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Post by therunawaygirl on Feb 26, 2023 11:05:53 GMT -5
The battle began almost immediately, with Henoke charging forward while Sharih remained slightly at the back. The Keyblade Wielder first threw his Firaga spell, the fireball landing directly in its mark, and the Heartless seemingly commanding the gigantic Iron Giant’s head was unable to truly react much. Yet despite this disadvantage, Henoke’s following Blitz would be blocked by the arm with the sword, the clank! echoing loudly through the Warehouse’s maze. It seemed that, though the head Heartless had been incapacitated for a moment, each of the parts seemed to act on their own at times. With seeming ease, perhaps due to its size, the Iron Giant’s sword arm aimed to throw Henoke off, the same way as one would swat a fly.
Sharih, of course, wouldn’t sit there doing nothing —flying with impressive speed, though not as fast as Henoke, she aimed herself directly at the arm with the sword, that had just blocked Henoke’s attack, and directly striking the window where the Heartless seemed to reside with her Torrent Tackle. The attack connecting, the sword arm of the Iron Giant remained wet, water still dripping, but due to the Heartless’ nature, it seemed that water was causing the arm to malfunction, and before long it fell to the Iron Giant’s side, useless.
“Hmm… I guess we’ll have to go part by part~!” Sharih noticed, humming pleasantly, “Maybe we should take the arms out of commission, first? Do you think you could do that, sweetie?” she asked Henoke, a smile hidden in the pheasant’s façade. While the sword arm was now useless, the Iron Giant hardly seemed deterred from attacking. Due to its size, it moved slowly, but nevertheless it stepped forward, charging its other, still functionable arm, aiming to drill through Henoke as retaliation. The ground shook at every step the Heartless took, before stopping as it released a powerful punch-like action!
[BOSS! Iron Giant (Heartless locations: 1 in the head, 2 in the chest, 2 in the arms)]
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Post by hoodwink on Feb 26, 2023 13:36:31 GMT -5
Just as his weapon flared with a blinding, sparking energy and Henoke closed the distance, slashing with his hefty weapon with all his might, the teen felt as though they'd hit a wall. CLANG! Sparks flew as the warrior's Blitz exploded against the massive Heartless' sword, meeting the attack head on with its own might. Despite the boys own muscle and might behind his attack, the sheer size and force of the Heartless greeting him while in the air was too much for him to push through.
"Urk--!" After only a moments delay, the Blitz waned uselessly off of the massive sword as Henoke was swatted away from the Heartless and back towards the Warehouse floor. Sharih was already darting through the darkness with impressive speed, targeting the Heartless' arm with a water based attack that the devilish teen couldn't help but find menacing, though it wasn't like he could pause for long to appreciate it.
Within moments, the same sword arm that had swiped Henoke and his attack away with ease lied uselessly on the ground, stunned. "I guess we'll have to go part by part~!" It took him a second, but once the Spirit clued him in on her plan, the spiky haired warrior was wearing a fanged grin from pointed ear to ear.
"Heh, I get ya. Leave it 'ta me!" Thumping a fist against his chest and giving Sharih a nod, Henoke's four eyes blazed with determination. Turning back to the massive enemy, now readying its one usable arm that hefted a massive drill, the teen's gaze hardened. "'Sides...we don't got time 'ta waste, with Tori missin'."
Readying a battle stance as the massive enemy's drill roared, a straight lunge punching towards him, the orange haired warrior took in a deep breathe. Despite the dark Keyblade's size and weight, it felt like a feather in his hands as Henoke's eyes closed. Focus. Fer Tori... He thought of her, his dearest friend. The one who helped him get to where he was now. The one who needed his help, now. He couldn't waste any time here, when she was missing and the Keyhole still needed to be found.
As a dim gold light began to shine around the boys figure, he side-stepped, his Keyblade shifting as thought a clock hand. His eyes were still closed, but he could feel the ground shaking as the massive Heartless stomped towards him. He thought back to his training as the gold light around him and his weapon grew brighter, solidified. Just as the massive Heartless closed in, releasing one massive powerful punch with its drill fist, Henoke's eyes opened, shimmering with the same gold that surrounded him.
He moved like lightning, there one second and gone the next. All in one flash of light.
