was on him. The cloaked man wheezed slightly, then realised that his own emotions had to be slipping through his defenses after thousands of years of being closed off.
When Rand spoke again, the name he used sounded familiar. Then, it clicked. To hell with the castle. He considered Therin's information carefully, outright blushed at the term that was used, then cleared his throat. "No, Therin. I doubt this is the time to do that." He forced open a dimensional pathway, grabbed Lews's arm without thinking and pulled him through. "This will lead to them. Do not linger on what you see here," he said quickly, realising with regret what memory they were in. "Please."
The cloaked man all but ran past that version of himself and the Dark One. Who actually had a face this time. He prayed Lews wouldn't linger behind. The implications were clear enough.
He burst through the other side of the dimensional path and waved at the Vagabond. "Quickly, Therin, I can't hold it open forever, kinda min'ori."
He chuckled, then glared at the wolf siblings.They seemed to disappear right before the orbs would have hit them. He glanced back, then started to glow like a beacon of teal, unable to hold himself back anymore.
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 5, 2019 11:41:08 GMT -5
Recovering from the chaos around him, Lucia’s voice reached the Vagabond despite the din of battle. ”Don’t worry, Jason can call on all kinds of Heartless—“ Already his posture had stiffened as his hooded head turned to gaze at the Paladin over his shoulder. ”and his won’t try to kill us!” It almost sounded too good to be true. Test subjects that are completely docile…just awaiting the next experiment… It was too ideal. He was getting excited. As Lucia continued to dispatch the Heartless around them, the Vagabond took a moment to see how everyone else was faring. His shrouded gaze found Jason, fighting himself in a blur of combat that caused the man to feel nauseous just watching.
”Hey, nice job, Vagabond! Those usually take twice as long to kill.” Looking over at Lucia, the man was surprised to see all of the Orcus previously around them destroyed and gone. S-she’s a monster—! The Heartless never stood a chance! A chill went down his spine. He never wished to see the Paladin’s wrath first hand. Waving a hand, the hooded man turned a bit, almost as though he were sheepish. ”Killing things is never worth praise…” He mumbled, not sure how to take the compliment. That was when he noticed a faint smell suddenly growing stronger. A faint circle of darkness had begun to trace its way around the Vagabond, though he had almost not noticed due to their conversation.
Thankfully, the Vagabond’s body wasn’t controlled by only his heart. The large Darkside arms protruding from his back had already begun to spring into action. Pushing their open palms against the earth below, the Vagabond was catapulted up into the air as the heart residing within him aimed to keep him safe. ”A-AH!” The hooded man had had no control over the situation. How high up was he? Looking down, something seemed distorted about the ground near where he had once stood. Suddenly, a portal seemed to open as Ailill stepped out. A-Ailill?! Where the hell had he come from?! Wasn’t he dueling it out swordsman style with that other guy from before?! W-what the hell? He had no idea what was going on.
Using the large Darkside arms to land safely from the fall, the Vagabond waved to Ailill while laughing loudly, shaking his hooded head. ”Ha ha! You’re always surprising me, Ailill!” Truly, it was something he appreciated. He literally never had any idea what that swordsman was up to. It was refreshing, as most in the Realm of Light reeked of monotony and order. He looked around, the large Darkside arms at the ready, just in case the Orcus decided to try something during the appearance of allies.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 7, 2019 17:17:04 GMT -5
Rand took one look at the Dark One with a face, then shook his head and decided he didn't want to know. Immediately on the far side of the portal he found himself in the midst of a battle, only to back away from Ailill as he unleashed a power dwarfing that of any he had ever used before.
One of the Orcus started to approach him, catching the eye of Lucia. Immediately she pointed her left arm at it, the hand folding into the arm to reveal a cannon within. A moment later a blast of Twilight shot out with a deafening sound, slamming into the Heartless and sending it flying even as her keyblade lost its glow.
"I don't know what happened," her voice filled with determination, "but I've about had it with this memory." Light and Darkness swirled around her before fusing into a violet maelstrom hiding her from view. A moment later it burst away to reveal a new form.
Her helmet was gone, revealing purple hair grown to waist length, with traces of spikes throughout. The whites of her eyes were now black, while the irises were the purest white. Her keyblade was nowhere to be found, replaced by a blade crafted from pure Twilight. Her voice rang out with an otherworldly power as she named her new form, "Aspect of Ragnarok!"
Immediately the memory of Jason's eyes widened as he recognized the form. "David?!" The shock drove all fighting from his mind, and with it control of the Heartless. Immediately they turned their focus to the highest concentration of Darkness in the area, namely the pair of Jasons.
