Kingdom Hearts : Heartfelt Adventure {Day 8 ; Invite Only}

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla: Disney: Void Drop]

It was sick in all honesty. To think such a loving mother, obviously concerned for her son- willing to go through all fo this torture for his sake... was reduce to this horrible beast. It was cruel beyond measure. She felt guilty just thinking about it- fighting her. “I’m so sorry Anima.”

She was preparing her first major assault when the summon let out another horrifying wail and she felt the magic braze across her skin like heated air but thankfully it passed over due to her heightened defenses. Luck was on her side for now- not so much for some-

Noelle and Dawn came up with a good strategy too with their sand storm, meanwhile the tiny voice of her phantasmal companion brought her attention back to the figure spiraling downwards. Joe was hit- made sense he was at the front taking the brunt of the blows.

“I got him!”

Kyla didn’t need to fly after him as much as fabricate something to catch him from falling away any further. Similar to their fight on the beaches of Narnia, Kyla used her practical magic to materialize something to catch Joe. The lotus shaped platform rose up around his body and began floating back to their group.

Kyla lifted Joe till he was suspended in the air behind her, then she shut the platforms petals turning it into a shield.

“I set it to friendly fire- when you use Esuna or something of the like, just cast it and it will pass through!” she said for the benefit of their more prominent healers. It was times like this she wished she had more basic white magic at her disposal. You could never have too many white mages as far as she’s concerned.

 

[Je suis a toi]

[ Noelle ~ Core]

Noelle kept up with Dawn as best she could, targeting Anima's eyes and, as they started to be successful, withdrawing some sand to compact it back into harder earth and keep it handy. The scream set her off a little, but didn't seem to have any real affect. The agromancer quickly pulled several little seeds from her pouch and threw them, driving them forward with magic until they blended with the flurry of sand. These seeds, driven into the massive face before them, began to sprout bright orange tendrils that latched onto every available surface and spread.

"I got him!"

The small blonde jerked her head to look at her comrades, realizing that her focus on attacking had left her unaware of Joe's state. Cursing to herself, she scanned him and discovered that, while his health was steady, he was unresponsive. She acted quickly, casting Esuna on his shielded form. A green glow enshrouded it as a beautiful Gardenia bloomed above, leaving the faint smell across the battlefield.

'Huh . . . another white flower.'  

[AldrickZearse]

[Joe: Core]

The monk couldn't tell what was going on around him. It was like someone turned off his senses. But when the smell of gardenias filled his nose, the monk blinked open his eyes.

...Mom?

Gardenia's...they were his mom's favorite flower and smell. But he didn't have much time to dwell on that stuff any longer, the sounds of battle echoing in his ears as he spun out of his prone position, going upright and taking a quick stock of where he was and what was going on. He had been moved, but that was fine.

With another speedy charge, Joe was at Anima again, his knee, covered in brambles, driving into the Aeon's face. He quickly shifted, staff disappearing, his hands locking together and coming down in a hammerfist blow onto the head while his limbs were covered in light. He shifted again, and rapidly attacks, raining a flurry of blows on the Aeon as quickly as possible.  

[Je suis a toi]

[Elleon ~ New Orleans ~ Cafe du Monde]

Ell rolled her eyes and walked forward toward the entrance to the restaurant, adjusting her shawl. "I say that sensitive region between your legs will be removed with a rusty fork if you call me doll again." She replied tartly, offering a devilish sneer, "And nobody ever said I wasn't asking for trouble."

The blonde lead the way into Cafe du Monde, requesting a table for two and following the waiter to be seated at a quiet table near the back. Once seated she ordered a glass of white zinfandel for herself, and a scotch on the rocks for Nicholas without asking--it didn't matter what he wanted anyway.

"So," Ell mused as soon as the waiter was gone, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"  

[fractalJester]

[ Sora ; Dawn : Core ]

{ Battle at the Core -- Battle Themes }
{ Dread of Night - Dream Drop Distance } { Contest of Aeons - Final Fantasy X }

As the Keyblader was sent flying back by the blast, he felt Noelle's cleansing magic wash over him--followed shortly after by the spine-chilling screech that erupted from the angered summon. Fortunately, he was spared the nasty effects--though it seemed as though Joe wasn't.