Using the Zantetsuken ability he'd learned from his Master, Henoke had side-stepped and leapt, slashing out with his Keyblade and aiming to cut up the entirety of the arm the giant Heartless attacked with as he closed in towards the main body. Due to the speed of the attack, the only evidence would be a single steaming golden line that would screech and stretch along the Heartless' drill arm, leading to the spot where Henoke now stood on its shoulder.
His aim was to take the arm out of commission, much like Sharih had. Regardless, being so close to the head, the teen gave no room for pause. Aiming his Keyblade up into the air as the golden aura around him disappeared, Henoke wore a devilish smirk as he summoned more strength from within to summon a magic spell.
"Thundara!" Bolts of lightning were called forth from the sky, hurtling down and crackling along the massive Heartless' shoulder towards the head, once more trying to pierce the tinier Heartless within.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Feb 27, 2023 7:38:03 GMT -5
Sharih seemed pleased, seeing Henoke’s grin and agreeing to her proposal. It certainly didn’t take much for him to get hooked to a plan, so long as it provided some fun —in that regard, Henoke and Sharih were quite alike. While the Keyblade Wielder readied his stance, Sharih readied herself to continue on with her own part of the assault, not letting the Heartless rest even if it wanted. Flapping her wings to maintain her flight, the pheasant soared swiftly out of the way of the punch of the Iron Giant, readying her own Flood spell to support Henoke’s charge.
It all happened in the blink of an eye —as soon as the Heartless began to move its arm towards Henoke, the teen had disappeared in a flash. Within seconds that followed the confusion, the drill arm broke down, the Heartless driving said part disappearing completely after being sundered through with Henoke’s Zantetsuken, to then find himself near the Iron Giant’s head. Wasting no time, the Keyblade Wielder chanted his own Thundara, piercing the glass that was protecting the Heartless inside the head, though unlike its comrade at the arm, the Heartless wasn’t defeated just yet. In unison, Sharih’s Flood aimed straight towards the Iron Giant’s chest, where 2 Heartless remained. Just as what had happened with the sword arm, the body twitched and shuddered, and before long it was stunned in place and unable to move.
However, the sword arm that was previously unable to move soon recovered its functions, and despite the slow maneuvers of the gigantic Heartless, it still aimed to retaliate against its attackers —the sword swinging back and forth. Sharih would have an easy enough time weaving through it thanks to her aerodynamic form, but maybe it wouldn’t be so easy for Henoke. The Iron Giant seemed to creak and scream, the metallic sounds echoing loudly throughout the Warehouse. The Spirit was a bit exasperated at the sight, seeing that despite what they had been doing, it seemed hardly in their favor.
“Dear me —this one’s a tough guy” she reprimanded, “So, you’ll keep recovering the ones we beat down while we focus on another… That won’t do!” “Get lost!”
There was a familiar voice that shouted from behind them, and before they could even compute who it was that shouted, the Heartless at the helm was pummeled through by Tori’s Elegant Flurry. In her hands rested the unusual, reverse crystal Keyblade, her eyes having shifted to a violet hue. Sharih seemed hopeful at first, but upon a closer look, something felt off from the girl she knew. There was a certain determination that left her thinking that perhaps not everything was fine…
The Heartless writhed around, now without a head to command it, but still with a few pieces still able to move on. Tori’s gaze was locked on the remaining cockpits of the Iron Giant, the grip on her Keyblade as firm as ever. Her back was facing both Sharih and Henoke, unwilling to look back at them for a second as the battle continued. Though what she did next would come off as a surprise to even the pheasant who’d been by her side since long ago.
“…This isn’t your fight to fight.”
Tori’s words were ushered calmly, but with firmness and stubbornness behind them. Mist surging forth, she charged forward, though not before enveloping her own Illusion around both Sharih and Henoke…
One keeping them both hidden and away from the fighting that would continue to take place.
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Post by hoodwink on Feb 27, 2023 18:58:40 GMT -5
Henoke roared out in triumph as they saw their Thundara spell crackle and burst against the massive head, the Heartless within the giant writhing in pain as the spell hit its mark. Behind him, the large arm that housed the drill had collapsed. Heh, the plan’s workin’! Sharih’s Flood attack continued to pummel the massive Heartless, causing even the enemies in the chest cavity to become stunned. ”We got ‘em now!” Just as the boy was readying another attack on the massive giant’s shoulder, the sword arm became reanimated once more…
”Grrr…ahhh!” Barely throwing up a guard in time, Henoke was bashed from the shoulder he stood on as the massive Heartless swung the huge sword across the battlefield and swept its arm up towards him. CLAAAAANG! His arms buckled and jolted as his Keyblade protected him from the massive sharp weapon, but the sheer force from the attack caused the teen to fly off from their advantageous position and take some damage.
