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Post by Draco on Aug 7, 2009 14:27:23 GMT -5
Dragus quickly unsheaths his sword and blocks the incoming attack with the reverse side of his sword,
"Snap out of it! What would the people you know think if they saw you right now?"
---
Draco is stopped in his tracks, unable to move his legs. He tries to use his shadow pass to get out of it, but that fails to work. He looks up at Vincent, with his spare hand rummaging through a pocket.
"You think you can stop me from stopping you, by stopping me from moving?" He finds what he was looking for and smiles as he takes it in his hand, "I don't have to move to fight you know." He quickly rolls several bombs towards Vincent with a smirk on his face.
"I don't have to move at all."
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Post by Cyborg on Aug 7, 2009 21:42:51 GMT -5
" Okay. And I'm prepared. I have my weapons if need be." Rayce stated. " And it looks like need may be present....wait, is that Vyt? That isn't the same Vyt I know,..he's...vicious."
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Esme and Cyborg finally caught up to Rose and Midknight. " Cyborg we neeed to get to Mage Manor, and apparently you know the way. The object is there we believe."
" Yes I know the way, so why don't I leave you all here and get it myself?" Cyborg asked.
" Because you'll need me to get by the traps that are present. We already heard one bomb go off. I assume there are many more." Midknight stated, Rose Esme and Cyborg all held onto Midknight, and then he turned them into shadows, as Cyborg directed him to Mage Manor.
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Post by Shoichi Kobayashi on Aug 7, 2009 23:01:11 GMT -5
Shoi's eyes blazed with a silver fire as he saw Vyt's spiritual presence suddenly change. Whereas before it had been continually shifting between the shape of a human and that of a cat, suddenly the shift halted in mid-phase and grew gnarled - and *dark*. The silver color shifted to a deep grey, the glints in it taking on a seemingly reversed hue as compared to before. A long, twisted tendril of dark grey essence led from Vyt's warped presence to that of another nearby, one covered in writhing, corrupt tentacles of essence, all of which seemed to emanate from something strapped to its side.
"ONI!" Shoi shouted, his voice a guttural roar. Drawing his kama knives, he focused his rage into a powerful double strike across the tendril connecting Vyt to the corrupt entity near him. The tendril spasmed, spraying darkened essence out as if bleeding from a wound, but did not break.
"We must return to the physical plane to properly deal with this - I can disrupt such corruption here but not destroy it. Now is the time that we must return!" Shoi swung his wrists together above him, and as they struck each other the landscape suddenly exploded back into color as he and Rayce returned to the physical plane.
((At that same moment, everyone who was already on the physical plane would have seen a sudden flash of expanding silver energy at a point between Vyt and Vincent, and then seen Shoi and Rayce appear from the center of the flash))
Shoi, still in his battle form, turned towards Vincent and emitted a sibilant hiss. "You! Defiler! Prepare to be removed from this place - you will return to the Yomi you came from NOW!"
With that, he lunged at Vincent, his kamas poised to strike.
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Post by Draco on Aug 7, 2009 23:13:13 GMT -5
Draco was unable to turn and see the flash, he could only see the light that passed him. He than watches as Shoi charges Vincent, than turns his head to looks down at the bombs under Vincent.
"Is it just me, or he a magnet to my attacks? Uhh, Shoi! You might not to get to close!"
Draco can only wave his sword hand, complete with sword in it, at Shoi to get his attention.
--
Dragus on the other hand is blinded by the light for a few moments, but keeps the blocking of Vyt's attack up.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 1:08:53 GMT -5
Gasping desperately in the thick smoke, panicked beyond reason, Sarn ignored the flash of silver light that shone behind him, ignored the yells and shouts of others around him, ignored the sounds of clashing metal and snarling. His most basic instincts had taken over, leaving no room for reason to have its say, his actions were dictated by one thing and one thing only- Survival.
No longer was the enchanter able to hear the soft music of the stars that provided the undertones beat. The beat to which all life conformed. The melody was completely gone from his ears for the first time in his entire life and its lose had driven his mind to the brink of madness. He kept his mouth open in a feral snarl, baring his ivory teeth and hissing out a few wretched notes that, disconnected with the greater Star Dance, did nothing more than enrage Sarn.
Having thus far restrained himself from taking flight lest he strike some unknown obstacle, hidden in the dark smoke, Sarn couldn't help but raise his wings when he saw Mage Manor's walls emerge from the dense smoke. He spotted a window, saw a face and immediately, the enraged beast inside him subsided. He gasped for clean air and felt his eyes start to water. Sarn thrust down with the last of his strength, beat his wings in two great downward strokes, and pushed through the open window to where Omni was standing.
