Hey, thanks. ^^ Its been pretty awesome so far.
Spoiler: Information Boss Incoming! Defeat the Twilight Thorn! Twilight Thorn HP: 68/100 The onslaught of attacks continued. The blows to the face seemed to piss it off even more. Neoph jumped into the air with a fierce cry and slashed the thing across the face. With a roar, the Twilight Thorn gestured to Neoph. With a flash, he was bound in the air by four spheres of light that held his arms and legs. He couldn't move. Then, the thing wound its fist back and struck him. Neoph struggled desperately and managed to force himself to barely dodge the blow. Then, using the momentum from the dodging, he counterattacked by spinning his body around as it was suspended in the air to deliver a blow to the Twilight Thorn's face. The light spheres faded and Neoph dropped to the ground safely. Meanwhile, Yu's attempt to get the villagers to the town hall was successful. While it took some doing as everyone was panicked, they eventually followed what he said and went to the town hall. It would appear everyone was safe for now. OSIRIS Osiris stopped walking and turned to Kala. "Head to the city of Durlag. It is just north of Roland's Ford. But first..." He extended his index finger and touched right over where Kala's heart was. A small dark spot appeared where he touched. She would feel an overwhelming darkness within her, but it would eventually subside and the tides of her heart would calm. "There. Now you can go wherever you want so long as you have been in the place physically before." He withdrew his hand and dropped it to his side. "Your target is Arianna. She is Master Wallace's adviser and the next best thing we have to the man himself. Find her and bring her to me. Alive. One more thing." His expression got really serious. "Do not engage Master Wallace. Avoid him at all costs. Make no mistake, he is stronger than even I. If you try to fight him, you will die." Spoiler: Round Results Aedion attacks! 3 damage. Hunter attacks! 2 damage. Neoph attacks! 4 damage. Twilight Thorn uses "Imprison"! Neoph rolls a 15. Counterattack: 4 damage! Ana attacks! Critical! 6 damage! Zeal attacks! Critical! 4 damage!
Spoiler: Information Boss Incoming! Defeat the Twilight Thorn! Twilight Thorn HP: ???/??? As Ana rushed to the aid of the child, the Twilight Thorn turned its sights on her. It lashed out at her with one of the tentacles hanging off of its scarf, wrapping tightly around her and making her drop the child. It raised her up so she was at eye level with the creature. Ever so slowly, it increased its grip until Hunter slashed the tentacle off, freeing Ana. However, the creature was quick and with a single backhanded slap, sent Ana flying into the door of a shack, breaking the door down. Once Ana assessed the damage, she clearly had a couple of broken ribs and many cuts and areas that would probably be bruised tomorrow... if she lived that long. As it was about to finish the child off, Aedion came, drawing its attention away. Shortly after, Zeal struck its leg. The barrage of attacks seemed to make it angry. With a roar, thorns of black and white came out of various places on its body. The thorns struck everyone within a ten foot radius. They didn't feel like ordinary thorns, however. They burned. As if they were on fire. Unfortunately, that would mean the child and the mother were in the path as well. However, a shape burst from one of the alleyways and shielded the child with its own body. Everyone would see that this was indeed Neoph and the rest of the team that went to King's Island. The thorns bloodied Neoph's back, but the child was safe. The mother, however... Neoph winced with pain as he stood up straight, blocking the child's view of his dead mother. "You know where the town hall is, child?" Neoph asked. "Y-Yeah, but mom..." The kid seemed on the verge of tears as he tried to look around Neoph, only to have Neoph put a firm hand on his shoulder and hold him in place so he couldn't see his mother's body. "Stay strong, kid. Now go!" Neoph gently pushed the child in the direction of the town hall. The kid hesitated, but eventually decided to go after a couple of seconds. Neoph tried to look at the condition of his back. His armor was rent and several large, bleeding gashes covered his back. In anger, he turned to the Twilight Thorn and shouted at it. "You'll pay for their deaths a million times over! You hear me!?" He drew his sword and gripped it tightly in both hands. "The hell are you all doing!?" He shouted to the rest of the group. "Someone needs to get control of the civilians!" Once everyone got the chance to look, they would see that the people were just running around in the streets, some escaping outside the village and others taking cover behind barrels and crates. Others still were trampling each other in a desperate attempt to escape. "Take them to the town hall and barricade the outside of the door. Instruct them to do the same on the inside!" With a cry of anger and pain, Neoph charged the monster. With his sword, he delivered a heavy attack to the creature's leg. Spoiler: Round Results Twilight Thorn attacks Ana! 5 damage. Twilight Thorn uses "Thorns"! Everyone (Save for Ana and the group that arrived [-Neoph]) take 5 damage! Aedion attacks! 