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Kingdom Hearts Eclipse - Chapter 1



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Orion

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Oh how useful augmentations could be.

The instant a projectile began moving at speed to strike Dædalus, his arm gave off some characteristic warning signs that took the form of a sudden adrenaline rush, and increased power output to the mechanical limb. A single gear just below the shoulder clicked instantly into supercharged rotations as it began whipping about by means of a simple but occasionally unsettling artificial intelligence and independence of Dædalus' own control. The little child who Dædalus had just heard introduce himself as Leba through a rock at him, for whatever reason. Probably intrigued by the man's metal arm. Most people certainly were, and newbies to such advanced technology were always looking for ways to tests its supposed superiority to flesh and blood limbs.

The rock was caught with ease in the raised palm of a gunmetal-grey hand, fingers wrapping around it slowly now that the arm's sudden need to defend its host was fading. Dædalus eyed Leba, speaking calmly - 'Piss off, kid' as he squeezed the rock in his palm until it a fracture appeared vertically down its middle. Dædalus carefully adjusted his hand and wrist, and with a single fluid, lighting-fast motion, whipped his palm around and flicked his wrist toward Leba, sending the now-two chunks of rock at him, roughly one for each shoulder. Probably too fast for both to be dodged, but Dædalus knew looks were always deceiving.
 
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OmniChaos

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The man caught the rock with ease, just as Abel predicted he would have. It would seem that his arm heightened his reaction speeds, possibly even gave out some sort of electrical pulse that acted as a form of warning system, which allowed the man to catch Abel’s rock as if it were moving in slow motion. That or the arm had some sort of mind of its own. Though the latter struck Abel as too odd to be true, especially considering it could add potential risks if it were to somehow malfunction. On the off chance it was true, however, Abel had to keep such a potential weakness in mind for future uses.

The man's next action caught Abel off guard, as he, in no way, expected the man to actually throw the rock back at him. Not just one rock, but two! It would seem the man broke the rock in two and casually flicked the two rocks back at Abel. To actually attack a child in such a manner… Abel knew he was right in choosing this man. He was definitely going to be fun. Sparing a moment to assess the situation, Abel figured he'd be able to dodge both rocks with little problem. However, doing so could possibly blow his 'innocent child' cover. Besides, it’d be fun to draw out a response from the other keyblade wielders.

Abel stepped to left and, as the right rock flew past, quickly multiplied the drag on the other rock just before it hit him, so that, while the rock still appeared to have hit him full force, it did little more than tap the marshal. Now, Abel simply had to play his part.

"Waaaaaahhhh!!!!" Abel cried out, clutching the spot the rock hit. He was a natural actor and was even able to get the tears to flow from his eyes, which streamed down the side of his face. He quivered his lip and took in quick, gasps of breaths. "I-I-It hur-hur-hur-hurts."

Abel got a reaction alright, but not one he was hoping for. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a fellow marshal, one that had only recently joined, rise from the shadows. He wouldn’t… He would. The marshal began to build up an attack, one Abel assumed was directed toward the man. "No, you idiot!" Abel shouted, breaking the act he was putting on for everyone. "Not until—" Abel's words were cut short as the marshal let loose a loud "Attack!" and launched his attack at the man.
 

Alaude Drenxta

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Something triggered in the back of Verah's mind, snapping him back to reality in his dark, dank room. He'd heard the attack order called out, and he'd quite literally felt the presence of a marshal, letting loose an assault. He was very sure that now was not yet the time for the battle, it was still too early, and he was so very close to a breakthrough, the one that would ensure the Eclipse King would notice his talents. He'd have to abandon his new project, gather the soldiers he had on hand, and find out where this improvised assault was occurring, because clearly it wasn't the designated location, he had custom Reavers on site monitoring activity at the strike site, and as far as he could tell, it was mostly empty.

"Fine... The old ones will have to do."



Verah quickly returned to his outer garage area, sprinting across the room at a rapid speed. Shoving his arm into the backside of a deactivated robotic creature, he quickly fumbled with a few wires, and the beast sprang to life. Its eyes crackled to life, hundreds of tiny bulbs sparking alive, casting a dim light across the shadowy room. The arms were next, jerking and retching about until they seemed to adjust and regain control, the legs did the same. As the robot came around, it immediately set about its pre-programmed task, scuttling about the room activating all the other robotic creatures in the large garage. In his workshop, Verah had a well-stocked supply of Reavers, his pet projects which had been decommissioned and sent to his shop, to rebuilt and hopefully improved. These were some of the results of his modifications and improvements, and he hoped that this truly would be his day to shine.


His private army included; a single carriage model, outfitted with improved laser turrets mounted on hydraulic ports, making the guns lighter so as not to burden the unit, and a booster at the base in the rear, for intermittent speed bursts. Two amped Guardian units equipped with carbon steel armor, lighter and just as strong as the regular plating, improving the unit's speed. One had a heavy laser mounted on its back, and fold-out clamps on the feet, allowing it to grip the ground when firing the cannon, otherwise the force would tip the unit over when fired. The second had a standard shield and sword, however the sword was smaller, with hollow drills filled with a toxin cocktail that Verah had developed only days before. Both were equipped with a deployable blast unit, a small block Verah created that was essentially a frag grenade, but much smaller, for precision. Eighteen scuttlers followed under the Guardians' commands, each slightly larger than a normal scuttler, and by effect more damaging. Their scythe-blades were capable of folding out, revealing numerous small saw-blades that could move independently of one another, however their reach only extended up to six inches from their base.


Donning his gray cloak, Verah smiled proudly as he watched his army come to life, and mobilize into the carriage carrier. He pulled a small device out of his pocket, looking strikingly similar to a bomb detonator. When he pressed the button, the carriage would mobilize, and launch from the workshop's rooftop into the streets, beginning the assault on Radiant Garden, just as he'd planned it. Neither his allies nor his enemies would know it was coming, so he was sure to save it for just the right moment, when things were ripe for him to truly display his genius. The carriage rolled onto a hydraulic lift, with all twenty units inside. As they vanished through the mirror on the ceiling, Verah checked his Roc contacts around the castle. Still no sign of a battle beginning, perhaps it was a false alarm. Luckily, he had the benefit of being invisible.


He chuckled, as he vanished, and the garage was once more emtpy and lifeless. A young boy outside, near the alleyway leading up the workshop, took a double-take. He could have sworn he'd seen some shimmering thing pass by, and he knew he felt something brush against him. Verah knocked the boy over with a laugh, and raced off down the street, toward the voice of the Marshal, who he assumed he might soon be replacing, when the Eclipse King learned that the element of surprise was lost due to negligence.
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The events between the boy’s introductions to Leilani and Aiyana, and Dædalus’ arrival blurred into continuum. Right from the beginning, Hunter had his reservations about the kid. The boy who identified himself as Leba had no sooner christened the twins with new, infantile nicknames than bent over, picked up a rock and hurled it at the approaching cyborg—all before Hunter could stop him. Hunter started for the boy and would have pulled him aside to scold his poor manners but was jerked back by a firm grip on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Malik, arm extended, finger pointed ahead.

