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Post by hoodwink on Nov 30, 2020 12:34:33 GMT -5
”What?! A shark didn’t try to eat you?!” Elane blinked in surprise as she listened to Tori’s much more concise retelling of events. Indeed, not only had the Great White fought alongside them for a short time, but upon exiting the Lair, it had been peacefully asleep, allowing them easy passage through. Meanwhile, Jed wore a rather grim expression as he stroked his chin, deep in thought as he listened. ”Hm…a ‘frenzy’, you say…?” Was this also part of why some citizens and even the Vanguard had acted differently? Regardless of the merman’s suspicion or confusion, it seemed the two outsiders had really pulled through. ”Inside that lair is where we found Sebastian—also frenzied,” At this part, the lobster in question perked up a bit with a rather concerned look. This entire time, he had been fidgeting with both claws, scuttling from side-to-side on the sea floor under Jed’s scrutinizing gaze. ”About this…frenzied state I mentioned…” Henoke was relieved that Tori was doing the talking, typically not having to explain his process to others. Most locals were in such disarray during the Heartless invasions that they welcomed any help with little explanation involved. In that regard, Jed and Elane had done well, maintaining order the best they could through it all. ”It’s more like…being possessed,” While the girl explained, both merguards listened with visible intrigue and mild confusion.
Making her case for Sebastian, as well as providing a possible reason for some of the citizens odd behaviors, Jed and Elane looked between each other before glancing over at the lobster—who averted their gaze and was looking literally anywhere else as they fidgeted with their claws. ”Our people are…being possessed?” Elane’s eyes showed a mixture of anger and fright—clearly the concept was a grim one for any to hear. ”Who would have power like that, though…?” Jed had crossed his arms in thought as he floated idly before the Palace Gates, his brow furrowed in clear concentration. ”Ursula would!” Flounder was quick to jump back into the conversation, though the name of the Sea Witch only caused Elane to shudder while Jed glared. ”Silence, Flounder! His Majesty defeated her ages ago—or do you doubt that?!” It seemed the merman’s overall character was being difficult to convince and distrusting of superstitions. What a stiff. ”Well, maybe she came back! She was powerful enough to give King Triton a run for his clams, right?” Flounder’s comment caused Jed to have an indignant and angered look for a moment, turning away from the small fish. ”Tch—silence! His Majesty’s might is great and unchallenged! Doubting His Highness like that leads to treasonous thoughts, kid.”
”Argh! Can’t you stop arguin’?!” Henoke grabbed at his spiky hair, his tail swishing impatiently as a look of frustration came over his face. ”I’m all confused now! Is this ‘Ursula’ witch-lady really gone, or not?!” For a moment the teen blinked, remembering the odd voice he had heard back before the cave had collapsed. ”Y’know…there was a weird voice, I think…?” Then again, a lot of things had whispered and mumbled in that dark place. Had he just been hearing things? ”Enough! All ‘dis talk is spookin’ me outta me shell!” Sebastian flailed his many arms and legs in order to swim back up where the others floated, giving Flounder, Henoke and the mermaids a sour look. ”I just wanna go home! In ‘da palace, where ‘der’re no monsters, no witches and no eels!” Almost as though they had forgotten, Elane and Henoke both jolted a bit, glancing down at the pretzeled up eels. ”Oh, yeah! Do y’all got like…I dunno…a jail, or somethin’?” His home town had had a small thing like that, where they kept people that broke the law—though it was such a sleepy and quiet town that it had mostly gone unused.
Whoosh! A sudden and familiar presence emerged in the Palace Grounds as small dark portals emerged. Heartless began to swim through the once safe waters, immediately sensing the hearts that lurked near the Gates. ”What?! I thought this place was safe?!” Elane’s eyes widened a bit as she brought a hand to her mouth. ”What are they doing here?!” Gritting his teeth, Henoke turned and summoned his Keyblade in a ray of light—immediately grabbing the attention of the Heartless. ”You guys, get Sebastian, Flounder and Tori outta here! I got this…” Remembering Tori’s wound, Henoke knew he’d be facing the sudden enemies alone—not that he was worried. If anything, the teen was just confused. Why were there none the whole way back…but now…? What the hell was going on, here?! ”Hmph. Like I’ll let some outsider protect my home.” Swimming to Henoke’s side was Jed, his shield raised and long trident-like spear pointed out towards the Heartless. ”Elane! Take them all behind the Gates!” Nodding at Jed’s direction, Elane opened the Palace Gates, allowing Sebastian and Flounder to swim through, the pretzeled eels tucked under her other arm. She would look over at Tori, giving her a friendly yet somewhat hurried smile. ”Well? Are you coming?” It would be her choice at the end of the day if she wanted to fight through her wound and push herself, or take Henoke’s advice and scram with the others.
SHIIIIIING! Large projectiles of ice shattered and sharded through the waters—the powerful spell cast from Jed as he and Henoke rushed forward to greet the enemies. It seemed regardless of the man’s stoicism, at the end of the day, Jed really cared about protecting his people and Triton’s Palace.
If Tori followed through the gates, she’d be led down the path by Elane, Sebastian and Flounder, which headed towards the large aquatic green palace in the distance…
[[Enemies: 2 Aquatanks, 1 Sheltering Zone, 2 Search Ghost’s, 3 Screwdriver’s]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 30, 2020 13:14:51 GMT -5
Gauging by the merpeople’s expressions at the mention of “possession”, Tori’s own gaze turned into a concerned one. Elane seemed clever enough to wonder about it, looking at Sebastian as the lobster averted his gaze after learning what happened. They had mentioned other showing similar behavior… So how many people had been affected?
The mention of Ursula by Flounder’s end sparked a debate —a heated one at that. Tori frowned, glaring at Jed as he tried to claim that the sea witch was in fact long gone, defeated by the king himself. Unable to hold back, Tori blurted out.
“You don’t know that!” she shouted, “For all we know, she could be the one behind this all! Flounder told us —we saw those turned back in her lair! If she had been truly defeated, then wouldn’t her magic disappear completely?!”
”Argh! Can’t you stop arguin’?!” Henoke’s shout brought her to a pause, and Tori backed off, looking down and away, knowing she’s spoken out of mind purely because she wanted to defend Flounder. It wasn’t like the fish doubted the king —that wasn’t it at all. But it was true that the witch’s deeds still remained, rather than disappearing.
At least, if the magic in that world followed the rules Tori knew.
She perked up as Henoke mentioned a voice —most likely the same one she heard, back in her thought. The conversation was quickly cut to an end as Heartless showed up, in an area that was supposedly safe —as explained by Elane’s reaction.
Why were they showing up now?!
With Henoke issuing orders, Tori hardly saw her opportunity to speak, wanting to help him take on the Heartless despite her injuries. It was just in one of her arms, but the cracks had yet to close. And while the number of enemies wasn’t that much, she still worried about it.
After all, they didn’t have as much potential as they did on solid terra firma.
”Well? Are you coming?” Elane seemed rushed —although with good reasons. Tori gritted her teeth, looking away as she debated her options. She could either stay and fight, but risk getting even worse injuries than the ones before, or run away and allowing the current ones to heal. It was a moment’s option —she didn’t have time to think it through.
“…Grr…” she groaned, bitter, shaking her head.
She didn’t bother answering Elane, as she swam towards her and past the gates, glancing back at the fight behind her with a hint of worry —but she couldn’t do anything anymore. With the wounds as they were, fighting would only weaken her further, and they needed her power if things would unfold similarly from there onwards. She couldn’t afford to crack.
Instead, she looked forward towards the green palace at the distance, at the end of the group. Looking at Elane, Tori had something in mind regardless.
She wanted to know just how bad the situation with people had gotten.
“Elane, do you think I could ask something of you?” she asked, “If you know of anyone who’s… Well, been acting suddenly different —like was the case with Sebastian—… Guide me to them?”
She wouldn’t be able to change their hearts and dispel the darkness —her Keyblade wasn’t like Henoke’s in that sense. Her powers only served to trick people for the Spirit’s own benefit, and Tori’s Keyblade only increased the potency of those powers further, being a Keyblade of Twilight rather than a Keyblade of Light.
Henoke was the only one able to do something about it —but it didn’t mean Tori couldn’t do anything. The least she could do was delay a possible effect.
