"Where there's war there's weapons. Do you know if there could be anything lying around that would help us fight Ria? Or is there something else you have in mind?" Alder asked, turning over a mega-ether he now held in his hand. Had he seen one of these before? He wasn't sure. He almost felt guilty for pocketing it and another mega-potion but these supplies were meant for emergencies and if he could not call this situation an emergency then he didn't know what to think. Keyblade Gliders though? That was a memory he still had. How long was that there though? It probably just came back into memory and it only frustrated him to wonder how much more of his memories were still gone. Now he imagined how much worse it was for Aev--Chrono. "Are you expecting us to just head to the beach and escape on the gliders? Not happening. We screwed up your world and we're going to find a way to set things right regardless of what it takes. We just need to stick together and come up with a way to fight back against Ria."
"Where there's war there's weapons. Do you know if there could be anything lying around that would help us fight Ria? Or is there something else you have in mind?" Alder asked, turning over a mega-ether he now held in his hand. Had he seen one of these before? He wasn't sure. He almost felt guilty for pocketing it and another mega-potion but these supplies were meant for emergencies and if he could not call this situation an emergency then he didn't know what to think. Keyblade Gliders though? That was a memory he still had. How long was that there though? It probably just came back into memory and it only frustrated him to wonder how much more of his memories were still gone. Now he imagined how much worse it was for Aev--Chrono. "Are you expecting us to just head to the beach and escape on the gliders? Not happening. We screwed up your world and we're going to find a way to set things right regardless of what it takes. We just need to stick together and come up with a way to fight back against Ria."
Arctus waved at the angry girl innocently when she glared in his direction upon telling Lea of the man they ran into. He normally didn't get enjoyment out of purposefully provoking people as he never saw a point to that kind of behavior but this? The girl was too easy. There were lessons to be learned about playing with fire(pun intended?)...well, not many but this seemed almost fun him. "Said army dude was fast enough and tough enough to escape from our attacks unscathed. So if this girl we brought along is really working with him, then caution is warranted. There wouldn't happen to be a Truth elemental would there? That'd come in handy right about now." Arctus crossed his arms but as he spoke rather than stare at the newcomer they brought along he narrowed his eyes in angry-face's direction.
Arctus waved at the angry girl innocently when she glared in his direction upon telling Lea of the man they ran into. He normally didn't get enjoyment out of purposefully provoking people as he never saw a point to that kind of behavior but this? The girl was too easy. There were lessons to be learned about playing with fire(pun intended?)...well, not many but this seemed almost fun him. "Said army dude was fast enough and tough enough to escape from our attacks unscathed. So if this girl we brought along is really working with him, then caution is warranted. There wouldn't happen to be a Truth elemental would there? That'd come in handy right about now." Arctus crossed his arms but as he spoke rather than stare at the newcomer they brought along he narrowed his eyes in angry-face's direction.
OOC: Post received by cstar. “No, not often… but, all the kids like to sneak down here because… well our parents aren’t fond of us using this as a playground… uh.” Mora looked over at Daeni and nodded, “Sure, you can sit down if you need to…” she pointed across to a chair and watched Kara unenthusiastically flop herself into one of the said chairs. Mora heard Alder ask the question about the tunnels and she stretched a bit and walked towards one and said, “This is east, this heads towards the eastern chain of mountains, where we do all the mining.” She walked over towards another one and placed her hand on it, “This is south, this heads towards… well, uh, it heads towards a dead end now, but it’s another several bunkers. I don’t know where it led, but it’s so caved in that they are worried about what’s uncovering behind there.” Mora slid behind the chairs gently to not bother those sitting and walked towards the next one, “This one leads to the western mountains and is the way we’re told to run if the village ever has something seriously wrong happen. It’s very long, I’ve never made it down to the end… aaaand.” Mora skipped slightly to the last door and placed her hand on it, “This one leads to the coast, it’s low enough where we’ll actually be just around beach level. It’s an open spot and leads close to the graveyard. I was thinking we would head this way. Since the height of the cliffs should give us a good chance to get a head start where we need… and…” Mora looked over at Kara and Daeni and then looked at the rest, “I… know they aren’t the best… and… if you all need to escape to get out of here… that’s going to be the best way to leave… I mean.” Mora looked at the group and said, “You guys have keyblade gliders still… right?” At what was possibly a push from mention of the subject, you all remember that you do in fact have keyblade gliders. Convenient? Eh.
Alder rolled his shoulders, feeling back to full strength when Mora used the healing items on the group, and looked down at a container filled with potions to appreciate how prepared the people who lived here must have been to have all of this ready. It was a shame that the world was in such a state that it was now due to their actions. "Keeping out Heartless is one thing. Keeping out something that can think and plan its actions is another." He walked over towards one of the corners of the sanctuary and noticed that some of the supplies were covered in a thick layer of dust. Alder raised an eyebrow and watched as a lone spider crawled across a strand of web and onto a large box that looked to contain...he couldn't tell. The dust was too thick to tell what was marked underneath. The potions and food on the other hand seemed to be relatively clean and fresh. Someone had to have been restocking the perishables but other than that it looked like this place hadn't been used in years. "I can see passageways out of here. Where do they lead?"