He crumpled on the wooden floor, curled himself into a tiny ball and wrapped both his wings tightly around himself. There, on the floor of his him, he wept for the loss of the music which had been his power, and his life. It was gone, blighted and spoiled and bought to nothing and he let the salty tears roll down his cheeks without shame. The loss of something so beautiful, so pure, was worth the tears.
After a moment or so, he slowly uncurled himself from his protective shell and stood up, cuffing away his tears and realized that much of his behavior outside had not been of his own will. Something evil had tried to sap his power, had tried to invade his mind and turn him, but the loss of the Star Dance meant that Sarn was essentially powerless, and the invasion had instead caused him to lose part of his mind. It was the face of a friend, Omni that had caused this lost part of himself to return.
Sarn crossed to the mage and embraced her, trying to convey silent gratitude. In the process of the hug, he felt the remnant of the fire which had been his last act as an enchanter. He felt what he thought was a pang of regret and pain, the kind associated with losing one's dearest friend, but when he let go of Omni and stepped back, he began to feel the fire spread over his own body, he began to hear a trickle of melody, began to feel his power return.
Quiet joy came in that moment and Sarn couldn't help but grin at Omni.
"From feral beast, despair and now joy. But now I move to worry, Omni, those men aren't themselves... that sack is evil, its controlling them and we've got to stop them before they can start draining our power again," he said urgently, glancing around for any other mages that might be close. Having gone through an attack by whatever was in that sack, Sarn thought he understood a little of its power and a plan was slowly forming in his mind.
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Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Aug 8, 2009 3:54:15 GMT -5
((Again, sorry for the late reply.))
"Gah!" was what the two shouted out from their deep, raspy voices as PFA's katana swung through their bodies. Though initially it left no visible marks, the light from the blade began to spread around their cloaks. For the two, it was a harsh burning sensation that would never end.
They let out an agonizing shriek before they disappeared from the room.
"No... This can't be!" the one left exclaimed. "Was she the one they've been talking about?!"
He had forgotten that Cat Assassin was charging towards him, and immediately he was pinned to the wall with the cat's left hand. "Yeah, I was hoping to introduce her to you, but oh well..."
"... See you next time."
The feline swung his right arm as the energy from its hand exploded on the face of the cloaked one. A blinding flash followed, and afterwards he was no more.
"Good show, you two... Though I'm rather surprised."
"... Usually you'd toy around with them for awhile."
The scroll let out another ball of light, but this time it ripped open a dimensional portal. Out of it came two cloaked figures, one white and one black. Cat Assassin knew from their visits from the scroll who they were.
As both of them raised their cloaks to reveal their faces, they simultaneously let out a cheerful welcome for their daughter.
"Hey there, PFA," Vyt the Yang and Subila the Yin greeted her.
--------------------------------------------------------
Try as Dragus might, Vyt would not snap out of the mind control. At least, his consciousness could not, for a powerful force was inhibiting him from even making any contact at all with the real world. It was as if his soul was encased in a box and locked away from reality.
It was only when some interference appeared, especially Shoi whose abilities pertained to different spiritual planes, that it looked like it was working. The interval between attacks began to slow down while the mind began to take over the body.
"Don't agitate the one who's holding the sack..." Vyt warned Dragus amidst his struggle. "He gets stronger and stronger..."
"This is what I've been warning you about..."
--------------------------------------------------------
"Who told you I was about to only constrict you?" was the only response Vincent needed.
The black smoke around Draco that had already turned to tendrils began piling up like sacks of meat, putting the ninja almost elbow-deep with the tentacles. With another wave of his hand, they initiated their real intentions, using the energy pulsing from within to suck out the life force of the constricted.
Amusingly, he watched as another fool presented himself in front of him, unknowingly blocking the bombs that his foe had just unleashed in return.
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Post by Draco on Aug 8, 2009 4:30:52 GMT -5
Still blocking Vyt, Dragus turns his head over to the others who are attacking Vincent. To far to call out to them, but close enough to see what is going on.
"So I guess those bombs Draco threw and that guy who just showed up attacking the one called Vincent, is a bad thing than."
He turns his attentions at Vyt. "There has got to be a weakness, or way to stop this," Dragus ponders at this idea recalling things Vyt has said. "Sound. Didn't Vyt say he heard something from that sack? We need some kind of high pitched noise that can disrupt the one coming from that sack."
Not knowing how to do anything with sound, he focuses on Vyt.
----
Draco struggles to get loose now that he can feel his life draining.
"Well, this is not was I expected."
