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"You're #!$&#xin;g kidding me. That's a man?" Like Lucian, she had never seen Kuja before, although she had played several other Final Fantasy games. She had no idea what role he played. Major villain? Minor boss? Not like it mattered– she was going to attack him anyway. Her pistols materialized in her hands.

"Here's the strategy. I'll attack him my way, and you attack him your way. When we win, we keep him alive and force him to be our slave. Or we kill him and go get wasted."

“Alright.. if something feels..well..wrong- just say and I’ll sever the link.”
The ritual she created started in stages to insure overall control of the situation as it progressed from beginning to end. The first stage was simple enough- establishing the direction of the energies flow.

With a press of her quills tip to the parchment 3 circles appeared on the ground around their feet. Particularly Bobbi’s, her own, and Joe’s. These circles composed of runes, each being a set of letters Kyla had converted into symbols, this allowed her to write instructions. The same way Kanji had it’s roots as a pictorial dialect- Kyla had made an alphabet that did this in a similar way. Bigger words consisted of just one symbol to save on space if the meaning was easy to represent as a small rune image.

These circles in their deciphered forms isolated Bobbi as the donor, Joe as the receiver and Kyla as the unit of transfer. The detailing was very intricate; it was obvious now what Kyla had been pouring her extra hours into.

“Everyone feeling ok so far?” she asked, only briefly looking up from her page at them.

Bobbi stared for a minute as Kyla's spell did it's fancy prep-work; actually, she'd wound up spacing out after she stood, a sure sign she'd need to go lay flat later on. Her attention was caught by the movement of the runes and the spell lines themselves. It took a bit for her tired mind to comprehend what was going on, as well as the fact that there were people talking. She belatedly forced her brain into forward gear just in time to catch Joe saying everything was fine, which let her deduce what Kyla had said moments before.

"No impending disasters so far," the Archer said, though she was distracted by the shiny spell-work. "Though the shiny is distracting."

Nick stepped out of the Corridor of Darkness, his cloak following behind like his shadow. His mind was reeling though what he had just been a part of, ranging from meeting with the Dark Ones to Ajora’s little pow-wow inside of the Nobody’s castle. Each piece seemed to fall into place, and the Dark Knight couldn’t help but wonder if all of these events were in some way connected into the dream while on the Red Rose. Did the Earth’s apparent destruction have to do with the Dark Ones? Were they the true antagonists or was there something far more sinister in the works?

Is my host going to do nothing more than monologue about possibilities and theories? You have yet to prove your worthiness, Nicholas. A voice growled from within him, the fallen demi-god Chaos seemed to glower at the Darkwalker from his fleshy prison. “If it was a monologue, you wouldn’t be responding; besides, it’s a soliloquy. Now silence your gaping maw, sir knight, we have an adventure to have! My world didn’t know much about the Dark Meridian and what it contained, so the only thing I can think to do is to search through it.”

The summon immediately responded with, Why would you bother exploring this dark and empty place? All that appears to be here are shadows and Darkness. There isn’t anything to be found here. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes as he began walking, each footstep clomping against the floor as if he was attempting to break through it. “The answer is simple, you pathetic demi-god. The Darkness is my weapon, my power. If one was to look for more power, where would they begin their search? In where their power would be the strongest. I am in my element here, as are you in a sense. You, a fallen god who’s power stems from the Darkness.” The summon remained quiet, and Nick couldn’t help but sigh as he continued walking. I need to stop using so much purple prose in my speeches. Save it for when I meet the other Earthlings. Dramatics are always more interesting when there is an audience to appreciate them. I mean, if I was to monologue and there was no accompaniment of a fellow player on the stage, what would be the point? It would just be another soliloquy and that’s not something I want. I’m supposed to be the ‘Anarchist’, the Host of Chaos, the monster of Ajora that destroys without question. A pet…a simple pet. A part I shall play until it is no longer required… A sinister grin formed on the Dark Knight’s face before realizing he had stopped walking.

He looked up from his thoughts, finding a large formation towering in front of him. He stared at the rocky cliff for a long moment, then took a step back and leaped into the air. Nick loved and hated the feeling of the jump. He loved the ability to soar through the skies, but hated the fact he had to fall back to the ground. The Dark Knight landed on the ground, standing shakily from the jump. The idea of flight was one that had always exhilarated him; however, the fear of falling to his death was the most horrifying. I am like Icarus, wanting freedom upon my wings, yet plummeting to my death for attempting to fly beyond my limits. I’m a grounded bird... Nick chuckled, continuing his walk and his pointless philosophizing. Nick gazed out at the world before him, but something out of the ordinary caught his eye. Well, out of the ordinary for the Meridian.

“Well, what could this possibly be? That doesn’t look like it belongs here…Time to investigate!” Nick said to himself, sprinting for the large building in front of him. It appeared to be an ancient temple of some sort, the pillars cracked from the state of abandonment. Battle scars trailed along the floors and walls, even the ceilings were not left unscathed. The Dark Knight ran his hand along the wall, stopping occasionally to admire what was once a beautiful temple. “How disappointing. What was once a beautiful temple now lies in ruin; the peacefulness overthrown by the seeds of war. I wonder, though, who the warring parties were. The mysteries grow ever larger…” Nick chuckled, mentally berating himself for being so mindlessly dramatic yet patting himself on the back for coming up with it in the spur of the moment. Each step echoed against the wall, the sound ringing in his ears as he walked down a corridor. What could possibly be in here? I feel like I should know where this place is... He closed his eyes, digging through his memory to see if he could remember what game this was from. It wasn’t Kingdom Hearts, that much he was certain of. If it was Final Fantasy, he couldn’t think of any sort of temple he remembered seeing in the game. He continued his trek, finally coming out into an open room. The pillars in the room were in various levels of decay, large chunks lying on the ground or on the upper levels. A long red carpet stretched out across the room, leading up a long ramp to a black throne against the wall. An armored figure sat perfectly still the black throne, his arm gripped tightly around a large two handed blade.