Alder rolled his shoulders, feeling back to full strength when Mora used the healing items on the group, and looked down at a container filled with potions to appreciate how prepared the people who lived here must have been to have all of this ready. It was a shame that the world was in such a state that it was now due to their actions. "Keeping out Heartless is one thing. Keeping out something that can think and plan its actions is another." He walked over towards one of the corners of the sanctuary and noticed that some of the supplies were covered in a thick layer of dust. Alder raised an eyebrow and watched as a lone spider crawled across a strand of web and onto a large box that looked to contain...he couldn't tell. The dust was too thick to tell what was marked underneath. The potions and food on the other hand seemed to be relatively clean and fresh. Someone had to have been restocking the perishables but other than that it looked like this place hadn't been used in years. "I can see passageways out of here. Where do they lead?"
OOC: Post received by cstar. Take didn't exactly need to wait on anyone else at this point to get in gear, he decided to just go on and get an attack in. But Take was quickly noticing that he wasn't doing nearly as much damage as his peers and wondered if he was doing something fundamentally wrong. Although he had no ability to really call for it, he tried to provoke the Leviathan to at least have more focus on him to try and take some of the damage. He was more than willing to since he didn't seem to be cleaving off as much as he'd like. HP: 30/30 AP: 9/10
OOC: Post received by cstar.
Take didn't exactly need to wait on anyone else at this point to get in gear, he decided to just go on and get an attack in. But Take was quickly noticing that he wasn't doing nearly as much damage as his peers and wondered if he was doing something fundamentally wrong. Although he had no ability to really call for it, he tried to provoke the Leviathan to at least have more focus on him to try and take some of the damage. He was more than willing to since he didn't seem to be cleaving off as much as he'd like. HP: 30/30 AP: 9/10
OOC: Post received by cstar. Take listened to everyone and grit his teeth a bit about the scenario. He didn't like this guy, if anything he despised how Rourke was acting. But he knew with Dentro running off and Rourke's imaginatively ineffective tactics, he wasn't going to let Kida or Milo die as a result of it. He was reminded how his homeworld, the dragons swarming down. Remembering the people who he despised that he had to protect purely by proxy. If every soldier dropped their weapon to refuse helping those they dislike, Incandescent Peaks would have been long gone years before he was born. The boy felt his legs move first before his words slipped out, "Forget the coward." and he began walking faster and stopped closer to the Leviathan and said, "There are people here worth protecting." Takehiko punctuated this point by summoning out his keyblade and going into a stance, and he whispered under his breath, "I'm not losing anyone else today..." Rourke took another step back and glared at the children. Seeing that they had not been helpful in stopping the beast he saw he had no choice but to order his soldiers into battle. "Men, bring that thing down!" His soldiers took position in front of the group and opened fire on the Leviathan only to have every bullet they fired ricochet harmlessly off of the metallic creature. In a single swipe of its huge claw it took down the entire squadron of soldiers that had attacked it. Though, rather than attack Rourke the second its glowing yellow eyes spotted Take's keyblade it let out a shriek. It ignored Rourke who continued to back away, still firing bullets from his pistol that would deal no damage, and smashed its claw downwards towards Take. "Sigh..." Rolling his eyes Dentro turned around and smacked Illiana's umbrella to get it out of his way. "Alright, girl. You want me to fight well why don't you show me how it's done. Go on. You get first strike on the thing." His keyblade was called into his hand and he stared intently at her. "Ladies first." He spoke with the same tone of condescension in his voice that he had given Chrono. The Leviathan, seeing another keyblade wielder in their midst only shrieked louder as it now turned to focus its attempt on making a kill on the group of keybladers. A BOSS BATTLE COMMENCES Dark Leviathan: 200/200 HP "You are here to observe." The man spoke calmly in response towards Tinarah. "You both raise good questions." He folded his arms and leaned back against his seat on the bench causing it to creak. "I was taught the same thing as you. Balance is important to maintaining order. That is only partially correct. The only reason past attempts at eliminating darkness resulted in catastrophe were simply because they failed to do it all at once. By slowly gathering light, or lux as they called it in the days of the Keyblade War, the darkness rebounded and nearly consumed all the worlds. It didn't help that so many keyblade wielders already had been filled with so much darkness of their own. My plan for getting around the mistakes of the past is simple. Gather the Princesses of Heart, those naturally devoid of darkness, and summon Kingdom Hearts. With its power ridding people's hearts of darkness would be a trivial task." His voice was optimistic as he explained this. "With no darkness in this realm, the worlds would be forced into a new state of stability." He looked over towards Aria. "And that's where you come in, Miss Dorin. You are a Princess of Heart. Don't worry. No strange or painful experiments will be done to you. Harming you would go against my very goals." His head turned back towards Tinarah. "And you won't be separated from your friends for much longer."