Try as he might he could not break free a single part of his body. Unable to even reach any of his shadow pockets, he ran out of ideas that he can do himself.
"I hate to say it, but I think I could use some help."
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Post by PFA on Aug 8, 2009 9:48:17 GMT -5
((Ninja Dojo, Training Room))
Much to PFA's delight, the attack did indeed seem to work. It even had the cloaked beings screaming in agony. She couldn't help but smirk as the survivor yelled out in surprise as if she were some sort of legendary being.
After Uncle had taken care of the survivor, two familiar faces emerged from some sort of dimensional portal. As they greeted her, PFA couldn't help but bow with respect.
"Hello Father, Mother..." she said to them. Straightening up, she let out a friendly smile. "It's been a while. How have you been?" Realizing it probably wasn't the best time for small talk, she continued, "I... er, Uncle... we were wondering if you could help me learn how to use my powers... if you could, please."
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Post by Cyborg on Aug 8, 2009 10:18:31 GMT -5
Once he was back in the physical plane Rayce noticed many things. Vincent was covering Draco in tentacles, Vyt was still vicious, and he was not helping yet. First he needed to calm down Vyt, or atleast distract him, it was if Vyt was possesed. He had never been this way before,..as far as Rayce knew. Rayce grabbed a black egg. Crushed it in his hand and threw the glass dust at Vyt`s eyes.
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Midknight, Rose, Cyborg, and Esme finally were at Mage Manor and had reverted to human form, and just in time to see a large flash of light. " Apparently we've missed some fun." Esme stated running off towards the battle, before Cyborg, and Midknight and Rose followed. When they arrived at the battle, they saw Vyt going insane, some rather odd tentacles and Vincent.
Rose and Midknight rushed to the tentacles and took out their swords. They began cutting at the tentacles. " Are you okay?" Rose asked Draco as she continued slashing.
Esme lifted up tentacle and threw it telekinetically at the glowing spirit thing she saw before.
Cyborg saw the root of the problem, Vincent. He grabbed his cross bow and an explosive dart. He aimed at a spot near the Vincent's foot and fired.
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Post by Goosh on Aug 8, 2009 12:00:30 GMT -5
((Behind the Tavern on the Cliff))
"Let's go talk to Ikkin or Kat. They can deal with whatever comes our way. They should be at Mage Manor about now..."
"To Mage Manor then! Except, uh, that's sorta far to walk. How about we summon Deus?" Not waiting to hear Zylaa's reply, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave a short, sharp whistle.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a disturbance in the choppy water at the base of the cliff. As they watched, a strange form sped towards them under the water, edging closer and closer to the surface until the water seemed to melt away from it. A deep, majestic whinny could be heard.
With an equine cry the horse Deus Ex Machina--just another one of the anthropomorphic narrative laws that roamed the NTWF--burst from the water and began to gallop on it, his hooves sending up streaks of wake in his, well, wake.
He met the cliff headfirst but quickly scaled it, easily finding purchase in the rough rock. As he reached the top he leaped over them both, turning with a dramatic snort to face the two pirates.
"Hello to you both! Hop on, and quickly; for I have seen the events at Mage Manor and lo, they're pretty intense."
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Post by Vyt: Down, but Not Out on Aug 8, 2009 12:39:45 GMT -5
((Cyborg, Vincent and the bartender are two different persons.))
"We?" Cat Assassin surprisingly said. "I knew your powers all along."
"Cat Assassin had been talking with us after the second Guild Wars," Yang-Vyt informed his daughter, his body still shining brightly. "Turns out that one way to further enhance your powers was similar to his own."
Subila brushed off the dust on her dark cloak, and amazingly the powdery material turned to small black clouds. "Well, I wouldn't care less. I just want PFA to wreck havoc so I can leech off those extra negative energy. You wouldn't believe how CLOSE was I to the throne!"
Yang-Vyt turned his eyes briefly towards Subila before rolling his eyes and chuckling in sheer entertainment. "Don't mind her. She's like this a LOT of times."
He then began to approach PFA and placed his hands around her cheeks. They were both warm from his fatherly love. "Like ours, your powers are potential yet latent at start. For now, it's like a freshly-created clay ready to be mold. It's only under your own judgment and goals that you start to shape your own powers, and therefore realize what you can do."
Subila found her way behind her daughter, and leaned backwards on her back. It felt like a cold chill passing through her spine. "You'll only realize what your powers are through experience and personality. If ever, it's the reason why I'm the Yin, and he's the Yang," she looked at Yang-Vyt for a moment.
For Cat Assassin, he watched curiously. It was only a matter of time before the scroll would close.