Not wasting any time, he joined in with James to continue the assault, immediately blurring toward Anima with an enhanced Zantetsuken, which, on contact, created a small, multi-sphere Explosion. Combined with James' barrage of Wolf Fang Fist waves, the aeon was reeling--a perfect opportunity for Sora to let loose a swift Sonic Blade combo that sent him flying back and forth, striking Anima's face and hands, never staying in place long enough to be hit.

As Joe's assault was unleashed, Dawn took the opportunity and, mid-dance, let loose her large tessen in a wind-and-light enhanced raid assault, their edges blurring as buzzsaws against each of the creature's hands. As they flew, she flitted between the moves for Haste and Faith, making sure to refresh two of the potent enchantments.

Anima was in a fury. Blinded, assaulted on from multiple directions, and now feeling as though a searing web was slowly snaring its flesh, the aeon tapped into one of its most powerful arcane spells, bringing its hands to its head and gripping it as though in agony.

The once-dark battlefield began to sparkle, as though stars were slowly forming around the group. Time seemed to slow, and the stars became constellations, galaxies, all swirling around them...

... before it all crashed upon them like a convergence of unholy magic, a tainted Ultima, blasting them from all directions as the battlefield itself seemed to explode.

Almost immediately, taking advantage of the chaos, it began to swing its massive arms wildly, aimlessly swinging at every inch within arm's reach in a barrage of corrupt blurs, and continued to do so defensively.

[[ Ultima - MS 20

Flurried Assault - PS 14 ; Melee-range only (Sora, James, Joe), 1-in-3 chance of being hit and knocked back. If you attempt to act within melee range, roll again for every attempted action. ]]  

[RhikoDemson]

[[Louis? : Core : Inside Kyla]]

As the abyss came to life with stars, then collapsed into the group, the sprite could do little but close his eyes and hope to be spared. When the air cleared however, it would seem he had not been. The boy was gone, sputtering ashes in his place. But as fast as they'd been put out, the ashes converged and reignited. The boy circled the pictomancer once and stopped floating over her shoulder once more, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck, "Kyla, isn't there anything we can do? Is attacking her mercilessly like this really the only answer? She's still in there, isn't she? Is there no other way to get through to her?"  

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla: Disney: Core.]
When Anima unleashed Ultima on them and Kyla’s magical defense was not enough to defend against it. Thankfully it was able to help her weather the blow and she survived sore and singed but still in one piece. She could hear Louis talking to her- and she could only grit her teeth in a pain hiss.

“I don’t know-“She replied, and Kyla really didn’t. Even if she had scan – this summon was immune wasn’t it? She couldn’t remember the original game very well. Anime was an Aeon she never tried to get.

But Kyla had to agree, it really didn’t feel right attacking Seymours mother like this- none of this was her fault despite how much she took responsibility. It was just like if she was fighting-!!
!!
No-! Kyla HAD to stop her train of thought right there, less her guilty conscience make her hesitate.

If only Bobbi was here- they could have really used Shiva.
“Shiva.”
It wasn’t the same, and she was very weak in comparison, but at least she could try it out- Summoning a flight of Blades Kyla imbued them with Ice elemental instead and launched them at Anima’s hands as they made grabs for the people in the front.
Meanwhile she did try to rethink everything- was this really the answer? Pummeling Anima to a pulp? They were in a Deep Dive right? Not everything worked exactly the same did it? How was Kyle in all of this? Where was Seymour? Even if they defeated Anima- then what? What did it mean? What would happen? Seymour was the invading presence right?

“I know we have to stop what’s going on down here but- Is Destroying Seymours Mother really the only way to fix Kyle and get to the seal?” It didn’t hurt to ask right? She kept on fighting and didn't let her subtrain of thoguht distract her from the battle at hand- but a girl can multitask-, and it was about time she put more stock in everyone else’s creative thinking.

Where’s a Deus Ex Machina Light of Holy Healing Magoffin when you needed one?!
 