Before Hunter’s eyes set their focus on the figure to which Malik gestured, he heard a rush of air—possibly two separate movements—light thuds, and then a loud wail to his left. Dædalus had struck the boy back.

Hardly out of character, Hunter thought as he broke free of Malik’s grip. In the fleeting instances they spoke, Hunter sensed an unbreachable distance about the engineer—neither arrogant nor malevolent, but, still, there. He seemed to hold allegiances with only one person: himself. And though Dædalus’ judgment saw through most disguises, there was something distinctly wrong about striking a child. However much his intuition warned otherwise, Hunter could not stand by idle and watch the boy suffer.

He made for the boy.

Midway in his run shadows in the vicinity stirred. They coalesced to a single figure whose command was sharp and simple: Attack! And at that instant, Leba’s—or whatever his name was—ruse was broken; he was commanding the man.

‘Malik!’ Hunter shouted, still running, though he knew there was no need: the familiar tingle of flowing mana in the tips of his fingers told him Malik had already begun working a spell. Meters from the man in the shadows, water rose from the ground in a smooth arc, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was a simple Water spell, no doubt.

Now it was his turn. Calling upon the mystic energy he had learned to command, Hunter felt the sudden expansion in his senses as his consciousness merged with the surrounding mana. Augmented power rippled in his veins and in the air surrounding him. He flung out his hand and willed Arctic frost. The arc of water instantly crystallized as magic leached away its molecular energy.

Without blinking, Hunter continued his sprint up the frozen structure, launching into a backflip at its peak. Airborne and upside down, he locked his eyes on the man still masked by shadows inches away and swung his legs around in a swift butterfly kick. He felt both heels connect in rapid succession with what sounded like the man’s chest before landing, crouched, on the ground.
 

Ordeith

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

(Optional Accompaniment)

It was an experience truly incomparable to any other.

It wasn't just a mere sight coupled with sound, nor was it merely the odor, taste, or tactile sensation. Not even a precise amalgamation of each of these senses could accurately capture it. It was something far more than the animal rush of a predator bathing its fangs in blood; in fact, it could be considered the opposite. While the former sensation was wild and edacious, this experience was something more conscious--and through that conscious clarity, a triumph far greater than any bestial slaying.

One can prove one's strength by wildly smashing a piano to bits, but does it not demonstrate greater strength to play a beautiful sonata on that piano--and in that process, play so intensely that the piano is destroyed? To take a life with full consciousness, precision, and control over one's self: That is a true art. Animus was refining one of mankind's most savage and bestial urges into something that could be considered a masterpiece by anyone able to appreciate it--that is, someone without the cloud of emotion narrowing their vision.

Animus was one of such people; he experienced no joy, fear, or anger as the silvery metal stake passed through the Keyblade Master's throat, only a spectator's objective appreciation of the process itself. He could observe the precision with which the honed point punctured every last pathway to life, rendering Isamu's windpipe useless while still keeping it almost intact. The blood stayed concentrated, almost black as it bubbled forth from Isamu's punctured neck like the Spring of Life--only instead proving to be the Spring of Death.

The true beauty, however, beyond the aesthetics and the technique, was in the broader picture. Each assassination was but a single icon on a mural so massive that no one save Animus could envision it in its completion. That ultimate goal, the culmination of all his efforts, was what made his livelihood truly art. As each Keybearer fell before him, Animus could sense that magnum opus drawing ever closer to completion; it would be a finished product so much more final than anything the Eclipse King could ever hope to muster. He thought as a general, not an artist; instead of refining the bluntness and the brutality, he enhanced it as warfare.

Empires toppled with age, only to have regimes identical in everything except names take their place.
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same--if all the rules were followed.
A true artist does not confine his range of thought by petty rules; by not following them, he creates something brilliantly unique. With each new Keyblade, Animus grew closer to permanently altering the world.
___________________________________​

After completing his preliminary work with Master Isamu, Animus DeCavis emerged from the castle ramparts in anticipation of the coming assault. In the chaos to come, he would be able to expertly wipe away at least a decent three-fourths of the remaining Keyblade wielders, if all followed according to plan. He adjusted his glasses, the lenses now finally beginning to clear of the darkness from his latest masterpiece. One must always be fully aware of the goings-on in one's heart. It's far more vital that most people think it to be.

Resuming his leisurely stride from before, the assassin tapped his fingers along the hand rail of the path, drumming the beat of a jaunty tune. The beautiful weather had him in high spirits, and he grinned congenially as some of the castle town's younger children ran up to ask him for some candy. He was notorious for his generosity with the tasty treats he kept in the side pocket of his satchel--for children and colleagues alike. Animus happily obliged with a few ropes of licorice, then decided to pull one out for himself. It was a gorgeous day, and he didn't see any reason not to enjoy it.
 

Ðari

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

'Its about time.'

The senior member, speaking mentally with age. The echo of 'attack' played back in his mind over and over. His eerily tinted green eyes, peered below. Leba...the juvenile alias he chose, broken by what was considered an inconsiderate offender, possibly a keyblading local? Irrelavent after the command was issued, the floating spectre suddenly became tangible and his opacity resumed.

A wide grin could be seen, with the smugness behind it, he was beginning to feel the intent beating on the door of his mental restraints. A brief clutch of his head, as he pulled up some of his own hair, ghostly white as he was pale. He looked so...flushed of color, almost lifeless, as if his chilly nature was dominant. Refocusing, he duplicated, two shed from himself quickly springing invisible and flying left and right of the hovering phantom.

The first, in response to the first of twin faces he'd made note of, a drop into a gentle hover before becoming opaque again. "Chilly isn't it?" he spoke in a mimic of ice-coldesque that dripped from his tongue. Tormenting, playful, and resolved further described this. The Marshal put a green finger to the back of twin's ear, flicking it, similar to how one's hearing was influenced, the brushing of vibrations riveted high and clutched his perceptive sense. Doing this let him cause his own voice to echo, thoroughly throughout his head, repeating the same utterance. 'Chilly isn't it?' Air passed his open lobe, before he vanished figuring he would entertain his clutched inhabitant(s).

The second, in response to the other twin, flew fast and quick, the heel's catch caught his phantom-like structure, burying them in for a moment. As he pushed the Marshal behind him back a few steps, the duplicate phased, and passed through the twin moving towards him, pulling his arm back and snatching him by the collar. A hold up, the rather large and tall man, keeping his hood up, held the other twin up by his collar. He faced the corresponding twin about the time the first dupe vanished. "Talk about flavor of the day." his remark made about the twin, as he looked at the other twin.

