Kingdom Hearts Eclipse - Chapter 1

[OmniChaos]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The Eclipse King smiled. The answer given to him by his marshal--and that she still was, regardless of how much she may try to deny it--was exactly along the lines of what he expected her to say. However, that did not mean that the Eclipse King would accept her answer. No, regardless of what she may have thought was right, he knew better and would continue to hound her until a simple, three-lettered word exited her lips: "Yes."

"My dear marshal," the King started, lowering the blade toward the ground. A small laugh escaped his lips. It was a laugh much akin to a gentleman's laugh, a soft, easy, but still very much amused, laugh, one that still allowed the King to retain a refined composure. "A spectator, are you? Well, I'm afraid that you will be unable to be such, regardless of how much you may wish to remain as have for the past several months. For you see, Calpurnia, the role of spectator was stripped from you the day you received your keyblade."

The King held his free hand out, stretched forward, palm facing upward. It was both a warm, welcoming sign, like a father welcoming back his prodigal child, and it was a dark, foreboding sign, like making a deal with the devil. He remained like this, unmoving, not speaking. It was as if time had frozen.

"Come home," the King finally spoke, a sincere and soft tone in his voice. "Father wants you to come back. Your family wants you to come back." The King's tone hardened and grew cold. "You and I both know well enough that this game of chess contains only the black pieces and the white pieces, the army and the rebellion. Neutrality is not a viable option, as you will soon find out for yourself. It is either them or me."

Calpurnia's shifted gaze caught the King's attention. He did not need to follow her gaze to know where she was looking or what she was looking at. He had felt it for a while now. A presence, one that had been following him for quite some time now, like a buzzard stalking a lion and his kill. So he finally decided to make his move, had he? Well, not to be a poor sport, but the Eclipse King had much bigger things in mind and had no time to play with his stalker.

“Trick or treat!”

"You would do well not to underestimate me," the King calmly said, loud enough for his attacker to hear, but not loud enough that it turned into a shout. The man's--at least the King assumed him to be, given the sound of the shouted voice--words were followed up by the sound of something being launched. The tyrant stood still, waiting for the last possible moment before he struck. Then, in a single, unquestioned, and assured motion, the Eclipse King pivoted on his right foot, twisting his body in the direction of the oncoming attack. Inselberg raised as the man turned, reaching up and grabbing the fired object (A pumpkin? How odd...) as it came toward him. The blade slit through the projected pumpkin with ease, causing the two splits of the pumpkin to fly pass him on each side. This did not stop the pumpkin from exploding, however, and the two halves of the pumpkin engulfed the Eclipse King in a blast and hid his figure in black smoke.

The veil of smoke began to fade, giving sight to something of amazement. The form of the Eclipse King could be seen, grounded and defeated. The boy had defeated the tyrant and the worlds could finally return to peace.

Hmph. Or at least one could have hoped. But no, this was no fairy tale. There was no 'happily ever after' in this darkened realm, no handsome prince to save the young girl from the evil witch. As the smoke began to dissipate, it gave way to a sight that anyone would logically expect to see: The Eclipse King's form, still as powerful and grand as ever, seemingly unfazed by the attack. But it did not remain there for long, as the King set out with a great jump, quickly filling in the distance between him and the building his attacker fired from.

"Your simple tricks cannot make me sway," The King shouted, the grand Inselberg raised to be struck. A thick, green energy resonated around the sword's blade, lifting off the sword like a sickly, ghostly, flame. "If you wish to battle, then discard your hiding and face me in the field man to man."

The Eclipse King reached the side of the house and, with a mighty swing, cut through the building at a diagonal angle. As the King swung the sword, the green energy shot off the blade and his swing was soon accompanied by a large, green, vapor-like trail two sword-lengths away from the end of his blade. The trail, and the unseen energy between the trail and the blade, followed the blade obediently. When the tip of the blade freed itself from the side of the house, the green trail stopped, lingering for only a moment, then began to dissipate. As the trail faded, the house began to slide downward, moving along the sliced edges of the building. The energy from the sword had cut through the entire house, which was now set to slide off the edge and fall over.

The King turned his attention back to Calpurnia, who had, unsurprisingly, used the man's strike on the Eclipse King as an opportunity to make an escape. She was still as resourceful as ever, a quality the Eclipse King very much liked in her. He lowered his sword as he called out to her.

"Remember what it is I have said you, my marshal. You will have to choose eventually. And when you do, I will be waiting."

 

[Chromatic]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

As per usual, Anton had only scarcely considered the negative ramifications of his actions, however small they were in this particular case against others. The girl, and ally, the twin Leilani, had been caught on his staff, and was brought falling, albeit, lightly, to the ground. For a moment, Anton observed her brief confusion, in which she seemed to act as though she had lost footing. For that moment he suspected that she might decide that her own rush had been the cause of her fall, and move on without giving him notice. To his delight, however, she had indeed come around to realize that someone else, namely Anton, had done the deed. When she did come around, fuming at him, Anton remain poised. After all, he was justified in what had done, and was doing, not that it was a fact that really made in real difference to him.

He took the scolding from her with a half-neglectful attitude, along the lines of a passive, though cheerful "yes-dear" sort of nod of his head showing that he understood what she was getting at. It was only when he stopped that he became full attentive and mindful. "No, no no," he said with a bounce in his vocie. "No trickery. Anton has just come into the castle from the outside! An army of the crawly Reavers comes this way! It's dangerous to go, at least alone." He pointed back to the castle, pumping his arm back and forth at the elbow as he did. "Anton his heading to the castle," he continued. "You should too, unless you seek an early grave. The castle safer than out here; we can play better tricks on the Eclipse people from in there, do more damage to them!"​

 

[Endless Strategy]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

As the pumpkin bomb rocketed towards the Eclipse King, a toothy grin appeared on Galom’s face. His opponent didn’t have enough time to escape. The war was about to end by his hand. No more worlds would be sacrificed. Galom would be crowned a hero, and then could continue in the pursuit of his passions. Or at least he had hoped.


“You would do well not to underestimate me,” The Eclipse King called out to Galom, getting the last word out less than a second before the bomb made impact. At the last possible instant the king turned, raising his sword and slicing the projectile clean through.


“What?” Galom thought, as the pumpkin halves exploded, sending up a large cloud of smoke. “Did he do something? Was he able to deflect the attack?” In response, the smoke cleared leaving the figure of the king uninjured, unshaken, and just as unapproachable as before. Seeking reprisal, the king leapt into the air with superhuman strength, quickly closing in on his assailant. Galom’s confidence and rage shattered to pieces, too stunned to respond.


"Your simple tricks cannot make me sway," The King shouted at his frozen opponent as his once majestic blade took on a sickly green hue. "If you wish to battle, then discard your hiding and face me in the field man to man." With a quick slashing motion, the green light covering the blade expanded in length and shot towards the house Galom had perched on, cleaving it into two. The half Galom was perched on began to shake and disconnect from the main body, crumbling apart.


“Ah!” Galom cried out in shock as he returned to his senses. His vision shook as the walls gave out below him, the roof breaking underneath his feet. The constant quivering of the building made the once simple act of balance impossible. Unable to maintain his footing on the falling building, Galom stumbled backwards to the roof’s edge and teetered for a moment, before plummeting off of it. Staggering into the open air, Galom reflexively wrapped his arms around the bazooka in an attempt to prevent it from rupturing and exploding when it hit the ground. Galom’s back and head connected with the pavement first, leaving him dazed but having preserved his weapon.
Rubbing his head where it had begun to bleed, Galom stood and began to run. But he did not intend to escape. He knew that beyond the wreckage of the fallen building the horrific black knight stood tall; perhaps already preparing another attack, so getting out of range was first priority. However, while evading the king’s next attack was a possibility, evading him entirely was all but impossible. He had seen firsthand the speed the king possessed in battle, as well as his ruthlessness. Now that he had the king’s attention he was sure that he would be chased doggedly, until his life had been extinguished. Galom couldn’t run away, he would surely be caught and killed. His only hope was to stand against his opponent, and end his life first. Glancing down at the gleaming ring on his left hand, Galom calmed himself. If worst came to worst, he did still have a contingency plan.


Running through the passages adjacent to the town square, greatening the distance between his opponent while still maintaining proximity, Galom hurriedly considered his options. Glancing down at the large metal firearm he held in his hands, he decided that he should first change armaments. It was plainly apparent that explosives were next to useless against the enemy, and at the moment the Bazooka was just an exhausting dead-weight. Halting his movement, Galom placed the body of the weapon on the dangling black sphere on his belt and thought “Return.” The sphere expanded to several times its original size and opened up to create an ovular hole that swallowed the gun without a trace.