OOC: Post received by cstar. Take listened to everyone and grit his teeth a bit about the scenario. He didn't like this guy, if anything he despised how Rourke was acting. But he knew with Dentro running off and Rourke's imaginatively ineffective tactics, he wasn't going to let Kida or Milo die as a result of it. He was reminded how his homeworld, the dragons swarming down. Remembering the people who he despised that he had to protect purely by proxy. If every soldier dropped their weapon to refuse helping those they dislike, Incandescent Peaks would have been long gone years before he was born. The boy felt his legs move first before his words slipped out, "Forget the coward." and he began walking faster and stopped closer to the Leviathan and said, "There are people here worth protecting." Takehiko punctuated this point by summoning out his keyblade and going into a stance, and he whispered under his breath, "I'm not losing anyone else today..." Rourke took another step back and glared at the children. Seeing that they had not been helpful in stopping the beast he saw he had no choice but to order his soldiers into battle. "Men, bring that thing down!" His soldiers took position in front of the group and opened fire on the Leviathan only to have every bullet they fired ricochet harmlessly off of the metallic creature. In a single swipe of its huge claw it took down the entire squadron of soldiers that had attacked it. Though, rather than attack Rourke the second its glowing yellow eyes spotted Take's keyblade it let out a shriek. It ignored Rourke who continued to back away, still firing bullets from his pistol that would deal no damage, and smashed its claw downwards towards Take. "Sigh..." Rolling his eyes Dentro turned around and smacked Illiana's umbrella to get it out of his way. "Alright, girl. You want me to fight well why don't you show me how it's done. Go on. You get first strike on the thing." His keyblade was called into his hand and he stared intently at her. "Ladies first." He spoke with the same tone of condescension in his voice that he had given Chrono. The Leviathan, seeing another keyblade wielder in their midst only shrieked louder as it now turned to focus its attempt on making a kill on the group of keybladers.
The reunion between friends was rather heartwarming though the moment could not last forever and soon enough Aria pulled away to clear her head and question the circumstances of the meeting. "A student of mine found her unconscious on Atlantis. She was brought here to be healed and so that I could have a conversation with her. But now that you've returned from clearing this world of Heartless, now is a good time to tell you both more about what is going on." "The darkness that I saved Miss Dorin and this world from is something that has been building for several years now." He pointed up towards the sky, several stars shone clearly even during the evening. "It wasn't until a decade ago I had found what was wrong with this realm. The darkness in the hearts of everyone had brought this plague of destruction. The solution is simple in principle. To save the worlds and restore those which had been lost, darkness must be eliminated. Naturally, simply getting rid of those with darkness in their hearts was not an option. Only the Seven born with pure hearts of light or those who have disciplined themselves such as I have are free of darkness. Subjecting everyone else to the training I put myself through would be impossible. Some merely do not have the natural talent or discipline to go through with it." The Light Chaser paused for a moment, allowing the girls to absorb the information. Such exposition was not common for him to give out as he reserved such things for his own students or Keyblade Masters he sought alliances with. Typically, such things never fell into place as the Masters were too stubborn to admit that their ways that they have practiced for so long were now obsolete. "The only way to save the worlds was to remove the darkness from those who have it. A task more difficult than it would seem. It is not a process that would harm anyone but it is something that would take time to prepare." "I was sent here to investigate what was going on with this world. Not help you guys out. Not unless you guys are going to die without me or something but if that were the case I'm sure none of you would have made it this far." Dentro's tone was still light without any consideration for the situation they were in. "Shut up and keep moving! We're done talking so don't go on about wasting my time with pointless deals." Rourke called out from behind them as he forced the keybladers to head down the staircase as the area began to grow darker and darker in the absence of light. A crystal on Kida's necklace lit up and she took the lead to light the way. Rourke kept his distance to ensure that no one would try tripping or attacking him and kept his gun aimed at their backs. Eventually, after several minutes of descent they reached the bottom of what seemed to be a large cavern. They were at a dead end as the path ahead lead straight to a lake. Above it were several stone masks, larger than a person's body, floating around a bright blue light source. The Heart of Atlantis. The masks circled around it and there seemed no way to cross the lake nor reach up as they were hovering at least fifty feet in the air. "Alright well there you go." Milo said with a smirk on his face. "Guess we'll have to turn around and leave unless you can figure out how to get to float across a lake and grab a floating energy source!" "Don't underestimate me, boy!" Rourke only grew more agitated as he waved his gun at Milo. It was only now that wisps of black smoke could be seen flowing off of Rourke's body like steam. He stepped forward and stared up at the energy source his eyes set on retrieving it. It was then that the light became red casting the cavern in an aggressive light. The stairs behind them disappeared leaving them stranded as the cave began to shake violently. "What the-" From the water a massive black mechanical creature arose, parts of it looking damaged as if it had been in a battle. "Is that...no way...the Leviathan? I thought it got destroyed on our way here! Why is it black now!?" The Leviathan made a mechanical shriek as it crawled its way out of the lake bringing large waves with it when it arrived to the shore. Rourke backed away in fear. The Leviathan was at least 40 feet long and stood around 10 feet high. Its armor appeared too thick to penetrate but there was no way out and it was not about to let the group leave in one piece. Dentro stepped back though he seemed more amused than anything else. Rourke shouted at the group, "W-what are you doing just standing there? Kill it already!"