Hovering down, the genuine article motioned beside Leba, as Harken floated beside his shoulder. "I'll take that command as an order to be fulfilled for the glory of the Eclipse King."
 

Professor Ven

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Ears prickled with the sound of pebbles being thrown, and Daedalus' apparent attitude, away in the distance. Quel'loyen merely kept a brief smile at the musing of an angry Daedalus. He names himself the Builder, yet has the temperament of One Who Destroys. The Servant paced through the streets, his ever-shifting coat rustling in the breeze, as footsteps brought him to a strange scene.

The Light simply pray my eyes are not deceiving me, and yet this reeks of ineptitude.

A strange figure, hooded and cloaked, or two of them, at least, held up the twin males, Hunter and Malik; Daedalus' inner, uncaring anger seemed almost congenial when in comparison to the phantasmal duo holding the twins aloft. A small, runty child stood, the hatred in his tiny eyes, as he glared at Daedalus. Two identical girls sat on a bench nearby, obviously flabbergasted at the whole scene.

"Though I know naught of your name, or where you hail from, servanii, I would ask you to set them down, or suffer my displeasure. You reek of the Void, after all, and I am perfectly obliged to send you back to that nihila aeterna." The gauntlet which stretched out over his right hand clicked with the sound of gears, as a small dart shot from a previously concealed port inside, going directly towards the small child.

"Pitiful wretches, you understand nothing of service." A tiny bead of flame, a dark sphere wrapped around it, sped out towards the two hooded figures, stopping three paces away from the both of them, as Tal'shendar made no movement to draw a weapon, his eyes cold, the irises black as night. The face, etched in worry, now appeared blank and inhuman, as he allowed an inversed shield of Gravity to envelop him, designed to knock back would-be-attackers away from him. Forgive me, but my blade must weep its red serenade soon. Is it wrong that I must both enjoy and yet revile such a deed?
 

Eva

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Aiyana gasped as Leba wept, immediately embracing him. "You shouldn't have thrown that rock in the first place." She told him, though as she spoke, she was suddenly surprised at his sudden change of attitude. "What...do you mean 'not yet'?" She asked, clearly bewildered.

And this is why I dislike children.

Without a moment's hesitation, Leilani yanked her sister away from the boy, putting herself in front as if to shield her. Things, however, only got worse from there; another arrival, and the other twins were attacked. Said man claimed to be following orders in the name of the Eclipse King. Aiyana was clearly confused by her sister's actions, her head spinning as she tried to get a hold on the situation. How could such a sweet, innocent thing like him partake in any of this? He was just a child! There had to be some sort of mistake. Her thoughts whirred about, making no sense as she only watched as everything took place. Leilani, on the other hand, understood--they were the enemy, and apparently something went wrong.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aiyana spotted an attack heading towards Leba. "No!" Aiyana cried, breaking away from Leilani and shielding the boy, bringing up a Reflect spell as the dark collided. The force of it caught her off guard; the spell deflected the shot towards the sky, and Aiyana took a defensive stance.

Caught off guard by her sister's sudden burst of stupidity, Leilani turned to her. "What are you doing?! He's the enemy!"

 

OmniChaos

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Everything went to hell in a hand basket within a matter of moments. That idiot’s call to arms had not only alerted the rebellion of the Marshal’s presence, but it also brought out an objective reaction from Abel, thus blowing the boy’s innocent cover. And, with the premature call to battle and therefore the loss of the element of surprise, Abel was bound to be scolded by the Eclipse King, as, technically, it was all his fault for engaging in battle before the designated time of attack. That bastard was going to pay for this. Abel would make sure of that.

Being taken by thought, Abel failed to even notice the twin’s embrace pried from him. However, he did notice the other twin, obviously the less gullible of the two, place herself between Abel and the other girl. “Ai-Ai!” he cried out, reaching out toward the twin. He figured he could at least have a little more fun at her expense. “Help me, Ai-Ai!”


"I'll take that command as an order to be fulfilled for the glory of the Eclipse King."

Abel turned his attention as his comrade, who he knew to be Seven, set down next to the boy. At this point, there was really no point of keeping up the silly, childish ruse, so Abel replied to the man in a more serious tone. “No, you should take that command as the death sentence of a certain new Marshal that will be dying for giving away our cover.” Abel’s eyes darkened in hate as he stared in the direction of the man who had blown their cover. “He will not have the honor at falling to his majesty’s hands. No, I will deal with this scum on my own.”

“No!”

Abel found himself shielded by the twin Aiyana, who brought up a Reflect spell which defended the boy from an attack he carelessly neglected to catch. She had defended him. Him: a Marshal. They were sworn enemies, yet she still risked her life to protect him. Why? Why would she do that? Surely she still wasn’t tricked by the childish ruse Abel had played. Was she simply stupid?

“Thank you,” Abel said, as he took the twin’s hand with his two. “It would seem I owe you.” Abel broke away from the girl, positioning himself a few feet from her. He gave a slight bow, being mindful of his surroundings this time. “At the very least, allow me to reward you with the truth: My name is not Leba.” Abel paused for a moment and a smirk grew across his face. “I am Abel the Blood Moon, first to follow the Harvester and Marshal in his majesty the Eclipse King’s army. I am his majesty’s blood-stained Halberd and the roaring winds of his great voice.” Abel’s smirk grew into a large grin, one similar to the one he gave while under the childish guise. “Nice to meet ya!”

Abel turned his attention once again, this time toward the direction of his soon to be unfortunate ex-ally. "As for you..." Abel's voice was much colder, drenched in a tone not of a child, but of a battle-hardened man. "You knew your orders and yet you deliberately called for an attack. So now, you must pay the consequences." Abel gave an upward motion with his arm which was responded with a howling gale of wind rushing in from the south. The wind weaved around the housed and buildings, moving like a snake closing in on its prey. The wind ensnared the marshal and flung him high into their air, his body flinging like a rag doll. In such a helpless state, the marshal could only watch in despair as a funnel formed in front of Abel, which began to rotate around the boy. In a matter of moments, the funnel had grown larger, completely engulfing Abel and its previous rotating path. It stood still for a few seconds, powerfully roaring like a miniature tornado, before it began to wane. As it began to dissolve, Abel could once again be seen within the dying funnel. However, in the place of the smaller funnel now stood a tall halberd, which continued the funnel's rotation of itself and around Abel. The halberd, Abel's Boreas, came to a stop in front of Abel, dispelling the collected wind with a small shock wave.