Without the Bazooka, and not possessing any other long range weapons, Galom realized he would have to face the King in close combat. Sighing deeply, Galom wondered why he had to pick a fight with such a formidable opponent. But he already knew the answer. To preserve what he loved. Reaching once again to the black sphere, Galom beckoned for the dagger he had obtained from Port Royal. The blade’s black hilt, inlaid with words of a dead language, peeked out of the sphere, and Galom pulled out the lethal blade. Poison dripped from the dagger as he released it from its Ivory sheath. Though he had obtained it mainly for its intricate design, now that the day of reckoning had come, he was thankful that it was a tool designed solely for murder. The hilt the blade was contained in was filled with a poison that both kept the blade deadly sharp, and could kill a man in mere seconds.


Still, even with such a tool, Galom doubted he could survive against the Eclipse king with just a short-blade dagger. He would have to bring out his main weapon, his one treasure that he kept inside him always. Galom reached out his right hand while holding the dagger in his left, and began to summon his keyblade. The air around him began to be filled with sparks of light, little luminous spheres that hovered in the air like fireflies. The light converged in Galom’s palm, and with a blinding flash they merged together, molding into the shape of a long-reach kingdom key. The lights settled and the key became solid in Galom’s hand, the dozens of keychains Galom had attached to it jingling against each other. He knew that the flash had surely given away his location, so Galom strode out back into the market square, trying his best to look confident.


“I’m ready to face you, man to man” Galom declared confidently as he faced the Eclipse king from a dozen yards. Truly he was deathly afraid, afraid of this man who could summon gales and break keyblades in an instant. But so was everyone else, so if he didn’t face him no one would. Glaring at his opponent, Galom sprinted towards him. “I’ll parry his blade with my key” Galom thought as the distance between the two lessened “Then I’ll finish him with a dagger to the neck!”

 

[Orion]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Danyal, who had been surveying the crumbling city from on high, whirled around as he was called out to by the part-mechanical man he had brought here - "You there, aeromancer! Do your powers extend to storms?" The young adult nodded decisively, enquiring as he walked closer to the central spire: "None too much with these clouds. Will clear skies do?" As the hum from the tower built up - but with no lightning to summon - the air grew quite literally charged, as static electricity permeated the space all around them. Daedalus yelled over the noise and the subtle crackling sounding from everywhere around him: "Any not blackened will do fine!"

With a deftness and precision of movements that bellied the boy's age and the dangers even now escalating around him, he turned on his feet and marched in defiance of all that towards the edge of the roof. With fist clenched, he raised up his right arm, as a horizontal ring of electricity sparked just above his hand, which immediately rose up with speed as it materialised, bringing with it the manifestation of a Keyblade of aquamarine and silver, a star gripped at its height.

Even before Arcbringer was fully summoned, a whirlwind grew rapidly around the shaft of the weapon, winds moving with such speed and force as cut steel, a harsh whistling of deadly breeze building. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it seemed to vanish, but instead shot up at such speed as to initially outpace the eye's own power to follow it. With the tallest spire in Ansem's castle so high up, it took only a few seconds for the whirling projectile to slam into the cloak of thick, black clouds that wreathed the sky.

It struck as though with physical force, causing a visible ripple to spread out rapidly from the point of impact. Within the expanding ring, the clouds that had felt that cleansing wave pass through them were growing lighter, as the wisps of darkness that had once choked the clouds were forced to loose their hold on it, if for a moment. The clouds that emerged did not appear altogether brighter, looking more like the puffy harbingers of a massive tropical storm, but they lacked the unearthly darkness that they had previously been imbued with.

Daedalus watched the spectacle with a well-subdued sense of urgency, waiting to make sure that the process would be sufficiently complete before too long had passed. A call from the boy, hiding with relative skill his suddenly-gained pride, told Daedalus to get to work, "The skies are yours!" With a twist of his entire arm, the embedded blade rotated through a quarter of a circle, as a single great 'click' sounded throughout that highest tower. Following from that was partial silence, as the blanked of static electricity that had covered them was now lifted, concentrating in the disc of dark grey cloud amidst deathly blackness.

A second rotation of ninety degrees ended with another click that brought total silence, as all the mechanisms within the tower ceased their movements, and the energy that had been building was now relinquished. The sky above their heads flared brighter than the sun from so close, and a terrible concussion of thunder that rattled bones from so little distance passed through them without remorse, as a single great column of pale blue light pierced the sky from heaven to earth, rending apart the atmosphere as it fuelled its own descent straight toward The Eclipse King.

 

[Professor Ven]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Such terrible light, and yet, so delicate, so precise. So. .beautiful, no? Is not Death allotted such a beatific grace as this? I once summoned vile wrath, yet was it not once so beautiful as this cerulean column of transcendent light? This fabrication of patterned lightning, seemingly wrapped in a cyclone?

Why cannot they understand? Pathetic, writhing wyrms. They dared bring-


No matter; I trust not that Creature of the Void, this Ogen boy! The Eclipse King has come; we must evacuate, and regroup. I am not of the mind to be stranded, and . .neither is Animus, it seems, or the others. However, even I fear the Lord of Nightmares is beyond our combined efforts to completely vanquish. Time is of the essence, is it not?

He turned silently, coat rustling as Quel'loyen returned to the Castle. He had little time to deal with such frivolous affairs as dealing death to foes, returning to ensure that peace and order was kept, even during the evacuation of Radiant Garden. Not Radiant any longer, I fear. Jostling through crowds of citizens, he continued up towards the Main Gates of the Castle, arms folded behind his back, entrenched in thought.

We wield a Blade of Keys, yet know little of what its true power is. There is slim knowledge of whether or not Light and Darkness themselves are even viable with this Keyblade, or even if a neutral road is the best option. . .

The Eclipse King shows well what Darkness itself alone can bring - despair, panic, death. What of the Light? What of our own humanity? What of mine?

His eyes ever watchful, Tal'shendar kept moving forward, undaunted by the masses of Reavers clanking and clawing their way forward towards the Castle Gates. What of theirs? Were they even given a shred of humanity, or are they simply 'lifeless' peons of the Eclipse King? Were they only created for war? Why so?


Was His Lordship lacking in followers, or utilizing an iron fist to bend foes to his will?


Hands raised up to begin the strings of spells, as he began to weave, fingers twirling and wrists juggling the incantations which flowed from his lips. Quel'loyen bound each Reaver, two by two together, until the mass was slowed by a great wall of their own comrades' armored bodies, the spell-wrought fortification rising higher as the unwilling Reaver bricks were laid atop each other, until words ceased falling from his mouth, and the sorrow-filled eyes looked upon the mechanistic creation with only a blank stare.

Our days are numbered. Best make the Eclipse King's time catching us trivial and long, and in turn shall our time living be, no? Tal'shendar smiled grimly as he tied off the spell-weaving with a jerk of his hand, now waiting patiently for when the Reavers on the other side of the 'Reaver Wall' would figure out a way to get over it, and to the Castle.

Your move, Ky'ang.

 

[Ordeith]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Animus scanned his eyes over everyone present, a bit unsure of whom to address first. Each member of the impromptu party had some contribution to make, accompanied by their own differing views and biases. Despite the imprudence of it, he couldn't resist entertaining all the possibilities of the plan proposed by Ogen's parasite—Umbra. Honestly, it's silly to think it could be done safely during this act of the performance . . . Yet how can I resist the opportunity to study the creature, to see its capabilities?

The assassin could sense the darkness pulsating just beneath the surface of Ogen's heart, throbbing like a second heartbeat. To see whether such a power could be tamed and refined...?

It was admittedly a tempting prospect, but his eyes scrolled past Ogen's possessed body without any sign of pause. He would distance himself from the boy just enough to lay beneath suspicion, but still remain close enough to study him. Animus instead turned to twins Hunter and Malik, who had consented to his proposed barrier easily enough, despite a few flickers of hesitation.

"Then let's try to locate Dae—" he began to say, but was interrupted by the brilliant flash that, in seconds, transformed night into day.