“If it’s like Sebastian, then… Most likely, those people could turn into Heartless if not taken care of soon…” she thought with worry, “We can’t just go one by one, though —we need to find the Keyhole to wipe it all at once.”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 30, 2020 15:44:57 GMT -5
”Elane, do you think I could ask something of you?” With the Gates closed and the path ahead empty, the group had been swimming at a decent place to reach the aquatic castle in the near distance. Though she didn’t stop while hearing the request, the guard looked back at Tori over her shoulder with an attentive and kind gaze. ”Of course!” Sebastian and Flounder seemed curious about the girls question as well, listening intently as they swam. ”Hm…well, some left the Kingdom altogether…” At this mention, the mermaid’s face would fall a bit, though her spot out front would help hide that fact. ”But as for the ones still here, sure! Maybe you can help them, like you helped Sebastian!” She seemed to perk up, her tail flipping happily as she swam. ”Oh, yeah…how did you ‘fix’ Sebastian, anyway?” Flounder raised a curious brow at Tori. ”Henoke rushed us out of there so fast…I still don’t totally get what happened…” They still had some way to the castle, though the fish didn’t understand it wasn’t for the sake of time Tori or Henoke hadn’t mentioned anything…
Sebastian seemed rather curious himself, past his indignant look, anyway. Elane had quieted, too. It seemed all locals were indeed curious about how Tori and Henoke had resolved the ‘possession’ that they had spoken of.
CLANG! Blocking a trident with his Keyblade, Henoke slashed out at the Screwdriver currently trying to stab him. Thankfully, Jed’s Blizzaga spell had successfully stunned a decent amount of the enemies, but others were too fast. SWOOOSH! One of the Search Ghost’s appeared behind the teen, forcing him to spin around and guard the swooping talons that slashed out. The opening was protected, as Jed intercepted one of the lunging Screwdrivers that had stabbed out at the hotheaded youth. ”Watch yourself!” Despite the gruff nature of his tone, it seemed the guard did have his back in this fight. ”Heh—don’t even sweat it!” Knocking the ghost-like Heartless back with a powerful combo, his eyes fell on the Sheltering Zone honing in with a spinning attack. ”Watch out! Those ones explode into more of ‘em!” The Heartless on this world were definitely annoying. Henoke was thankful for the lower numbers.
Twirling his spear with an expertise that showcased his training, Jed dispatched one of the armored Heartless as he hurled his shield at another of the Search Ghost’s. It seemed the fight was going in their favor! Not wanting to be outdone by the local, Henoke grinned with a competitive spirit as he swam forward, finishing off the dazed ghost that Jed had hit, releasing its captive heart as it dissolved. ”You’re pretty good!” The merman ignored his comment, instead focusing on the battle at hand. Henoke didn’t let it bother him, as he lunged for the Sheltering Zone, leaving the Screwdrivers to Jed!
[[ENEMIES: 2 Aquatanks [frozen], 1 Sheltering Zone, 1 Search Ghost, 2 Screwdrivers]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 30, 2020 16:32:27 GMT -5
Sighing in relief, Tori smiled faintly as her request was allowed. It seemed that some people had left the Kingdom, which caused Tori’s chest to pang with worry. Even if it was just some and not all, the girl wanted to help all of them —it was something in her nature to do.
Not just because she was a Spirit, but also because she was herself —someone who tried to help people, without asking for anything back in return.
“Oh, yeah… how did you ‘fix’ Sebastian, anyway?” Flounders innocent question caused Tori to perk up, immediately looking away with embarrassment. It was true she never explained in detail how they handled it, but that was because it was something that would break the World Order for sure. Not only that, but…
“Shoot —I dug myself a hole here…” she thought, uneasy as she looked away, “I can’t lie my way out, either… This is bad…”
Tori took a deep breath, not facing anyone back —knowing they were watching her and waiting for an answer, or an explanation. How could she even begin, though? She couldn’t lie —if she did, it would be caught immediately. She couldn’t spin a tale either, being the same as lying.
Her only hope was either omitting or just telling the truth, but very subtle. Otherwise, she was screwed.
“…Well…” Tori looked away, with unease. Taking yet another deep breath, she looked up to Flounder —maybe, she could explain it with ease, “Actually… Say, Flounder, you remember that mist I conjured, right?” she asked, waiting for a reply before continuing, “You could say that it’s magic —a power that helps me save others. However, I’m not the one who can ‘fix’ people —that’s Henoke” she looked at Elane as she did, her expression a bit down, “The only thing I can do for now is ensure things don’t get worse than they are now —but Henoke’s the only one who can ‘fix’ them back to normal.”
Maybe explaining wouldn’t be an issue —her little “lie” was more truthful than anything, just omitting some details or skipping some technical terms. With a confident smile, faint and only for herself as she looked down, Tori nodded before resuming her explanation.
“What I can do, for the time being, is soothe them, in a sense —make sure it doesn’t go any further. It’ll be like they’re asleep, in a sense —and with that, they’ll be unable to act, be it by frenzy or possessed by someone” Tori explained, “That’s as much as I can do for now, but it’ll help a bit for the time being.”
“However… We can’t ‘fix’ them all one by one” Tori shook her head, “There is a way to fix them all at once, but… That would require that Henoke and I found something, first —something I doubt you can help us find, Elane. Sorry.”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 1, 2020 2:48:39 GMT -5
”Say, Flounder, you remember that mist I conjured, right?” The fish nodded as he recalled the prior events, though Elane and Sebastian’s confusion remained. ”You could say that it’s a magic—a power that helps me save others. However, I’m not the one who can ‘fix’ people—“ Hearing that it as in fact the hotheaded youth currently fighting off Heartless in the Palace Grounds, Elane’s face fell a bit. Flounder on the other hand looked more intrigued than before. ”Woah, really? I didn’t think he’d be able to do that…” Whether there was a hidden meaning behind Flounder’s words or not was up to Tori to decide. ”The only thing I can do for now is ensure things don’t get worse than they are now—“ At this comment, Elane perked back up as they continued to swim through the long path leading to the castle. ”Well, that’s more than enough, then! We can all only do what we can do, after all~” Hearing that there was a way to fix everyone at once, the mermaid stopped, a surprised look on her face. ”Really?!” The fact Tori and Henoke needed to find something specific, something Elane apparently wouldn’t be able to help with, the guard’s face fell once more. Sebastian and Flounder paused as well, bringing the small group to a pause as they floated above the clear pathway to the castle.
”Well, what’re you looking for? I used to help Ariel find tons of stuff!” Swimming closer to Tori with an eager expression, it seemed Flounder’s yearning to help had kicked back in again. ”Hmph! I’m sure if ‘da Vanguard won’t be of help, you won’t either!” Sebastian seemed skeptical, though perhaps it was due to the underlying fact that he was concerned for his kindhearted and undefended friend. Regardless, the fish didn’t seem daunted, awaiting for Tori to eagerly explain what it was they needed to find.
By now, Henoke had gotten rather used to fighting underwater. Not only had his swimming and balance improved, but he was able to use his tail while fighting to his advantage. Swiping the powerful fins through the water, his arms heaving his hefty Keyblade, the teen had two weapons going for him at once. With it, it had become hard for the Heartless to find an opening, especially with Jed’s finesse aiding him. Twirling his spear and hurling his shield between guards, the merman was certainly capable—a testament to the Vanguards training and diligence. ”This’s cake!” Pumping a fist into the air (er—water), Henoke grinned as yet another Heartless fell to their teamwork. Despite the progress they were making, a familiar sensation fell over the Palace Grounds as more dark portals emerged. Whoosh! Whoosh! More Heartless began to emerge, causing Henoke to shout out while grabbing at his hair. ”You shouldn’t have said anything.” Jed’s face was stoic and grim—though that was hardly outside of the norm. Though they had made their way through most of the ‘small fry’, the Aquatanks still remained as more Screwdrivers and Sea Neon’s emerged into the fray.
”Shut up! I’m not the one controllin’ ‘em!” Flaring his nostrils for a moment and giving Jed an indignant glare, Henoke sighed before fixing a confidant smirk back onto his face. ”Whatever. I can take on way more Hear—er—monsters than this!” Lunging forward through the water, the teen brandished his steel grey weapon, flashing in the water as he swirled and spun, clearing space for him and Jed to stay on the offensive as the Aquatanks lunged forward. SLAM! Guarding Henoke’s exposed side, Jed’s shield rang as it blocked the attack, his spear flashing out as it pierced into the large Heartless, forcing it to roar out in pain and back up. For now, the tides were balance—despite the reinforcements! Still…what a pain in the ass… Why were they suddenly piling up in the Palace Grounds, which had once been safe? Something felt weird about everything happening…not that Henoke was the type to think on such things.
Instead, the teen focused on the sensation of the Keyblade in his hands, slicing through the water and Heartless alike.