"Consider this your two-weeks notice," Abel called out, the halberd rotating on a horizontal axis to position itself in-line with the airborne marshal. The halberd rocketed toward the helpless marshal with a hungry howl. The marshal, with nothing else to do, released a horrible scream as the halberd pierced the man's flesh and tore through to the other side. The force of the blow carried the man, with the halberd still impaled within him, across the sky and onto a nearby wall. The blade of the halberd dug deep into the wall, pinning the marshal to it like a butterfly to a collection case. The force also knocked the man out cold, who not hung limply as blood, as well as some of his innards, poured out of the man and onto the ground below. With a cocky chuckle and an evil grin, Abel turned his attention back toward the keyblade wielders. "Now that that's taken care of, does anyone want to play?"
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Held aloft at his collar by a man with strength that seeped with mystic power, Hunter’s first instinct was to locate his brother. A flurry of darting eye movements later he found his target. Malik was in a similar situation. Either—and this would be a chilling coincidence if there ever was one—a third pair of twins had joined the fray and decided to make enemies of him and his brother, or strong magic had manifested the hooded figures’ corporeal forms from the aether, and their commander was close. It had to be the latter. Through their telepathic bond, Hunter had sensed in Malik the same eerie chill he had felt in their house. Whatever these things were, they weren’t real, and that meant they could be vanquished—or, like other forms of magic, overpowered.

He understood all this in a single, fleeting second before shutting his eyes and detaching himself from the surrounding frenzy. Then he projected his consciousness deeper into Malik’s and felt his brother’s consciousness drill deeper into his, mingling, mixing the divides of their minds. The sensation, Hunter once described, had an aural quality. It was the sweet resonance of all the instruments in an orchestra amalgamating to perfect harmony, more rich and beautiful than any in isolation, more powerful. Lost are the barriers separating one instrument and the next, a hundred strings and reeds vibrating in unison. That was the harmonic singleness with which the twins fought: with two bodies but one mind.

When the eyes of Hunter and Malik shot open, they awoke to find only but a fugitive moment had passed. Neither twins’ eyes were their regular shades of blue or green; instead, a turquoise iridescence blanketed their irises, a homogenous shimmer of sapphire and emerald in the glaring sunlight. A stray twitch seized Hunter’s leg and pressed it to his chest. Even before the idea had fully formed in his mind, Malik knew the full intricacies of his brother’s plan and did the same.

Summoning once again the mists of mana that roused so readily at his command, Hunter channeled arcane energy into the electrons in the air, displacing them, and generating a bubble of plasma surrounding him and his captive. He felt the hairs on his arms rise gently to the building charge. Even without looking, he could see his brother summoning the same forces, could feel the same static growing, could smell the same ions slowly saturating the air only meters away. The growing sphere of plasma, invisible to all but detectable by those within its reach, was now an extension of him, and with his mind he could control its movement. He launched a tentacle of charged gas toward his brother and simultaneously drove his foot into the stomach of the apparition holding him. Malik mirrored his every move.

The instant the ghosts made contact with ground, tentacle plunged into each other, joining the two ion clouds. Without warning, two hundred thousand volts of pure, electrical energy passed between the apparitions in a blinding arc of light, instantly exorcizing their unholy presence. Sound so intense it condensed to a shockwave ruptured from the center of the discharge and slammed into the bodies of the spellcasters. It sent them hurtling through the air, like lifeless mannequins.

Twisting and writhing midflight, Hunter braced his body for impact and landed deftly, kneeling on one leg. He nodded at his brother when he looked up. He was pleased to see that, like him, Malik had recovered from the sonic collision. His ears, however, had not; they blared a high-pitched whine in his mind that Hunter knew did not really exist. Still, through the ringing, he heard the muffled sounds of a boy asking to play.

He looked up, saw that Leba had murdered the man who commanded the attack, his intestines spilling on the stone pavement in a bloody tangle, and immediately bent away to vomit. Nothing came out.

I would play with you, Hunter thought dryly, but I don’t think you play fair.
 

Alaude Drenxta

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Verah landed, almost silently, atop a roof overlooking the active battle-square below. It seemed that Marshal Abel had already taken care of the fool Marshal that had lost his patience, and his life in the process. The chaos that Verah assumed would come seemed ready to blow any minute. No real action between the two forces had begun quite yet, just small squabbles and a tension mounting so rapidly and heavily that it seemed the very air was charged with electricity. This street might soon become a slaughter-house, a bomb ready to blow at any moment, and Verah, at the very least, did not want to miss the opening act. This would be his time to show his real value, he'd just wait for the right moment to act.

Moments later his carriage arrived, and slowly his forces began to exit the carrier, silently surrounding the battle scene below. If any of those keybladers attempted to run, they would learn very soon that they had become efficiently surrounded by an unexpectedly powerful force of Reavers. Verah was not going to risk this golden opportunity, it seemed too perfect.

"Oh goodness..." Verah chuckled quietly atop the roof, just barely loud enough to be heard. "I've reported for duty, as instructed by the call of the Marshal, though it would seem he's proven himself quite the fool, eh? Well, I'm here all the same."

Vanishing in one moment, and reappearing on the road below, at the outskirts of the battle, Verah smiled blankly at children before him, the detestable keyblade wielders, a ragged group of pretentious little children and their supporters. He would find their hearts a place in his personal army soon enough. Slipping his hand beneath his cloak, he removed a small dagger, and with a flick, the dagger vanished, sailing invisibly toward the ringing ears of the one known as Malik.

Verah had a knack for seeking out his opponent's weaknesses and openings.
 

Professor Ven

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

As the small child proceeded to do away with one of his subordinates, Quel'loyen only smiled at the youngling's challenge; his face was devoid of any sure emotion, the abyssal optics watching the boy named Abel with a sickening glee. "You would be obliged to dance with me? How amusing." the all-too familiar shaft of light accompanied the statement, as the obsidian-metallic Keyblade appeared in the grip of his left hand, fingers curling around the grip of it in a lover's iron-clad embrace of fateful repose. The reverse gravity shield around him was allowed to be dissipated, and the orb came to hover around him.

He swirled the Keyblade in his left hand, hearing the thrumming sound it made, walking forth, towards the halberd-wielding child. "I hope you know the Song of War, Abel. It exists in every soul, just as the Song of Peace lurks. The Universe is founded on such harmony within individuals, and yet, you reek of indecision, of nothing but rash thoughts and unplanned, quick thinking. A pity the Lord of the Dark Realm has such useless vagabonds at his disposal; just another toy to be played with, aren't you?"

Oh, a pity indeed, or a mercy? More so a pity that these imbeciles will have to be removed, not unlike a festering rot from a wound. Painfully and with precision.

Tal'shendar only laughed coldly, a single note of chilling despise for one so deeply entrenched by the Void. The Keyblade ceased its movement, shifting to an upward stance, as Quel'loyen brought his right arm up slightly, forming a crescent with both limbs, the Keyblade's prongs pointed upward, prepared to either strike or parry.