An enormous pillar of light sliced through the unnatural twilight, shooting towards the town below with incalculable speed. Shielding his eyes with his tinted glasses, Animus tracked the light up into the heavens, where it disappeared into a hole inside the cloud cover. Hmm. A spell of sorts? The castle's radiant defenses? He couldn't discern any apparent source—but something else caught his eye: A tight cluster of specks were made visible by the flash, flying close enough to be identified as the Gummi Ship aid from Disney Castle. Ah, brilliantly timed!

Before passing the news along to the others, Animus turned his attention back to the pale blue light, and tried to follow its trajectory. The rooftops around them blocked his line of vision, but the glowing pillar was shooting at downwards an angle . . . down towards the neighborhood that His Majesty had just leveled, marked by a cloud of lingering debris.

Animus couldn't repress a secretive chuckle at the Eclipse King's misfortune—and the misfortune of whomever was responsible for the attack. Best of luck to both of them, I suppose. Courage, ambition, and idiocy are sometimes so intermingled, haha.

Suddenly the assassin felt a swish of movement by his side, and soon after could make out Quel'loyen, headed towards the castle gates. Before any exclamation could be made, the somber old Keyblade wielder had handily formed a barrier using the Reavers themselves—and solved the prior issue with practically minimal effort. The metal soldiers would continually fortify the barricade as they approached, keeping the army at bay until the Eclipse King himself arrived—which would be slightly delayed, on account of the fire from above.

Hmph. Well played, old man. Animus couldn't deny his admiration of the feat, a clever application of gravitational and magnetic magic. The Reavers' spidery limbs wiggled uselessly in the air, trying desperately to free themselves. It was all futile, and actually quite amusing to watch.

. . . . .

Realizing that he'd been busy gawking at everything for some time, Animus turned around to address the rooftop party. "Well, I wish that he'd saved us trouble sooner," he said, "but at least the issue of a barricade has been solved. Now, I suggest we return to the castle and help calm the situation until the Gummi Ships from Disney Castle arrive. It shouldn't be more than a matter of minutes now. Ogen—or, pardon me—Umbra...

"You ought to stay with us, now that the Eclipse King seems to have been delayed. This window of time is just wide enough to squeeze all of the refugees through it, and we'll need all the extra hands that we can muster. Our Keyblade wielders are already spread thinly." His tone was apologetic, but firm.

"Come now, folks; there isn't a moment to spare!" He began leading the retreat back to the castle.
Just follow your Pied Piper into the abyss, like good children.
Unlike His Majesty, I'll ensure that it's quick and painless...

 

[Rhapsody]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

What a feeling! God, what a delightful rush! The wind blowing through her hair, whipping her locks this way and that! She dared not stop – no, not even when the Eclipse King’s voice boomed behind her, an ill-spoken omen of her troubles to come should she remain in her state of indifference to the conflict. She remembered the raw, primal state of urgency as she lurched from the man she had once revered as Father. When she side-stepped him with that feline-esque grace, behooving the movements of the prowling midnight pantheress in her tropical habitat. The abrupt spring from her footing as smoke billowed from the projectile chucked by the simpleton who dared to attack the King head-on. She dismissed all outside disturbances and put effort into willing her feet to kick forward, propelling the female into a Hellish run that accelerated her beating heart tenfold. Amazing, truly! the primitive rush catapulting her back to days of raw clashes and desperate survival in the Army.

Fight-or-flight at its finest, indeed. And still she did not stop! Adrenaline pushed her onward, the woman heeding the primal instinct to keep moving. She stopped for no one, weaved through the twisty alleys with keen intuition, as if tracing the creases fixed in her palm. Runrunrun-!

A ripple in the murky sky. So sudden it shook her off balance, and the light that followed soon after the tremble was reason enough to peer curiously to the Heavens for answers. A blinding light it was, even in its descent from the sky. But… where did it come from? And its purpose? The once determined gait slowed, the human luggage in Cal’s grasp stopping alongside her to see the spectacle above.

What in the world…

Unidentified movement to the side caught her attention, her aloft gaze flicking to a nearby rooftop. Even from a distance away she observed figures upon a house, though remained unable to make out any distinguishing features about them, so far was she from the party. Thank goodness for that. More attention to herself was last on her mind, and should she have ambled any closer to the occupied house's perimeter, her presence would undoubtedly elicit curious stares from the team. Ah, but how long could she remain in obscurity, before the small boy she was protecting blew her cover? (And, Cal knew, it was only a matter of time before he grasped the attention of the strangers with his appealing weeps and sobs.)

She looked down, suddenly reminded of the living dead-weight in hands, whimpering quietly over the death of his beloved brother. Cal, however, spared no time to join him in his remorse; not yet, when there was still dire work to be done, matters to be dealt with. For she had her doubts that the young boy was capable of comprehending the gravity of the current situation. Calpurnia was not so naïve, and understood the priorities set in stone before her.

Escape now, so there might be time to grieve later. That was the plan.

So escape she tried, but her legs moved not an inch, locked and rooted to the spot as she mulled over her next move. Perhaps the best plan was to follow a safe distance behind the group. Safety from the crumbling world, she figured, was perhaps their first priority, as was hers. Should they also be en route to the town's safe haven, Ansem's Castle, their numbers might serve as ample protection from any lingering enemies within the area. One girl and one defenseless boy, on the other hand, did not seem as impressive a number, and were impeccable targets to be picked off by leftover Reavers. With this in mind Calpurnia waited for the party to set off, and when it came their time to march onward to the castle gates Calpurnia would immediately tail behind the company, if only for some security from the battlefield...

 

[OmniChaos]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

A great flash, one that tore a section of the sky asunder. The clouds of darkness parted and a great bolt was let loose, one that partially blinded Umbra for but a moment. The guardian could only assume that it was somehow connected to Deadalus and the defense system he set up in Radiant Garden. But the light, the intensity of the attack. It was as if some god was mad at the Eclipse King and released his heavenly judgment upon the man. Though Umbra wondered if even a god could fall the King.

Umbra turned to speak to Animus, but found him staring out at something. Following the man's gaze, Umbra found what had caught the man's gaze: Illuminated by the great bolt of lightning was a small group of what appeared to be Gummi Ships, from Disney Castle no doubt. It seemed the rescue party had arrived. So all hope isn't lost yet, Ogen thought, watching the ships draw ever closer.

"Ogen—or, pardon me—Umbra... You ought to stay with us, now that the Eclipse King seems to have been delayed. This window of time is just wide enough to squeeze all of the refugees through it, and we'll need all the extra hands that we can muster. Our Keyblade wielders are already spread thinly."

Umbra had been staring at the inbound ships for so long, he had had a momentary lapse in attention, only catching what Animus had said when he had called his name. He thought he had heard something about a barricade, which would rule out the need for Daedalus to provide one. However, something continued to bug Umbra.

"That little lightning show will only delay the Eclipse King for but a moment. It simply won't be enough." Umbra faced back out toward the direction of the king. "I'm going and nothing you can say will--"

"Someone...Anyone...PLEASE HELP US!!"

"What was that?" Umbra asked, looking in the direction that the voice rang out from. From across the rooftops, Umbra was able to make out two figures, both hunched over and, apparently, passed out. "You guys get them," Umbra called out toward Animus and the others, turning around to make eye contact with them, "I'll take care of the Eclipse King!"

With that, Umbra jumped from the roof and began making his way toward the King.

---------​

"I am impressed," the King spoke, watching as the man who he could only assume to be his attacker stepped out before him. "I am finding much bravery within these Gardens today. Though bravery is just that. Even though I commend you on your bravery, do not expect me to hold my blade. I will strike you down."

The King prepared himself as the man took charge, sprinting toward him with a keyblade in one hand and something else in the other, though the King could not quite make out what it was. Regardless of what it was, the King figured that the man was planning to strike him with his keyblade, hoping to draw his sword to it in defence, the follow up with whatever was in his other. It was a simple, yet still effective, technique. Though the King was well prepared for it. However, the King would not even be able to even lift his sword against his opponent, as a great column of lightning ripped through the sky and fell straight toward the Eclipse King.

"Interesting," the King mused, a small smile creeping onto the tyrant's face. The Eclipse King did not flee and, instead, raised his sword over his head, placing the side of the blade in his free hand so that it ran horizontally above him. At this point, the King's concern of his previous opponent had vanished, figuring the man would either flee from the surging electricity about to rain down upon them or get electrocuted and completely charred by it. Either way, he no longer posed a threat to the King.

The great column of electricity made contact with the Eclipse King's blade. The impact was so great, that the ground beneath the King broke and crumbled, forming a small crater beneath the man's feet. A powerful shock wave let loose, sending the King's cape into a chaotic fit and shredding the nearby buildings into splinters. Despite all this, the King held the bolt in place, if with some effort.