Lucia looked at the younger form of her best friend with a grin. "It's Lucia now, actually." That grin quickly slid into a concerned frown as the three remaining Orcus closed in on him. "Winds of Twilight!" Twilight and Wind magic pooled under her feet densely before she dashed at the nearest Heartless at nearly 250 mph, quickly repeating a second time before changing to the next and hitting it twice as well.
Both exploded into dark wisps, but the last continued on its path.
Just as it was about to connect it was blocked by the blades of Dusk Shroud, the force pushing the hood and face mask away. The sound snapped younger Jason out of his shock, though a greater one replaced it as he stared into his own eyes. "Who... How-"
The older Jason gave him a smirk as he fought off the last Orcus, finally dealing a finishing blow. "We're from the future. About 11 years, actually."
Before he could continue a low rumbling filled the air. On the horizon a black cloud appeared, swirling menacingly, and instantly they knew what it was. "Demon Tide..."
Rand's head snapped around at that, Zavilat'a'Aman reappearing. "Again? The castle must not like what we're doing!"
Lucia turned to face it with determination in her eyes. "If this is the castle's pet, then it's time to put it down."
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Post by Conrí on Jul 7, 2019 18:25:35 GMT -5
Éirín looked from behind the terrifying pillar of light that Aillil had become, and sighed with relief when her eyes could see that Rand was alive. Something about Aillil seemed different, too. Then, it seemed like the entire castle shuddered and sighed. The goddess felt herself shake when she caught sight of something else.
She clapped Conrí on the shoudlder and nodded in the direction of their father. "Brother, please, this is your test. If the castle is throwing everything it has at us, then there's something you should know..." The simple village blurred into a different castle. The wolf siblings stood before a throne. "That man, please, kill him for me, because I can't get the courage to do it myself."
"I honestly don't think Father was that bad."
Before she could explain, the room they were originally in came back into focus. She gave Aillil a look of reproof. "Where did you take us?"
"No where in particular. Just one of my pocket dimensions, and, if the castle got to you two, then I apologise." The man was thankful that he couldn't blush in his current form. He opened his mouth to apologise or to try and explain about what had happened with Rand, but the priestess beat him to it.
"While I do not know my feelings toward you yet, I would rather all of us be happy as far as who we love is concerned."
The deafening rumbling roar made the wolf siblings and Aillil start with some alarm, but, that quickly faded when Lucia spoke. "I honestly couldn't agree with you more. Therin, think you can keep up with me?"
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 7, 2019 21:24:17 GMT -5
For a moment, the chaos was sundered by the entire castle seeming to shudder and sigh. The Vagabond nearly fell to his knees as the ground beneath him jolted, though the large Darkside arms aided him in regaining balance. A burst of Twilight caused the hooded man to turn around, catching Lucia finishing off the remaining Heartless. They hardly looked like a Paladin any more, though. It seemed they had undergone some sort of transformation, as many in battle seemed to do these days. Looking above the warrior, the Vagabond’s shrouded gaze fell upon a large black cloud in the distance. What is that? He had never seen a cloud like that before. ”Demon Tide…” It seemed both Jason’s were familiar with the appearance, as they mumbled out the name. It hung in the battlefield with a certain staleness.
”Demon Tide, huh?” He had never heard of such a thing. Fumbling around in his pockets, the vagrant pulled out a small heavily worn notebook and pen. Scribbling shorthand field notes into the pages, the Vagabond made his way closer to where Jason and Lucia were. It seemed that Lucia was ready to battle the oncoming cloud. Hm…it would help me learn more about this new oddity… Supposing it wasn’t best to leave an unknown threat unchecked, the Vagabond couldn’t help but agree. ”We can gather a proper analysis.” Readying himself, the large Darkside arms protruding from the Vagabonds back balled their taloned hands into massive fists. Looking up towards the cloud, the man was eager to see what a ‘Demon Tide’ was, exactly.
There was the faintest hint of a smile upon the face shrouded in shadow. He was always excited to learn something new.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 9, 2019 2:49:20 GMT -5
The memory of Jason stared at Lucia and the original Jason in shock as they readied themselves to fight the rapidly approaching Demon Tide. Unfazed, the original looked to his side at the past and grinned slightly. "Yeah, you're gonna end up just fine. It'll take a while, but I wouldn't change a thing."
The memory smiled at the sincerity, dropping the act as Jason passed his trial. "Well done, Jason. Never forget where you came from, or the trials you faced between then and now. Embrace all that you were, for it made you who you are." With that, he vanished.