“…Well, this is interesting.” Nick grinned, using his left hand to push up his glasses while his right brought forth his heartbound weapon. ”Don’t get up on my account, please.” He sneered before charging up to the seated figure and swinging his blade across the armored foe’s neck. The helmet popped right off in one fluid motion, Nick recoiling in fear for a moment as the helmet hit the temple floor with a loud clang. The Dark Knight stepped back, keeping his sword trained on the armor in the throne. “…I guess no one is home, then.” He muttered, unsummoning his sword and sighing in relief. Inside of his head, he could hear the sound of Chaos chuckling.

Foolish boy, acting so mighty when the foe wasn’t even there to begin with. The summon cackled, leaving Nick slightly flustered at his reaction. “Silence, you stupid demigod! How was I supposed to know that the armor was empty!?” He roared, his voice echoing the word ‘empty’ multiple times before silence descended upon the temple once more. He turned his head, staring at the large blade that remained in the armored glove. He breathed in slowly, reaching for the sword. As his hand got closer, Nick’s breathing became quieter and quieter, until he wasn’t even breathing at all. He quickly grasped his hand around the blade, then began to yell. He could feel so much energy from the sword, it was exhilarating! All this freedom, untapped potential…all this CHAOS! He could feel his wind magic swirling around him in full force, blowing small pieces of debris away in a frenzy. He cackled, the feeling of euphoria subsiding from his initial grasp of the blade.

With a forceful yank, Nick ripped the sword from its resting place and held it up with both hands. The weapon was, despite being left in this deteriorating temple, in near perfect condition. The blade had a silver sheen, the handle partially worn from previous use. It was almost as if this sword hadn’t seen actual battle before. But deep down, Nick knew this weapon had been part of battle. It had likely been part of many battles, where it spilled the blood of its enemies without hesitation. The Dark Knight swung the blade around a few times before letting it rest against the ground. With the blade in his hands, he felt…stronger, more unbound than he had before. He loved the feeling it brought, smiling widely as he began walking out of the open throne room. At the doorway, he opened a Corridor of Darkness to return back to the other world, but not before proclaiming his gratitude.

“Thank you for the sword, Garland.”

[ Nick has gained Garland's Sword! +2 to Physical Strength as long has he holds it. ]

As one of the Replicas was sent flying, the other incessantly peppered him with light gunfire, her mana-bullets striking him without pause. However, he didn't seem all too concerned; they were not physical bullets, so their damage to him, as an exceptional magus, was minimal (though damaging regardless). He began to shift around the ship rapidly, hovering with as much speed as the young gunner could run, managing to avoid some of the bullet-spray. However, he had brought his hands together and began to charge a spell of sorts-- his body began to glow with a faint prismatic aura, and he grew still, each bullet now striking him exactly where she wanted it.

It was on Lucian's swift approach that the spell's purpose was revealed; Kuja's eyes narrowed as he sneered toward the two, suddenly erupting in a familiar, translucent barrier. All of the bullets that had struck him since he started, combined with the force of Lucian's attack, suddenly radiated a brilliant white. The Reflect-shell flashed for a split moment, likely blinding Lucian and possibly the girl, if she was still looking, before shattering, sending a wave of the combined force of all attacks since the beginning of the spell at both parties.

By the time their vision would return, Kuja was nowhere to be seen.

"How should I know?" Lucian retorted. "Not like I carry a gaydar in my pocket for cases like these..." He walked over to Not-Amy. "Let's just use this opportunity to get ready." He used War Cry (without the cry). A red aura emitted from his feet. Nega-Amy's and Lucian's Guard Strength and Magic Resistance increased by two for the next 3 turns. After, Lucian performed Vehemence, decreasing his Guard Strength and Magic Resistance by half, but increasing his Outright and Action Speed by half. A thin red glow outlined the Replica's body.

Physical Resistance: 7 (next 3 turns); 6 (after 3 turns)
Magic Resistance: 6 (next 3 turns); 5 (after 3 turns)
Action/Outright Speed: 12

Lightning recoated Lucian's body. Sparks fell to the ground and grew in size and energy. They took the shape of small electric balls. Finally, his gauntlets appeared, wrapped in chains. He held a spearhead in each hand.

The fallen knight had noticed Nega-Amy's staring from earlier. "And stop staring at me," he said. "There will be plenty of time to oggly me later."

[ATE:The New Three's Company]
[Lucian ~.~Shipwreck Cove ~.~ Black Pearl]

Lucian managed to dive out of the way and create another Polarity Wall, though given his recent stat change, he was only able to block less than a fraction of the attack before it broke through, stunning him. 'Twas a bad time to change his stats... The final attack forced the fallen knight's body airborne and into a mast. "This is #$&@ing ridiculous," Lucian cursed as he grew angry, slamming his fist into the deck. "I didn't even want to fight this fruitcake."

With his increased action speed, the Replica unleashed a flurry of attacks at Kuja. He fired lightning from his hands like machine gun fire, and even sent the Shock Grenades, the small balls of electricity from earlier, skyward and caused them to blow up around his target.

When the attack was done, Lucian's arms dropped to his sides. He panted heavily, obviously drained from the attacks. His Vehemence wore off, reverting his stats back to what they were originally (except for the plus 2 to his Physical and Magic Resistance). At this point, he just wanted to leave...