"Marvelous!" The King shouted, his mouth turned upward in pure enjoyment. "Finally, one who may prove yet to be a challenge to me! It has been so long!"

With a joyous laugh, the king, having to actually exert a deal of force, reflected the great bolt, sending it in a ninety degree angle to the side. The bolt ripped through the houses and the ground, leaving a trail of rubble and dirt in its path. The great bolt continued to travel, destroying everything in its path as it broke a hole through Radiant Garden's wall, bringing down a small section of the wall before it finally dissipated.

"Wonderful!" the King shouted, his breath slightly labored. "Spectacular!" He clapped slightly as he looked for the owner of the attack. He scanned the rooftops, then the streets, and finally set his eyes upon the top of Ansem's Castle, where he saw small discharges of electrical energies. "There you are! Now, let us do combat!"

A hungry howl filled the air, wind whipping through the open fingers of the Eclipse King's now extended right hand. The howl grew louder, like a hungry wolf, and a massive funnel broke through the darkened clouds that hung over the world. It raged and roar, flying proudly over the dimmed garden below it, which seemed to shake and coward beneath its ever-hungry cry. Like a snake to its prey, the great cyclone slithered across the sky toward Ansem's Castle. The cyclone hit the tallest tower of Ansem's Castle, the force of the impact shaking the entire castle. It ripped through with ease, the metal and stone of man's buildings falling ever short to the powerful force of the wind. The cyclone slithered through the tower, leaving a giant hole just short of the width of the tower. The, of course, meant the tower was not going to hold for very long. And it didn't. The tallest tower of Ansem's Castle, as well as the machine and the King's attacker on top, with little support now holding it, broke under its own weight and toppled to the side, sending it and everything on it plummeting into the small buildings below. A great cloud of dust and debris shot upward around the impact zone, blocking the view of what remained of the tower.

The Eclipse King lowered his right arm, the cyclone still circling above Radiant Garden in the case that his opponent had survived. As the dust began to settle, the Eclipse King waited to see if there would be a counter attack.

 

[Endless Strategy]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The Eclipse King readied himself as Galom drew closer, and gazed at him as if his little gambit had been totally figured out. Galom expected to die any second, and he could feel the grim reaper hovering over him. Darn, he really didn’t want to die. But there was nothing to be done; he was committed to his suicidal charge. He drew closer, fifteen feet, ten feet, and five…

The king raised his blade, but Galom was not his target. A tremendous blue bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky, traveling directly towards the Eclipse King. Somehow, the king was able to block the blast with his blade, creating a pushing battle between the two forces. A huge shockwave rang out, the force of it causing the ground around the Eclipse king to collapse into a small crater. Galom himself was not spared, being hit in his midsection and riding the blast several yards backward before collapsing into a heap, belly down.

Energy coursing through his veins, Galom couldn’t move. Every twitch sent a tremendous pain throughout his spine. His muscles were frozen. All he could do from his current vantage point was watch, and so he did.Despite a glancing blow from the lightning blast being more than enough to finish Galom, the King himself was fighting the brunt of the blast, and showing only minor fatigue in doing so. Regardless, the blast was forcing him down, countering its strength with its own. Galom silently wondered if the bolt was divine protection, come from heaven to save him from inescapable death.

"Marvelous!" The King shouted, his mouth turned upward in pure enjoyment. "Finally, one who may prove yet to be a challenge to me! It has been so long!"

What? How could he be so happy? How, even when his enemy was the heavens itself? With some effort, the king sent the bolt off to his side, giving an answer to the question. He could afford to be happy because had nothing to fear.

“Wait, why am I being so pessimistic?” Galom said, rallying himself one last time. Enough of the lightning had been absorbed into the ground below him that he was able to struggle to his feet, grabbing his key for leverage. “I may be down for the count, but so is he. Now is my best chance to finish him off. Now, while he’s recovering from the blast I can…” oh, he couldn’t do it. His two consecutive attempts on the king’s life, followed by being nearly killed by a shot of lightning had drained his courage to nothing. Even in his slightly weakened state, Galom knew the Eclipse king still had strength to kill him a thousand times over. This moment of weakness, it would be little more than a distraction for the king.

The clouds above opened up, and for a second Galom hoped for another shot of lightning. No dice. Instead, a large cyclone, many times larger than the first Galom had seen that day came down from above, surely another show of the King’s strength. As the typhoon moved towards Ansem’s castle, Galom averted his gaze. He didn’t want to see what happened next. He already knew what his next course of action was. He would run. Run to the castle, help those who would be injured by this latest attack, and maybe make it out alive. Using his Keyblade as a walking stick, Galom hobbled as quickly as he could out of the marketplace, and away from the Eclipse king.


As he grew further and further away, tears began spilling down his eyes. In the end he hadn’t been able to do anything. Radiant garden was doomed. He wept for all the rare items, the relics of the world that would be lost forever. He wept for the people, who would lose any chance to create more treasures in the future. And he wept for the present, everyone’s lives that were being uprooted even as he took the coward’s way out. “I promise, next time we meet, it will be different,” Galom vowed to himself tearfully. “I know from this first meeting that I am no match for you physically. I promise, I’ll still find some way to face you, someday…”

Galom’s Keyblade fell from his grasp, and he collapsed on the ground. He had underestimated the damage the lightning had done to him. He no longer even had the strength to walk. Galom reached forward feebly, and started to crawl forward, only to be met by a cruel sight. A Reaver scuttled in front of him, poised to take the life of the saddened collector.

“Please, let me be” Galom pleaded, as the machine moved closer to him.

 

[HollowHero]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

*Inside Mai's Mind*

"What has happened? Where I am?"

As Mai felt cold wrap around her body she knew.

"I have returned."

As Mai landed on the white area she felt calm and at peace.

"You have come back."

Mai notices that she is no longer alone on the area. Two figures stood across from her.

"I have."
"And your answer?"
"That was you, wasn't it? That voice that reached out to me in the darkness."

One of the figures nodded in response to Mai.

"Thank you..."
"Your answer."

The figure continued to ask. Mai thought of everyone, people she was soon to meet, her master and mostly of Ryoko smiling Mai says.

"I will accept your pain. But only when everyone else is safe. Therefore, I ask you now. Can I please borrow that power once more?"

Both figures nodded in unison, turned away, and start to fade. While at the same time, Mai could hear something. It started quiet at first and then began to grow louder.

"Piano?"
"Watashi wa inori tsuzukeru.
Douka konoko ni ai o.
Tsunaida te ni KISU o."
"I know this song...But from where?"

As the song continued, the jagged cracks began to disappear. The white area was being repaired. The white began to lift off transforming into birds they flew off into the darkness. As Mai looked down, she saw herself on the ground asleep. She also noticed an inner circle of emblems, one contained a symbol of thunder, and another contained a dove, while one contained the Oathkeeper Keyblade. Mai was confused about the last symbol, which held a moon inside, however she did not let it bother her so much.

As Mai looked at the picture of the field of flowers near her, she felt something. As she closed her eyes listening to the end of the song, she could hear a voice. It was different from the ones she had heard thus far.

"Never forget no matter where you go I will always be a symbol of light for you and your sister. Because you are my children and I will always love you."
"Mother..."

Mai whispered as tears filled her eyes Mai vanished from sight. As Mai opened her eyes, she looked down at her right hand. She was holding the Kingdom Key once more.

"Thank you for listening."

As Mai closed her eyes once more the tears streamed down her face.

"Hmm...wha? What is that noise? Jazz?"

Slowly Ryoko opens her eyes. She sees that she is in a small room. As she looks around she notices the room is pitch black except next her. She sees a record player, a desk, and a lamp to her left and a small table to her right.

____________________________________________________________________________________

"Swing swing swing."

"Whose there?"

Ryoko could hear footsteps behind her drawing closer. She tried to stand but suddenly realized that she had been chained to the chair. As she tried to squirm out, she stopped as she felt the hairs on her neck stand up. Ryoko knew whoever was behind her was staring intensely at the back of her head. Ryoko felt a hand latch on to her head and forced her against the headboard.

"You have a choice to make."

Ryoko watched the hand in front of her move about. It looked like someone had taken a shadow off the floor and gave it form.

"I know you want power. Power to win this war. Power to help those you care for."

Said the unknown voice Ryoko's whole body shivered in response. Whoever this was seemed to have no soul.