With a renewed sense of self, Jason stepped up to join Lucia, gathering Darkness as he went. "Looks like I finished, but the castle's still mad at us. Let's make it regret ever facing us." His eyes narrowed, and then he was lost to sight in a cloud of Darkness.
A moment later it burst to reveal him changed and more powerful. Jason's eyes were now completely black, glowing faintly with the light of the night sky, and he hovered a foot off the ground on iridescent black angelic wings. The Dusk Shroud had become blood red, and burned with a pitch black fire that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. When he spoke the name of his new form it sounded as if it echoed from a great void. "Aspect of Ginnungagap." His power matched that of Lucia currently, both being six times stronger and faster than before.
Suddenly the entire castle shook, and as Éirín and Conrí reappeared the Demon Tide grew larger, encompassing nearly half the horizon.
Rand steadied himself as he looked at Lucia and Jason in awe, then quickly back at his loves with equal parts relief and battle-lust. "We'll have a lot to talk about after this, Éirín, Ailill. As for keeping up with you," he willed his keyblade into its secondary transformation, the Dragon's Banner, and drew deeply through it and himself to become the Champion of Light, "we'll just have to see."
The massive hurricane of Heartless drew closer, and Lucia noticed it's horrible aura shifting in a way she recognized all too well. "It's attacking!"
20 massive meteors of Shadows shot toward the group, each easily the size of a car. One fell before the others, and after the resulting explosion 20 Shadows emerged and began running at the group. At the same time, 14 tentacles lurched forward, moving slightly slower than the meteors of similar size. A pair targeted each of the group, and each would hit with the force of a head-on collision at 50 mph.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 9, 2019 14:34:44 GMT -5
Aillil simply gave Rand a feral grin as he spoke. The man nodded, flicking his gaze at the wolf girl with a wink. "Now, you'll get to see the full power of a sa'angreal in the form of a god, Therin." Without concentration, he selected a pole off to the side, and watched the slight pulling of the Shadows and meteors toward that point. All it was going to take was time, but the man didn't feel like stopping there. He threw up a wall of Hardened Air in front of the wolf girl, who still seemed to be lost in thought.
Then, with a cheeky wink and a thumbs up, the cloaked man instantly disappeared from his spot and appeared behind the Demon Tide, with the energy he was using crackling and screeching in the air. Flaming wings seemed to sprout on his back, but on closer inspection, they were really ten flaming whips, which lashed out at the furiously spinning mass of the Demon Tide. One look at Aillil's eyes would have warned those who knew him well enough that he was simply done with this damned castle. "I suppose that's enough of a warm up for me." His voice came out more like a growl than anything else.
Conrí simply rushed out of the way of his onslaught of tentacles, but he looked at his sister with concern. She wasn't seeming to move or anything. Her eyes were closed, as if she were trying to concentrate on something. He very nearly ran to her, but he noticed something Aillil had done forced the tentacle to slam into an invisible wall. With a yell, he extended both of his hands and fired off Judgement at his tentacle, hoping it would pierce through to the main body. He summoned both of his Keyblades in his hands and stayed vigilaint.
Éirín simply stared at the towering beast before her. Something within it just felt incredibly wrong somehow. Then, she thought of her father again. What would she do if she had to face him again? The monster started to grow within her again, and her legs started to shake. She saw the tentacles coming toward her, and was well aware that she should move, but was rooted to the spot.
The wolf girl saw her life start to play out before her, and nearly accepted her fate, but, then a wall had seemed to form between her and her death. She noticed the wink and the thumbs up from Aillil and smiled. For some reason, saidar started to flow into her, and she found herself concentrating on Air that was swirling in the opposite direction as the monstrosity in front of her. Three torndoes appeared close to the Demon Tide and added to the noise of the crackling energy from Aillil. She fearfully wondered what the others would do.
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 9, 2019 19:24:01 GMT -5
Everything seemed to happen at once. It was absolute madness. I loathe battle. The thought rang through the Vagabond’s mind as he sprung into action. As the castle shook and the Demon Tide engulfed the sky, masses of Shadow Heartless rained down upon the party. The large Darkside arms acted of their own will, stopping the Vagabond’s running by pushing their large palms against the earth. The hooded man was yanked backwards through the air, the large arms wrapping around him to shield him from the explosion of meteors raining upon them. As Heartless and Tentacles began to emerge from the wounds in the earth, the Vagabond staggered, holding at his head. W-what?! It felt like his insides were burning. His mouth was dry. For a moment, he felt...something, a surge, causing him to heave and almost lose whatever meager meal he had last eaten. Not now— Pain erupted between his eyes, causing him to fall to a single knee.
A different will was enacting upon his heart. For a moment, the man felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness. Then—there was nothing.