[[ENEMIES: 2 Aquatanks, 4 Screwdrivers, 5 Sea Neon’s]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 1, 2020 11:23:15 GMT -5
Tori chuckled at Flounder’s implication; one she couldn’t deny. In truth, Henoke didn’t know about that until after Tori herself had told him about it, and even then, he still seemed to fall short to the Keyblade’s true powers. Perhaps Henoke didn’t remember, or simply didn’t know about it from the beginning, but regardless, it wasn’t something the girl was opposed to teach him.
It would help them in the long run.
”Well, what’re you looking for? I used to help Ariel find tons of stuff!” While Elane seemed up and down at the mention of the Keyhole (not that Tori would say the word), Flounder seemed eager, swimming forward towards Tori wanting to help. Sebastian’s chime rang true, however, since Tori doubted any of the locals knew about the Keyhole’s location.
“I appreciate the help, Flounder, but…” Tori smiled with a hint of concern, “It’s truly not something any of you can help us with —not in the long run” she confessed, “What we’re after… Is something those monsters are after, as well. It’s a race, in a sense, to see who finds it first. You can probably guess, but if they get ahold of it first, bad things will only continue to happen.”
Tori was being mild at her explanation, but she didn’t want to worry them a lot. Not only that, but revealing what the Heartless did once finding the Keyhole was both complex and far worse than how she painted it —a lie she could hide for the time being, as she was being partially honest, only omitting the bigger details.
Still, it wasn’t like they couldn’t help find the Keyhole at all —they were locals to the world, which meant they knew every nook and cranny Tori or Henoke could miss. While they couldn’t help find it, they were certainly more than capable of guiding them with clues or information —things neither Keyblade Wielder had.
“Even though I say that you can’t help us find what we’re after… You can help by giving us clues or information” Tori began, “Most of the time, what we’re after can show itself on a particular area, or maybe after something of importance has happened —either way, we’ll be staying here a while” she nodded, looking at Elane, “So, while we’re on our way, and waiting for those two to catch up… I’m sure you could lend me a hand back —take it as a trade of sort, if you want” Tori smirked, “While I help with the people that have changed suddenly, you can answer some of my questions. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do this otherwise, though —don’t get me wrong.”
Chuckling a bit, Tori realized how “normal” she was acting —almost as if she was back home, striking deals with people and helping those in need. Her inability to lie and, therefore, her uncanny honesty, was right now her biggest strength —not being able to lie meant being transparent, and laying her true intentions bare.
Thing that, right now, was most likely appreciated by the striking party.
“So… If I can start… I’d like to know if there are any particularly special places around —places that mean a lot for you, in general.”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 1, 2020 15:16:49 GMT -5
”I appreciate the help, Flounder, but…” Hearing how it was something more complex and out of his means, the small fish frowned a bit, though nodded in mild solemn understanding. ”Told ya!” Sebastian hmphed and crossed his claws, rolling his eyes at his friends disappointment. Elane seemed to be the only local there that detected the severity in Tori’s words. ”So, matters could get worse…” With a serious and focused look, the merwoman rested a hand to her chin in thought. ”You can help by giving us clues, or information…” All three perked up a bit at that comment, listening as Tori explained how what she and Henoke were searching for typically had something to do with places of importance, or significant events. ”I’d like to know if there are any particularly special places around—places that mean a lot for you, in general.” For a moment, silence hung in the water, as all three locals scrunched up their brows in concentration. ”I’d say the most important place to me is the Palace.” Elane rested a hand over her chest as she gazed down the path ahead. The large aquatic castle had come closer into view, though the group had paused on the path. Already, Tori would be able to make out the impressive and ornate spires, jutting high up above and sparkling in the sunlight that pierced through the ocean around them.
”Oh, I’d say the Grotto!” Flounder spun through the water, a jovial look on his face. ”Remember? That’s where Doris rescued us! It’s where Ariel’s hideout used to be—where she keeps all those baubles and whatchacallsits!” Sebastian on the other hand had also been giving the question some thought, though he was the last to comment. ”’Da Throne Room is ‘da best place under ‘da sea! ‘Dat’s where I always feel at peace.” Flounder and Elane laughed at Sebastian’s choice, though the Royal Advisor looked rather pleased with themselves. Whether any of those areas would be helpful to Tori’s search or not, though, was another matter…
”Tch—why do they keep poppin’ up?!” It wasn’t making any sense! Henoke slashed through yet another Sea Neon, while Jed lanced through another Screwdriver’s opening. ”They’re coming seemingly from nowhere…” The merman grimaced as he raised his shield to block an incoming trident. They had been fighting for some time, having finally gotten rid of the Aquatanks, the biggest threats. Despite their progress, continuously more and more smaller Heartless kept emerging. What’s goin’ on?! First they had seemingly disappeared, and now they weren’t stopping?! This wasn’t like anything Henoke was used to dealing with, in all truth. ”Grrrr…that’s it!” With a frustrated look on his face, the teen began undoing the bandages around his Keyblade (which somehow were still okay underwater? I dunno fam—Keyblade magic), a loud SHIIIING! rupturing the battlefield as he yanked the large weapon apart into two. The ‘transformation’ was rather brutish and lackluster—but effective, as Henoke now dual wielded two lighter Keyblades, twirling through the water with a slight red hue to his face.
”I’m sick o’ ya!” At this point, they were dealing with nothing but Sea Neon’s and Screwdrivers—though the sheer numbers were beginning to annoy him. That, and the fact they wouldn’t stop coming! After dispatching more of the enemies, Henoke glanced over his shoulder, towards the Palace Gates—wondering if Tori and the others had made it safely back to the Palace itself…
[[ENEMIES: 10 Screwdrivers, 10 Sea Neon's, and continuing...]]
After discussing places of importance for Tori’s sake, the group would continue down the path towards the Palace. As they neared the large and majestic structure, though, Tori would be able to feel a dark presence ahead. Almost immediately after sensing it, the girl would be able to hear (and most likely in her case, feel) distress from up ahead. Sounds of shouting, metal clanging and cries for help rang out, muffled from behind the closed Palace doors. ”What?!” Alarmed the moment she heard such things, Elane immediately pressed forward, swimming nearly as fast as Doris had as she hurtled herself towards the large doors. ”Where are the other guards?!” Coming to a halt before the closed doors, Elane whipped her head around, but there was no sign of any other Vanguard members nearby. ”Rory and Seth were both supposed to be keeping watch—!” Grimacing at the thought of her comrades falling in battle, the sounds of struggle rang out loud and clear as the guard yanked open one of the immense doors.
Exposed through the ajar gape was the Palace’s insides—a tall and spacious ornate room with countless pillars, large sets of stairs leading out of view to what Elane knew to be the Throne Room. Within were citizens and guards alike—all either trying to fight off or escape the havoc that was the Heartless, who swam and rampaged within the Palace. ”They’re here!” Shocked for only a moment before an indignant look came across her face, Elane turned to gaze back at Sebastian and Flounder. ”Stay outside! It’s not safe in the Palace!” Turning to Tori, the woman grimaced, able to see plain as day the wound on the girl’s arm. ”I won’t ask you to put yourself in further harm for my own people…but I must do something!” With that, the woman swished through the doors within the blink of an eye, drawing her spear and twirling it as she immediately joined the fray. The Vanguard members, identified by their weapons and slight armor, were the ones inside fighting off the Heartless within, while unarmored merpeople panicked and through the Palace in any direction the Heartless weren’t.
It seemed whatever was happening, the Heartless had gotten within the Palace without their knowing! It was up to Tori if she’d stay with Sebastian and Flounder, join Elane and the Vanguard members in the fight, or even help escort citizens outside to where the Heartless weren’t. Either way, Flounder and Sebastian gazed in fear at the Palace Doors, backing up on the path and burrowing themselves in the overgrowth and undersea flora around the path.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 1, 2020 16:04:51 GMT -5
Tori hummed in thought, considering the options. All 3 places were likely —one of them being much closer than the other two. If all else failed, then they could try finding the Keyhole within the Palace, if it was there. There was, however, a name that piqued her interest, as she kept glancing over at Flounder —having been the one who mentioned it.
“Ariel again, huh…?” she thought, drawing a faint smile as she peeked into the fish’s memories, “Must be close to him, if he remembers her that fondly… I wonder where she is now?”
While laughing a bit after the discussion, it came to silence. That is, until they reached the entrance. A shudder crawled down Tori’s spine as she felt it —the dark aura the Heartless created. Her eyes wide in shock and worry, she hurried her pace despite her wounds, following Elane’s panic. Were people fighting?