The reunion between friends was rather heartwarming though the moment could not last forever and soon enough Aria pulled away to clear her head and question the circumstances of the meeting. "A student of mine found her unconscious on Atlantis. She was brought here to be healed and so that I could have a conversation with her. But now that you've returned from clearing this world of Heartless, now is a good time to tell you both more about what is going on." "The darkness that I saved Miss Dorin and this world from is something that has been building for several years now." He pointed up towards the sky, several stars shone clearly even during the evening. "It wasn't until a decade ago I had found what was wrong with this realm. The darkness in the hearts of everyone had brought this plague of destruction. The solution is simple in principle. To save the worlds and restore those which had been lost, darkness must be eliminated. Naturally, simply getting rid of those with darkness in their hearts was not an option. Only the Seven born with pure hearts of light or those who have disciplined themselves such as I have are free of darkness. Subjecting everyone else to the training I put myself through would be impossible. Some merely do not have the natural talent or discipline to go through with it." The Light Chaser paused for a moment, allowing the girls to absorb the information. Such exposition was not common for him to give out as he reserved such things for his own students or Keyblade Masters he sought alliances with. Typically, such things never fell into place as the Masters were too stubborn to admit that their ways that they have practiced for so long were now obsolete. "The only way to save the worlds was to remove the darkness from those who have it. A task more difficult than it would seem. It is not a process that would harm anyone but it is something that would take time to prepare."
"I was sent here to investigate what was going on with this world. Not help you guys out. Not unless you guys are going to die without me or something but if that were the case I'm sure none of you would have made it this far." Dentro's tone was still light without any consideration for the situation they were in. "Shut up and keep moving! We're done talking so don't go on about wasting my time with pointless deals." Rourke called out from behind them as he forced the keybladers to head down the staircase as the area began to grow darker and darker in the absence of light. A crystal on Kida's necklace lit up and she took the lead to light the way. Rourke kept his distance to ensure that no one would try tripping or attacking him and kept his gun aimed at their backs. Eventually, after several minutes of descent they reached the bottom of what seemed to be a large cavern. They were at a dead end as the path ahead lead straight to a lake. Above it were several stone masks, larger than a person's body, floating around a bright blue light source. The Heart of Atlantis. The masks circled around it and there seemed no way to cross the lake nor reach up as they were hovering at least fifty feet in the air. "Alright well there you go." Milo said with a smirk on his face. "Guess we'll have to turn around and leave unless you can figure out how to get to float across a lake and grab a floating energy source!" "Don't underestimate me, boy!" Rourke only grew more agitated as he waved his gun at Milo. It was only now that wisps of black smoke could be seen flowing off of Rourke's body like steam. He stepped forward and stared up at the energy source his eyes set on retrieving it. It was then that the light became red casting the cavern in an aggressive light. The stairs behind them disappeared leaving them stranded as the cave began to shake violently. "What the-" From the water a massive black mechanical creature arose, parts of it looking damaged as if it had been in a battle. "Is that...no way...the Leviathan? I thought it got destroyed on our way here! Why is it black now!?" The Leviathan made a mechanical shriek as it crawled its way out of the lake bringing large waves with it when it arrived to the shore. Rourke backed away in fear. The Leviathan was at least 40 feet long and stood around 10 feet high. Its armor appeared too thick to penetrate but there was no way out and it was not about to let the group leave in one piece. Dentro stepped back though he seemed more amused than anything else. Rourke shouted at the group, "W-what are you doing just standing there? Kill it already!"
He barely moved back when the angry girl punched him, touching the blood that dripped from his lip and raising an eyebrow in curiosity. This hothead was chosen to lead them? She was too easy to provoke and that was going to cause more problems down the line. The girl growled at him as she tugged on his collar, her eyes intense and shining like emeralds. It was a shame pretty eyes like that were attached to someone so mean. He hardly paid any attention to what she said now that his mind was on a different track. How did she get this way? How does anyone be born a happy stupid baby and become so angsty and angry? Perhaps her father never hugged her. Or...maybe her father did more than hug her. Or her village was burned to the ground. Or maybe even she was the bad guy here. She went on to backhand him, only being stopped by him suddenly raising his hand to stop it. He gave her one free attack and it wasn't going to happen again. She was already moving on, her mood still soured over their little spat. "Or maybe she's just hungry." He muttered to himself before following after the group. His eyes hovered over the girl they were supposed to escort. Now that was someone who sat on the opposite side of the spectrum. He didn't like people like that either. "You're not our prisoner and yes, you're coming along." He spoke up towards the crying girl, not intending to let her out of his sight.
He barely moved back when the angry girl punched him, touching the blood that dripped from his lip and raising an eyebrow in curiosity. This hothead was chosen to lead them? She was too easy to provoke and that was going to cause more problems down the line. The girl growled at him as she tugged on his collar, her eyes intense and shining like emeralds. It was a shame pretty eyes like that were attached to someone so mean. He hardly paid any attention to what she said now that his mind was on a different track. How did she get this way? How does anyone be born a happy stupid baby and become so angsty and angry? Perhaps her father never hugged her. Or...maybe her father did more than hug her. Or her village was burned to the ground. Or maybe even she was the bad guy here. She went on to backhand him, only being stopped by him suddenly raising his hand to stop it. He gave her one free attack and it wasn't going to happen again. She was already moving on, her mood still soured over their little spat. "Or maybe she's just hungry." He muttered to himself before following after the group. His eyes hovered over the girl they were supposed to escort. Now that was someone who sat on the opposite side of the spectrum. He didn't like people like that either. "You're not our prisoner and yes, you're coming along." He spoke up towards the crying girl, not intending to let her out of his sight.