Gritting their teeth, Henoke was fumbling through the air and shouting as their Glide power seemed to kick in innately, a faint shimmering glitter covering their form as their body stopped its free-fall and began a slow descent towards the Warehouse floor. “Dear me—this one’s a tough guy.” Flying down next to where Sharih fluttered in their bird form, the spiky hair warrior sighed in annoyance as they readjusted their battle stance, landing on the cement floor.
”No kiddin’…if only we had an attack that could target all of it at once.” Just Henoke spoke the thought, another voice shouted out from behind them and a blast of violet energy seemed to streak from above towards the massive enemy.
“Get lost!” Out of seemingly nowhere, Tori emerged. Having entered a different form, plus being transformed from the world’s camouflage, it was hard to recognize her at first as she catapulted into the huge Heartless with an insane attack. Shouting out with a broad smile on their face, Henoke leapt up and pumped a fist in the air, happy to see his friend once more.
”Tori, ‘bout time ya showed up! Where’d ya go?!” Laughing a bit, the warrior seemed relieved at her presence. Unlike Sharih, he was hardly discerning enough to notice anything off or peculiar about her, simply excited to be reunited with his friend again in time for an epic battle. As the Heartless writhed around on the Warehouse floor, headless, Henoke began to run ahead towards Tori.
“This isn’t your fight to fight.” Just as he was closing the distance, he heard her cold words echo through the darkness, causing him to stumble a bit. Before he could ask what she’d meant, a familiar mist began to form, swirling and circling around him and Sharih while Tori remained standing alone before the gigantic felled enemy.
”Oi, Tori! What the hell?!” With his Keyblade in hand, Henoke began to hack and slash at the swirling mist, though in the back of his mind, the boy knew it was useless. He’d been trapped in the Illusions of Spirits before, both with and without Tori. Weapons hardly had any affect against such mystic powers, even ones like the Keyblade. ”Grrr…c’mon! What the hell is she thinkin’?!”
Without losing steam, Henoke continued to hack at the walls of the mist, trying to fight his way out of the trap. ”Damn it! Tori! TORI!” He couldn’t think straight, though even if he could, it wouldn’t have done him much good. Henoke was never one to retain much that couldn’t be drilled into him with physical blows. To this day, even after all of the adventures he and Tori had been on together, he still couldn’t understand or wrap his head around how Illusions really worked.
Usually, he just defeated whatever enemies showed up while he was trapped in them.
Usually, he at least had another Spirit with him, to help him get out…
”Sharih!” Suddenly remembering, the orange haired warrior spun on his heels, ceasing his useless attacks against the walls of the Illusion. Though his Keyblade remained in his hand, it fell to his side as he ran back towards the transformed Spirit. ”Sharih, c’mon, we gotta get outta here and help Tori! How do these stupid illusion things work?” It was clear the boy was in a mostly frenzied state, his four eyes wide and breathing ragged, though he hadn’t lost his senses just yet.
Truth be told, if there wasn’t a way out…well, who knew what would happen then? He couldn’t think of that possibility, not with his friend so close and such a huge enemy in their midsts…
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Post by therunawaygirl on Feb 28, 2023 9:20:22 GMT -5
The Illusion surrounding Wielder and Spirit both was white at first, though upon clearing the mist would reveal a familiar scenario —more to one than the other, but recognizable to both. The isolated island of the Shore was all that surrounded them, though even if they knew it was an Illusion of said world, it felt all too real. As if they were truly there. For Sharih, it was a bittersweet sight, seeing a world she cherished, and knew Tori had mixed feelings about —but more towards the fact that it was Tori’s Illusion taking that image.
Sure enough, the girl was still troubled, and had taken the hasty decision to handle things on her own, with no one’s help —much in a similar fashion to many times before. But this time, someone who was somewhat unfamiliar with Tori’s machinations was caught in the turmoil.