[AldrickZearse]

[Joe: Disney: Core]

The monk's breathing became heavy after that giant blast of magic. He had some pretty decent defense against it, apparently, with the buffs, buthe could still feel his adrenaline pump up, even if it didn't have an effect thanks to Dawn.

He backed off for a moment, talking a calming breath to not only heal up a little, but also to get his breathing better under control. And then of course he heard Kyla speak.

"We do what we must because we can, Kyla. She is at least the guardian of it, so we take care of her. She fights us off, we fight back. If you can't handle that, Kyla..." He trailed off, not knowing what to actually say next and charged back in. He flew in, a flaming ax kick going at the head, one of the arms coming close to hitting him but managing to just barely miss. He then did another flurry of hits, dancing in the air as he rained blows on the Aeon as an arm once again came towards him but wildly missed.  

[fractalJester]

[ Sora ; Dawn : Core ]

Sora yelped in pain as the magic field collapsed on him, searing every part of him and leaving him momentarily reeling--just long enough that one of Anima's flailing arms flew past him, missing him entirely. Still, the rush of air brought the Keyblader back to reality and he air-dashed back out of the danger zone, trying to recuperate and think.

"I don't know that we have a choice either way," Sora said, his disappointment made plain. "That corridor... that's what needs to close. That's where Seymour's darkness is coming from, and I can't close it with her still here."

"Can't you just... cut it off?" Dawn asked, using her Whispering Wind spell to make sure Noelle stayed well--she was their primary healer, after all. "You made the keyhole appear before."

"It's not that simple. Keyholes respond to the presence of the Keyblade--they tend to appear on their own. This one did the same, and then it shattered when that seal did," Sora explained, unleashing a double dose of Fira blasts in Anima's direction alongside Kyla's blades. "I can even feel them sometimes, but now it's blocked. We have to clear this opening, and that means pushing her back or pulling her in."

"And pulling her in would only leave Kyle with her...," Dawn said, finally understanding as she went back to dancing, refreshing the Bravery buff. "... and whatever it is that corrupted her into this."

"Exactly," he said, still frowning as he stared at the aeon, still flailing, still shouting with emotion, still trapped and manipulated. "And unless you guys can think of some way to snap her out of this without violence, I think that only leaves us with one option."  

[fractalJester]

[ Cloud : Disney : Fairgrounds ]

Cloud remained silent, taking a seat nearby and watching the festivities as Yuffie explained everything.

"They're different," he said, thinking back to the Land of Dragons. "The earthlings don't belong in battle anymore than Sora or Riku--or you, for that matter."

"Some of them treat it like a game. Charging in headfirst just because they know they can be healed with magic. Pausing midfight to think and talk like a chess match... that's not battle. Especially not what we've had to go through." Cloud sighed, looking down at his ice cream, his brows furrowed.

"But I think they're learning... slowly. Probably best they have us, just in case," he said, shrugging as carefully bit off a piece of the popsicle. "Still, it feels strange. Some of them are older than us. What kind of world do they come from where self-defense isn't drilled in at an early age?"  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{Yuffie .:. Disney Castle Town .:. Fairgrounds}

"I dunno," Yuffie admitted, licking a drop of melted ice cream off her thumb thoughtfully. "But wouldn't it be kinda nice to live somewhere like that and not have to worry about all this fighting and stuff?"  

[RhikoDemson]

[[Louis? : Core : Inside Kyla]]

The boy clenched his tiny fists and flared up, flames spurting off his small body as he listened to the others reply with empty excuses, only Dawn offering some kind of alternative, "We have to try something. Killing her can't be the only answer," he was practically in tears of frustration, "If no one else will..."

The sprite floated up then rocketed forward, zipping off into the fray. The small streaming light, invisible to most, weaved through the flailing arms before stopping in front of Anima's face, "Hey, listen!" the sprite spun around in a figure eight, "Let us help you, please. It doesn't have to end this way. Just let us in! We can save you!"  

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

{James : Core}

James clenched his teeth in pain as the Ultima blast hit home on all of them, due to the enhancements he had received he was a lot better off than he would have been, but still that really hurt. If not for those buffs that probably would have left the corsair in really bad shape. As the corsair was reeling from the blast, his focus was elsewhere and one of Anima's furious swings caught the corsair, knocking him back even further until managed to regain control of his flight..