3 damage. Hunter attacks! 2 damage. Neoph attacks! 4 damage! OSIRIS Osiris chuckled at Kala's response. "Patience, I was getting to that." He continued. "Just north of Roland's Ford, there is a city they call Durlag. The lord of that city is a Keyblade Master by the name of Wallace. Everyone who is not a wielder of the Keyblade simply call him "Duke Wallace." You see, after the great war that united the worlds, the heroes wanted to make sure the worlds were never plunged into darkness again. And so, they created the Keyblade Council. They were a mightier order in their prime, but they are not to be underestimated now. The Council consists of seven Keyblade Masters, one for each of those who fought on the side of the light in the war. The location of the Council Meeting, which is held every seven years, is a mysterious land which, despite my best efforts, I have been unable to uncover." He looked over at Kala. "Legend has it, that place was once a hub for Keyblade wielders looking for training. It stands on neutral ground. It does not pledge allegiance to light, nor does it owe itself to the darkness." He chuckled and looked back at the moon. "But i'm sure you are not interested in any of that. To the point, many Keyblade Masters have called that place their home. It has since become something of an archive. After the war, much information on the world before was lost. Not just from our books, you see. But from memories as well. Whatever ended the war also wiped the minds of the survivors clean of any memories from before the world's unification. We hardly even remember the heroes, but thanks to scraps of knowledge we have been able to uncover, we know some things for certain." He turned around and began walking again. Once Kala followed, he would continue. "You, my dear, are the first of your kind. The only, as far as we know. That place's sole purpose is to collect knowledge. It would be an embarrassment if there was no information on you there. It is a shame that I don't know where it is. But someone does. See where i'm going with this?"
Could you maybe do Finding Nemo?
NEOPH Just as everyone began to arm themselves, a flash of white came from the trees, heading for Aello. She tried to dodge, but not fast enough. When everyone looked at her, they could see her mouth wide open and a long, slender, twelve inch shard of pure white energy protruding out of her abdomen. There was nothing but a weak gurgle, then she fell. Right after, they heard a group of chuckles followed by a woman's voice in the trees. "Oopsy daisy! Sorry about that. My aim must have been off. You see, I was trying to hit the guy in front. You are the leader, aren't you?" She said to Neoph in a mocking tone. Neoph drew his sword. "You b*tch!" Neoph was truly angry for the first time in years. The woman laughed in response. "I suppose it's for the best. I like to save the leader for last, anyway. They get so afraid seeing their men get cut down. It tastes like the sweetest nectar. I remember that guardsman was saturated in the taste." There was a pause. "I don't like anger. It tastes... bitter." "Where are you! Show yourself, coward!" Neoph demanded. That same chuckle emanated from all around them, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from or how many there were. Was she laughing at them, or were people hidden in the trees laughing at them? "Coward? I am beyond such a weak provocation. I'm afraid I must disappoint you. I'm not here to fight, just to deliver a message. That's all." "I have no interest of hearing anything from you. You killed her! Come down here and we'll--" The woman chuckled. It was clearly the woman this time. "Oh, I think you'll find this interesting. It's from my master. He says you're a very old friend, so he figured he would do you the kindness of informing you that you have damned your men and your village to die." As she spoke, a hooded figure wearing a black corset, black boots, a black skirt, black elbow length lace gloves and long, black stockings appeared a good twenty feet away from them, standing just behind the treeline where they could barely see her. "Explain!" Neoph demanded. The woman covered her mouth and chuckled. "'Explain!', he says. So