"After all, what will the Earl of Nightmares do, when this Garden of Radiance is taken? He is like a man trying to do away with an ant nest outside of his home, never realizing that those pesky insects will find other means of colonizing, should the problem arise. Oh, I sense the fire is soon to come, in which this 'nest' will be destroyed, yet I fear for the day in which your Master of the Void will no longer have need of your pitiful, wretched self, Abel."

"Simply nothing more than a mere child's plaything, are you not? Such is the way of rulers and their pawns." The Keyblade whirled downward towards his opponent, expecting the countering of his attack by Abel, the blade-breaking gauntlet on his right arm anticipating the youngling's strike, so as to snap the weapon in two. Tal'shendar's black coat rustled with his movement, the white circles on it shifting the little light of the day, reflecting the dim glare at his diminutive opponent.

Kneel before the Servant, mongrel pup.
 

Ordeith

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Still strolling along the battlements of the castle, Animus was surprised to see the unmistakable shadow of a Carriage model Reaver hovering somewhere over the assorted rooftops. However, it wasn't the sight itself that caught his attention, so much as the context:

The Carriage and its accompanying legion were the only Reavers in the entire city. The main force--the assault force intended to sever the right arm of the Resistance in one fell swoop--was still merely a cloud of black specks overhead, still small enough to pass unnoticed. The presence of this rogue Carriage placed the vital element of surprise in jeopardy--and without disorder to serve as a cover, hardly any Keyblade wielders could be wiped out, and the leaders of the Resistance would escape.

Animus narrowed his eyes, yet remained stationary in his current position; investigating in-person would only inflict needless difficulties upon his work, as he would then be obligated to stay and assist fighting the Reavers. Instead, he resumed his casual pace until reaching a blind spot on the side of the castle. His glasses tinted ever-so-slightly as he evoked the power of the Dark Corridors and slid inside without a trace. "His Majesty" was long overdue for a visit.

_____________________________​

A mere moment later, Animus emerged on the imposing interior deck of the Reaver flagship Odin, the tendrils of blackness slithering off his person before dissipating into nothingness. Around him, the brutish Guardian Reavers bristled, suddenly alert--yet they made no decisive movements. Though he had long since grown accustomed to seeing it, Animus couldn't help but smirk as the mechanical bodyguards seemed to squirm awkwardly. Their eyes will follow my every move, he thought (with surprisingly little smugness), yet even the Eclipse King's metal cronies know that I'm simply too valuable of an asset to mistreat.

The assassin strode across the artificially-lit chamber, towards the panoramic window filled with nothing but blackness, save for Radiant Garden at its center. Gazing through the thick paneled glass, almost imperceptible against the lightless background of space, stood none other than the Eclipse King himself--caught in some sort of reverie, no doubt.

Through careful observation of the King's behavior and of his heart, Animus had already mapped out the conqueror's exterior moods and thoughts. The interior current of emotions was just barely beneath the assassin's grasp, yet he was confident that it was only a matter of time before that was no longer true.

With the insolence of one who is very assured of his position, Animus stepped up to the window of the observation deck and stood side-by-side with the Eclipse King. "I'm afraid that I must for once be the bearer of bad news, my liege," he began with some sarcasm. "The mission is being jeopardized--no doubt due to the staggering competence of the marshals stationed there. A Reaver--a Carriage model--is roaming above the city long before the initial attack force. I don't think it needs to be vocalized, yet I will do so anyway:

"I cannot exercise my talents on a large scale without the proper clime. Nor, in fact, can the army. If Ansem the Wise hasn't already caught wind of it, he certainly will do so very soon; out of consideration, I felt it best to inform His Majesty personally. Though it wouldn't be difficult to track the paths of the Keyblade wielders should they escape, it would be an awful shame if my side work as an informant went to waste."
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The dagger cut through the air separating the tall, pale man from his target with unholy speed, each revolution of the blade like a flash of water. It flew straight and true and would have plunged directly into Malik’s solar plexus had it not been for that cursed ringing. The silent sonic assault drilled deeper into the mage’s skull, and, like his brother seconds earlier, he was powerless to steady his buckling knees. In all but a second he crashed onto them, hands pressed, firm, against his ears.

A flare of light slashed through the mental clamor as the dagger impaled his hand, where his diaphragm had been a half second earlier. Malik opened his mouth to swear.

However, the noise—a low, dirty sound—came, meters away, from a visibly distraught Hunter who had felt his muscle and his skin penetrated by an illusionary blade of his own. Indeed the telepathic bond he shared with his brother had equal vices and virtues. He clutched his wrist with solemn alienness, as though the appendage had another owner and letting go would allow it to dismember completely, and shot his eyes to Malik. Blood trailed down his brother’s arm in crimson rivulets from where the hilt of the dagger became his flesh. Even from this distance, Hunter could see the iron had cut straight through to the palm.

His eyes whirled, in an unconscious reflex, to meet the movement in the murky shadow at the periphery of the battlefield. There, what Hunter saw set his blood alive with anger and adrenaline: it was a cloaked figure that had his eyes set on the battlefield—no fear, no awe; he was just watching. There was no doubt in Hunter’s mind that he was the man responsible for the metal still fused with his brother’s flesh; there was also no doubt that he would exact retribution.

He projected a single thought into his brother’s mind: Stay down. Then he closed his eyes and severed the telepathic connection with his brother. The separation took with it the heightened awareness of the battlegrounds that came with shared senses; it also took away the communal pain. Now all that was left was an ice-cold, tingling, phantom sensation over the back of his left hand where his mind once insisted a dagger had been. He rose off the ground, paced to the cloaked man, and flexed both his wrists.

‘Aiyana.’ He spoke with unusual distance. His eyes never once left the shadows where the knife-thrower stood, and his heart fluttered—possibly a tinge of regret for having disregarded Malik’s pleas to learn curative magic. ‘Help Malik, please.’

When he was around twenty yards from the umbral cover, and the assassin hiding within it, Hunter flicked his wrists in, and insidious heat, subtle but there nonetheless, rose from the ground. His eyes met.

Hunter drew both hands to his front, and the ground behind the killer ignited. The flames raced outward in two flaming torrents on an invisible track, surrounded them in a perfect circle and sealed off any conventional means of escape. It exploded into a rising column of fire, and any lingering moisture in the air instantly vaporized as the searing heat blasted into its center. It seemed Hell had opened its unholy mouth and spewed forth demon inferno. Within its blazing walls, terrible winds and eddying convection currents, which fed the fire oxygen wherever it could be found, gushed against Hunter’s face.

Beads of sweat prickled Hunter’s forehead—more from concentrating to sustain the fire than the fire itself. He clapped his hands together, and a flaming ring contracted from the column. It dissipated around its caster before it once again sealed together, enclosed around the cloaked man, and raced to implode on itself.
 