'That really hurt...," the corsair muttered as he tried to get his head back into the game, all the while listening to the conversation was going on, it seemed there was some kind of debate as to whether or not they were doing the right thing by fighting her, where exactly this train of thought had come from, he wasn't sure.

The corsair managed to pull himself together and flew back into formation, making sure to stay out of the range of any more of Anima's fists, he floated there as he tried to collect his thoughts. He remembered during the boss battles against Seymour the characters could talk to Seymour, and while it didn't typically do anything but give a status increase it was hard to say if it would have any effect against Anima.

Lunar Light!" the corsair called out as he focused his energy into his hand, a soft purple light glowing indicative of Fenrir's magic in his palm as he raised it to his chest forcing it to course through his body and heal some of his injuries. It wasn't a high powered healing spell, but it helped. Feeling better the corsair returned his focus to the aeon before them, coming to hover right in front of her face though still making sure he was out of range of her fists.

'Stop attacking her for a second, let's see if this has any sort of effect on her!' the corsair called out to everyone in the battle.

"Anima! Please stop this! We don't want to fight you anymore than you want to fight us! We want to help you! Sora isn't the only one, we all do! Let us help you!" the corsair called out, holding his arms out to his sides, releasing his hexagun to disarm himself.

'This will either work or this is going to really hurt... I'm hoping for the prior.'

'This is the only way to find out of she is still within reason, or if she is completely lost to the darkness. For your sake, I hope you are right...,' Fenrir stated trying to be supportive of his summoner's decision.  

[Je suis a toi]

[ Noelle ~ Core]

Noelle focused her energy on the Witch's Hair, encouraging its growth over the enemy before them. Its success was clear to her by now, as her magic and health were boosted by the drain on their foe. Her confidence in their success began to grow--perhaps the tables were turning! Just then the magic blast that rushed toward them reached her. She had a little time to throw up some stone before her, but it wasn't enough to take the full brunt of the blow. With a hiss she angrily started another barrage of needles while the drain helped her regain her health.

Then everyone decided it was time for afternoon tea. Noelle smirked at Joe's response, mumbling "You will be baked, and there will be cake."

The agromancer would have thought that Sora's explanation would kick everyone back into gear. But apparently not. James thought it pertinent to disarm entirely.

"Guys, just who the ******** do you think we're trying to save here?!" Noelle shouted angrily, encouraging a surge in the growth of her Witch's Hair. "Is it Anima or Kyle, because last time I checked it was our comrade!"  

[fractalJester]

[ Anima : Core ]

{ Battle at the Core -- Battle Themes }
{ Dread of Night - Dream Drop Distance } { Contest of Aeons - Final Fantasy X }

As the frozen blades of light began to slash and cut its arms and wrists, Anima only howled with more fury, desperately pushing anything she could away from its form. Joe's assault, flitting to-and-fro, also agitated the aeon, its body wracked with pain as Noelle's draining vines and Sora's fiery bolts did yet more.

If it had noticed the specter tied to Kyla's heart, it didn't seem to acknowledge it in any way, shape, or form.

Over all the yelling, though, through the cacophony of attacks and shouts, one bellowing voice rang clear, slowing the creature's flailing to a stop. Though it could not see for the sand that still plagued its eyes, it tilted its head, looking in James' direction.

Then, in an unseen blur of motion--like someone trying to grab a gnat before it flies off--it had James in its grasp with a breath-rending vicegrip, an infernal roar echoing from its maw as it pulled the corsair possessively to its face and away from the group.

The moment its hands touched him, James would have felt searing pain, not from heat but as though its very touch were corrosive. Black tendrils began to spread from the hands across his body, under her grip and around him outside of the grip as well, like the terrifying veins he might have seen in Kyla's memory sharing. Every second, every inch, was like a new acidic needle that bore down through his bones, through his heart and soul.

And then, it opened its desolate mouth wide, and a black void appeared, horrific tendrils and veins spreading out and toward him, looking to do who knew what...