----------------------------------------
Knowing that another projectile was fired at his feet, Vincent uttered a short chant. Immediately, the black smoke around him turned into a very dark cloud and pulled itself below his feet. It raised him up and away from his opponents.
Another black cloud found its way below the sack, pulling it up into the air as well. Vincent prompted to grab it quickly.
"I HAVE PLAYED WITH YOU LOTS LONG ENOUGH," Vincent bode with now a different hand gesture to follow. It concerned both his arms swaying around in a circular fashion. "I SHALL FINISH MY MATTERS HERE, AND MOVE ON-"
From his height, he could see Vyt from afar. Having contact with the sack once more gave back the "mind" of the object inside, and ominously it told him of what was happening there.
"IT SEEMS I'M BEING SUPPORTED FROM AFAR..."
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Post by Omni on Aug 8, 2009 12:40:29 GMT -5
Feeling the draining sensation stop, Omni was able to stand back up straight again without feeling some sort of strain. The Crystal automatically replaced the bit of energy that she had lost, so she felt no fatigue.
She watched as the smoke faded. The men seemed to stop what they were doing at the moment and proceeded to fight someone else. However, movement in another pert of the field caught her eye, and as soon as she realized Sarn was flying toward her, she dodged to the side. Shards of glass sprayed across the hall as Sarn crashed through the window, showering the floor in sharp, shiny specks.
Sarn lay sprawled on the floor before curling up in a sort of scared, defensive position and sobbed. Omni could feel a difference in his aura, and not just from emotion. She took a few steps forward, treading carefully partly so as not to cut her feet, and partly just out of her response to the scene.
She spoke up, making sure to use a soft tone. "Are you okay?"
After a second, Sarn began to relax just a bit and spread out from the ball he was in. He began to stand up slowly, looked at her, and soon she found herself wrapped in a hug. At first she was a bit startled from the suddenness, her wings trying to spread a bit instinctively, but after a second she hugged him back in an attempt to comfort him.
He loosened his arms from around her and stepped back. She couldn't 'feel' his presence during the hug, as the contact bridged their auras and caused their energies to mingle. But now his aura seemed to be changing back.
He smiled at her. "From feral beast, despair and now joy.,"[/i} he said. "But now I move to worry, Omni. Those men aren't themselves... that sack is evil. It's controlling them and we've got to stop them before they can start draining our power again,"
"Yeah," she said, "I thought something was odd when I saw a glow." She turned to the window and looked outside, watching. "We've got to get them away from that sack."
...sack...
Something seemed to click in her mind, and she twisted to look in Sarn's direction. "Hey, do you have your sword with you? Because I have an idea."
((Out of curiosity: Do others know about the Star Dance thing, or does you character keep it to himself, Sarn?))
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Post by Enn on Aug 8, 2009 18:38:45 GMT -5
Years he'd been away. Years and years, and what did he come back to? No party, not even a welcome hug or a firm handshake. Sure, he'd not advertised his return, but that wasn't the point! The point... Nick had lost track of what his point was, but he'd arrived back to the Mercenary base filled with deafening silence, and he hated it.
"Booooring," the tall figure grunted, running one paw through his shaggy hair as he glanced around. This small, barely-furnished room was his own. It was also the ninth room of this vast building he'd explored, out of dozens but the amount of hollering he'd been doing would surely have attracted some attention by now. A sigh tumbled from his lips as he dumped his backpack onto the wooden floor, leaving just his quarterstaff tied across his broad shoulders.
Rubbing at the stubby, worn-down horn on the end of his face, Nick felt fatigue taking its toll. He'd been walking for hours to get back before dark, and right now that bed was looking more and more inviting. Still, he was hoping to see some familiar faces, and decided to take one more glance around. Stretching his long arms out above him as he left, the rhino left his room and sauntered towards the common area.
The room was just as empty as before, but something was different- at first Nick couldn't place it, until his eyes settled on a large, smudge-coated window set into the wall. That wasn't a strange reflection from the bare light bulb, nor a weird sunset- it was the Mage Manor, glowing flame-red in the distance.
"Mage Manor, huh?" he wondered aloud. The trees were slightly thicker in front of that dark fortress-like Manor than when he'd last seen it, certainly, but that castle was unmistakable.
Any trace of weariness was flushed from his veins by rushing blood and raw excitement, hairs prickling all over his thick hide. In an instant he was off, wooden quarterstaff bouncing on his back as he ran, first to the front door and then off, taking a direct route towards the Manor. After weeks of nothing happening he was itching for excitement, and now his dark brown hair streaked out behind him like it was caught in a storm, feet slamming into the soft earth beneath as he raced towards the Manor, a smirk plastered on his face.