HollowHero

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

"Concentrate...I need to drown out the storms of my mind. I need to be focused if I lose my focus I lose control. If i lose control my power will run wild and hurt anyone in its path."

"Learn restraint or risk destroying yourself and everything you love. Fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor edge thin line between humanity and savagery. Eventually we're torn apart."

"I need to be focused...I need to be..."
"Mai, Mai, MAI!"

Then with a simple jerk of the steering wheel, Ryoko turned their ship to the left before quickly jerking back to the right. Mai lean forward and was quickly thrown back against the wall.

"OW!"

Mai said grabbing the back of her head in pain. Ryoko out of the corner of her eye saw that she was coming to.

"Thank Goodness I thought you would never shut your yap."
"Huh what does that mean?"
"You fell asleep meditating again. And gave me one hell of a headache because you kept talking in your sleep like always."
"Oh."

Mai got up from the corner of the ship and stretched out as wide as she could as she began to yawn she said sarcastically.

"Ah what a nice nap."
"Now you're saying that to piss me off."

Ryoko replied getting annoyed now. Mai knew that Ryoko was the only one capable of flying the ship. Anytime she let Mai try, they always seemed to get lost one way or another. Mai walked over and sat in the seat next to Ryoko trying not to yawn while next to her she said.

"Hey Ryoko I've been thinking."
"Well that certainly is new."
"Who do we talk to once we reach Radiant Garden? I mean about the Keyblade."

Ryoko was surprised by the question just by the fact that she had no answer. Their teacher had not told them who to find or who to talk to.

"W-Well I'm sure that we could ask around. Someone is bound to know who we are looking for."
"Yeah I'm sure you are right. Now back to my meditation. Ah!"
"What?"

Ryoko looked down at the floor out of the corner and saw that the candle was sitting in front of Mai had become nothing but a pile of wax.

"I'll buy you a new one once we land."
"Thank you..."
"Mai one last thing."
"What?"
"The images do they still appear?"
"No not as much as they did at first."
"Ok, just making sure."

Mai sat back down and assumed her meditating pose again. She felt bad for lying to Ryoko the images were still appearing in her head. The smell of the ocean and the roaring waves were even clearer than the first time it happened. As Ryoko saw Radiant Garden in the distance, she hoped with all her heart that that something bad would not happen.
 

Eva

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

"You stay the hell away!" Leilani hissed immediately, pulling her twin back as she stood between Leba--rather Abel (that name definitely says something)--and Aiyana.

Aiyana was in complete shock. How could this have happened? He is just a kid. "He's being forced into it! Don't hurt him!" Aiyana pleaded with Leilani, who summoned her Keyblade, holding it in her left hand.

"Don't be an idiot. He knows exactly what he's doing." Leilani muttered, swinging her keyblade over her head, as flames enveloped at the tip of the weapon. She swung downwards, sending multiple orbs of flame at Abel. While the attack ensued, Leilani pushed Aiyana towards Malik a distance away, and quickly came back, knowing full well that the spell, while probably not doing much, did what she had meant it to do; just the slightest distraction. She raised her keyblade at shoulder's height, drawing it back, ready for the oncoming fight. "Come on, kid, I'll play."

Aiyana turned Malik tenderly, raising his arm as she drew in a breath. "Holy spirits, heal the wounds this soul has suffered..." She whispered to herself; whenever she was distraught, she was usually unable to do magic well; thus the little chanting helped her focus better on her magic, as a sort of back-up plan. She really wanted to cry, though she held back and showed no signs, only sighing. She had fallen for such a trick, and really, it hurt. She believed every word, every action. It was like someone did this on purpose to mess with her. The more unnerving part is that a child would actually work for the Eclipse King. It was just...wrong.

"Can you hear me?" Aiyana asked Malik, making sure he wasn't unconscious. "Can you stand?"
 

Orion

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

A large Reaver hovered about, seemingly unnoticed. The gathered Keybladers were equally oblivious to the cargo it unloaded, which began to surround the entire training ground, cutting off any conventional path of escape in one way or another. Carriages were huge, capable of carrying a couple hundred mechanical abominations, so it surprised Daedalus when he was the only one eyeing it. It's structure was, on the whole, unchanged from that of any other, yet it had let loose a comparatively tiny amount of smaller Reavers. Were there more within, or had the massive vehicular monstrosity simply been filled with a skeleton crew?
It's rear had a series of unfamiliar protrusions on it: an enhanced thruster system, while - with his view compromised by the Carriage's bulk - could make out a small array of weaponry mounted on its top that he didn't recognise. Improved armaments, surely - and right now, raising on mechanical arms, they were being brought around one side of the hovering Reaver to point directly at the young and capable Hunter, delivering a fantastic infernal offensive for his age, though it left him prone to attack and was taking a toll on him that would drain him if he kept it up longer.

Acting on instinct, and with that mind of its own, Daedalus' mechanical arm rose, and half a dozen thin, flat, long metal plates on his forearm slide forward and interlocked with his wrist, and fanned out. A second later, that wrist - and everything above it - shot right out, trailing a thin, silver cord, as Daedalus' hand sailed towards the hovering Reaver that threatened Hunter. Daedalus apparently caught the creature unaware, because only when his hand smashed into one of the barrels on the laser turrets did the thing falter in the slightest. The metal fingers dug in hard and closed tight on the end of the barrel, crumpling the weapon into apparent uselessness. All while the bearer of that hand was far below, a cable less than half a centimetre thick now taught in the wind. Feeling his arm back in his control, to ease the next step along, Daedalus sprang up and forward, as his arm went ramrod straight and began reeling him towards his hand.

The sudden tug as Daedalus was pulled towards his hand also pulled the Reaver towards Daedalus. It wouldn't have had much effect - seeing as the Carriage was so much bigger - but the speed with which Daedalus rocketed up caused a sag in the ship's hover, and it was just enough for the remaining laser on the same side as the damaged one to have its trajectory pushed off-course. Daedalus felt the heat and saw the brilliance that accompanied the firing of the laser in a single, massive burst. It left no trail through the air as it zipped at luminal speeds past its intended target, but struck the ground three metres away from Hunter, instantly forming a pool of molten rock where solid floor had been. The rush of heat that accompanied the attack's impact was similar enough to the attack Hunter was building right now, but it was the flash of light, and the immediately proceeding thought - I'm being attacked! - made a break in Hunter's concentration sufficiently big enough to cause his powerful, organised attack to lose all structure, but retain its intensity.