authoritative. Assertive. A born leader." She said in a mocking tone. "How quickly you will find your delusional house of cards fortified with a wall of lies crumbles." She said it in a more serious tone this time. "It's going to be so delicious. When you learn the truth. I hope i'm there when you do." She turned her head and looked directly at the others. "To watch your allies fall on you like a pack of wild dogs. Watch them tear you apart as your last thoughts are filled with nothing but woe and dread." "You speak nonsense! Tell me what you meant!" Neoph was clearly trying not to let this woman get the better of him. He thought it best to assume that everything she was saying was all lies. "Oh, i'm going to enjoy watching you fall. Nonsense. Bah! Look at that bloody corpse at your feet. I'd say that this message is fairly accurate, Anyway, what I meant was that while you so geniusly stole away your best fighters, a very powerful monster just so happened to wander in..." Neoph froze. "You're lying." He whispered. "Abigail never lies. Sometimes people just don't want to hear the truth. What is it they say? "Seeing is believing"? If you don't believe me, check it out yourself. Goodbye." With a wave, she was surrounded in an aura of darkness and in a second, she was gone. Neoph stood there, frozen for a few moments. What was he supposed to do? Only one other person died in the group and that was due to sheer stupidity. They weren't a fighter as capable as Aello. What the hell is she? "Come on." Neoph whispered again, turning tail and running back the way they came. In Roland's Ford... The interrogation hadn't gone much of anywhere, really, when there was a sudden crash coming from outside, followed by many people screaming. Once the group decided to investigate, they would see an easily six story tall monster clad in all white and wearing a tattered blue scarf. It was humanoid in its shape, its hands looking like mittens and his feet bearing a striking resemblance to Jester shoes. Its face was featureless, only the insignia of the Nobodies on it. The creature was marching around the village, destroying every building with its extendable limbs and killing every villager it could find with strange thorns of black and white. Right down the street, you see a mother carrying a young child they are headed for the tavern, but one of the streams of thorns catches her on the leg and she falls, dropping her child onto the ground and trying to crawl towards him. The child sat in the middle of the dirt road, crying. You could probably save the child, however, doing so would put you at major risk as you would have to get right in the Nobody's field of visionand just a few feet from it. This would ruin any kind of ambush if you don't plan it right. The mother would be a stretch to save. With her injury, she is clearly unable to stand on her own or move quite as fast. OSIRIS "Eventually..." He said as he began walking "...I want to explore the rest of this castle. It was an important place once, you know. Far back in the ancient times, when the worlds were separated from one another, this castle belonged to a man who did many dark and despicable things. Strange for a place so bright, hm? If these walls could talk, imagine what they would say. Hehe, the tales they would tell would be tales of blood and intrigue surely. My favorite kind." He chuckled. "Forgive me. I tend to ramble. Anyway, this story does have a point, believe it or not. This man controlled an organization that was few in number, but powerful enough to threaten all the worlds. For my plan to work, I need more men." He looked her up and down. "Or women. Indeed, there is already one other who is a woman. Her name is Abigail. The other is a man in dark robes who wields a scythe and fire as his weapon. He is Sheth. Counting you, that makes just four of us. I have Sheth out recruiting which gives me plenty of time to brief you and for us to begin our mission." He stopped in a large room with a window that climbed thirty or forty feet to the ceiling. Outside, the bright, heart-shaped moon glowed brightly. Osiris pointed at it. "Kingdom Hearts. It appears in the sky every night, yet we know so little about it. It is said to contain wisdom and power meant only for gods, not mortals. He who enters can reshape the world to his liking." He looked at Kala. "Interesting, no? I thought so too. That is why I have resolved to take Kingdom Hearts for us. Imagine it, Kala. A world of chaos and discord, where you fight every day and the mighty rule over the weak, leading us to a new dawn of prosperity and strength. And of course, I have not forgotten our agreement. By the time we are finished, you will know yourself inside and out. That, I promise you."
