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 Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:35 pm
{Kyle : The Betting Table}
S***! Was all Kyle could think as Cory spoke. He knew that he had to have some kind of trick up his sleeve. But he had no way of knowing what. And this was apparently it. Even as he saw Cory leave and appear right in front of him, he tried to backpedal, knowing the attack would hurt like hell. And did it hurt. He was, once again, sent flying. And his nose hurt quite a bit. It was quite possibly broken. But he wouldn't quit. Alan hadn't fought to let it end just like that.
Standing up, he wiped the blood on his nose off, noting the pain that was involved. "I'm not done yet." Sliding down into a defensive stance, he readied himself for the next strike. He had to concentrate. Cory couldn't have just withstood those two powerful attacks by Cory like they were nothing. He had to be severely injured. He could take him. He still had enough energy left to keep his Tracing the Steps activated, but not much more than that. If he didn't end it soon, he would be out of magic.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:52 pm
[Cory .:. The Betting Table]
Cory fell to one knee as Kyle was sent flying, frowning as his opponent got back to his feet. While Cory's stamina wasn't completely empty yet, he couldn't keep fighting. His energy reserves weren't quite empty either. No, it was the act of high speed movement with his injuries that would undo Cory in battle. The burns and the cuts had only worsened through the fight, and his muscles throbbed from pushing himself so hard with the continuous Resolves and Empowerments.
He shakily got to his feet, throwing his left arm out as he summoned a dark portal. "Yeah... At this rate, the combined effort of you and Alan would have been enough, at least the way the fight had gone down. If I had gone all out from the beginning, I wouldn't have sustained nearly so much damage. I can't continue fighting due to my burns... Since it's the end of the fight, I may as well go ahead and tell you why I chose Alan: his fire is the only thing I worry about. Fire is my elemental weakness, which isn't something non-elementals like myself normally have..." The ronin half walked, half fell through the portal, coming through the other side and landing next to Alan's unconscious body.
He summoned the Revblade and placed it at the mage's neck, thankful that the conditions of the bet would keep his new hostage unconscious until a victor was announced. He pressed the edge against Alan's skin, drawing a bit of blood as he said, "I'm forcing your hand. No matter what you do right now, your friend's life is in my hands. Burned and cut as my hands may be, I can still grip this blade enough to take an unmoving target's head off. Even a small twitch my cause the engine to rev, which could take his life as well." He looked down at Alan, a look of disappointment on his face as he said, "I would truly desire to have him alongside me... You as well... But I will not let him work against me. Even now, he's capable of techniques that can cripple me if they were to strike home, just as I am capable of techniques that can do the same to him."
Cory gripped the end of the Revblade, thankful his weapon wasn't double-edged as he now held the weapon with both hands. "Your options are win and lose him, or forfeit and serve me for a day. Your choice."
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:06 pm
{Kyle : The Betting Table}
Watching Cory get away through the portal, he knew that he couldn't get to Alan in time. He was way to weak. He had thought to hide Alan earlier, but he didn't expect Cory to try something like that. And he couldn't get to him. Not fast enough. But there had to be something he could do.
Wait...if I stopped using Tracing the Steps...I could have enough power for just one more earth manipulation. Sinking down to the ground, it almost looked as if he was defeated, until he slammed his hand on the ground. At that moment, the last of his energy formed a link from his palm all the way through the ground, splitting into two parts opposite of Cory. Two pillars just pushed through the ground, diagonally, clear as day to Cory. "I'll be frank Cory. If you kill him, I'll crush you into oblivion. I don't think you can do your little movement thing anymore either. That's why you had to use a Dark Portal. So you have a choice. Surrender this battle and transport us back, or kill Alan and die by my hand. But, I can't help but think that your summon wouldn't approve of your actions. I mean, he's a samurai. He follows Bushido. Would a samurai really kill someone while they're unconscious? Rather pathetic. Then again, what do I know. So go ahead. Kill Alan. And I'll kill you. Oh, I may get stuck in the Dark Margin, but I'll find a way out. I'll train until I can manipulate Dark Portals as well, then I'll leave. So do it. KILL ALAN IF YOU DARE!" He shouted at Cory, completing his monologue. And it hadn't just been empty threats. He would kill Cory if Alan died. He would summon every last vestige of his strength and kill him.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:33 pm
[Cory .:. The Betting Table]
Cory couldn't help but smile as Kyle dared him to kill Alan. He could help but smile as Kyle threatened to crush him into oblivion. So many things about the way Kyle acted made him smile. what he didn't realize was that Cory now held all the cards.