"You must make a choice soon this world shall be gone. So what do you say? At this point, you are like a needle on a record. Going around and around in a seemingly never-ending loop. SO MAKE A CHOICE!

Temptation Ryoko knew it was wrong. However, was it really? Is it so wrong to want power in a time of war?

"I...I want POWER!"

"Heh this is more like it."

As Ryoko's unconscious body laided, still her fingers twitched a bit. Slowly they clenched into a fist and slammed into the ground. She slowly lifts her body up as her right eye opens. Ryoko's eye begins to move about wildly as her eye iris slowly become yellow, and her sclera and pupil start turning black.

"What is this?"

"Foolish girl. I'm the one who is taking the lead now."

As Ryoko full stands, she begins to laugh uncontrollably.

"Now then let's get this show on the road."

As Ryoko turns away, Mai slowly opens her eye seeing Ryoko standing.

"Ryoko..."

Mai says weakly Ryoko suddenly takes off running across the rooftops she spots Galom about to be attacked by a Reaver. She leaps down quickly drawing her sword slicing through the robotic menace with ease. Ryoko takes off quickly not even giving Galom a chance to say anything. Ryoko leaps onto a rooftop as she spots the Eclipse King nearby. Ryoko slowly gain a large smile on her face and begins to laugh once more.

"Heh let's see what she can do."

“Ryoko…”

 

[Endless Strategy]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The Reaver continued scuttling towards Galom, and he could do nothing but watch. He had nothing to tap into; no secret energy source. He was a mere collector, and that one shot of lightning had sucked him dry. Each inch took an eternity, an endless march towards his doom. Clink, clink, clink, the beast continued forward. Bracing himself for the pain, Galom closed his eyes, then…


The clang of metal against metal, a sound Galom had heard all too often this day, echoed in his ears. The clinking of the Reaver’s footsteps ceased. Hesitantly, Galom opened his eyes, and saw the Reaver lying dead, severed in two. And he saw something else too. It was a person wielding a blade, although he could only see the tip of the blade and a pair of white sneakers from his collapsed vantage point. Collecting his strength, Galom opened his mouth to thank the stranger.


“You have my thanks” Galom mustered, but before he could finish his rescuer had vanished from sight, leaving the sound of her footsteps echoing behind her. It struck Galom that the footsteps were heading in the direction he had just fled from, The Eclipse King, but the thought soon left him. He had no energy to focus on anything besides his own well being.


Moving his hand to the black sphere chained on his belt, Galom wished for the one thing he had that could get him moving again. It wasn’t medicine, and it wouldn’t heal his wounds, but it would let him leave the street before another Reaver came his way. “Pixie dust,” Galom whispered, and a palm-sized, sat cloth sack emerged from the sphere. As quickly as he could, Galom untied the sash around the top, and reached inside for a large handful of the magic dust.


Tossing the pixie dust over himself haphazardly, Galom spoke an incantation, and then filled his mind with hope. Truly, he wasn’t in a very hopeful mood at the moment, but such thoughts were required to work the magic. Images of the worlds restored, the Eclipse king defeated, himself with a larger collection than ever before all came to his mind, and Galom’s limp body began to float off the ground.

He righted himself, wincing in pain by the effort it took. Lifting the black sphere, Galom returned the remainder of the sack’s contents to its keep. Then he stuck his hands out like wings, and began to fly. He gained speed slowly at first, then faster and faster, till he was rocketing through the sky at full force. As terrifying as his recent brush with death was, he couldn’t help but smile. An exhilarating feeling was filling his body; letting his worries leave him, if only for just a moment. It was actually the first time he had felt this way. Although he had possessed the pixie dust for a number of years, he had never actually used it. He had considered it too rare a commodity, and had decided to store it for posterity. But what a fool he was! There was nothing better than this feeling, this release from all woes!



Whirring past ruined buildings, Galom approached Ansem’s castle. He flew past all the battles occurring below. He flew past a group of Reavers, piled atop one another by a gravity spell. He saw a group heading towards the castle directly below him (lead by, what was his name? Animus?) And, compelled by a childlike instinct, he swooped downward, giving an emphatic “Hello!” as he passed them by.


Reaching the gate, Galom circled the castle for a while, reluctant to let this felling go. On his trips around, he noticed the damage the king’s cyclone had done to one of the castle towers, completely demolishing it, and crowds of people seeking shelter in and around the fortress. But what really caught his eye was a number of rainbow colored ships, just landing on the castle grounds, Gummi ships. Now that they had arrived, the people of Radiant Garden had a real chance of escape from the king’s armies. As for Galom himself, he was aware of how to access the space outside of Radiant Garden, the Lanes Between, without a Gummi ship, but was reluctant to make such an attempt. Whenever he passed through the Lanes Between, he had felt the pull of darkness upon him. While the darkness hadn’t taken him yet, he feared what its effects on him would be, were he to travel in his wounded state.


Deciding that Gummi travel would be the safer method, Galom hovered down into the eager crowd of civilians, waiting for the ships to welcome them aboard. His second wind vanished the instant he hit the ground, and he once again leaned on his key for support. However, the feeling he had felt during flight remained. The feeling of great joy, and hope renewed.

 

[Orion]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Daedalus swore loudly as flying debris and thrashing winds stung his skin. Even before the bone-shaking rumble began in the tower signalling the buckling of its internal structure, a gentle slant was already becoming noticeable in the tower's flat pinnacle as its metal skeleton began flexing. Daedalus withdrew his concealed Keyblade from the mechanism, noticing even then a radial explosion of debris on the lower levels: having been stripped of its brick, stone and metal exterior even at one tiny point, powerful and focussed winds flowed in with devastating effect, blowing everything but the framework of the tower directly outwards.

"Danya-" Daedalus almost finished, before part of the tower gave way and the top immediately tilted to that point of critical fracture, cutting him short. Before he was even sure of how to begin formulating a plan, he was falling along with the tower's peak, and it was beginning to tumble on its destructive journey straight down. With air already rushing hard past him, Daedalus drew in the chilling air to yell out again, but the boy was already present next to Daedalus, oriented vertically in stark contrast with the virtually upside-down Daedalus. With the hand that still held his Keyblade, the augmented man lashed his hand out to grab the extended limb of Danyal, who with a spherical burst of wind vacated the nearest few metres of debris, and he was able to exit the falling catastrophe.

Even as Danyal slowed their descent, both wielders were keenly aware of the falling tower and its cloud of debris smashing through turrets, wrenching fixings off all along their shared trajectory. At least that trajectory fell nearly right on top of a Carriage Reaver, though it was similarly aware of its own possible fate, and was banking to its left to avoid being pulverised. Able to reorient himself and - moving under the energy of another person - think freely, Daedalus immediately saw an opportunity, but one with a small window of opportunity. Accompanying his raised voice, Daedalus gesticulated wildly in the direction of the Reaver's fore with his mechanised arm, even if it was missing the hand and fingers needed to point. It was the thought that counted most.

"Stir up a wind to redirect some debris and aim for the front of the Reaver!" Even as he looked awfully silly pointing in such a fashion, Daedalus noted the swarms of land-bound Reavers now making their way to the front entrance of Ansem's castle. The falling tower - and most of what it knocked down - would miss it, plummeting a further kilometre past cerulean cliffs to the hard ground below. What did find itself smashing into the paths to the castle would be pulverised to dust immediately after impact - a good weapon on the exceptionally unlikely chance it struck a Reaver, and useless after that. The Carriage Reaver itself, however; that was useful, both as a weapon and a barricade. Two birds with one stone. Or hundreds of birds. With a building-sized boulder.

Danyal complied, and even as the path of the rapidly-descending cloud of sharp, blunt and otherwise deadly debris passed cleanly away from the Carriage Reaver, a smaller section diverged, changing path and velocity to speed up and curve towards the Reaver. Dozens of shudders visibly ran through the hull of the craft as holes ripped open the entire front of the craft. It wouldn't down the Reaver for good, but that was where Daedalus and Danyal came in. For now, the pre-emptive barrage on the hovering behemoth had opened up its metal shell like swiss cheese, and through those holes both wielders could see sparking circuitry and small but building flames as they rocketed towards it.

Only then did Daedalus realise that their speed - initially useful to catch the Reaver off-guard while it was still reeling - was far too great to slow them down before splatting like bugs on their supposed victim's shell. Daedalus' pace quickened even as a comparatively calm Danyal redirected a lagging piece of debris, bringing it under their feet as they still fell straight towards their target. Daedalus sighed with relief when he realised the chunk of stone would be used as a brake of sorts before their previously-imminent demise: jumping off the piece of debris before impact, Danyal would probably concentrate then rapidly expand a bubble of air directly beneath their feet, slowing their own descent while accelerating the soon-to-be-projectile.