The scene was chaotic —people swimming for their life while some remained to fight the Heartless that somehow managed to find themselves inside the Palace walls. ”I won’t ask you to put yourself in further harm for my own people…but I must do something!” Elane ordered Tori as she glanced over at the cracked arm —the girl knowing all too well about it. It still hadn’t healed, but she didn’t want to leave the fighting to Elane.
Her chest ached with worry, glancing back at the path they had taken to arrive there —only wondering what was happening back at the entrance, where they parted ways with Henoke and Jed. There were so many innocent people there —a fight that prolonged itself was bound to end with casualties.
But only if Tori allowed it.
“…I won’t let them…” a fire began burning inside the girl’s chest, gritting her teeth as her face burned with anger, “…THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Filled with fury, a powerful mist swirled around Tori —akin an aura. While she hadn’t summoned her Keyblade, it was clear she was showcasing her full power —most likely gathering the attention of the many Heartless in the area. Her gaze was cold and merciless, wanting to bring the battle to an end by her hand.
“I won’t let you run rampant any further!” Tori declared.
Despite feeling the cracks forming from her already wounded arm —some even opening again—, Tori’s power flourished with speed and precision. The powerful mist swirled and trashed about, keeping the ones running away safe from danger —and hiding them inside Tori’s Illusion. Wanting to imprison, in a sense, the innocent people, the Vanguard, Flounder, Sebastian and Henoke all within a safe Illusion, Tori forced herself to her limit.
It didn’t matter how much it took its toll —she didn’t want innocents to be harmed.
The scenery flickered, the mist doing its magic as it protected those Tori wanted to protect —hide those she wanted to hide. Like a gust —although underwater it would be more like a strong current—, Tori conjured her Illusion, the cracks spreading rapidly through her body as she did so.
Within the blink of an eye, the Heartless would be no more —kept at bay by the Spirit’s Illusion, hiding the people inside the Palace, as well as Henoke and Jed, inside of it and therefore keeping them safe. It would be for a while, until they could figure out what was happening. Tori would deceive their hearts until they found the Keyhole.
Of course, this didn’t come without its cost —as evidenced by Tori’s body and face filled with cracks that threatened to break her apart. The strain was too much for her to handle, yet the Illusion was firmly set —even if Tori passed out, nothing would break the Illusion she conjured.
Tori felt her breathing growing faint, a searing pain coursing through her as the many cracks in her arms, torso and face threatened to break her for apart once and for all —faintly glowing with a strange white light. Exhausted and full of pain, the girl passed out.
“Sorry, Henoke… But… I can’t… let them…” her thought was caught abruptly, as Tori fell into a deep slumber.
It wouldn’t be for long —only to recover her strength—, but it was bound to worry the people around her. Especially Henoke.
Yet she saw no other choice, with the amount of Heartless gathering in what was considered a safe area for people to hide in.
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 1, 2020 16:27:21 GMT -5
CLANG! Bashing the armored Screwdriver into the seafloor with a powerful hit from both Keyblades, Henoke wore a cocky grin, his eyes ablaze as he laughed. ”You won’t get past us!” With his dual-wielding, the teen was able to fend off more attacks at once, as well as act faster than usual. With Jed’s speed and finesse, the two were a force of destruction among the mob of Heartless. ”Hmph. Keep this up, and you should join the Vanguard.” For a moment, the teen almost didn’t register the compliment, as Jed had merely grumbled it out with a usual stoic glance. ”Hehe~ Ya think!?” Wearing a somewhat goofy and broad grin, Henoke raised a Keyblade in a guard to defend from one of the spinning jellyfish like Heartless, using his other to slash through it and release the heart within. ”What’s this?!” Jed gazed in astonishment as a mist familiar to Henoke began to swirl around the Palace Gardens. Tori…?! Whipping his head around, the teen searched for any sign of his friend. She wasn’t anywhere near, though, having headed for the palace beyond the closed Gates.
Within the blink of an eye, the Palace Gardens were empty, vacant of all Heartless and accompanied by soft silence as Henoke and Jed floated, alone.
”I won’t let you run rampant any further!” Tori’s declaration boomed throughout the Palace as her mist swirled and engulfed civilians and Vanguard alike. All yellow orbed eyes from the Heartless in the room gazed at the girl, roaring with power and righteous fury as she spun her Illusion. Sebastian and Flounder gaped from the underbrush in the path, watching from where the doorway had flung open from the sheer power that had blasted forth from her. As the scenery flickered, the Heartless vanished within the blink of an eye. Civilians and Vanguard members alike floated in pause for a moment, looks of astonishment as many gaped at Tori and whipped their heads around, searching for the countless enemies that had plagued them. ”W-what was that…?” Elane swam over to the girl, stunned and amazed. It didn’t take long before the merwoman noticed all of the cracks littering her form, having finally gotten close enough to see. ”Oh, no! Tori!” As the girl passed out, Sebastian and Flounder cried out, swimming through the doorway and rushing to her side as Elane caught her from falling to the seafloor.
”Tori! What’s wrong with her?!” Flounder’s eyes brimmed with worried tears while Sebastian merely wore a grimace and shook his head, closing his eyes and turning away. ”I…I don’t know…” Unsure of what to do, the guard would order other members to begin casting all of the healing magic they knew on the girl—the other armored merpeople recovering quicker than the civilians from the daze. Soon, half of the palace was at work trying to restore any amount of life to the girl who had ‘saved’ them all!
”Where did they go?” Jed looked around warily, his eyes suspicious and gaze narrowed. ”Tch—Tori did somethin’…” Mumbling to himself, Henoke dismissed his Keyblades as he crossed his arms with a furrowed brow. ”We should head to the palace. C’mon!” Urging Jed to follow, Henoke swam for the gates, a look of frustration masking the clear worry in his heart. Damn it, Tori! What did you do?! She had already been wounded...if she had pushed herself too far...
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 1, 2020 17:10:04 GMT -5
As soon as Elane’s hands caught Tori from falling down to the sea floor, Tori groaned with pain while unconscious. The searing pain only grew stronger as stranger’s hands touched them —a fire burning anew with even more strength than before.
It would’ve been better if they let her fall down to the seafloor, really.
Even despite the pain, Tori didn’t wake up from her slumber —the pain searing too much and causing her body to go completely exhausted, trying to keep her alive one way or another. The healing magics that the merpeople casted on her would be wasted on her —the cracks wouldn’t close, still faintly glowing white, threatening to break the girl’s body apart like a porcelain doll.
It was clear that Tori had gone too far now —being the worse she’d forced herself yet.
The expression on the girl’s face was one full of pain —perhaps even terrified. The longer Elane held her, the more pain Tori would go through, already having more than enough in her plate from the wounds being there to begin with. If the merwoman wanted to save her some suffering, it was safer to leave her on the seafloor or somewhere she could rest, until she woke back up.
For now, Tori was completely out cold…
Inside her head was pure darkness —her mind having no particular thoughts other than the searing pain in her body. Tori knew she’d forced herself past her limits, but the reason why she did that was enough for her to endure it.
If she could, she’d save people —that was one of the things she promised herself when it came to using her powers. She wouldn’t use them selfishly, ever.
A thought fluttered by, sudden yet tame —one Tori could only focus on in order to avert the pain she was going through. Although perhaps it wasn’t the best option, as the memory it brought with it was just as, if not more painful than the physical pain the girl was currently enduring…
Blinking a bit, Tori found herself under the rain, soaked from head to toe with damp clothes that stuck to her skin. It took a while for her to focus on the fact that she was crying, with both tears and drops of rain soaking her face. “Kosuke, please…” she found herself uttering the words, sobbing, “Don’t leave me…”
Her vision finally focusing on the blur that was before, Tori noticed she was carrying someone’s body. Kneeled on the stone floor beneath her, she was holding someone as she cried, shaking them softly to try and wake them up, but with no response at first. Her efforts would be rewarded, somewhat, as the person in her arms opened their eyes lazily.
“To… ri…” “I’m here” Tori managed to muster a smile, “I’m here, Kosuke… Please —stay with me?” “…” Kosuke blinked a bit, noticeably sluggish. Drawing a worried smile, he managed to raise a hand towards the girl’s cheeks, “Don’t… cry…” “…” “Please… Can’t you… Smile for me… One last time?” “Kosuke…”
While the Tori in the memory tried her best to hold her tears back, the current one looked at the swordsman’s chest —a scarred Emblem, stabbed cleanly through and slowly fading away, just as the swordsman’s life. Even trying her best to keep him alive, it was impossible for Tori to save him.