Darkness erupted around the hooded man, a vibrant purple aura consuming his form as brilliant yellow eyes began to shine from beneath the shadows. Multiple large Darkside arms began to morph and form from what was once the Vagabond. Reaching out with powerful hands, they grasped and clutched at the nearest Shadows surrounding their host. The hooded man was consumed by the mass of arms, the limbs of darkness twisting and changing his shape as they continued to morph in and out of being.
Dozens of large Darkside arms reached through the air and attempted to grab, swipe or crush the pair of massive tentacles. Others continued to twist and attack at the nearby Heartless. It seemed the Vagabond was no longer himself, but a mere host of what had always been inside of him.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 9, 2019 22:54:24 GMT -5
Lucia was about to launch herself at the Demon Tide when she and Jason both noticed the change in the Vagabond. One glance at his auras told them everything they needed to know, and Jason nodded before flying toward him. As he went he forced his aura into the transformed Dusk Shroud, firing 15 blasts from it rapidly in his Dusk Barrage.
Trusting him implicitly even now, Lucia charged forward. "Twilight of the Gods!" Twilight pooled in her hands before she launched it into the air, the blitzball-sized orb splitting into 10 smaller spheres that raced toward the Shadows hiding the core, each detonating in a 5 foot wide explosion that erased any Heartless they touched.
Meanwhile Jason flapped his wings harshly to hover just out of reach of the Darkside arms flailing. His voice rose over the roar and the explosions, the Tongue of Darkness that all from that Realm instinctively understood unmistakable. "Hey, you woke up! We want to help you and the one whose body you're in right now! Just help us out and we'll help you two, okay?"
Rand watched the others move beyond the limits of mortals, amazed and slightly fearful. What finally shook him back to reality was the attack on Éirín. Realizing what was at stake, he split the Power within him into the five elements and wove. "Just fall into it, Éirín. Saidar only works if you surrender to it and guide it from within. You've got this."
Two sets of three waterspouts, each 10 feet tall by 2 feet wide, and two sets of three tornadoes, each 10 feet tall by 5 feet wide, suddenly appeared and dove into the masses. The waterspouts drilled through while the tornadoes drew in and flung away, and throughout it all he wove a dark cloud over the core which began to rain lightning onto it.
He might not have a form like theirs, but he was still the Dragon Reborn. He would do everything within his power to protect his friends and family, both new and old.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 10, 2019 0:40:54 GMT -5
Ailill smirked at the Demon Tide, which seemed to be getting aggrevated by the onslaught the others were directing at it. With a rather theatric snap of his fingers, Magnetism seemed to activate, and the meteors, tentacles, and various Shadows were pulled to the pole, away from Rand and the others. The Demon Tide seemed to roar in discomfort, but couldn't shake the cloaked man's fiery whips so easily.
With a sigh and a clap instead of a snap and a cheeky "Boom" while he floated away from the enemy, past where he supposed it would have a proper face, Ailill relesed the energy that had been building up around him in a terrific display of a flashing explosion. He cheekily winked at Therin, who did indeed throw some powerful weaves at it, along with Éirín, though it looked as though the wolf girl was concentrating too hard still. As his feet touched the ground, he decided to wait to see what else would happen before going all out again. He did, however, tighten the whips around the creature.
"Tough to be a god, isn't it, lass? Just do what Therin says. He might be a dense lout, but his teaching style is incredibly practical." He patted the wolf girl's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
Conrí eyed the glowing man without saying a word, but he nodded in appreciaction before rushing off to deal with the mass of Shadows Ailill had collected in one spot for them by unleashing Plasmaga on it before slashing away at it in a flurry of a combo with his two Keyblades.
The wolf boy looked at Jason with some concern, feeling a bit underpowered for this display, but, he figured the others were attacking the main threat, and the least he could do was get rid of any extra bits it had to it. He wondered how long the strange man's whips would hold.
Éirín felt herself both tear up and relax when Rand spoke. She forced herself to breathe and smiled slightly when Ailill tried to comfort her as well. "Yes, I suppose it is." The wolf girl let herself fall further into the trance of saidar and moved the tornadoes closer to the Demon Tide, opposite the side of Rand's before also weaving Waterspouts over top of the three tornadoes. She busied herself with trying to think of the next three moves, in case the monster tried to attack again.
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 10, 2019 11:35:06 GMT -5
Darkness. Empty space. It felt like he was floating. W—where am I? He couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or closed. Everything felt heavy, as though he were underwater.
The Vagabond’s heart slumbered.