Daedalus' focus on Hunter and what his opponent might do now that his infernal prison was fading was cut abruptly short as he found himself smashing into the turret barrel his hand was gripped into. It loosened now, and the little plates slid back into place, as Daedalus tried recovering the breath that had been knocked out him. Before he was even granted the initiation of that reprieve, the turret that had fired upon Hunter was now turning to face Daedalus, along with two others on the opposite side of the ship. A breathless curse formed on Daedalus' lips as he pushed himself off the barrel of the turret, and the fingers of his fleshy hand found purchase on venting grates on the side of the damaged turret. He used those to swing himself down and around, on the opposite side of the turret, facing away from the other three. He guessed correctly that Carriages - especially ones upgraded like these - would not fire upon themselves. He had seconds in safety before he realised the implication of that.

His turret was not dead - only the barrel, and it could still turn. And turn it did, because over a few agonising seconds, Daedalus came into full view of the three other turrets. Now he had the breath to swear - 'Shit', he exclaimed - as he jumped onto the roof of the ship and once more used a grappling arm to reach the still-active turret nearest the semi-disabled one. He didn't want all the guns dead, not just yet. They might be used against the Reaver at some stage. For now, this turret began doing the same as the other, all the while Daedalus could hear the high-pitched, building whine of the opposite turrets charging, ready to vaporise him into nothingness.
 

OmniChaos

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Abel laughed. Not an evil laugh, nor was it a laugh of amusement. It was just a simple, childish laugh. One that was filled with joy and reflected true happiness. It was a laugh of a child.

Abel smiled, cocking his head slightly to the left and closing his eyes as he did so. In response, a powerful gale of wind snaked its way between the feet of fighters and flung Abel high into the air as the attacks of his two opponents would have connected. While it seemed to have been just in the knick of time, Abel knew the he had more than enough time to avoid their attacks. Abel, whose body flailed like a rag doll due to the force of the gale, quickly steadied his body with a few adjustments of wind and caught himself midair in an pseudo-updraft created by an ever-shifting, but maintaining, vertical column of wind, giving Abel the appearance of floating on air.

“Oh yeah?” Abel asked childishly, responding to the man’s string of questions and statements. Abel’s childish smile switched to mocking one. “You dare call me rash and then launch a blind attack against an opponent that, for all you knew, could have killed you with a simple wave of the hand? How insulting. Pray, keep your pity. You’ll need it, especially if this is what the resistance hinges its survival upon.” Abel spared a glance toward the twin Leilani. “At least she had enough brains to gauge her opponent’s strength before running foolhardily to her death.”

“And, if I’m a child’s plaything, what does that make you? A chewed, used up pacifier?”


---------​

“Perfect.”

Not the word one would expect to hear from the commander of an army whose quiet advance had just been broken, but the Eclipse King was a man who rarely revealed the whole picture before the curtain was drawn. No, he only revealed small pieces here and there, some of which may often appear misleading when the full plan was unveiled.

“No, you are absolutely right, Animus,” the Eclipse King said, breaking his statuesque position to turn his head toward the assassin. “Which is why you are to retain your ruse of a rebellion member for a while longer, relaying information back to us as you do.” The Eclipse King smiled slightly. “It is all going perfectly according to plan.”

The Eclipse King broke away from the window and walked slowly to the seat--no, it was more of a throne--built into the deck of the ship, his heavy footsteps echoing over the chorus of robotic footsteps across the metal floor. The Reavers continued their on their way, even while in the Eclipse King’s presence, and weaved in snaked where needed in order to avoid the king, knowing full well that there would be heavy consequences for halting their orders given, even if it were to wait for the Eclipse King to pass by. In such an important time, manners had to take a back seat to productivity. Reaching the throne, the tyrant, in a single, fluid motion, spun on the ball of his armored heel and turned his body 180 degrees, once again facing the ever growing image of Radiant Garden. The king took his seat slowly, using his strength to keep his massive frame up, which seemed to almost hold the weight of a world upon it, as his body slowly slipped itself into place. With a soft sigh, the Eclipse King sat his arms on the armrests of his porcelain-white throne.

“Now,” the tyrant said, turning his attention back toward the assassin who had stood at his side, “I feel it is only right that I divulge upon you my tour de force.” The Eclipse King paused to clear his throat. “Now, the open objective of the mission, you already know: The capture of Radiant Garden and the extermination of any and all residing resistance members with a quiet ambush against the world. However, that is not the true objective of the mission.” The tyrant frowned. “While I disliked having to lie to my marshals, I believed this to be the only way the true objective could be carried out without it bleeding through the ruse. Oh, and the marshals whose competence you brought into question played a key role in this as well, especially Abel and, um, the new one.” The Eclipse King shook his head slightly. “Abel’s antagonistic actions, an enviable event, when you consider that he is but a child, triggered the other’s rashness, which, believing Abel to be involved in actual combat, called for an apparent premature strike. And while everything appears to be going to hell, it is actually all going according to plan. Now, the next--” The Eclipse King’s words were cut short as a small Reaver interrupted him mid-sentence. The small Reaver, looking much like a miniature Guardian model that carried itself on a set of Scuttler model legs, held tightly onto a small glass of water, which the Eclipse King had called for before Animus’s arrival. The tyrant took the glass from the Reaver’s small hands and gave it a nod of thanks, thus sending it back on its way to receive more orders.

“Where was I? Oh yes.” The Eclipse King took a small sip of water and set the glass onto the armrest of the throne, loosely holding onto it with his cupped, right hand. “Now, with their nest disturbed, what will the resistance members attempt to do?” He smiled. “Yes, they will seek out another safe haven, as all vermin naturally do, and, with only three worlds safe from my hand, they will likely seek one of them out. That is where you come in, Animus. As our man on the inside, you will relay back to us the coordinates of that world, in which we will respond as we are with Radiant Garden. The cycle will continue until the mice are cornered in their last world and we take them, thus taking all of the worlds and putting an end to the rebellion.” The king took another sip of water, after which he cleared his throat once again. “And that is why you are important in your current position. You, our Black Queen, are slowly and silently, yet surely, placing the White King into checkmate.”


Begin final preparations. Estimated time of arrival: one minute and counting. Engine output is at 89%. Weapons are fully charged and ready for firing. All Reavers are to make their way to their designated area at this time. Carriage Reaver B has begun to break off from Carriage Reaver A and the Odin. Predetermined flight path: set. Location of set down: The Great Maw. Predetermined flight path of Carriage Reaver A and the Odin: set. Location of set down: the Marketplace.

“Well, it would appear we’re almost ready,” the Eclipse King said, as he pushed himself up off the throne, his glass of water still held loosely in his hand. “If you will excuse me, I must see to preparations of my own, as you will too.” The Eclipse King nodded to the assassin and begun a steady walk toward one of the open doors that fed Reavers into the deck. As he reached the door, the king stopped. “Which reminds me. As you must maintain your ruse as a rebellion member, you have my permission to engage both Reavers and marshals in combat, both of which will engage you back just as fiercely as they would an actual rebellion member. However, I would prefer if, at all possible, you avoided conflict with our army, but what must be done, must be done.” With that, the Eclipse King chuckled and gave a short wave before exiting the deck. “See you on the battlefield.”