Finally able to remember the man’s face, Tori held herself back. Was this how she was supposed to remember him? Through such a painful memory?
“I… I can’t…” Tori shook her head, faintly, “I can’t…” “Please…” Kosuke managed to mutter, caressing her cheek as he himself forced a smile, “I don’t… Want to see you cry…” “Kosuke… Don’t leave me…”
Enduring the pain, Tori would begin to cry —even though the tears would merge with the water around her. Yet her expression was still in pain, if not more —although one couldn’t tell if it was due to the cracks causing her so much pain, or because of the thought crossing her mind.
Yet regardless, it was clear the girl was currently in quite the serious amount of agony.
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 1, 2020 22:14:10 GMT -5
Seeing that the healing magics were of no avail, Elane grimaced and laid the unconscious girl out on the floor, unsure of what to do from this point. ”It looks like she’s in a lot of pain…” One of the other merfolk of the Vanguard spoke, the one that had primarily done most of the healing magics. ”I’m not sure what else we can do for her, here…” Elane tsked, biting at a nail—one of her bad habits. ”It’s not like we can move her, either, though…” The pain written on the girls face was clear enough—especially once the tears began to form. Flounder hovered nearby, his face wracked with worry as Sebastian tried to console him. ”’Dere, ‘dere—I’m sure she’ll pull through.” Despite his words, the lobster’s face betrayed how little he believed the words he spoke. Thankfully the yellow and blue fish wouldn’t see, having both blue fins over their eyes and they cried softly. ”Oh…Tori…” While the small group focused on the girl, the rest of the Vanguard had organized the citizens, calming and tending to those wounded or stressed. All in all, a quiet hush fell upon the palace for a moment, the mood forlorn and somewhat heavy. ”Quick! Guards, to me!” Another merfolk emerged, coming from the entrance high at the top of the stairs, which led to the Throne Room.
”The piece of His Majesty’s Trident is gone!” Elane jolted in awareness, her look of worry worsening as she glanced back down at the unconscious Tori. ”Oh, no…” Sebastian’s face paled a bit, his mouth agape before stuttering out: ”T-the trident piece i-is missing?!” For a moment, it almost looked like the lobster would faint, though Flounder would quickly support him. ”Those monsters must have taken it!” Yelling from atop the stairs, the lightly armored merman who had emerged from the Throne Room worked on rallying the troops. ”We must retrieve it, in the name of our King!” Raising their own spear, many guards in the palace rose their spears or tridents as well, roaring out in unison as it seemed all were in agreement—other than Elane and the Healer. ”But—what about the citizens!” The Healer’s voice rang out across the palace, echoing Elane’s thoughts. ”Surely some must stay behind!” Many civilians shouted out in agreement, not wanting to be left unprotected—especially after seeing that the palace wasn’t as safe as they’d originally thought.
”Send half of the forces out, and keep half of them here!” Elane shouted out her idea immediately, which also gained approval from the masses around the palace. ”Fine! Those who want to stay, stay! Those who want to secure His Majesty’s honor, with me!” Despite their gruff attitude—seemingly offended at the idea that some may want to remain behind rather than enact vengeance, the guard at the top of the stairs was quick to swim down, rallying around half of the other Vanguard as they all rushed forth from the palace. Remaining with Tori, the Healer and Elane hunched nearby, Flounder and Sebastian gazing on with worry, as well.
Swimming along the path that led to the palace, Henoke’s gritted his teeth as his eyes darted around. No one’s here?! It wasn’t until they neared the palace itself that others began to emerge. ”Woah!” Shouting out in surprise as a torrent of Vanguard members burst through the palace gates, swimming at an impressive speed, Henoke darted to the side of the path to avoid getting trampled. ”Halt! What are you all doing?!” Jed, on the other hand, remained in the center of the path, a stern and serious look on his face as he straightened his posture and glared. ”Outta the way, Jed! The Trident Piece was taken!” Leading the vanguard was a merman of similar build and height to Jed, fiery red hair poking out from an ornate shelled helmet and armor, a jagged and spiked trident and net in his hands. ”Those damned monsters took ‘em! Why didn’t you see ‘em at the gate?!” With a look of anger, the guard swam forward, pointing a finger at Jed. "All you and Elane had to do was guard the gate! How hard is that?!” Scowling in response, Jed swam face-to-face with the guard, pushing him back a bit with his own armored chest and a vicious scowl. ”None of those demons passed on my watch! Where are Rory and Seth?! They were on door duty!” For a moment, his eyes narrowed.
”In fact—you were watching the Throne Room, Crest! How did those monsters get past you, and steal the Trident Piece?!” For a moment, Henoke blinked—thinking he was seeing things. It almost looked like a faint darkness had been lingering over the guard that had arrived, forming around Jed as well briefly before vanishing within the blink of an eye. Huh…? Rubbing his eyes for a moment, Henoke blinked, not seeing anything like what he had a second ago. Weird… Wait, what was he spacing out for?! Swimming between Jed and this ‘Crest’, the hotheaded youth wore a scowl as she shoved both mermen away from each other. ”Oi, stop fightin’! You’re both on the same side!” For a moment, Jed and Crest blinked at the boy, with a look of frustration and confusion before a calm look passed over them for a moment—almost as if waking up from a slumber. ”Wait, there were monsters in the palace?!” Jed seemed shocked, finally registering what Crest’s words had meant. ”I thought it was safe?!” Crest frowned, shaking a head with a surprisingly solemn look on their face. ”I guess nowhere’s safe…they even got the trident…” Shaking his head and firing himself back up, the merman turned back to the group of guards behind him.
”Not that it’ll stay gone for long! We’re gonna get it back, right!?” A resounding cheer and the thudding of shields against spears and tridents greeted his rally shout. Jed gave them a worried look before sighing and shaking his head. ”I take it the palace is at least secure, then? Is everyone safe?” With a cocky grin unfitting the situation, Crest nodded and thumped a fist against his breastplate. ”Of course! We didn’t suffer a single casualty, soldier or civilian alike!” With that, the younger guard swam off, the group following swiftly behind as Jed sighed and crossed their arms. ”So…they not only got into the palace…but stole our piece of the trident…” Henoke raised an eyebrow, not really understanding what Jed was talking about. ”Piece of the trident…?” Grimacing, the merman nodded and gave the teen a grave look. ”Before he left, His Majesty broke off a piece of his Trident, in order to leave some of his power with the Throne, to defend the palace.” Glancing in the palace’s directions, just ahead on the path, Jed sighed a bit. ”Of course, it’s not as powerful as the Trident itself…but His Majesty needed his weapon, for his journey.” It seemed that this ‘piece of trident’ was some sort of protection for the kingdom?
Henoke didn’t really get it. How could a piece of a weapon help anyone? Ya can’t even swing it… Shrugging, the teen clasped Jed on the shoulder, much to the merman’s chagrin. ”Don’t worry! It looks like everyone’s on it!” With a grin, Henoke pushed off and swam towards the palace doors. Despite his carefree attitude, deep down in his heart he was concerned about Tori. He knew it was her doing, the Heartless disappearing and everyone ending up safe. But she was already hurt… Just how much worse would she be, then? Reaching the open palace doors, Henoke hardly took in any of the ornate architecture as he swam through the entryway and rushed inside.
”Henoke!” Elane shouted out, still sitting near where Tori lay on the floor of the palace. ”Tori!?” Immediately seeing his friend, Henoke’s speed increased as he shoved his way past Flounder and Sebastian, making it to Tori’s side. Seeing her unconscious and on the ground, riddled with bright cracks and gaping wounds, the teen’s face betrayed their worry. Shit, Fay isn’t here! The last time this had happened, back in that bizarre castle, that weird fox had helped heal her! "This’s bad…” It was way worse than back then, too. Grimacing, Henoke reached out, though his hand didn’t end up making contact. Instead, it gripped into a fist above her, shaking slightly as he pounded the palace floor next to her. "Damn it, Tori! You idiot!” Elane gave the boy a sympathetic look, reaching out and resting a hand on his shoulder. "I’m sorry, Henoke…we tried to heal her, but…” The Healer, a mermaid dressed not in armor but a loose and open sheer robe with brown hair, swam over, her face grim as well. ”Indeed, nothing will take. It seems whatever these wounds are, it’s beyond my capabilities.” Nodding, Henoke didn’t look away from Tori, his fist clenched against the floor still.