Enok stopped on his way towards his room, looking over at the drink left on the counter by the elf woman. A drink would have done better than a few minutes of shuteye in any case. Though there were witchers around and he was not fond of dealing with them. Through no choice of his own he was drawn over towards the bar and forced to sit. The guilt was clear on her face, they both saw that. New, fresh, and underneath was something deeper that drew the specter. Enok faked a small hint of a smile as he took her up on the offer for a free drink. "Good stuff." He spoke lowly after swallowing, wishing it had been something stronger to dull the headache that was building. "Do you ever get any sleep or is running this place a twenty-four hour job?" Enok questioned only moderately interested. If he had been a normal person he might have held it against her or the others for not following him into battle but the only things that ever mattered in the end were following the mental pressuring of the Hym and avoiding its retribution. Everything else could just simply fall into place where they may. It was better this way. If it wasn't for the spirit, he would have been on a very different path. A bloodier path that his family line would have forced him into. One could say that he had even become a better man because of this curse. Enok tapped his fingers against the bar amused with the thought. He wasn't a better man. Merely a cursed one.
"What are you on about?" Dentro spoke sounding a little too innocent in his tone. He looked over at Chrono and shrugged in response. "I haven't done anything. And I don't plan on doing anything either. Yet." Ignoring the arguments between the other outsiders and their insults towards Rourke, Milo desperately looked for some answers for the man's question before he harmed the king. It was the last thing he wanted to do but it was the only option he had. "Waitwaitwait just let me find something here!" He called out as he flipped through pages as quickly as he could. Rourke's eyes were now set on Illiana. The girl's attitude annoyed him but as long as he held the upper hand he had no reason to have her put down. Besides, he liked it when the young ones showed some spunk. "At ease, girly. You're out manned and out gunned." Rourke sat down on the king's throne still aiming his gun at the elderly man. "I'm waiting, Mister Thatch. I'm going to give you until the count of ten." He pulled back he hammer of his pistol. "One...two...three..." "The Heart of Atlantis lies in the heart of their king!" Milo blurted out immediately. "You're going to have to do better than that." And for a moment, Rourke paused and stared at the stones arranged around the throne room. "Or...maybe not..." He recognized the pattern from the cover of Milo's journal. From where the king sat, the pattern was clear. "Clever little riddle." He rose from the throne and grabbed the king by his arm, forcefully yanking him to his feet as he dragged the king towards the center of the chamber and over towards a plan looking circular stone slab no different looking than any other in the area. Rourke tapped his boot against it and suddenly the room began to shake. The ground gave way and began to fall sink and form a spiral staircase that lead down deeper underground. "Alright, you're coming with me as a little insurance policy to make sure no one gets in our way. Milo you and your little friends are coming along for a little trip. You in case we need any more of your translations and them in case there's any traps waiting for us. The girl," he motioned towards Kida, "can stay behind. Crowd's big enough as is." "Wait! Take me instead!" "Kida! No!" Her father shouted at her. "My father is too weak. If you want a hostage just take me. I'll do whatever you want just leave him be!" Rourke eyed Kida suspiciously but without a word he tossed her father aside and onto the ground and motioned for her to lead the way. "Go on, kiddies. Follow along." He ordered them, pointing towards the stone staircase that led towards the dark depths of the unknown. The soldiers still had their weapons raised at the group. Dentro raised his eyebrows seemingly amused at the situation but said nothing as he followed down the staircase after Milo and Kida. "Come on. Do what the nice man says."
"What are you on about?" Dentro spoke sounding a little too innocent in his tone. He looked over at Chrono and shrugged in response. "I haven't done anything. And I don't plan on doing anything either. Yet." Ignoring the arguments between the other outsiders and their insults towards Rourke, Milo desperately looked for some answers for the man's question before he harmed the king. It was the last thing he wanted to do but it was the only option he had. "Waitwaitwait just let me find something here!" He called out as he flipped through pages as quickly as he could. Rourke's eyes were now set on Illiana. The girl's attitude annoyed him but as long as he held the upper hand he had no reason to have her put down. Besides, he liked it when the young ones showed some spunk. "At ease, girly. You're out manned and out gunned." Rourke sat down on the king's throne still aiming his gun at the elderly man. "I'm waiting, Mister Thatch. I'm going to give you until the count of ten." He pulled back he hammer of his pistol. "One...two...three..." "The Heart of Atlantis lies in the heart of their king!" Milo blurted out immediately. "You're going to have to do better than that." And for a moment, Rourke paused and stared at the stones arranged around the throne room. "Or...maybe not..." He recognized the pattern from the cover of Milo's journal. From where the king sat, the pattern was clear. "Clever little riddle." He rose from the throne and grabbed the king by his arm, forcefully yanking him to his feet as he dragged the king towards the center of the chamber and over towards a plan looking circular stone slab no different looking than any other in the area. Rourke tapped his boot against it and suddenly the room began to shake. The ground gave way and began to fall sink and form a spiral staircase that lead down deeper underground. "Alright, you're coming with me as a little insurance policy to make sure no one gets in our way. Milo you and your little friends are coming along for a little trip. You in case we need any more of your translations and them in case there's any traps waiting for us. The girl," he motioned towards Kida, "can stay behind. Crowd's big enough as is." "Wait! Take me instead!" "Kida! No!" Her father shouted at her. "My father is too weak. If you want a hostage just take me. I'll do whatever you want just leave him be!" Rourke eyed Kida suspiciously but without a word he tossed her father aside and onto the ground and motioned for her to lead the way. "Go on, kiddies. Follow along." He ordered them, pointing towards the stone staircase that led towards the dark depths of the unknown. The soldiers still had their weapons raised at the group. Dentro raised his eyebrows seemingly amused at the situation but said nothing as he followed down the staircase after Milo and Kida. "Come on. Do what the nice man says."