Henoke swung his Keyblade with no results whatsoever, the mist that had surrounded them hardly giving way, while he shouted for Tori to reason it out. Maybe she’d heard him, but had chosen to feign ignorance. Sharih frowned, seeing him try with nothing to show for it, though she was caught aback by his sudden turn.
It was then he’d notice that things weren’t like how they were at the Warehouse —mainly with their appearances. Sharih was back to her usual figure, standing upright with her arms crossed below her chest —with Henoke also having “dropped” his disguise as a monster, now back as a regular (if at all?) boy. No scales, no four eyes, no horns… Back to his usual shape.
“How do these stupid illusion things work?” The woman sighed, her eyes closed with some disappointed, but didn’t answer straight away. It made sense that he was worried, wanting to return to the fight he and Sharih were a part of just seconds ago, and help Tori out. The enemy they had been facing so far wasn’t a normal Heartless, but a tricky and massive foe that gave them trouble —so how was Tori thinking she could fight it one-on-one? Perhaps her own stubbornness was to blame for that…
“Even if I did break us out, what good would it do? Tori would conjure an Illusion as much as she’d like if that’s what she wants” Sharih retorted calmly, “It won’t do any good for us to leave if we can’t change her mind —she’ll still think that this is the better outcome for everyone. Though surely I didn’t need to tell you as much…”
Once again, she sighed —something unusual for her. It was heartbreaking to see the situation unfold as it did, but there was nothing she could do for either of them. Even if she chose to leave the Illusion, thanks to her own perceptions, Sharih knew Tori would be opposed to her help —likewise, she knew that if she helped Henoke escape, Tori would continue refusing their help, and hide him once more in the same place. So long as either side refused to listen to the other —or if one side just refused to acknowledge the other’s claims— things would remain the same, never changing.
However, if they forced their way through… Would that change anything? The thought sparked in Sharih’s head akin a faint flame, quickly picking up vigor. Mustering a faint smile, and some of her usual persona, she looked over at Henoke with a faint tease in her expression.
“I say all that… But there might be a way for us to get you out” she began, “Because, if I were to break you out, nothing would change then —but if you break out by yourself… Then maybe Tori can change her mind, if only a little bit. Words alone won’t cut it, y’know —you have to be assertive~!”
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 2, 2023 12:26:04 GMT -5
"Even if I did break us out, what good would it do?" At first, Henoke couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance at Sharih's words, kicking a foot at the ground. It was then the boy noticed what had happened around them—the Illusion had taken form. The two were returned to 'normal', the spiky haired teen lacking the horns and extra eyes Monstropolis had bestowed upon him and Sharih returning to her usual visage, rather than a bird.
They stood alone on a beach that was all too familiar, holding sour memories for Henoke.
"It won't do any good for us to leave if we can't change her mind--" Groaning a bit at the situation they found themselves in, Henoke's grip tightened on the dark handle of the Keyblade at his side. Tch—I couldn’t help change her mind, in the end…huh? The realization only worsened his mood, a dark cloud beginning to form over the otherwise rebellious heart. In some ways, the teen felt embarrassed for even thinking they could have to begin with.
Despite Tori and him being close friends, Henoke knew he wasn’t the smartest or most convincing. Usually relying on actions rather than words, the boy hardly ever gave too much thought to the weight of what was spoken. He’d simply hoped that his heart could reach hers. In the end, it seemed he’d been naive and foolish…
Screw that! Shaking his head, Henoke’s eyes glinted with their usual rebellious fire once more as he made up his mind. He and Tori were friends. Whatever path she’d chosen was the wrong one, since it required her to walk it alone. He’d show her that, whether she liked it or not. “There might be a way for us to get you out…” Just as the hope returned to him, Sharih began to think aloud, apparently getting struck with an idea.
“If you break out by yourself…then maybe Tori can change her mind,” Hearing that words wouldn’t cut it, a broad grin began to spread across Henoke’s face as he beamed at Sharih.
”Perfect! I suck at words, anyway.” Giving a carefree laugh, the warrior bumped a fist against his chest and heaved his Keyblade onto his shoulder. ”Leave it ‘ta me! I’ll bust outta here and help Tori fer’sure!” Finally, something he was good at: brute force! Hope had given him fresh wind, allowing the teen to stand tall as he returned both hands to his Keyblade, turning to face the wide open sea that faced them from the Shore.