NEOPH Neoph began leading the way as he answered Adrian's question. "We're not sure of the exact number, but it's a lot. More than what we have back at the mainland in an area half the size, so we'll have to be careful. I expect we'll meet some of them." He grimaced. "I hope not, but I expect that we will. We should just try our best to stay out of sight until we have what we came here for. Come on." As the group descended into the dark woods, it began to get colder. At the bottom of a steep hill, they ran into a patch of cold mist clinging to the ground. The trees here were scarcer than the rest of the place, so there was plenty of room to move around. It was in this area that Neoph signaled for the group to stop. "You guys hear that?" At first, there was no sound. The night was dead quiet. But after a couple of seconds, they could hear it; a 'woosh' of cold air followed by the snapping of twigs. OSIRIS Osiris had recruited yet another for his merry little band. This recruit proved to be most interesting. She was a promising one too. After hearing her conditions, he held out his hand to her. "Agreed." Once she took his hand, they would be surrounded by an impenetrable blackness. Her head would feel like it was spinning and it would get harder and harder to breathe. Once it got to the point where it would seem she was in trouble, the blackness cleared and they were in a new location. It was an all-white area, with steps that once led to the exit, presumably, but were now a ruined rubble. Everything seemed ancient. Even the very floors were cracked and worn with age. Kala would barely have enough time to take in the scenery before she would suddenly become violently ill. In response, Osiris would simply say, "The first time is never easy. It will pass."
NEOPH Neoph turned when the man addressed him. Man, fate was choosing to be kind to him today. "Hi. Always room for one more soul that has a desire to protect. May I ask your name?" When Adrian introduced himself, Neoph would return the favor. "Well, we've burned enough time. Let's get going." With that, Neoph and the gang made the brief trip to the docks and requisitioned a boat. They began rowing to King's Island, arriving shortly before midnight. It was dark here in this heavily forested island, even the light of the heart-shaped moon was having a hard time piercing the canopy. A perfect place for these creatures... Neoph thought to himself. "Okay, let's head to the site of the attack and look for clues. Any questions?" OSIRIS Osiris's grin grew. He had her. "I wouldn't ask much. Just a favor for a favor. Does that sound fair?" He paused for a moment. "Earlier today. That man who so rudely interrupted our conversation, he is one of the militia led by a man named Neoph. These people have been a thorn in my side for a long time, halting the ever-encroaching darkness in this region. The favor that I would ask of you is to assist me in bringing them down. For good. In exchange, you will get to stick close to me, and every time I uncover a new report relevant to you, it is all yours. Do we have a deal?"
Ventus most definitely fits the bill to me. He values light and order, and has a deep love for his friends to the point where he would do anything to save them, even sacrifice himself. As for Vanitas, I find myself agreeing. He takes what he wants, when he wants it. He is rotten to the core and has nothing redeemable about him. Not to mention he is, in many ways, Ventus's opposite. Now, are there any we're missing? I was under the impression that Ansem SoD and Xemnas knew what they were doing the whole time. I thought that since they were incarnations of Xehanort and had his memories, that they were aware of his plan.
Alright. ^^ Looks good. We currently have two groups; one doing recon and one interrogating the survivor of the massacre of his squad. Just have yourself run into whichever group you'd rather join.
NEOPH Neoph was more than a little surprised at how quickly she accepted. Maybe she'd join the militia after the mission is taken care of? They could definitely use more ranged fighters. Neoph got a strange feeling about this one, but he liked her spirit. With a nod and a smile, he said "That's the spirit. Follow me." He turned to leave. "Oh, and don't worry about not being good in close quarters combat. We've got you covered." He led Tessa and Yu back to the others. "Everyone, this is Tessa. She'll be joining us for the mission. Everyone ready?" OSIRIS "I don't want much of anything, really." Osiris looked at his nails as if he was checking them for dirt. "I'm in the business of helping individuals like yourself, believe it or not. You see, I too love battle and chaos. And I will take every opportunity I can to spread it..." He paused. "...and reward it." He took a few more steps until only a few feet separated them. "I travel quite a bit, delving into ruins and places long since forgotten by "civilized" people. I look for long-forgotten lore, and I have found many things that are quite useful to me. I delved into a ruined lab weeks ago, and on the floor, the pages of this report were scattered. So I picked them up and resolved to find the person in the picture. That being you."
I actually think Master Eraqus better fits into the Lawful Neutral category. A character who is Lawful Neutral supports order, law, tradition, and the greater good in general without regard for their personal beliefs. For example, he was perfectly willing to kill Ventus to prevent Master Xehanort from achieving his goal and tried to kill Terra, a man he thought of as a son, when he tried to protect him. Someone who is Lawful Good would NEVER do something like that. Their love and care for their friends and family outranks their concern for the greater good.