As the spherical ripple of expanding air enveloped Daedalus, he pushed off in unison with Danyal, looking down to see the largest hole yet torn right into the hull, a quarter of the Reaver's length back from its front tip, conveniently rending an entrance right near its core. The two dropped into a zone of alternating blackness and brightness, as intermittent flames and sparks flared, Daedalus moving immediately to his right, intent on adding a second entry to his 'Carriage Reavers killed today' list. The path to the core was easy in itself, but the swaying of the Reaver as it was still recovering nearly threw the foreheads of the two into low-hanging pipes before they reached their destination: A clear container and the massive hear within, and the cramped secondary control module forward of it, which Daedalus immediately moved towards, at the same time commanding Danyal to prepare cutting away at certain struts.

A flickering and dim display came into intermittent existence in front of Daedalus' eyes as he worked the console with a single hand. Crammed into the display were six smaller windows pointing along the axes of the Reaver, rendering any image on the already-small screen impossible to see. Since the Reaver would ideally be downed in less than a minute, Daedalus dismissed five of the six camera images, letting the frontal view come into proper focus. He didn't bother to learn the finer details of piloting the Reaver, he just gripped the joystick in front of him and pushed forward hard, squeezing down on a pressure-sensitive trigger than soon proved to the accelerator. For such a large vehicle, it made short work of its significant inertia, forcing Daedalus to reconsider if Danyal even had enough time to cut through the rest of the supporting struts for the Heart container itself. Before locking the controls and leaving the tiny cockpit, he twisted and pressed a single green button, and suddenly there was light from below: a port below the core opened up.

A gear span in the hilt of Daedalus' blade as electricity coursed through its length, and Daedalus made necessarily short work on the remaining support beams that held the core up. It tumbled down, crashing through cabling and pipes before exiting the craft completely, at which point the Reaver lost all additional power, and was left to function on what power was left in its systems before it lost the core. Which, given it was moving forward at full speed, wouldn't last for long. Daedalus dived forward and down, following the same path as the fallen core, pirouetting to avoid jagged, jutting bits of metal violently sculpted by the fall of the core.

Daedalus emerged into daylight as the core crashed to the ground beneath him, metal bending inward and glass shattering. An outward spray of suspensory fluid and the gentle, ephemeral ascension of a single, glowing heart. Both wielders landed a few metres from each other, standing up immediately to look on the speeding Reaver, now moving on momentum alone. It was easily wider than the actual entrance to the castle, and impacted the ground and the walls of the entrance with a sound of rending metal and cracking stone so loud that even two hundred feet away Daedalus and Danyal had to cover their ears and wince in pain. Urgency had their eyes quickly re-opened, even as they were tearing, to look upon their work and witness the effectiveness of their strategy. Even through growing fires and thickening black smoke, they could both see with clarity the dead hulk of the Carriage Reaver blocking every inch of the main entrance into the castle. All within had more time, more safety, and most importantly a proper chance to flee for their lives.

 

[LongLiveLife]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Keeping close to Animus, Hunter and Malik trekked the destruction-strewn path back to Ansem’s Castle. They clambered over boulder-sized debris that seemed entirely out of place in the residential area. Hunter soon realized why. These were the remains of shops, flung miles from the Marketplace by the sheer power of the vortex. Hope, now, for this world was but a fleeting memory from a far away dream.

The passage of time had lost its rhythmic march. How many seconds had passed? Minutes? Hours? Lifetimes? As much as he would try in the years to come, Hunter would not remember the trek as a continuous replay one associates with memory; he would see them as tableaux, one horrific still of fallen building and body after another. Some in jarring colors: the liquid crimson of running blood, the ivory of broken bones. Others in black and white, as devoid of color as the path was devoid of life.

Out of nowhere, a giant explosion shook the ground, the air, his bones. He found himself at the world’s center, just before Ansem’s Castle. He looked up to find its source. A large Carriage Reaver had plummeted down to barricade the Castle’s entrance. Someone had succeeded in doing what both he and his brother couldn’t. There was little doubt in his mind that it was the same person responsible for the bolt of pure electricity so powerful that it would be forever remembered as a pillar of light; that had, for a fraction of a second that lasted an eternity, bleached the darkness. Hunter knew without knowing that even power of that magnitude was inconsequential to the Eclipse King. Still, it had served a deeper purpose. It was a symbol that light could prevail over darkness. Light could, and it would. And it was important that the Keyblade wielders held strong to hope; their hearts were nothing without it.

‘Over there with the civilians,’ said Malik, with a subtle finger gesture to his right. ‘That’s the one who flew over us. He wields a Keyblade.’

Hunter looked. Then he said: ‘He’s helping the civilians escape.’

‘He’s injured,’ said Malik.

‘And if I were you,’ came an unfamiliar voice from behind, ‘I’d start worrying less about him and more about myself.’ It had a quality that seemed to reach into Hunter’s spine and pull on every nerve fiber. There was a faint ruffling, as though the voice’s body were spinning through the air, then a thud.

Hunter whirred around and brought both hands together in time to catch the foot that, had he not acted, would have continued its trajectory to his neck. He had to act fast. One moment, ripples of mist were falling from his hands; the next, the foot they held was encased in perfect ice. Hunter pushed and from behind him, beside him, all around him, a flux in the local air currents launched the hooded figure skyward and back.

‘Go!’ Hunter shouted. But Malik was already on his way to the mystery Keyblade wielder.

The Marshal did not surprise Hunter. In fact, he was surprised by how unsurprised he felt—or rather, didn’t feel—at the attack. He had known all the while that the path to the Castle was rife with adversity. He had also known that the closer they were to the Castle the more difficult to overcome his adversaries would be. And if he had the stillness of mind to wonder such things, if he weren’t right now shaping the aether into walls of flames that would hinder the Marshal, he might wonder why Animus, a man so fond of the surreptitious, had chosen such an open path. He might even begin to doubt the trust he had for his comrade.

But his mind—calculating the different probabilities of success of stilling, permanently, the figure leaping from behind the fire, coming in the direction of him and his party, of first a midair Thunder spell; and then, when the moment had passed, of an ice slick that would result in a fall and a broken head; and after that, just sheer brute force, blind and unplanned—was preoccupied with other things.



When Malik arrived at the fleet of Gummi Ships, ushering civilians, half-heartedly, into whichever ship was closest to them—their lives, after all, were less valuable to both him and the entire cosmos than those who weld the Keyblade; he had little difficulty in picking out the lone Keyblade wielder clutching his side in what might have been pain. Malik’s head tilted to one side, in the manner of a scientist observing a peculiar trick a lab rat has, of his own volition, learned.

He cut through the crowd and reached out an arm to grab the man.

‘Hi, right this way, please,’ said Malik. ‘You’re coming with me. Keyblade wielders have other places to be than with the civilians. Good job on helping the ones still surviving get here—kudos to you—but it looks like you’re injured. Interplanetary travel possibly isn’t the best idea while you’re in this state. Never know what forces of darkness lie waiting to prey on the weak of heart—or flesh.’

Malik plunged his free hand into his pocket and retrieved nothing.

‘Out of potions; no matter, I’ll still fix you right up. Oh, watch your step.’ Green light emanated from the hand clutching the man. It spawned green luminous vines, which writhed like tentacles in the air and then plunged into his flesh, painlessly and almost soothingly. ‘My name is Malik, by the way. That was a Cure spell, and you can call me Doctor.’

 

[Endless Strategy]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

It seemed as though he had just landed and propped himself into a standing position with his Keyblade when an arm shot out from the crowd. Galom’s first reaction would have been shock, were he not on the verge of unconsciousness. Instead he just gazed pensively at the boy who had grabbed him.


“Hi, right this way, please,” The boy said, leading Galom away from the Gummi ships. “You’re coming with me. Keyblade wielders have other places to be than with the civilians. Good job on helping the ones still surviving get here—kudos to you—but it looks like you’re injured. Interplanetary travel possibly isn’t the best idea while you’re in this state. Never know what forces of darkness lie waiting to prey on the weak of heart—or flesh.”


The boy said all this in a blur, and it was all Galom could muster just to listen. The boy paused for a moment, rifling through his pocket with his free hand before coming up empty-handed. “Out of potions; no matter, I’ll still fix you right up.”