”Yeah, magic isn’t gonna work.” How useless was it, knowing about what was happening, but not being able to know how to solve it? Frustrated at his own limitations, the teen sat frustrated and discontent, unsure of what to do from this point on, to help his friend. ”Tch—next time, just let us deal with it, stupid!” Red in the face as he shouted out at the unconscious girl, Henoke finally straightened himself, turning towards the open palace doors with a fiery and determined look on his face. ”There’s no use stayin’ here. I can’t do anythin’ for her…” Flounder and Sebastian looked on, worried, though they didn’t get to say much before the teen began to swim towards the palace exit. ”Wait, where are you going?!” Flounder shouted out, his face riddled with worry. ”They took somethin’ important, right?” Without looking back, Henoke paused near the door, summoning his large steel grey Keyblade as he gazed down at the path ahead. ”Maybe it has somethin’ to do with why we’re here. If it does, the sooner we solve this ‘monster’ problem, the better.” If he couldn’t do anything for his friend, the least he’d do was go take out his frustration with her on the Heartless.
Stubborn and determined, Henoke swam back out of the palace, passing Jed, who remained guarding the open entrance, without so much as an explanation or goodbye.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 2, 2020 5:08:58 GMT -5
Oblivious to the conversation around her, and of the fact that Henoke was openly berating her despite being unconscious, Tori didn’t bat an eye —remaining completely out cold through it all. Despite it, she could still feel what was happening, through faint and sluggish glimpses.
She knew how worried they all were about her —but there was little she could do to let them know she was fine. That she’d pull throw, somehow.
It would take her a while, but she managed to find enough strength to open her eyes again —slowly and lazily, still drained of much of her energy. Even moving hurt all over —feeling as if she’d been hit by more than just a truck. It was always like that, in the end. A painful and slow recovery. Unable to move much without hurting, Tori found a comfortable spot while laying down, looking with her eyes as she tried finding Henoke —only to see him nowhere. Was he safe? Did he know what was going on? There were so many questions causing a turmoil in the girl’s head, mixing with the painful memory she just recovered.
“Where…?” she mumbled.
Her voice broke mid-sentence, apparently too injured to even make out words —yet she had to try. There were so many things she had to explain, so many details Henoke didn’t know when it came to Illusions. But if he wasn’t there… Then was he outside? She could still sense him, somewhere within it —maybe he hadn’t left just yet.
Maybe there was still time.
“I need to tell him” she thought, “God… I’m such an idiot…! He most likely left because I’m like this now…”
The girl wasn’t particularly wrong, but she only new a piece of the whole story. The images panning in front of her were blurry —her eyes had yet to fully focus back after waking up. Yet against the green blur that was her vision, she could see the yellow and blue of Flounder.
Maybe he could help?
“…Flounder…?” she spoke, trying to raise her voice a bit, “You’re there… Right…?” she asked, managing a faint smile.
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 2, 2020 14:02:36 GMT -5
”Where…?” As the girl’s eyes groggily came open, Elane and the Healer, both still crouched near her, jolted upright immediately. ”Tori!” Hearing the guard’s exclamation, Flounder and Sebastian perked up, too. ”You’re in the palace—the monster’s are gone, for now…” Giving Tori room to breathe, the Healer ensured the others didn’t crowd around her too much. Others in the palace, having maintained order and began recuperating, perked up a bit as well. Many had seen what she had done, despite all of the chaos that had broken out. Countless of the merfolk within these walls knew that this girl was the reason they were all safe and sound. For a moment, the entire room seemed to halt in anticipation. ”…Flounder…?” Hearing her voice croak out once more, Flounder swam up near her with a worried expression, despite the relief of her being awake. ”Y-yeah! I’m here, Tori!” Wriggling a bit with worry, the fish wanted to do nothing more but nuzzle up to the girl and reassure her—but the wounds still riddled her body. Even Flounder had enough sense to know better.
”What do you need?! Can I do anything?!” Eager to help as always, he decided instead to extend his heart, rather than a fin. ”We’ll help you get through this!”
Henoke swam down the path, seeing the group of Vanguard members near the gate up ahead. His face was dark and his teeth grit, a vein pulsing on his forehead as his fists clenched against the handle of his Keyblade. Damn it! He wasn’t used to feeling so helpless, or useless. Always being one to take matters into his own hands and trust in his own strength, there were little moments Henoke could say made him feel like this. Idiot! Of course, the teen’s worry and concern for his friend was masked by his frustration—something his fiery heart was far too used to, relying on the numbing sense of anger in place of wallowing. ”Where are they?!” Hearing one of the guards as he neared the gate, the teen eyed them as he followed along, swimming into the Gardens. Tch—if she made ‘em all disappear…we’ll probably have to go far… He wasn’t totally sure how his friends powered work, really, but he figured everything had some sort of limitation or breaking point. ”We should all search around here! Maybe there’re some still hidin’, waitin’ for us to rush out!” Shouting out to the guards, the teen’s idea was met with agreements and affirmations all around.
Good… He didn’t want them to break past—they’d all stay safe here. If Tori was going to pull stunts like this, he’d at least make her main goal succeed. Tch—I’m gonna hit her so hard when she wakes up… It was a hollow threat, one made in frustration and worry—but most likely the teen’s fire would wane once he was able to take out his anger on something. Without bringing notice to himself, Henoke swam out of the Undersea Garden and began to head back towards the Gorge. Surely the girl’s illusion wouldn’t stretch even that far, right?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 2, 2020 14:26:09 GMT -5
Had she been able to nod, Tori would’ve —but moving legitimately hurt even if it was the slightest of movements. Still, it was embarrassing to feel everyone’s eyes looking at her while she was at her downlow —it was almost making her want to create another Illusions to just disappear, but that would surely bring her to her actual limits.
For now, she’d have to endure it.
”What do you need?! Can I do anything?!” Flounder’s enthusiasm was appreciated, able to bring Tori to a smile as her vision finally adjusted. If only she could hug the fish back, knowing that the only thing he wanted was a similar thing —based solely on how he was holding himself back. Still, that would have to wait.
Right now, there were more pressing matters to focus on.
“…Henoke left, didn’t he?” she asked, “…I need to tell him something —but I can’t go after him” Tori explained, “So… Could you do that for me? He shouldn’t be too far, right?”
Able to endure her pain for a bit, Tori moved her hand in a way to ask Flounder to lean in closer —almost like she had a secret to share. In a sense, it wasn’t wrong —what Tori wanted to tell Henoke wasn’t something anyone could listen onto, but she had no choice but to entrust it to someone.
Flounder seemed like the most trustworthy out of the bunch —purely based on his interactions with the two so far. Once the fish was close enough to be at whisper’s reach, she would ask her request. “Don’t ask anything now —I’ll explain it to you later” she began, whispering, “Henoke has to know where the Illusion ends —the Heartless aren’t completely gone. What I did… Was trap us all inside an Illusion, keeping the Heartless outside of it, but only the Palace and the Palace’s grounds outside, where we split. If he goes outside the Illusion’s boundaries, he’s bound to find the Heartless —he has to know this before he does anything else.”
“Please, keep quiet though” Tori begged, her expression clear with concern, “If people know this… Then they might find themselves outside of the Illusion —and if that happens, I can’t help them. I can’t protect them. So… Keep this to yourself, okay? No one else but Henoke, you and me can know this. Got it?”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 2, 2020 14:46:37 GMT -5
Flounder nodded as Tori beckoned him closer, his face mixed between eagerness to help and worry for his friend. Listening to Tori’s hushed words, the fish’s eyes widened a bit, a look of brief confusion coming over his face. It was clear that many of these newer concepts Tori was introducing were going over the young fish’s head—but regardless they scrunched up a look of determination. Okay! I just gotta let Henoke know to leave the palace and the gardens! Easy enough, right? ”So…keep this to yourself, okay? No one else but Henoke, you, and me can know this.” Nodding, the fish gave her a confidant smile as he twirled through the water. ”You can count on me, Tori!” Within the blink of an eye, the vibrant fish was swimming through the palace doors and out of the castle at a speed that wouldn’t match one such as Doris, but was impressive for a fish his size. Leaving a bubble trail in his wake, the blue and yellow fish was gone. It seemed he was more than motivated to do what he could! ”You should rest. It’s clear you’re still in a lot of pain.” The Healer spoke with a commanding tone, though it wasn’t harsh. It was one that was used to directing patients and aiding those hurting.