NEOPH Neoph looked down at Yu when the woman mentioned the island of Nobodies. Apparently, this kid didn't know that the group operated with some degree of secrecy. He intrigued however when she offered to take care of it herself. Was this fate? Neoph didn't believe in such idle fantasies, but this woman showing up right when they needed her was quite the lucky break. Neoph turned to the woman. "Well, it just so happens we're headed there ourselves. You're more than welcome to come along if you want." Neoph looked as though he realized something. "Oh, sorry. My name is Neoph, I run the local militia. Nice to meet you." OSIRIS "What now?" Osiris repeated her question and took a few steps forward. "Well, that depends entirely on you." He held out his hand just as he was barely out of arms reach of her. "Breathe." He said quietly. Right after he said that, Kala would feel a burning sensation where her wounds were. If she cared to look, she would see the cuts magically stitching back together, then she would feel rejuvenated, as if she had woken up from a long nap. "Magic. It's rather useful." Osiris dropped his hand to his side. "Oh, and before I forget..." He reached into the breast of his cloak and pulled out a leather case. It was about the size of a book and the same shape as well. "I found these in my travels. I thought they would be of some interest to you." He held the case out to her. If Kala took the case and opened it, she would see a collection of papers. On the front was her name, age, and other information as well as a photo of her. The rest of the ten pages contained even more information on her. "That is report one of twenty." He would say if she flipped through it.
Now, to figure out how to go faster than the speed of light. xD According to our understanding of modern science, that's not possible.
Haha, that's funny. xD But yeah, I actually had the same thought cross my mind during our conversation, which is why I would qualify him as Chaotic Evil if he were a standalone character. To put it another way, Ansem SoD in KH 1 is a character that I would classify as Chaotic Evil. His motives and means are clearly indicative of that. If he has some ulterior motive for serving Xehanort (or if he had an ulterior motive to begin with, which is something my friends and I have theorized about), i'd consider him Chaotic Evil to this day. It's just... the whole serving Xehanort thing is what makes me unsure.
In my opinion, the best representation of Chaotic Evil in the Kingdom Hearts series is probably the Heartless themselves. They have no care for anything besides what they want and they will do anything to achieve it. We want hearts, so we're going to take yours. Don't like it? Too bad. They are also impulsive and function solely on instinct, which attests to their Chaotic nature. Like I said before, instant gratification. xD And I think i'd have to agree about Saix. His blind and unwavering loyalty to Xemnas/Xehanort and by extension the Organization, seems highly Lawful, but he's a really big jerk. Makes Sora get on his knees and BEG to see Kairi. Even if he didn't fake him out, that's messed up. So he's definitely Evil.
I actually think that Ansem SoD actually fits the bill for Lawful Evil as well... well, for the most part. Whenever we take a look at Master Xehanort's other incarnations, the lines get a little more blurred. If Ansem SoD was a standalone character and not an incarnation of Master Xehanort, I would say with 60% certainty that he is Chaotic Evil. (40% Neutral Evil) But since he is an incarnation of Master Xehanort and is working towards Master Xehanort's goal for the same reason, i'd say that makes him Lawful Evil as well. ^^
NEOPH Neoph was waiting for everyone to get their stuff together when Yu came by and began heading deeper into town. It didn't really register with Neoph for awhile that this kid was on his team and by the time that it did, he was out of sight. "H-Hey, you're--!" Neoph began to call out, but stopped when he realized it wouldn't do him any good. "Damn it... stay here." He told the others, taking off in the direction Yu went. He searched for awhile and was just about to give up when he saw the boy talking to an unfamiliar woman. He approached the two. "Hey, we're headed for the docks. That's our mission location." Neoph smiled. "Just so you know, you're going the wrong way." He then turned his attention to the woman. "I don't believe i've seen you before. Traveler?" He kept a friendly smile and tried to keep his tone very casual. He made it a habit to talk to strangers in town. He had caught more than one would-be troublemaker this way. She was armed too. While not unusual for people to be armed nowadays, Neoph had to ascertain her intentions before moving on. And if she wasn't a troublemaker and more than a little skilled with that bow, maybe he'd ask her to come along. They would need all the help they could get after all. In the Forest North of Roland's Ford... Kala's final blow seemed to do what she aimed for it to do. With one final shriek, the Nobody's two halves dissipated into darkness. The man in the tree watched, amused. A thick, impenetrable darkness came over him and once it cleared, he was no longer in the tree, but behind Kala. "Impressive." He said, giving her a round of applause. "Seems I was right about you. It didn't stand a chance." The man didn't give Kala a chance to speak, and would watch any potential hostile reaction without changing the grin on his face. Kala would likely recognize the man's attire and voice from earlier that day. He wasn't wearing his hat this time however, so she could see his face in the pale moonlight. He was in his early twenties by the looks of it. He was handsome, though the confident, proud look to him may have helped with that. His hair was the easiest thing to pick out. It was colored silver and cut short. The bangs spiked up a good inch and a half. His eyes were eerie, carrying a sinister yellow glow that seemed almost otherworldly. "Allow me to introduce myself. You can call me... Osiris. You'll forgive me for sending one of my lackeys after you. I had to be sure you were as strong as I suspected. You were all that and more."