Gripping Galom’s hand as tightly as ever, the boy raised his other hand above Galom’s head. The hand soon shone green and a pair of green vines appeared from thin air. The set of vines trailed down the hand onto Galom, and wrapped them around him tightly. It was then that the purpose of the spell was revealed: healing. The vines rejuvenated all that they touched, as if giving nourishment to the charred and bleeding skin. Once finished with one area, they moved to another, until Galom was completely healed. Having done their job, the vines dispersed into pale green light that twinkled before vanishing completely.


[FONT=&quot]“My name is Malik, by the way. That was a Cure spell, and you can call me Doctor.” The boy said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] In less than a minute all the wounds Galom had incurred had been healed. How could he thank this boy enough? “Thank you, Malik, no, thank you doctor!” Galom said falling to his knees in gratitude. “Thank you a thousand times. There is light even in the darkness. I am in your debt.” Rising back up, Galom shook Malik’s hand vigorously, thanking him a dozen times more while doing so.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “But still, kindness has its limits.” Galom warned. “Returning to the field of battle when you’re so close to salvation is foolishness. I would not come with you. Right now retreat is the only option. If we escape then we can regroup and come up with a plan. Don’t throw your life away helping others, you’re of much more use to them alive.” Galom finished.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Releasing himself from Malik’s grip, Galom started pacing back towards the Gummi ships, much faster now that he was uninjured. He had only gone a short distance when he was compelled to look back. Malik had not moved from his place. “Please, you’re the first to show me kindness on this forsaken day. I would hate to lose you.” Galom started moving forward again, hoping that Malik would follow.[/FONT]

 

[HollowHero]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

"Ryoko...why? Why did you take off?"

Mai thought to herself as she slowly got to her feet.

"That look on your face..."

Mai remembers the wide grin Ryoko had before she took off.

"I must reach her before she does something rash."

Mai uses the Kingdom Key as a cane as she limps over to the edge of the rooftop. Looking down she guesses that it is about eleven feet to the ground. Mai suddenly loses her footing and begins to slide down only to have the Kingdom Key act as a hook as it catches the ledge in the last groove. Mai swinging back and forth looks down and decides to jump down from where she hung. As Mai lands she feels the strength leave her body and she falls on her face as the Kingdom Key slides away from her. Mai reaches out for it wishing.

"Come back."

The Kingdom Key suddenly appears in Mai's hand in a flash of white light. Choosing to be more concerned for Ryoko, Mai gets to her feet and limps off after her sister.

"I'll show her what happens when she leaves me behind. Dumbass."

As Ryoko stared at the Eclipse King, she began to smile.

"Huh? A Piano? It can't be is this girl a..."

Ryoko began to hum it was low at first. Placing her foot against the wall electricity began to flow toward the wall sticking her foot to it. Placing her other foot on the wall Ryoko began to walk along the wall humming even louder. The humming echoed seeming to come from every direction. In addition, as Ryoko entered the Eclipse King's line of sight she began to sing.
　

"♪Someone from the Dark is staring at you.
Seething with hatred his plans will soon come true.
You do not fit into this.
Wonder where you’ll be?
The worlds will be cloaked in darkness for eternity.♪"

 

[Solar]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Danyal’s heart was pounding at a seemingly impossible rate with probably shocking amounts of adrenaline pumping through his body. Yet strangely, this did not bother him much. It was just another fact and factor that he observed, kept track of, and plucked off his mind’s urgency lists. He had to allow himself a mental grin as his mouth was too preoccupied lightly panting to crack any sort of smiles. Despite himself and his shell of cool and shrewd efficiency, he had put his fists on his hips and laughed like someone (probably a young male) who just survived something completely ridiculous and absolutely death-defying. It was short and a bit stressed but it was good to get it out of his system as well as back to breathing normally.

Wiping his forehead off, he followed Daedalus running. Manipulation and usage of wind wasn’t too draining on a normal scale but the way they were using their respective skills was nothing short of devastating and awe-inspiring. The youth couldn’t help but take whatever pride or happiness he could in such dire conditions. Still, he moved his attention back to his body. Instincts, reactions, and improvisation were dictating how he used his skills now but that success wasn’t enough to merit him ignoring his health.

He silently assessed his conditions and that of his new-found comrade while following him. He hadn’t any well-thought out reason to trust Daedalus, the man could just as well try to destroy Danyal when he outlived his purpose. Notions of paranoia and careful suspicion wrestled with those of allies and comrades made by battle. Such were how the men of the desert thought, over-lapping traditions of honour and chivalry with critical-thinking and sharp wit. However, he relented. Neither of them was in much of a condition to fight, especially Daedalus. Morality and trust based off survival it was, then. When they arrived in a clearing, a temporarily safe one half surrounded with wreckage, Danyal stopped to regain his breath. Not protesting, Daedalus complied and took the opportunity to more closely inspect himself as well as checking on Danyal.

Looking over himself, Danyal tore off any burnt and damaged or loosely hanging pieces of cloth that adorned his arms and legs, slowly revealing his skin-suit underneath. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander to his friends. Everask, Hunter, Malik, Aiyana, Leilana, the others...and his mentors and masters. He wondered how many of them would make it. It was not a question of ‘if’. Some would have to die and some would have to survive. Such was the way of things. Such was the way of Arabia. There would be a time of mourning, and a time for letting go, but this was not it. He had to survive and fight. For them. For mother. For father. For Genie, For Carpet, for them all. The Keyblade chose him for a reason, for all of them, and he would honour such a bond.

The entire time he was thinking, he looked for the strongest and most rod-like piece of wood he could find. Crouching, he tied his discarded pieces of cloth around the stick and used the would be staff to push himself up. Ripping off his shirt, he tied it around the stick and planted the strange flag in the middle of the clearing, it’s jagged end easily cutting into the ground. The symbol of the rebellion on his shirt, now flag, fluttered in the wind. A small image of hope in a ravaged world occupied by crumbling and destroyed buildings, a blackened sky, and raging fires.

Offering his hand to Daedalus and indicating his was ready to move on, he spoke.

“My name is Danyal ibn Aladdin ibn La-Ahad. Danyal works just fine. I am one of the child wielders who lived here. This was my home.”

He paused, the implication of the word ‘was’ weighing down on them both.

“Do you require medical attention? If not, we should channel our combined destructive potential to diverting the attention bound to be focused at the Gummi ships.”

 

[OmniChaos]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Quite disappointing. No counter attack ensued and The Eclipse King wondered if he had overestimated his opponent. Surely one that could amass that sort of power wouldn't fall so easily, could he? Perhaps the unleashed attack was the entirety of his opponent's power? Or maybe his power was somehow amplified for that attack? How disheartening. The one time the Eclipse King thought he might have found a challenge and it simply turned out to be nothing more than a fluke. Oh well.

With his latest obstacle now cleared from his path, the Eclipse King continued onward to Ansem's Castle. He walked a slow, calm pace, absorbing all the sights and sounds around him. The sight of smoke rising into the darkened sky. The screams of terror echoing across the town. The sound of destruction, the sight of death. It was all so tragic. It really was. The Eclipse King hated to see all the innocent citizens get caught up their war. They had done nothing wrong apart from the fact that they hid from the king's rule, which, in his eyes, certainly did not merit what was befalling them. That is why he had to hurry and finish this. Once the wielders of the keyblade had been banished from the world, then the King could stop this bloodbath. However, until then, he simply had to push forward.

The Eclipse King came to a stop, a presence coming into range of his senses. First, he could feel the presence, emanating from a source before him. Then he could hear it. A humming. It was very soft at first, but grew, its echo reverberating through the empty and ruined alleyways out into the darkened streets, where it mingled with the noise of war. The hum soon gave way to words and the Eclipse King could make out a feminine voice. Finally, he saw the presence and the owner of the voice that was now singing. A young women at best, the girl walked toward the king, seemingly unperturbed by who stood before her, along the side of the building. The King was a bit surprised to see the girl walking toward him on the side of one of the buildings, but surprised was as far as it went. It was nothing more than a cheep trick and certainly wasn't anything to be concerned about.

"I do not fit into your plans, is that it?" The King chuckled slightly, amused by the audacity of the one speaking to him. "I will commend your bravery, but I must shun your arrogance. One would do well not to taunt the lion and you would do well to hold your tongue of such pretentious implications." The King's lips curled up into a smirk. "Tell me, what is your name? And don't give me the name of the girl, I want the name of you who moves the puppet's strings."