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)
The nervous twitch in his hands subsided now that the deed was done. The swift woosh of a guard's torch could still be heard by Enok at this distance as the man frantically searched for the source of the boot prints in the snow that led away from the body. But the prints diverged in several directions and by the time the guard called for backup or followed them himself, Enok would be long gone. He took a quick glance at the dark red snow around his latest prey before jumping down off the roof he had climbed onto and on the other side of the building. The one he killed probably hadn't harmed a fly in a long while but what he had done in his past was enough to gain the Hym's attention. From the glimpses of images the Hym gave Enok, he could tell that his target had committed at least one murder in the past. Possibly a crime of passion committed in his youth that he later tried to atone for. It didn't matter however. He reeked of guilt and that was enough for the Hym to make its judgment. Enok exhaled and watched as the vapor of his breath dissipate. His coat was hardly thick enough to be considered normal for this kind of weather though he chose not to wear something that could weight him down when there was no point in protecting against the elements. The Hym would never allow him to die because he got cold. Enok had left his sword in his room at the tavern between leaving the docks and now. If he got caught running he didn't want to be seen with a weapon and humans were fragile enough not to require him to bring such a large sword to take a life. Just about anything would do. Even an icicle. Especially an icicle lodged in someone's eye. As Enok approached the tavern he paused to give himself a look over to make sure blood had not splashed back on him. Inevitable in his line of work but when he could, he tried to keep clean. For good reason, people did not take too kindly to one drenched in gore. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he approached and opened the door. Almost instantly his mind began to itch and feel the tug of the specter's will as it attempted to pull him in several directions at once. Not even five minutes after his last job and it was already hungry for more. Just let me rest. Of course, it ignored his wishes. Enok noticed familiar faces as he made his way towards the stairs but refused to say anything and hoped they wouldn't as well. Keeping a low profile was important to him.
At the arrival of the children Rourke could not help but laugh loudly and shake his head. "Really now, a bunch of children are going to be what you use to stand in my way? Come on Milo, why don't you be a good ol' chap and join the party. How do you think all those museums you're so fond of got their artifacts? They certainly weren't donated. They were taken! So get off your high horse, get with the program, and you can wash away whatever guilt you have by the end of this by buying yourself your own museum with your cut of the profit." "Profit!? These people will die without their energy source! Atlantis will crumble! Rourke please!" "So what? This place was lost long before we got here. No one will miss a few people they never even knew existed." "You monster!" Glyde summoned his keyblade. The soldiers surrounding Rourke aimed their guns at the group and the man narrowed his eyes on the group. "Don't play hero. It'll only get messy. For you." Though his soldiers seemed unwavering in their support of their leader, the civilians contracted for the expedition like Milo had been grew a look of concern on their face as their former friend now had a gun pointed at him. "Put that thing away, kid, and maybe you'll walk out of this without some new holes in your shirt." With Rourke's free hand he withdrew an old journal, one that had belonged to Milo and tossed it at him. "You should keep a closer eye on your belongings. Now translate what that says about the location of Atlantis's energy source. The sooner you do that the sooner we'll be out of your hair." He pressed the barrel of his gun to the King's head. "Don't try anything stupid now."