Its been awhile, but i'd like to throw in my two cents. My biggest thing is that I emphatically disagree that Master Xehanort is Chaotic Evil. If you ask me, he is one of the best examples of a Lawful Evil character. (Coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys playing Lawful Evil characters in D&D) I was listening to a D&D podcast awhile back where they were discussing evil campaigns, and one of the hosts laid out the difference between Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil (to a lesser degree), and Chaotic Evil very simply. While the specifics of the discussion escape me, one part really stood out to me. Lawful Evil characters tend to form rigid organizations and keep contracts or other agreements, though they can find ways to legally control the agreement. i.e. a corrupt King makes a law for everything, so SOMEONE is always in violation of SOME law, and so they can take out rivals that way. They also value order, and most importantly, they think long term. Chaotic Evil characters tend to be very short term thinkers because they are looking for instant gratification. As we know, Master Xehanort's plan has stretched over ten years. It's full of contingencies and many complex threads that are all working towards Master Xehanort's ultimate goal. On top of that is who he is looking to benefit. We know he wants light and darkness in equal balance, but the reason he is doing it is more for everyone else than for himself. He truly believes that this is the best thing for everyone. (as far as we know) That doesn't sound like Chaotic Evil thinking to me. Someone who is Chaotic Evil wouldn't even care about benefiting others. In fact, they may actively try to avoid benefiting others even indirectly because they see everyone they benefit as a potential enemy they are helping. So yeah, just my thoughts.
Accepted. So, it's been suggested many times that I make a Skype group for all of us to be in. If you guys have a Skype, i'd appreciate it if you'd PM it to me or post it here, whichever you're most comfortable with. ^^
NEOPH "Alright, they seem to be getting alo--" Neoph was interrupted by Ana throwing a book at Hunter. "Now, Ana, I don't think that's really..." He trailed off as Hunter began reading from the book. Neoph's cheeks began to turn pink. "Um... my team! M-Move out! Let's go!" Neoph rushed out of the hall in a hurry, not wanting to hear anymore of the novel. Finally outside, he calmed down a bit, stopping right outside and waiting for the rest of his team. "Real smooth." He grumbled. Once everyone was outside, he began to go over the game plan. "Alright, from here, we'll head down to the coast and requisition a boat. Once we do that, we can probably row to King's Island within a couple of hours. After we dock, we'll head to the scene of the attack and begin our search there. Is everyone armed? Like I mentioned, the largest concentration of Nobodies is there, not to mention our mystery man." In the Forest North of Roland's Ford... The creature let out another shriek as Kala sliced through one of its legs. The pale appendage fell to the ground before dissipating into nothing. The creature stumbled a bit at the sudden loss of support, but quickly recovered. It cried a horrific cry of anger and lunged at Kala's cover. It ripped through it like a blood crazed animal and began wildly swinging its blades. Four of the eight slashes missed, but Kala had four cuts, three of which were shallow, another that was deep and would certainly need tended to after the battle was done. Spoiler: Information Defeat the Mute! Mute HP: ???/??? Kala HP: 19/21 Battle: Kala attacks the Mute. Critical hit! 10 damage. The Mute uses "Psychotic Dance"! 5 damage. Kala HP (End of turn) : 14 Mute HP (End of turn) : 20