Crushing countless Heartless and attacking the tentacles mercilessly, the twisting mass of limbs and darkness continued to rampage throughout the battlefield. As Jason worked with Lucia to defeat other enemies surrounding the host, it continued to rampage, lashing out at the nearest thing that seemed a threat. ”Hey, you woke up!” The shout reached the mass in a tongue it could understand. For a moment, the host slowed its pace, the large limbs pausing for a moment. ”We want to help you and the one whose body you’re in right now!” The mass of limbs twisted, the glowing yellow eyes finding Jason, the source of the noise. ”Just help us out and we’ll help you two, okay?”
For a moment, the dark being paused, its yellow eyes unblinking as they stayed locked on Jason. A sound grated out from the being, one that only those familiar with that tongue would understand. ”P—pro—protect.” The dark mass shifted, turning away from Jason as it continued to trample onward with its countless large limbs, crawling across the battlefield towards more enemies. It seemed that whatever being was possessing the Vagabond, it had a pretty simple goal in mind. Apparently acknowledging Jason and the others as nonthreatening, the massive dark beast would not attack any of those aiding the Vagabond. Only enemies.
It was a force to be reckoned with, aiding the other party members by lashing out with its large limbs in attempts to snatch away or crush the enemies plaguing them. Any Heartless it was able to grab would be devoured, pulled into the large mass as its darkness was used to create yet another limb.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 10, 2019 21:01:13 GMT -5
Lucia was sent flying backwards from the force of Ailill's explosion, some of her hair singeing as she righted herself. A savage smile grew on her face as she viewed the damage from the blast. "Well, if that's how we're gonna play..." Light, Darkness, and Twilight surged toward her in midair as she drew in enough to transform yet again, enveloping her in a seething sphere.
"Remembrance!" A moment later the elements burst away to reveal her new form as motes of each slowly fell like stardust.
Lucia’s violet hair had changed to match the maelstrom from before, hidden eddies of power catching it in unfelt winds, and angelic wings now grew from her back in the same seething hues. Gone was her keyblade, replaced by a blade of pure Darkness and a shield of pure Light, and her armor had become pure Twilight with spiraling lines of Light and Darkness as embellishments and scroll work. Suddenly her eyes snapped open, revealing that her irises had become a vivid blue and the whites a fiery crimson, both glowing fiercely with untapped energy as she radiated power twelvefold to before. Her voice rang out in unison with the weight of their entire people to name the new form. ”Requiem of Ascension!”
Light and Twilight pooled in her right hand as Darkness and Twilight mirrored in her left, and with a deafening crack she closed the distance to the Demon Tide once more. "Dawn of Time! Voice of the Fallen!" The energies in her hands split into three each, the Light/Twilight seeking out Ailill, Éirín, and the Vagabond, refreshing their abilities and cooldowns while doubling their speed and strength, while the Darkness/Twilight slammed into the Heartless in dense explosions.
The grin never left her face.
Rand resisted the urge to pinch himself as he rolled his eyes at Ailill's dramatics, half convinced he was dreaming. Each of these people before him could destroy an army single-handed. Together they could have brought the entirety of Tarmon Gai'don to a close within hours, and he felt they were still growing!
Shaking his head, he began to weave once more, this time focusing on Fire and Air to produce five Blossoms of Fire surrounding what he assumed was the core. The high-pitched whistle only lasted for a second before he slammed the final weave into place in each, resulting in five 30-foot wide columns of Fire and explosion that forced the swarm to shrink back to protect the suddenly vulnerable core.
Jason watched whatever was controlling the Vagabond with interest until he was nearly blinded by the explosions and deafened by Lucia's sonic boom. Pulling his hands down from his ears he shouted playfully. "Hey, save some for me!"
Turning from the Heartless/human hybrid he channeled Darkness into his weapon yet again, utelizing his Void Dance ability as he fired five blasts into the core of the Demon Tide. Once he closed to melee range the blades danced in truth, 10 slashes in a blur that left behind trails of Darkness. Once he was done he distanced himself again, took aim, and fired once more. The final blast detonated the trails in a large blast slightly bigger than that of Lucia's attack, though it seemed to do a little less damage.
He turned back for an instant to check on Conrí, and in that instant the core of the Demon Tide shot forward, engulfing him before he could utter more than a short cry of surprise. A moment later the core pulsed from the massive amount of Darkness, and 40 tentacles and a matching number of meteors shot out at the scattered group.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 10, 2019 21:37:26 GMT -5
Ailill barked out a laugh when he noticed the grin on Lucia's face in the same space that Therin had rolled his eyes. He almost didn't mind the fact that his fiery whips went away. He smirked when he noticed his old friend making a pentagram out of Blossoms of Fire. He shook his head slightly when he thought about the fact that the weave the red haired man used was heavily based off of something Alill had done once when they were sparring.