”Just what are these wounds, girl?” Her eyes showed intrigue and mild confusion. ”I’ve never seen anything like it…”
Just as Henoke was swimming through the Undersea Garden, aiming to head towards the Gorge—a shout caught his attention from behind. ”Henoke!” Flounder whizzed through the gates, barreling past countless guards, who shouted out in surprise. ”Flounder?” Raising an eyebrow, Henoke sighed a bit, holding back his frustration for a moment despite the vein pulsing on his forehead. ”What is it? You should be back at the palace!” Giving the fish a frown, Henoke rested his Keyblade on his shoulder. There was no way he was bringing Flounder outside of the palace area right now. "Tori…huff…asked me…huff…” The fish gulped breathes through their gills, bubbles emerging in the water from how greedily he sucked it in. Clearly he had swam as fast as his little body could muster, in order to reach the teen in time. ”…she…huff…said to…huff…leave the palace an-and…huff…its grounds!” Finally getting his sentence out, the fish gasped as he finally began to recover his breathing.
”Otherwise, you won’t be able to reach the…what’d she call ‘em? Hardscales? Heartful?” It seemed the insane speed at which he had been swimming had diverted some of his memory—maybe it had shuffled around his brain too much? ”But yeah! If you wanna find the monsters, you gotta leave the Palace and the Gardens!” Gesturing with a fin towards the crevice that would lead to the pathway heading to the Grotto, Flounder had fully recovered by now. ”Once you leave, you’ll be able to escape her…what’d she call it? Eelfusion? Reefpicking? Oh, well! I’m sure y’know what that means!” Blinking at the fish’s words, Henoke shook his head for a moment before giving a faint smirk and small sigh. ”So—she’s up, huh?” Nodding, Flounder seemed eager to deliver the news. ”Tch—tell ‘er she’s gonna have to deal with me when I get back, so she better hurry up and get better!” With a wide smirk, the teen gave Flounder a ‘thumbs up’ as the fish nodded and swam back towards the palace, this time at a much more reasonable pace for a fish his size.
So, I was right, huh? Glancing the direction Flounder had pointed out, the teen swam out of the Undersea Garden, heading for the Gorge.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 2, 2020 15:24:58 GMT -5
“Thank you…”
Managing to mutter her thanks, Tori watched as the fish dashed out of the Palace after Henoke —trying his best to help Tori in any way he could. He’d wanted to help them for so long now, only able to do so much —so obviously, he was eager to help yet again.
”You should rest. It’s clear you’re still in a lot of pain.” Hearing the healer’s berating her opening about her current condition, Tori looked away, the movements still hurting quite a bit. How long would she stay like that, impaired and unable to help? How long would it take before her wounds healed?
Would they even heal at all, while she was on her own? The only times they healed was whenever she was at the Shore, or Fay was near. If neither complied, then… Would they remain?
“Honestly? I’d be more surprised if you saw them before…” Tori mumbled at the Healer’s question, “…They’re the price I have to pay, in order to use the powers I have…” she revealed, looking away, “In order to help people… In order to protect them… These are the price I have to pay for that… Even if they hurt so badly… Even if they threaten to shatter me… So long as I can help others… I don’t really mind…”
Her gaze looked down —sad, almost. She could still feel the rain pouring down on her, dampening her clothes so much they stuck to her skin. She could feel the last caress on her cheek, as a painful farewell echoed one last time in her head.
At that time… How could she possibly muster a smile?
“…I failed to save someone, once…” Tori continued, “That’s why… I can’t allow that to happen again… Even if it’s not a vow I took…” she glanced back towards the Healer, a faint smile written on her lips, “You all have something to protect —something you cherish. If I can help you protect that which matters to you… Why wouldn’t I?”
The smile in Tori’s face was one full of grief —that much was obvious at first glance. But her intentions were honest, and the only reason why she kept on fighting. Not for atonement, but for herself —wanting to honor at least something she learnt from them.
If she could help others, she would —regardless of the price.
“At least… I have that much to remember you by…”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 2, 2020 15:54:48 GMT -5
Hearing Tori’s explanation, the Healer grimaced a bit, giving the girl a faint frown and a small sigh. Elane listened with intrigue, a sad smile on her face as Tori explained her motivations behind using such risky powers. Frankly, it was one the guard could relate to well. ”Still…pushing yourself too far won’t help anyone.” It seemed despite her understanding, the Healer would continue to be the voice of a concerned practitioner first and foremost. ”Oh, don’t be like that! I think it’s great that you’re so motivated to help others, Tori!” Reassuring the girl, Elane beamed, seemingly willing to cut her more slack than the other mermaid. ”I know everyone appreciates what you’ve done!” Others in the palace had paused to look, though none nearby were brave enough to eavesdrop—surely though, given Tori’s nature and abilities, she’d feel the fact that what Elane said was true. Any wandering eye that lingered on the girl was filled with an appreciative yet worried look, all hearts hoping and wishing for her recovery. Of course, it wasn’t like any would approach. Any who did had been shoo’ed off rather quickly by the Healer.
It seemed many knew her and knew better than to get in the way of her practice. ”Still, it worries me that our magic hasn’t been working.” Wearing a faint frown, the Healer’s eyes lingered on the wounds. ”Is there anything we can do, to ease the pain, at least?” Elane was quick to offer up another suggestion, refusing to allow the grimness of the situation saturate her heart.
Sure enough, Flounder had been right. The moment Henoke had emerged from the Undersea Garden and into the Gorge, Heartless littered the waters. SLAM! The hotheaded teen hadn’t wasted any time, having immediately began to vent their frustration at the situation against the countless enemies abound. Ruthlessly, Henoke swung with heavy arcs that whirled the water in its wake, the vein on his forehead pulsing as his red face burned with vicious concentration. CLANG! Another Heartless defeated, its heart bursting through the water. There were just as many as had been in the Garden, though this time Henoke’s anger fueled him—providing a ferocious fog in his head that allowed his body to move undistracted. Everything in the teen’s head, heart and limbs spoke with the same goal—destruction. ZZZzzzzt! Lightning blasted forth from a nearby Aquatank, though surprisingly enough, the teen hardly felt what few bolts grazed him. Twirling through the water and zig-zagging between the pillars of electricity, Henoke made quick work of getting beneath the large fish-like Heartless, slashing upwards with a brutal combo.
”Someone! Help!” A familiar voice cut through his rage, the cloud in his mind parting for a moment as his eyes darted to its source. Doris?! Sure enough, the voice had come from one of the countless alcoves around the area. ”Doris! Hang on!” Blinking in newfound clarity, Henoke realized just how many Heartless were in the area. Swimming between the large pillars of rock jutting forth from the seafloor, countless enemies swarmed. Why’re there so many? Not bothering to waste any time, the teen hurled his massive Keyblade at the enemies surrounding the waters, using his Reflect Raid while swimming towards the alcove entrance. CLANG! Shwing! Ricocheting off of the pillars and seafloor, the massive Keyblade spun and slammed into the surrounding enemies, clearing the way and destroying some of the weakened ones. As the weapon began to arc and magically return to its wielder’s hands, Henoke made his way through the alcove…
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 2, 2020 16:36:24 GMT -5
Tori took a deep breath, looking away and ignoring most of the glances headed her way. Even if people were grateful for what she’d done, the girl didn’t like much attention heading her way —preferring instead to have little to none, and keeping her actions hidden for the most part. The only reason they now knew was because she’d acted in the spur of the moment —it hadn’t been premeditated.
”Is there anything we can do, to ease the pain, at least?” Elane’s question was appreciated, but there was hardly anything they could do to ease Tori. Still looking away after finally saying her piece, the girl was more looking towards any sort of memory that could keep her away from the pain —yet the few memories that were so fond to her suddenly were bittersweet.
There were memories she cherished outside the ones with Kosuke —but right now, he was the only person she could think about.
“I appreciate the concern, but…” Tori said, not looking at the mermaids besides her, “There’s not a lot you can do… I’m sorry…”
The wounds seemed to hurt a bit less, though —moving around didn’t sting as much as before, but it still did. It was a mild pain now, yet the many cracks had yet to close, threatening still to break her apart. They would linger still, perhaps even after she broke the Illusion keeping everyone safe. The exhaustion still remained, somewhat —causing Tori’s eyes to grow heavy, wanting to sleep. Yet there was something scaring her, right now. If she went to sleep, would she see yet another painful memory? One full of loss and suffering?
Don’t worry —I’ll show you a good one.
The girl perked up, albeit very faintly, as she heard a familiar voice echo through her head. Was that… The fox they met, back then? It was soothing, welcome and warm —lulling Tori to sleep. It was a voice she could trust, surely —after everything Fay had done to help, there was little reason to doubt.