Hm…attacks weren’t workin’ before…and my magic ain’t that strong… What else could he do to get out of the Illusion? Looking down at the Keyblade in his hand, Henoke tried wracking his brain, something that threatened to give him a headache. ”Oh! I got an idea, maybe…?” It was a shot in the dark, but he figured it might work. Something else the Keyblade could do, other than hit things and spit fire… He wasn't really sure how it worked, but it typically happened anytime he found a Keyhole.
Scrunching up his eyes tight, Henoke lifted the odd-shaped weapon and thought of Tori. He thought of how much they’d helped one another, throughout all of their adventures and time together throughout countless worlds. He thought of the laughs they shared, the times they cried and held one another, even the times they crossed Keyblade’s. In his heart, there was nothing Henoke wanted more in that moment than to escape her Illusion to go be by her side and help her during the battle she faced.
Shiiiiiing! It was then that light began to gather around the dark grey metal, a faint orange at first that slowly began to gather and radiate into a brilliant gold. Much like the Keyblade, Henoke himself began to radiate with this light energy as the aura surrounded him while he stood on the sand, slowly raising his Keyblade up into the sky. C’mon, ya dumb hunk’a metal! If ya can’t get me outta here ‘ta save a friend, what’s the point o’ havin’ ya?! Though his eyes were shut, the warrior could feel the power surging through him as the light continued to brighten and consume him.
SHOOOOOOM! Suddenly, it all condensed to the tip of the Keyblade before blasting out as one concentrated beam of light. Blasting forward across the sea and sky, the light ray shot forward, seeking the walls of the Illusion and hoping to break through them to free its wielder. Unknown to Henoke, it was the first time he had willfully called upon the Power of Waking. Though, technically, it was still something he hadn’t fully controlled…
But would it be enough to break free of the Illusion?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 9, 2023 4:14:10 GMT -5
There was a faint fire in Henoke’s eyes after Sharih shared her insight, the boy picking up on her line of thought rather quickly. He seemed much more confident now, laughing as if nothing was wrong —or if there was, he seemed to have what it took to overcome the problems in front of him, even if solely through brute force. Sharih smiled, her arms crossed in a pleased manner. She continued to watch over him as he wracked his brain for something that could let him out of Tori’s Illusion, his back turned towards her, though there was a faint sense of annoyance at the mere fact that he had to think things through.
She was about to hand him another hint, but Henoke was, surprisingly, faster in the uptake.
”Oh! I got an idea, maybe…?” The boy had looked down onto his Keyblade —the very same object of interest Sharih was about to point out. She remained silent as he gave it a try, though in truth she was confident Henoke would be able to find his way out. After all, Illusions were a means to impose one’s own views onto others… Or at least, so went the theory Sharih had experienced countless times before —so what was this Illusion, if not Tori’s own perception of how things should be? She wanted to fight alone, keeping everything she held dear isolated from any dangers, but that only made those she tried to protect worry for her.
If Henoke wanted to get out, he had to try and overpower Tori’s own vision of reality with his own —and by the glow in the blade he held, as well as the brightness that radiated from him, Sharih was confident he would break free with no issues whatsoever.
Such was the bond he had, after all —it didn’t take much to know how much Henoke cherished his friendship with Tori.
“You really have strong allies by your side, Tori” Sharih thought, as the beam of light soared lightning-fast across the sea of the Farther Shore, “Even if you want to protect them, they’ll want to protect you back. The same way you worry about them, they worry about you” with a sigh, Sharih shook her head, still with the smile written on her lips, “Just look at him, for example —no matter how hard you try to push him away, he’ll be trying his best to get back and fight by your side. So why are you not letting him? It’s his choice, after all…”
Though the light ray seemed to never reach an end, there was a clear sound of glass —or perhaps, crystal— shattering cleanly. The façade of the Farther Shore began to wane, the visage of Sharih seemingly fading in mist, and Henoke’s own appearance changing back to the monstrous disguise. It would only take seconds, before the pair would realize they were back at the Warehouse, where the fight continued…
Some time had passed since Tori did her tricks, and she’d been fighting the Iron Giant for a while, though not with much progress to show for it. The Heartless that had commanded the drill arm of the Iron Giant remained defeated, but there were still 4 Heartless housed within the metal armor. Of course, the focus should be on the remaining arm, but while she tried to defeat the Heartless wielding the sword, a trace of darkness had found its way to the now missing drill arm, and before long it had reformed completely —all of Henoke and Sharih’s efforts being pointless now. Tori clicked her tongue, being pushed back to a starting point, trying to find the best way to defeat the Heartless and waste as little time as possible.