 

[Professor Ven]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The heavy footfalls of the Eclipse King in the distance rang in his ears, a dark, ominous bell tone in comparison to the child-like scuttling of the thousand Reavers which made his vast wall, as they clawed about, aimlessly attempting escape. How much like Keyblade Wielders, preparing to flee this once Light-filled World. Is it so simple to give this Radiant Garden over to the Darkness, or is this all simply a dream we share?

Quel'loyen Tal'shendar waited behind his child-like defense, arms folded behind his back. The Keyblade would only hamper him, should the terrible, nay, the almighty monarch of the Eclipse dare to break the wall. He patiently stood, listening for the tell-tale noise, that snicker-snack of a blade being flourished to jerk and stab at a potential target. Then, the footsteps of the damned King ceased, after a few moments of this hour of doom. Chilling blue eyes blazed with a furious, inner rage, yet he waited in anticipation, as the soldiers who had stood guard all this apocalyptic day filed into the Castle, preparing to board the Gummi Ships within that brought the Rebellion its sole salvation today, leaving him alone.

Were it only so easy to join those spineless cretins and slobbering filth. We would release custody of our jurisdiction so easily? What of the once-fabled might of a Keyblade Wielder, whose Mastery was unquestioned? Now they are all dead, save perhaps a few, flies buzzing around the after-images of their corpses, for the Earl of Nightmares surely would not leave a body to be resurrected by allies. Besides, where now is the might of my fabled city, of its gleaming and shining tower? Gone, and no longer in this Realm, ere the Void came.

And, as now, the Void comes again. The strange white circular panels on his coat shone about Tal'shendar's figure with white light, faintly dissipating the darkness around him. His face remained a stoic mask, the epitome of serenity, save for the inferno of his ever watchful eyes.

Come closer, Seneschal of Terror, King of the Eclipse. We have a dance to begin, no? Would you dare to dance with me, if at all? Or, must I take my leave so early?

 

[HollowHero]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

As Mai limped, pass the Reaver she noticed Ryoko's handy work.

"She went this way. I hope she hasn't done anything rash."

As Mai walked, pass the build she noticed the Eclipse King staring at Ryoko. Quickly she hid her presence and returned to the shadows.

"Like that…Dumbass what are you doing? I'm going to kick your ass and make you tell me."

Mai listened in on the conversation as she heard the Eclipse King say.

"Tell me, what is your name? And don't give me the name of the girl; I want the name of you who moves the puppet's strings."

"Heheh I think he means me. However I’m not doing this…”

Said the Shadow to itself. As the Shadow sat down in the chair, it could not help but laugh as it thought.

"But unless he expects an inanimate object to talk to him I highly doubt it."

Ryoko's eyes slowly shut only half way. She takes a breath and says in a deep voice.

"A name I have not. Plan of mine it shall not be. Until the girl learns the truth I shall only sing."

Ryoko remained standing in place. The Shadow was somewhat amazed at what happened.

"Well I wasn't betting on that. Oh well now then get your ass in gear."

Ryoko's eyes widen and a wide grin formed. As thunder surged between Ryoko's hands she fire one, two bolts at the Eclipse King. She then spun so she faced the sky and shot two more into the air. The sky roared and cracked as two more rained down toward the Eclipse King. The Shadow laughed and giggled in glee in the actions she was causing.

"And with this madness comes to the battlefield."

 

[Ordeith]

Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Inside the castle, the situation was only a step above sheer pandemonium.

The arriving Gummi pilots had apparently been given only the minimum information, and were scrambling to land their ships safely, wherever they could manage. Meanwhile, every last refugee—regardless of age, gender, or occupation—was fighting every other refugee in the hopes of reaching the ships first. Most simply pushed and shoved their way to the ships—but others were resorting to open violence, striking down anyone who stood in their path.

The Keyblade Wielders were simply too few in number.

A large portion, if not the majority, had been messily swept from existence by the Eclipse King's power. Any surviving masters were in high demand, scrambling from one conflict to the next—and each had his or her own ideal course of action. Conflicting orders were being barked out from all directions:

Some citizens began forming a horizontal line in the front, while others scrambled for the upper towers and turrets. Then the former would notice what the latter were doing, and sought a Keyblade master for an explanation. To further complicate the proceedings, several Keyblade novices were mistaken for more experienced wielders, and tried blindly to lead on their own.

Animus, meanwhile, had taken charge of a small mob of civilians, and was personally escorting them to the Gummi Ships. It was hardly the most efficient method, but there was simply no way to effectively move large groups at once. They had maneuvered through the seething mobs, picking up more as they progressed—until, at last, the hull of a large freighter ship peered over the sea of people.

The assassin-in-disguise actually breathed a sigh of relief.

He motioned for the group to halt, and turned to a man who had stayed close to him for the entire trek.
"You, sir," he said, "are you able to lead the group to the ship? I hate to say so, but it would be more efficient for me to return and scrounge up another group."

The gentleman, an older fellow, was surprisingly resolute for his years: "I'll do more than that," he replied. "When everyone's tight inside, I'll go form a group of my own—keep this ball rolling."

Animus doubted that civilians would flock to an old man with the same speed that they had flocked to a Keyblade wielder—but he nevertheless nodded in assent. With no further delay, he began his return to the castle. Normally, he would have taken advantage of the chaos and removed a few Keybearers from the world, but there was no place in the castle that wasn't swarming with witnesses. Better to take advantage of the situation in a different way—by solidifying his ruse even further.

- Back at the Castle -​

Without an organized healing effort, some of the wounded were literally holding themselves together. Animus looked passed them with a heart full of, wishing he could do something. The blackness of his lenses was ever-so-slightly diminished. He had no quarrel with the Garden's denizens; their deaths would serve no purpose whatsoever, and would do nothing to further his goal.

These Keyblade wielders, on the other hand...

Animus kept his face carefully blank as he passed wounded Keyblade wielders. Not only were they wasted quarry, lost power—but a source of shame to the Keyblade's chosen. Had all Keybearers been so helpless, the former philosopher would have chosen a different route path to greatness. You've been gifted with the most powerful tool in the universe—and it wasn't enough to defend yourselves with? A sour taste rose in his mouth, and he passed them without a word.

As he neared the bailey entrance, the sight of twin mage Malik caught his eye; the boy was caught up in conversation with a pale, lanky fellow, someone Animus hadn't seen before. While this stranger was still of note, the true point of interest was the fact that Malik was alone. Where did the other one scurry off to...? Animus was sure that he would have at least seen him somewhere else in the crowd—along with any one of the others.

Hm. They might have been seriously detained. The possibility was too tangible to ignore, but searching for them would be pointless. He didn't wish any harm to young Hunter personally . . . but there were Keybearers among them. One casualty, amidst a slew of victories, was acceptable.

Then Animus remembered Ogen and his "guardian", set off to face the Eclipse King alone.
A creature of such darkness would only be dominated by His Majesty . . . and I have no choice but to stay here, out of the tyrant's sight.

Suddenly a commotion broke out from behind him; civilians were rushing to the makeshift Gummi dock, no longer heeding the orders of the Keyblade masters. Animus set his thoughts aside and followed—then quickly saw the source of the stir:

Several large ships bearing the royal insignia of Disney Castle had just landed, apparently carrying an emissary from the King himself. Animus broke into a run, using a field of Aero to open a path, gently repelling the crowds at his front and sides. Here may very well be the key to this problem! Even at such a time, Animus couldn't suppress a smirk at his little pun.

By the time he had reached the ships, several members of the royal guards had emerged, and were urging civilians to keep their distance until the situation could be assessed. Animus merely stepped forward, brandishing his Keyblade, and they allowed the assassin into their semicircle.

Before they could get a word out, however, he quickly cut them off:
"The situation in the town is all but lost," he began, "so there isn't any need to bother with that. The current priority is the castle; all of the refugees have been able to reach it safely, more or less. However—there are some Keyblade wielders still left inside the town, including a personal friend of the King's. He's merely a boy, but I can assure you that he is a vital part of our forces; he needs to be extracted immediately."

The die was cast; Ogen would live.
Meanwhile, the remaining pilots and soldiers began to establish some semblance of order, employing Animus as their guide. He helpfully directed them to every portion of the castle needing organization and aid—excluding, of course, the makeshift Keybearer ward.

They would not die by the assassin's hand—not directly, anyway—but the evacuation had begun.
And it had begun without them.