I’ll make sure the Illusion remains. That’s what you want, right? “…Thank you…”
While Henoke fought against the Heartless, trying to reach the familiar cry for help, a sudden blur would cross past the battlefield. Massive and imposing, a sea-snake of a bright pink color, with a few tendrils the color of coral —vivid and orange. Its eyes, black and devoid of life, seemed to ignore the Heartless as it tore through them without care.
It seemed to go its merry way, after having interrupted the battle, but something seemed to stop it. It glared back at the Keyblade Wielder, its eyes seemingly bitter.
“…Someone’s Illusion is near, isn’t there? Yet it’s not yours…” a voice echoed, apparently from the sea-snake, but its snout didn’t move an inch, “…You there. Do you know about this?”
The sea-snake maintained its distance, wary of any Heartless that decided to join —if they did. The Spirit’s Familiar traversing through the sea was imposing enough to send a message. Its power was radiating, akin an aura, yet not a pleasant one —it was chilly and distant. A cold one, indicative of someone unwilling to cooperate unless absolutely necessary.
“…It’s hers, isn’t it? She’s nearby, correct?” the creature asked, yet without showing expression, the voice did that for it, scoffing, “Then that means you’re a friend of hers? Or a pet?” the voice sighed, “I’m not in the mood to chase after her —I’d rather leave it to any of those lunatics… So instead, I offer a truce. After all, your aim is to get rid of the Heartless, right? Being honest, they’ve been bothersome enough for now —at least, for what I want to do.”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 3, 2020 13:03:33 GMT -5
Frowning at the mention there was little they could do, the two mermaids looked down at the girl with concern. Having never seen wounds such as hers, the Healer wasn’t sure what to do from here. If none of her healing magic or tonics worked, let alone normal medical practices, there wasn’t much else for her to do other than try to make Tori comfortable. Seeing her fall back to sleep, the Healer glanced over to Elane with a faint sigh. ”Well, at least she’s resting. Could you go grab something comfortable for her? We shouldn’t move her, but I don’t want her just sleeping on the bare floor, either…” Eager to do what she could, Elane swam off to go find things that would hopefully make Tori more comfortable. As the girl slept, the Healer stayed crouched near her, keeping a trained and watchful eye, to make sure that she was stable.
Swimming towards the alcove, where he had heard Doris’s cry for help, Henoke would shout out in surprise as a large snake-like being swam into the battle, disrupting countless Heartless as it made its way near him. ”Someone’s Illusion is near,” Despite hearing the echoed voice, the teen didn’t see the creature’s mouth move an inch. ”You there. Do you know about this?” Blinking in confusion, Henoke floated for a moment with their head tilted and eyebrow raised. ”Huh?” The creature’s questions were kind of confusing, especially considering how distracted Henoke was—keeping an eye on the Heartless that were slowly recovering as well as looking past the snake to the alcove where he had heard Doris. ”I offer a truce. After all, your aim is to get rid of the Heartless, right? Being honest, they’ve been bothersome enough for now—“ He totally wasn’t getting what was going on, or who the big pink snake was…but hearing that they were enemies of the Heartless made Henoke perk up a bit in recognition.
”Oh, you know about ‘em?!” To be honest, the teen had thought this to be another weird fish local. ”I don’t really get you…but if you’re fightin’ them, we’re on the same side!” Giving the bizarre creature a broad grin and ‘thumbs up’ with his free hand, Henoke seemed disarmed and rather trusting the moment he heard their goal. The other more confusing details didn’t really matter then, right? ”Someone, help!” Doris’s voice rang out once more, just as a loud CLAP! was heard from the same alcove. ”I've gotta help Doris!” Swimming past the creature, Henoke kept his Keyblade firm in his grasp as he made his way through the alcove…
Entering the tiny Grotto, lined with chests of assorted items and random knickknacks, Henoke shouted out in surprise as he was greeted by a peculiar Heartless he had never seen before. ”What the—?!” Currently ensnaring the large clamshell in the middle of the room, the Heartless almost looked like a Screwdriver, except its armor was a dark purple, rather than the aquatic green. It’s bottom half was composed of eight octopus tentacles, all wrapped around the large shell and suctioned to it currently. It’s its muscular and armored arms was a large trident, forked with two jagged and serrated blades. ”Doris?! Where are you?!” Whipping his head around, the teen searched the small Grotto with his eyes quickly, not finding the dolphin anywhere. Many knickknacks and artifacts that had been so carefully placed on the shelves were now knocked over and in disarray, some chests completely broken, with their contents spilling out into the water.
THUMP! The closed shell moved, though barely, a loud thump and bang coming from within. ”!!!” A muffled cry came from within as the armored Heartless turned Henoke’s way for the first time. She’s—in the clamshell?! By the looks of it, it hadn’t been by choice, either. Gripping his Keyblade tightly, the teen swam forward with a determined look as the battle began! ”Oi, le’go of Doris!” Whether the odd serpent creature would follow Henoke into the alcove and join in this battle, or remain outside to contend with the other Heartless, was yet to be seen.
[[ENEMIES: Cephalodiver]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 3, 2020 14:13:13 GMT -5
Chuckling with amusement, the voice seemed to accept the terms —if they could even call it that. The Keyblade Wielder’s naivety was the most amusing part to it, as it remained silent and swam alongside him, the cold and distant aura it imposed standing out much more than its elegant figure. Hearing how Henoke considered them to be of the “same side” was an overstatement —but one that would work for the time being.
“How naïve can one be…?” the voice asked itself, seemingly disappointed once more, “…Oh, well —not that it bothers me much right now.”
The snake swam alongside the teen, following his way towards the Grotto and completely unfazed by the noises around them. Heartless were a pain to deal with —annoying to no end as they strived to find each and every world’s heart to then devour it selfishly.
Although not a threat to it, whoever it was that commanded the creature seemed to find them to be a thorn in their side. Their motives behind it, however, would remain a mystery…
Inside the tiny Grotto, the snake was forced to shrink its size —otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to go past the entrance, being far too massive for a tiny alcove. It didn’t bat an eye at the sight of the Heartless —there was even a disappointed sigh coming from the voice’s part.
“How annoying you are…” it said.
Remaining in place while Henoke charged forward, the snake seemed reluctant to join the fight —most likely, deeming it a waste of time. Why bother even spend efforts helping others? Still, it had offered a truce —which meant that they were somewhat obliged to join and try to support.
Not that it would do much, anyways —whoever it was didn’t care about what happened to Henoke or anyone else. It was a selfish truce, at the end of the day.
Raising its snout upward, followed by a piercing wail, the snake was forming a cold mist, chanting magic. Around it, multiple shards of thin and sharp ice converged, before shooting forward towards the Heartless in front of it —most of them avoiding Henoke, but he would still most likely be at a close call of one of them hitting him. One, or many.
It would cooperate, sure, but not to the point it cared for its comrade’s well-being.
Groaning, Tori would open her eyes. She felt warm sand underneath her —she could hear the sound of the sea, faintly brushing at the golden sand underneath her. The sunrays were warm, yet subtle —they didn’t burn like normal rays would.
It was quite the pleasant environment, sure, but… Why was she there?
“Woke up?”
Looking around, the girl found a silver fox turned on its back with its paws in the air, its nine tails sprawled on the sand. That’s when Tori noticed her own form —not only did she have her legs back, but she was small. The size of a 4-year-old, no more and no less —her hair was short, and she wore a simple white dress, paired with stockings with a black stripe on the top, white on the rest, and finishing with grey shoes.
What happened to her? She continued to look at her figure, her hands —everything just… Amazed her. Even her voice had changed!
“Shocked much?” the fox asked, chuckling, “Don’t worry —this is reversible. You could even call it a dream!” “A… dream…?” Tori asked, “…Is this what you meant?” “…We used to do this a lot —but obviously you don’t remember. It doesn’t matter, though!”
The tails waged a little, patting at the sand, and almost inviting Tori to lay back down, much in a similar way to what her current predicament was. Resigning herself to do the fox’s bidding, the girl laid down, on her side, looking back at the fox with expectation.
The fox turned back to lay flat on its stomach, its snout incredibly close to Tori’s nose. It leaned closer a bit, booping Tori back with a giggle —much for the girl’s confusion.
“Let’s just… Y’know —hang out like old times!” the fox suggested, “It’ll give you something else to think about, right?” “…Why do you do this?” Tori asked. “Because I’m you —and I know what you’re going through. Besides, it’s the same as when we first met —it’ll help you heal. Still…” the fox pouted, “Can you stop doing these things, please?!” “…Hehe…” Tori giggled back, “No can’t do.” “Haa… Well, at least you know the limits —so I’m not afraid that you’ll crack. Just watch it, okay?” “Okay.”
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