Her concentration shattered after hearing the sound of crystal breaking, and against her better judgement, she turned her head around only to find Henoke and Sharih out of her Illusion. Mist began surging around her once more, but a certain aspect stopped her —that being Sharih’s form. She remained in her Familiar’s shape, not in her usual visage —which meant she hadn’t been the one to take them out of Tori’s Illusions. After all, if she wanted to, one of her own Illusions would’ve made the trick, which in turn would allow her to retake her human form. But she wasn’t…
So… Had Henoke…?
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 9, 2023 12:27:23 GMT -5
SMASH! Henoke’s eyes snapped open as the sound of shattered glass echoed throughout the Shore. For a moment, it almost looked like the beach itself began to split and crack around them, causing the teen to shout out in surprise. Taking a few steps back as the light around him and his Keyblade began to fade, Henoke was even more surprised as the Illusion around him and Sharih began to fully fall apart, the monstrous disguise he’d been magically bestowed resuming as they were returned to the Warehouse within Monstropolis!
”Woah…it worked?!” For a moment, he couldn’t believe it. As the spiky haired warrior resumed their fiendish guise and the dark storeroom returned around them, he pumped a free fist into the air and gave a victory holler before glancing down at the hefty Keyblade he carried. For a brief moment, he thought of Chirithy, his Master and even his old friends. Thanks. He was for once grateful towards the weapon bestowed upon him. All of the burdens of his past didn’t matter, so long as he could keep moving forward and help the friends he’d made now.
”Tori!” It didn’t take long for him to jolt back to awareness, the high of victory shattering just like the Illusion he’d broken out of. Ahead of him and Sharih was the Iron Giant, still teeming with strength as Tori fought against its might alone. Running ahead, Henoke hardly thought of anything else besides the friend he saw ahead and his anger flared at the enemies that had caused her to try to take on this massive group Heartless alone.
”Back off!” Rushing in, he threw his Keyblade with all his might as he used his Reflect Raid. Though it was aimed at the massive Heartless, his main goal was to mostly keep it’s direct attacks at bay while he closed the distance between himself and Tori. ”Hmph—not every day yer the dumb one, huh?” Finally coming up to her side, it was clear that Henoke was still annoyed with her for locking him and Sharih into the illusion. Despite his grumbling, the teen had a smirk on his lips as he nudged Tori with an elbow.
”Y'know I’m way too strong fer yer magic tricks, right?” Barking out a confident laugh, it seemed he was both trying to stand his ground with her while acting like nothing had really happened. Was that for her sake, or for his? "C’mon, Tori…let’s do this together!” With a broad smile, Henoke caught his returning Keyblade and resumed a battle stance, glaring hard at the Iron Giant with a new zealous.
He was about to take all of his anger out on the enemy before him and prove to his friend that she could rely on him, one way or the other! Without waiting for an answer, Henoke charged on ahead, his Keyblade erupting in a spew of flames as he leapt up and began using the massive Heartless’ own body as platforms to gain some footing to get higher up towards the arms and head. ”Try ‘ta keep up with me, if ya can!”
Slashing out at the exposed joints and smaller Heartless controlling the body within, Henoke released his Firaga Break!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 13, 2023 12:13:34 GMT -5
Shocked at the sight as she was, Tori hardly seemed to react as everything seemed to regain its pace in time. The Heartless grinded its gears, readying to attack the defenseless Keyblade Wielder, but Henoke was already in motion, throwing his Reflect Raid with perfect timing to block the Iron Giant’s attack. By the time the teen reached Tori’s side, she’d recovered from her shock, but in its stead remained a mix between a frown and a hint of worry.
”Hmph—not every day yer the dumb one, huh?” The comment stung far more than it should’ve —Tori was seething with anger, though one more prone to read into the details would’ve noticed the worry hidden behind her anger. Though, in Henoke’s defense, the side that had the right to be angry was the side who’d been confined inside the girl’s Illusion, not the one who’d conjured it. The battle resumed, and Henoke charged forward after his Keyblade returned to his side —Tori being too slow to stop him. The following taunt only aggravated her mood further, but deep down she knew she couldn’t refute.