Then, a light surrounded him and the wolf girl next to him. Strangely, his head felt a lot clearer than it had the last time he'd experienced that. He wondered if it was just boosting the effect of whatever that weave Therin had laid on him was. He sighed, watching all the carnage with delight. "Well, looks like you can't keep up with me after all, Therin." he chuckled and winked.
Éirín sighed with relief that her energy was restored. She opened her eyes and felt saidar slipping away from her. She looked at the terrible monster in front of them and realised that the core was finally visible. The priestess wondered what she could do differently to help them take down the foe, but she couldn't in the moment, so she stood still for a moment.
Conrí noticed the Vagabond going on a rampage and he felt a sense of relief. He further felt his sense of calm come over him further when Jason looked at him for one moment. The next moment, he had his love pulled away from him and into the core of the beast. The wolf boy both let out a wordless cry and fell to his knees simultaneously. Tears came to his eyes, only to be consumed by an unquenchable rage.
The would be king gave his sister and Ailill a frosty glare. He was about to Rush at the creature, but his glare was met by a brewing thundercloud by his sister's design, and he was scooped up into the arms of Ailill. Who immediately teleported again to the Demon Tide's core. Ailill dropped his companion there and waited.
Conrí felt something come over him and started to glow and float in the air. His new form surprised him, but he found himself screaming at the monster and his love "You bleedin' bastard of a castle! You bleedin' monster! You give him back right now! JAY, don't you dare bleeding die in there. I don't want to attack you while you're in there, please!"
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 11, 2019 20:32:34 GMT -5
Searing pain burned, causing it to feel as though his entire body was engulfed in fire. The floating sensation had ceased. He couldn’t tell if he was floating, standing or even alive anymore. Everything was agony. There weren’t any breaths for him to take, only the feeling of burning. There was no fire. Everything was still black. Empty. Dark. Nothing. If he still had a body, he couldn’t see it. I—m-must… h—ave… something, t-to… feel…this! That was the only thought in his mind before he slipped out of consciousness once more.
While many of his transformed party members fought directly against the Demon Tide, what was once the Vagabond continued to merely keep the ground enemies at bay. With its countless limbs lashing out and reaching and crushing any Heartless or Tentacles in its path, the large host ripped and shredded its way through the battlefield. It didn’t roar or grunt in effort or shriek, it simply trample across the earth, gobbling up any Heartless it could as it wreaked havoc and destruction upon the land.
Large clouds began to swarm above the host as a large meteor appeared from the sky. Raining down upon the countless enemies, it exploded, leaving a crater upon the earth. The Dark Meteor was intended for the grouping onslaught of opponents, but was nowhere near the other party members. It seemed whatever was possessing the Vagabond was only concerned with the enemies in its immediate distance. Countless large Darkside hands pummeled the creatures being summoned, the large yellow orb eyes glowing from beneath a twisted mass of dark tendrils.
It continued to devour and destroy, so long as the battlefield would continue to be plagued by pests.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 12, 2019 0:28:01 GMT -5
Lucia watched in horror as Jason was drawn into the core, helpless even in all her speed and power to stop it. Despite her shock, she shot through the air with another sonic boom to destroy half the meteors and tentacles. The others could deal with the rest she reasoned, even with the situation.
Suddenly she sensed Conrí's aura flare, and watched with interest as he threatened the Heartless literally over a hundred times his size. "Actually Conrí, now's the best time to go all out! We heal whenever we enter or leave Aspect, so he'll be able to survive all of it!"
True to her words she channeled all of her Light, Darkness, and Twilight into three 5-foot orbs around her as she flew toward the core, singing under her breath. By the time she reached the Heartless the orbs had merged within her, flaring her aura out to a 40 yard sphere. "Elegy of Ending!"
The aura flared, then ignited, and everything it touched was engulfed in the blast.
Rand didn't hesitate once he heard Lucia. All of his waterspouts and tornadoes converged on the core, quickly followed by another five Blossoms of Fire. The blossoms destroyed the other weaves, but not before they did their damage.
Within the core of the Demon Tide, Jason was barely aware of anything other than the cacophony of voices screaming all around him, filled with pain and terror. Based on the vague senses of auras he could still sense he estimated time was moving much, much faster within the core.
Also based on the auras everyone was about to destroy the Demon Tide to get to him.