The girl asked smart questions but nothing he was not already prepared for. He took a seat by her on the bench and stared onward watching as black smoke from the defeated Darkside rose above the town's skyline. He clasped his hands together and remained silent for a moment to take in the view of Eventide. Calm as ever. It was such a shame that it had sustained any amount of damage when the darkness came but at least he had preserved it. Once everything was clear he would be able to return it to its spot in the stars. "Some, like you, have lost family. Some to darkness, some to other circumstances. Others have lost their homes. It is not a guarantee but I believe it is possible, under the right circumstances, to bring back what was lost. Even if my work leads to nothing being brought back my goals will still lead to the erasure of darkness, both from the worlds and from the hearts of all. Even if your mother does not return to you, you will never have to spend another day wondering if the darkness in another's heart will cause someone else you care for to be taken from you. Death may be inevitable but there is no need for it to be caused by darkness." Meanwhile, with Aria and Chrys... The Darkside fell backwards with the combined force of the two attacks and before it hit the ground it began to disappear into thick wisps of black smoke and by the time it would have hit the ground the Darkside completely vanished leaving a large heart to float up and disappear from sight. The Darkside had been defeated. Any sense of darkness that was in the area had vanished with the Heartless's demise. Aria and Chrys were free to celebrate their victory and return back towards the Light Chaser. Aria has gained 2 Levels. Post in the OOC Thread to choose your two stat boosts! The Docks Nini meowed loudly at Take and turned around to run out of the alley, leading him in the same direction as Chrono, Illiana, Glyde, and the others. "Just up ahead..." There was an explosion that echoed in the distance. Smoke rose from the entrance to the king's chambers. The heavy doors had been blown down in a forced entry. A column of smoke could be seen from any point in the city at the top of the hill where the king resided. Milo and Kida, fearing what was transpiring picked up their pace and took the lead sprinting ahead of Dentro. Upon entering the chambers the man leading the group of soldiers was standing over the elderly King Nedakh who had been thrown off of his stone throne and was struggling to get up. "Rourke what are you doing!?" Milo shouted, shocked that the others contracted into the expedition had gone along with this plan of action. "Get away from him!" Kida angrily shouted but when Rourke aimed his gun at her father's head she shut her mouth, her eyes filled with anger towards the man who had attacked her father. "It's nothing personal. We just can't leave empty handed." Rourke spoke calmly as if this was nothing out of the ordinary, like as if he had done nothing more than accidentally bump into someone.
The girl asked smart questions but nothing he was not already prepared for. He took a seat by her on the bench and stared onward watching as black smoke from the defeated Darkside rose above the town's skyline. He clasped his hands together and remained silent for a moment to take in the view of Eventide. Calm as ever. It was such a shame that it had sustained any amount of damage when the darkness came but at least he had preserved it. Once everything was clear he would be able to return it to its spot in the stars. "Some, like you, have lost family. Some to darkness, some to other circumstances. Others have lost their homes. It is not a guarantee but I believe it is possible, under the right circumstances, to bring back what was lost. Even if my work leads to nothing being brought back my goals will still lead to the erasure of darkness, both from the worlds and from the hearts of all. Even if your mother does not return to you, you will never have to spend another day wondering if the darkness in another's heart will cause someone else you care for to be taken from you. Death may be inevitable but there is no need for it to be caused by darkness." Meanwhile, with Aria and Chrys... The Darkside fell backwards with the combined force of the two attacks and before it hit the ground it began to disappear into thick wisps of black smoke and by the time it would have hit the ground the Darkside completely vanished leaving a large heart to float up and disappear from sight. The Darkside had been defeated. Any sense of darkness that was in the area had vanished with the Heartless's demise. Aria and Chrys were free to celebrate their victory and return back towards the Light Chaser. Aria has gained 2 Levels. Post in the OOC Thread to choose your two stat boosts!
Nini meowed loudly at Take and turned around to run out of the alley, leading him in the same direction as Chrono, Illiana, Glyde, and the others. "Just up ahead..." There was an explosion that echoed in the distance. Smoke rose from the entrance to the king's chambers. The heavy doors had been blown down in a forced entry. A column of smoke could be seen from any point in the city at the top of the hill where the king resided. Milo and Kida, fearing what was transpiring picked up their pace and took the lead sprinting ahead of Dentro. Upon entering the chambers the man leading the group of soldiers was standing over the elderly King Nedakh who had been thrown off of his stone throne and was struggling to get up. "Rourke what are you doing!?" Milo shouted, shocked that the others contracted into the expedition had gone along with this plan of action. "Get away from him!" Kida angrily shouted but when Rourke aimed his gun at her father's head she shut her mouth, her eyes filled with anger towards the man who had attacked her father. "It's nothing personal. We just can't leave empty handed." Rourke spoke calmly as if this was nothing out of the ordinary, like as if he had done nothing more than accidentally bump into someone.
With a quick search I already found other instances of Amaury being wrong: 2013 2014 2015 2016 And of course this year too. You've got it wrong five years in a row. Probably more.