He was excited. Excited enough to ignore the path, excited enough to lunge around trees and leap over fallen logs in the thick forest, even excited enough to ignore the beads of sweat forming up and down his back as he ran. He was not in great shape, what with so long since his last combat, but his legs were strong from the trek home and it wasn't long before the trees started to thin out. Foliage blocked his sight of the silver burst of light, but he was pumped enough as it was as he approached the front of the Manor- just in time to see an unfamiliar winged figure vanish through a high-up window. Black smoky tendrils danced closer to the ground, and without a noise Nick was off, lunging forwards until he was at the corner of the Manor, back pressed against the cold stone wall, head peering around and trying to decide what to do.
"It's so much easier when you know someone's paying you to help them," he muttered to himself, glancing from that window he'd seen someone fly through down to the ongoing attack- a group of figures had now appeared, seemingly hacking at the tendrils. He thought he recognised one as a fellow Mercenary, which settled it. If the Mercs were fighting these shadows on the ground floor, then he'd fight the assault on the top floors. He'd go after that winged invader.
A single, deep breath passed before Nick was ready, for he'd not done this in a while. A moment later he'd kicked his sneakers away, bare feet growing larger and larger; his legs also changed, thighs thickening and straining against his tatty jeans. His species-shifting powers were coming into full use as he changed, legs those of an extremely large kangaroo- he'd have chosen something with wings, were he not wearing a thick bulletproof vest under his t-shirt that confined his chest. One experimental bounce forwards, then another, before all his effort was poured into his legs, bouncing high enough that his fingers could grab a hold of that windowsill.
This, it turned out, was not a particularly wise move. His feet couldn't get a good grip on the cold stone, unfamiliar as they were, and even as he'd changed back to his entirely-rhino shape he was finding heaving himself over into the Manor quite difficult. His fingers were being cut by shards of glass in the shattered frame, and thin trails of blood were running down his arms as he gave one last grunt and tugged himself up.
With his stomach resting on the windowsill, more glass digging into his hard vest, he took another breath before even attempting to finishing the transfer. It gave him a chance to look in at the scene, and although after all this time he did not recognise either of the people stood in the room, Nick knew that hugging and smiling were not signs of a ferocious invasion.
"Um," he mumbled, feeling a little silly now, especially since his legs were still dangling from the window and he wasn't being noticed. With a sigh he started to lower himself back down, just before one of the two figures turned to look out the window. His fingers remained on the windowsill, but the rest of him was hidden from view, ready to drop back to the ground below.
Only, uhh, he was higher than he thought, and falling back down wasn't looking like a great idea either.
"We've got to get them away from that sack... Hey, do you have your sword with you? Because I have an idea."
Nick blinked. He had no idea what was going on, absolutely none, and as usual running head-first into a situation had not exactly worked out for him. In fact, it had resulted with him hanging from a window he hadn't even been punched out of in a really cool, dramatic fashion! With a sigh he used one hand to take the staff from his back and wiggle it in front of the window, swinging gently using his one remaining arm. "Is this any help? If it is, please help me not die and you can borrow it."
(If I've done anything wrong just yell at me and I'll change it, I've not RPed like this in years xD)
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Post by Omni on Aug 8, 2009 19:11:46 GMT -5
The last thing Omni expected was for a staff to poke through the window. "Is this any help? If it is, please help me not die and you can borrow it."
Omni paused. Someone else popping up certainly wasn't in her idea, but that didn't mean it would be a big problem.
...In fact, it might have been helpful.
"I'm not sure." Omni grabbed the staff and tried to pull the person up using it. "How good are you at distracting people with it?"
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Post by Enn on Aug 8, 2009 19:25:21 GMT -5
Nick grunted out in relief as the strain on his arm was released, tumbling through the window in a spray of tiny glass fragments that got stuck in his hair, until he shimmered like a teenage vampire.
"How good are you at distracting people with it?"
The rhino blinked from where he was sprawled on the floor, feeling a little dazed as he clambered to his feet. He was shaking his head, trying to get fragments of window out of his ears, as he spoke again. "I can be as distracting as you need me to be," he grunted, glancing at the figure talking to him and grinning, trying to make up for a less-than-stellar first impression. He flashed a smile at the other figure nearby too, a little taken aback by the appearance of both of these mages- specifically, their wings. Wings had totally been less prevalent when he was last around. "Just tell me what you want me to do. And, uh, we'll wave any Mercenary fee, since your help means my legs aren't broken right now."
He spun his staff in one hand casually, looking around the Manor he'd not been in so long- it seemed different somehow, colder, as if it was ill. It was unnerving.
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