Something flared within him, and within the core his eyes flared gold as he began to talk back.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 12, 2019 21:49:40 GMT -5
Conrí looked at the Demon Tide and growled lowly. He'd heard Lucia's words and decided what he needed to do. "I'm going to get you out of there, damn it! Wolf King's Fury!" He directed a pack of fire and ice wolves into the core directly, then Rushed away. The wolf boy could still feel Jason in there, so he hoped his love would be alive at the end of this. He decided to get more distance between him and that monster, just in case.
Ailill unleashed another boom of concentrated energy. He guessed this thing had to be weakening, and he looked at Lews. His face was smooth, but he hoped the man could get his meaning and get back. "Lass," he said as he floated down to Éirín, "we all might want to follow your brother's example. Something is bound to give eventually." He looked at Lews and started moving to where the strange wolf being had gone.
The wolf girl nodded and directed her lightning storm and tornadoes to the random Heartless and tentacles left on the field as she dashed toward her brother. She honestly hoped that her brother was okay. He looked like a mess, but, she could understand why. The priestess put a hand on the would be king's shoulder and looked over to Rand and Ailill, hoping they would be safe.
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 13, 2019 22:32:08 GMT -5
In between fading in and out of consciousness, the Vagabond continued to simply feel as though his own flesh was being torn from his muscle and bone. Agony. The word itself was an understatement. It was Hell. No, a specific type of Hell. One where he was destroyed, reconstructed and destroyed again.
Still, it paled in comparison to that place. To that Hell.
Storming across the battlefield, the host continued to reach with its countless large Darkside arms in order to crush any Heartless or Tentacles in its path. It was a being of pure malice, despair and hunger. Oblivious to the going ons with the Demon Tide above it, it continued to simply protect the being hosting it. Ensuring none of its attacks landed near the Vagabond’s teammates, the host continued to use its full force of power against the creatures surrounding the area.
Hundreds of fists began to pummel and rain down upon the surrounding foes, each punch worth its weight in strength as it created craters in the earth with its force.
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Post by Ziya on Jul 14, 2019 15:41:02 GMT -5
Jason felt what could only be everyone's attacks losing in at an agonizingly slow pace. If he were doing nothing but awiting his freedom the wait would be maddening, but right then it gave him the time he needed. Each voice was an individual heart, and they all needed to be helped.
And so he kept talking.
Outside the core Lucia used the last of her speed to join the others before her battered form dispersed to reveal her normal body. Swaying slightly, she looked at the continuing blasts with hope in her eyes. "Come on, Jason. Come back to us.
Rand looked up at the explosions with a slack jaw, though he tried to hide it once Conrí moved closer. Unsure of what else to do, the former Dragon Reborn lightly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll make it out of there just fine, Conrí."
By the time the attacks had nearly reached the core Jason understood. "You aren't a singular entity, are you? You're an almalgamation of the hearts of Heartless that couldn't be saved by the keyblade."
Withing the Darkness his eyes hardened as he listened to the last of the voices, the hearts within the core. "No, I won't let ay of you die. One day I'll get you back to humanity, but for now I'll hold you."
Closing his eyes, he began to draw in the hearts within the core, racing the violent energies closing in on them.
As the explosions subsided the Demon Tide faded into dark wisps. Luci looked carefully for any sign of its heart, only to instead recoil as truly massive amounts of Heartless of all types appeared around them. Without her abilities for the next few minutes there was no chance of her being able to help against that many.
Rand readied weaves to combat the new foes, only to stop when he finally saw Jason emerge from the black fog. He was still in his Aspect form, but his wings were a redish gold rther than black, as were his eyes.
Lucia saw the same, as well as the raging energies within his aura and the chaotic multitude of thousands of hearts within his. "Jason?"
Jason looked out at the mass of Heartless with pity, then lifted his hands. All fo the attacks he ha been hit with in an effort to free him now lanced out from his palms. Ailill's mssive energy burst, Lucia's Elegy of Ending, Rand's Blossoms of Fire, Conrí's Wolf King's Fury, and both Rand and Éirín's waterspouts and tornadoes, all made out of rose gold coloured Dawn despite retaining the original qualities.
The attacks annihilated the entire army about them, and in the suden lull after he glided down to the being within the Vagabond. This time he didn't stop until he was close enough to gently touch his heart. "It's okay now, you can rest." His voice was as gentle as his touch, and even his aura radiated gentle, healing Dawn energy. "You're trying to protect him, but you're hurting him far worse by forcing him back. Rest, and we'll help you, okay?"
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Post by Conrí on Jul 14, 2019 16:21:20 GMT -5
Conrí flinched when Jason finally reappeared. The castle seemed to shudder again and relax almost. He waited for the crazy aura around his lover to dissapear with the explosions before running over to him. He nodded to Rand in thanks and smiled at his sister when he passed. He found himself hugging his love entirely too tightly. The wolf boy's heart pounded fiercely in his chest. The would be king found tears wetting his cheeks.