As expected the girl continued to panic and so the Light Chaser rose to his feet to walk over towards Tinarah. "Scars fade." He said upon seeing the cuts on the wrist the girl was rubbing. He knelt beside her and it was only at this distance that Tinarah would have been able to see even the slightest detail of his face. None of his features could have been described as "broad" and the man was clean shaven. As for anything further than that, it was a mystery given the darkness the hood cast over his face. "But what if I told you I can help those scars heal instead?" He held his hand over Tinarah's wrist and rather than the typical green glow of a cure spell a golden radiance shone down from his hand and onto Tinarah's wrist. In seconds the scars that were there on her left hand were gone leaving no trace of ever having existed. "I don't just mean getting rid of old flesh wounds either. I am referring to those scars which cannot be seen. I have students of my own who follow me for that very reason. They seek to reclaim which they have lost. Things or, rather, people that no other master would dare help them recover." The Docks The guard looked at Take with a solemn gaze. "I was the one who ferried the boat which the young one used. When she was fighting the monsters she was knocked unconscious. She fought well but when I tried saving her...I...I was too weak. I was defeated." He looked down in shame. "We only survived due to the brave young woman's sacrifice. The red haired girl you mentioned. If not for her we both would be dead. I am sorry." He held out the violin for Take to hold on to. "I handed the young one to a brown-haired boy who wielded a weapon like her. He looked a few years older than you. Well groomed and with green eyes. He was very concerned with her well-being." The guard looked at the waves, seeing that the gentle calm of the water had been disturbed. His brow furrowed intently at the waters. "What? Don't know the way? Alright. Just keep up, kid. Wouldn't want you falling behind." Dentro snickered as he turned and ran ahead leaving the trio to follow after him. As they neared the city they could hear shouts of both anger and fear in the distance. They passed an injured guard rubbing the back of his head and looking down at a broken spear on their way. A few civilians ran back to their homes regretting having come back out when they thought the monsters were all gone. "Not good." Dentro spoke, dropping his earlier tone to adopt a more serious one. In the far distance they could see figures moving up a hill and towards the King's Chambers. The other outsiders had at least a solid minute or two of a head start by now. They would not make it in time to intercept them but there was no other option than to keep following. On their way they passed by both Illiana and Glyde. Dentro did not even turn to face the two as he ran forth.
As expected the girl continued to panic and so the Light Chaser rose to his feet to walk over towards Tinarah. "Scars fade." He said upon seeing the cuts on the wrist the girl was rubbing. He knelt beside her and it was only at this distance that Tinarah would have been able to see even the slightest detail of his face. None of his features could have been described as "broad" and the man was clean shaven. As for anything further than that, it was a mystery given the darkness the hood cast over his face. "But what if I told you I can help those scars heal instead?" He held his hand over Tinarah's wrist and rather than the typical green glow of a cure spell a golden radiance shone down from his hand and onto Tinarah's wrist. In seconds the scars that were there on her left hand were gone leaving no trace of ever having existed. "I don't just mean getting rid of old flesh wounds either. I am referring to those scars which cannot be seen. I have students of my own who follow me for that very reason. They seek to reclaim which they have lost. Things or, rather, people that no other master would dare help them recover."
The guard looked at Take with a solemn gaze. "I was the one who ferried the boat which the young one used. When she was fighting the monsters she was knocked unconscious. She fought well but when I tried saving her...I...I was too weak. I was defeated." He looked down in shame. "We only survived due to the brave young woman's sacrifice. The red haired girl you mentioned. If not for her we both would be dead. I am sorry." He held out the violin for Take to hold on to. "I handed the young one to a brown-haired boy who wielded a weapon like her. He looked a few years older than you. Well groomed and with green eyes. He was very concerned with her well-being." The guard looked at the waves, seeing that the gentle calm of the water had been disturbed. His brow furrowed intently at the waters.
"What? Don't know the way? Alright. Just keep up, kid. Wouldn't want you falling behind." Dentro snickered as he turned and ran ahead leaving the trio to follow after him. As they neared the city they could hear shouts of both anger and fear in the distance. They passed an injured guard rubbing the back of his head and looking down at a broken spear on their way. A few civilians ran back to their homes regretting having come back out when they thought the monsters were all gone. "Not good." Dentro spoke, dropping his earlier tone to adopt a more serious one. In the far distance they could see figures moving up a hill and towards the King's Chambers. The other outsiders had at least a solid minute or two of a head start by now. They would not make it in time to intercept them but there was no other option than to keep following. On their way they passed by both Illiana and Glyde. Dentro did not even turn to face the two as he ran forth.
Short but here's a few more seconds of gameplay from Noctis:
And now for some multiplayer gameplay: So...looks like the gameplay hasn't really changed much from what I can tell. Maybe magic is still as spammable as it was in the original.
Alder shook his head as Ria spoke, at a loss for words. There was no point in giving a response and going out to fight Ria was a suicide mission. There wasn't any other option left but to descend and come up with a better plan. Preferably one that didn't involve becoming a permanent underground resident. "After you." He spoke towards Cerdic, somewhat feeling as if Ria would find a way to break in the instant he attempted to descend and attack again. Maybe it was an unreasonable feeling but he just felt better if he was the last to go down. "If everyone with darkness turned out like Ria then I'd see why we would have hated darkness but I just don't believe that's the case..." With time running short, his thoughts on the subject would have to come at a later time. Whenever the last person made their descent, Alder followed right after.
Alder shook his head as Ria spoke, at a loss for words. There was no point in giving a response and going out to fight Ria was a suicide mission. There wasn't any other option left but to descend and come up with a better plan. Preferably one that didn't involve becoming a permanent underground resident. "After you." He spoke towards Cerdic, somewhat feeling as if Ria would find a way to break in the instant he attempted to descend and attack again. Maybe it was an unreasonable feeling but he just felt better if he was the last to go down. "If everyone with darkness turned out like Ria then I'd see why we would have hated darkness but I just don't believe that's the case..." With time running short, his thoughts on the subject would have to come at a later time. Whenever the last person made their descent, Alder followed right after.