---------​

Abel floated silently, waiting for one the two who had engaged him in combat to make a move, the man in particular. He was at a slight disadvantage, at least in his opinion, as, while his opponents knew Abel had some mastery over the wind, or at least he assumed they knew, Abel was largely in the dark about their abilities, aside from the fact that they both could wield a keyblade and that the twin Leilani was able to perform a rather simple fire-based attack. However, that attack alone was not enough to base an assumption of fire mastery on the girl, as, being a keyblade wielder, she could have access to a large variety of magical attacks, and, at the same time, that attack could be the only one she had. As for the man, while Abel did not know what he had in his arsenal, he felt it was safe to assume that he held some power up his sleeve, as Abel did not believe his smugness went without merit. And so, Abel floated there, waiting for one of his opponents to make a move.

Before either of them did, Abel’s concentration was interrupted by the sound of a large, rumbling object. Abel’s head shot up just in time to see a large Carriage Reaver, one of the two the Eclipse King had brought with him, fly over head, blocking out the sun and casting shadow over the battlefield. The Carriage Reaver continued on an disappeared over the horizon, around the area of the Great Maw. Shortly after, Abel snapped his head in the opposite direction to see the other Carriage Reaver, followed by the Eclipse King’s flagship Odin, land near the marketplace. However, their course seemed to have been slightly off, as the Reaver and the ship crushed several houses and buildings beneath them, from the sound of it, as they landed. Abel, with a smug and confident look plastered all over his face, turned back toward his two opponents, as well as the other rebellion members in general. “Well, I guess that’s checkmate.”
 

Alaude Drenxta

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Verah grimaced indignantly, seemingly offended that such lengths had been taken to kill him so early in the fight. He was no marshal, but his abilities were not without their merits, and saving his own ass seemed to be their greatest strength. Still invisible, he watched calmly as he was rapidly surrounded by a powerful inferno, whose strength was such that it seemed to be drying up his skin in the moments that it was alive. Quickly, he removed a small shimmering shard of glass from his pocket. He didn't want to risk giving away any details of his powers quite yet, but there weren't many other options, and whether the boy could see, or would even notice the floating piece of glass, it shouldn't be enough to out him in itself. Melding himself into the reflective surface, the glass shard clattered to the ground and was consumed by the powerful inferno that Verah had left behind...

He'd traveled into a surface he'd positioned on the roof of his carriage, one that until this moment he was not aware was under attack. Having the foresight to remain hidden, the man assaulting his machine should not have been aware of his presence, but whether he knew or not, Verah was not going to simply allow his creation to be dismantled so easily, they remained the core of his attacking power, and thus his usefulness as well. With a roll, he moved to the edge of the large machine, near the turret that Daedalus was dangling from, and released a volley of daggers from beneath his cloak, immediately followed by another roll and a second volley. His aim was to throw off the man's concentration, or to at least distract and confuse him long enough to regain the advantage in this strange aerial battle.



OOC: Far too short, but doing much else would blow my whole "being undercover" operation.
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

When the surge of coherent electromagnetic energy propagated within laser penetrated the mana field encompassing the flames, the area of arcane power with which Hunter’s consciousness had fused, his body was frozen, but his mind knew. How could one hope to escape the trajectory of a pulse that moved at the speed of light? A wave of heat simultaneously accompanied the laser’s presence. Panic broke through his concentration. He winced his eyes, and as quickly as it had come, the burning prison dissipated.

There was no pain, and when Hunter opened his eyes, he found himself still surrounded by an insidious heat, still deafened by the growing roar of the slowly ruining Reaver, and, to his great surprise, still alive. The laser had liquidated the earth only meters away from him, and his opponent had all but vanished. Where he had once stood was a single shard of glass, smooth and gleaming. Hunter surmised that the sudden heat from his fire had expanded the air fast enough to shatter a window but never looked for proof of his conjecture. His sight was set on one thing: the sky, the monstrosity in it, and the man who’d unquestionably just saved his body from vaporization, dangling from one of its turrets. What he didn’t, or rather couldn’t see, was his former target running on its surface.

He gave a brief smile and nodded at Daedalus. Admittedly it was a gesture born of habit, for even as Hunter parted his lips, he recognized the impossibility of Daedalus even seeing such subtle motions from his height. Already, the temptation to overload the turrets’ circuitry with a simple Thunder spell ran thick in his mind, but the risk of electrocuting his enigmatic ally in the process was too real for comfort, and he decided quickly against it. There would come a time for returning favors, but it was not now. Now was the time for a family reunion.

Where the keybladers waged their battle with the demon-child who dodged their every attack with the fluidity of the wind, who seemed to control its very essence, Malik lay on the ground beside Aiyana. But what held Hunter captive was not the deftness with which the child parried the keybladers’ attacks; it was the looming umbra over the ground that inched ever closer towards them; it was the gargantuan entity above it, descending slowly to crush the ground (and the unsuspecting houses over it); it was—and there was no need for anyone to confirm this—the arrival of the Eclipse King.

The explosion he heard—or rather felt in his vibrating bones—as Radiant Garden’s residences, powerless to do anything else, crumbled under the weight of metal broke his reverie.

He projected his mind forward, fused his psyche once more with his brother’s, welcoming the amalgamation of their senses, and waited for the usual clarity it brought. It never came. Instead, a turmoil of nerves and adrenaline surged through his system. Though the knife was gone, he could see his brother was clearly still in shock. And the quasi-earthquake the iron behemoth caused probably wasn’t helping. Hunter inhaled deeply—this was no time for anxiety—and then cut through his brother’s thoughts with his own.

You need to relax.

In the next thirty seconds he relayed his memories following his brother’s lapse, up to the arrival of the ship, and sensed the black that had all but swallowed Malik’s irises dart about while he processed the information. Without warning, Malik sprang to his feet and started for the source of the explosion—until he abruptly turned around and thanked Aiyana. Unnatural. As though someone had instructed him to do it.

He caught Abel in the distance mouthing what vaguely sounded like a taunt. Checkmate. Over and over he rolled the word in his mind—their mind—but he couldn’t take away its all too real sharpness. This really was game over, wasn’t it?

Nonsense. We fight, Malik heard his brother say. A Carriage landed beside Eclipse King’s spaceship, so that means more of these iron parasites. If we get there early we’ll at least slow the Scuttlers’ from reaching the keybladers. Thin their numbers. Put up barricades. Anything.

Malik nodded and, with Hunter at his tail, began running to the Marketplace. To his death. To his brother’s death. To all their deaths.
 
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