Éirín watched her brother run past her and Rand. She turned to the red haired man and hugged him quickly before looking at Ailill and backing away with a bit of a nervous blush on her face. She clapsed her hands in front of her and looked at the floor. It seemed like the castle had calmed down, but, it also felt like it was about to shift again. The wolf girl kept her eyes averted from Ailill and Rand, in case they needed some space.
Ailill stepped closer to Therin, shaking his head in amusement when the priestess had so openly hugged her love before obviously giving the two of them some space due to nervousness. His own emotions were somewhat raging somewhere between desire and affection. The cloaked man assumed that it was due to the danger they'd all just gotten through. He looked over to the Vagabond and realised that Jason seemed to be taking care of him.
Ailill's hand reached for Therin's unconsciously. He wanted little more than to wrap the man in his arms. Possibly kiss him. Those thoughts made him blush and avert his own eyes from the red haired man. "I suppose we should have that talk relatively soon, then. Once our business here is done. Tamara, I'm sorry, but we likely need to regroup. I hope you understand."
The castle indeed was starting to shift and blur until they found themselves at the topmost floor of the structure. Ailill and Éirín looked at the double wooden doors in front of them. The man nodded slightly at the girl in encouragement. "My business here is done, lass. I believe these doors are for you and your brother."
"Y-yes, this floor is ours. We will have to open the door at the same time." Her voice caught and shook. She warily looked at her brother and hoped they were going to be ready for what they faced.
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Post by hoodwink on Jul 16, 2019 18:56:41 GMT -5
Bits and pieces began to come back to him. Who he was. Such a pathetic excuse— It was the first thought he had had other than agony and pain. —some pseudo existence. Bitter resentment. W-where—where am I? He felt like he was floating. He couldn’t see anything. It was all dark. There was a stabbing pain that jolted him, though it was far less than what he had been consumed by earlier.
W-what’s—happening, to m-me…right now? That’s right! He had been inside…a village? Outside of a castle? Wait…that didn’t seem right. There had been people, though, he knew that much. He couldn’t think of any faces or names, though. Oh! A sudden promise returned to him, one he had nearly forgotten. I still need to find them— What was her name? What was his? That’s right—! He had no name. He was simply—
The Vagabond.
Once the mass of Heartless were obliterated from Jason’s sudden burst of power, the mass of Darkside limbs, twisting and writhing, glowing yellow eyes peering from dark tendrils snaking into the sky, halted its rampage. Without enemies surrounding its host, it had no need to protect. As Jason glided towards the host, many of the limbs flexed slightly but didn’t move. There was a heart somewhere amidst that dark, after all. ”It’s okay now, you can rest.” The man reached out, causing the darkness to stir and swirl in a menacing manner for only a moment before the healing Dawn energy began to emit outwards.
”You’re trying to protect him, but you’re hurting him far worse by forcing him back.” The energy caused the creature to coil back, snarling in resentment from the energy. ”Rest, and we’ll help you, okay?” For a moment, the yellow eyes simply stared at Jason before the Darkside limbs began to tremble and slither back towards their main form. Slowly, the large limbs began to vanish in wisps of darkness as the yellow eyes dimmed and a vibrant purple aura consumed it. Falling to the ground was the Vagabond, his form smoldering with dark energy.
Cough! The Vagabond’s crumpled form jolted. Cough! Cough! Sprawling onto his back, the Vagabond lifted a hand to shelter his hooded eyes as his consciousness returned to him. It felt like he had been resurrected, returning to a perished body, useless with wounds and decay. That stench invaded his nostrils, though he knew from experience it was simply his own scent. For a moment, the hooded man jolted, sitting upright. He felt like he was going to puke. Cough! Cough! Blood splattered onto the ground in front of him as his body shook. Taking deep breaths, the Vagabond rested his hands behind himself to prop himself up. Dark vapor still steamed from his body, and though he didn't seem to have any physical wounds, he felt terrible. There was a throbbing pain in his chest, a fatigue blanketing him in its misery as every movement felt like fire surging through his bones. Looking around the battlefield, his shrouded eyes fell on Jason, standing before him.
”H-hey—“ His voice croaked. His throat was dry and hurt. It felt like he had been in a desert. Had he been sleeping? ”Oh—!” Glancing around, he noticed there was no longer any Heartless or odd storm in the sky. Everyone stood around the battlefield, seemingly fine. "Did—did we win?"
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