After all, Henoke’s own drive had broken through her tricks —Sharih had done little to help him. Yet even knowing all that, and surprisingly finding the logic behind the actions, Tori was stubborn in her ways. There was little to convince her otherwise —except an orange pheasant who seemed to know her more than Tori knew herself.
“What do you think you’re about to do, sweetie~?” Sharih asked, standing right in front of Tori as the girl tried to chase after Henoke, “You’re not going to stop him, are you?” “This isn’t your fight to—!” Tori tried to object. “It may not be ours to fight, sure —but that doesn’t mean we won’t help. You might not like it, but just because you choose something for us doesn’t mean we’ll abide by it.” “Sharih…!” “We want to fight. I know you don’t want us to get hurt, sweetheart, but the feeling’s mutual, y’know!” Sharih seemed proud of her statement, “We don’t want you to get hurt —to shoulder everything on your own. It’s not fair, now, is it?”
With a flap of her wings, Sharih turned around to speed towards Henoke, her wings surrounded by water. While Henoke used his own Firaga Break to strike at the Heartless on the arms and head, Sharih supported him with her own Waterfall Strike, her speed uncanny as she hit every Heartless on the lower end of the Iron Giant —the combination of both fire and water being devastating at the potencies they had been used in. Though it didn’t defeat the Iron Giant’s smaller Heartless, it seemed to work in their advantage!
Tori stood aback, watching the two’s working in unison, feeling frustrated still. The grip on both her Keyblade and sword tightened, now unsure on what to do next, to do the “right thing”. Sharih’s words had reason behind them —even if Tori wanted to protect both her and Henoke, they still had a say whether they would fight or not. It wouldn’t matter if Tori tried to impose her views onto them —they proved that they were capable to overcome it if needed.
So, would she fight alongside them, or stay behind now…? Nothing hinted at either option.
[BOSS! Iron Giant (Heartless locations: 1 in the head, 2 in the chest, 2 in the arms)]
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 13, 2023 12:32:42 GMT -5
Henoke grinned wide as his attacks landed, hollering out victoriously as he saw Sharih explode in a burst of speed across the massive Heartless. The Spirit's water attacks were impressive, even if the element wasn't the warrior's favorite. Heh, we got this! For a moment, the monstrous teen paused to glance over his shoulder from his position on the large enemy. Tori still stood down below, seemingly torn between options...
She thinks too much! Shaking his head, Henoke sighed and shrugged. He didn't get it. What was the point? There was an enemy in front of them that needed a beating! They could focus on the rest afterwards... Readjusting the grip on his Keyblade, the spiky haired warrior tried to instead decide on where to attack next. Tch—if only the Heartless weren't hidin' inside the armor... Just then, the teen jolted. He had an idea!
"Ha ha! I gotcha now, bastards!" Roaring out in a way that fit his disguised visage a little too perfectly, a malicious and devious look darkened across Henoke's face as he leapt up towards the arms of the giant enemy. Scccccraaaaaape! Using his Keyblade to help pole vault his way up, soon the Paladin had made their way up to the massive armor's shoulder. "If y'all are hidin', I'll just come 'ta ya!"
His four eyes seemed to spark and ignite with mischief as he leapt from the massive enemy's shoulder directly inside the opening of the neck—right beneath the armored helmet and chest.
Everything was black. It was all dark...
For a moment, it felt like everything had stopped. He was floating...or maybe drowning? He couldn't breathe! "EAT THIS!!!" Bubbling out a yell that he could barely hear himself, Henoke's heart was unflinching and fearless as it tackled the unknown. Raising his Keyblade from within the belly (well, chest) of the beast, the teen released his Thundara spell once more. It was the perfect magic attack when surrounded...
An eruption of lightning exploded from inside the chest cavity of the massive armor Heartless, hurting Henoke due to the enclosed space and metal armor, but hopefully taking out some of the Heartless from within, too! Hehehe...this is my best idea yet! Gritting his teeth against the electric magic, the warrior could hardly see...but he knew Heartless eyes well.
So long as he could hold his breath, he'd fight from inside!
((OOC: Henokachu, I choose you!))
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