"First, he's my bodyguard. A ronin. A sellsword. The moment a samurai sells his sword, he's no longer a samurai bound by bushido. Second, as long as I wait here, you can't attack. Doing so would result in my accidental murder of Alan, and since I can wait here for as long as I want I can recharge all of my Bursts to my heart's content. Third, if I were to take Alan's life and you happen to succeed in killing me, what good would that do you? I've died once already, and Hades brought me back. Threatening my life holds no water. Then there's the flip side to that coin; I could simply forfeit after killing Alan, and portal to safety when the bet ends. The final piece of how your refusal to forfeit is silly comes in the form of if I forfeit. What would Alan think if I were to tell him you left his life hanging in the hands of a madman so that you wouldn't have to work towards a goal you admitted to be something you yourself somewhat desired?"
Cory shrugged, remaining in his spot with his blade wrapped around Alan's neck. "Also, c'mon man. I'm hungry as hell. Just forfeit so we can go get something to eat."
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:11 pm
{Kyle : The Betting Table}
Kyle remained in his spot, feeling the earth around him slowly give him energy. While Cory would regain his bursts, Kyle would regain his mana. That was a benefit of having a pact with an earth spirit. Slowly regenerating mana. But Cory didn't need to know that. "Well, you don't actually know how you were brought back to life do you? What if that was a one time deal? You can't know for sure that Hades will revive you. Everyone gets sick of failure, and if I kill you, maybe he'll get sick of you." He could feel his energy returning to him as he spoke, giving him enough to handle more terramancy. And now he had a plan.
"Funnily enough Cory, I'm pretty sure that I could kill you before the bet ultimately ends. Or at least completely incapacitate you. And I don't think he'd mind. He'd probably approve of what I'm doing. I know I'd be fine with it. So, I guess all that's left is for you to forfeit." He said, smiling calmly. Oh yes, he had enough magic now for some basic terramancy.
With a sudden surge, the two stone pillars shot forward, intending to crush Cory at once. At the same time, Kyle pushed up and started running towards Alan, aiming to grab him before Cory could react. But it was such a pain to run. Everything was starting to hurt. But he had to push on.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:56 pm
[Cory .:. The Betting Table]
Darkness began to emanate from Cory as Kyle gave his answer, instead demanding that Cory forfeit when it even his own ally's life was on the line. It sickened him like nothing else could. His thoughts raced back to his childhood, to all of the "friends" he had, everything he'd ever done. He could never come out on top. Even several times with his new power, he was forced into retreat or outright defeat. It made him sick to his stomach, and stirred something inside of him that he once said: I don't care where it comes from, I want power. Light, darkness, it makes no difference to me. I'm going to win.
"Dark Blade!" With one last burst of darkness, Cory rushed forward, his Revblade and arms coated in darkness as he gripped the blade with a strength he shouldn't have had. The stone pillars barely missed him, grazing the sides of his legs and sending waves of pain through his body. The ronin passed under Kyle's arm, uncertain of if his attack had connected, as well as whether or not the terramancer had managed a counter attack. He came to a sudden stop, not continuing with the Dark Blade's follow up attacks as he fell to one knee.
Cory dropped the Revblade, his bloody hands shaking violently as his breathing became labored. Stay conscious. You've been a master of this even before all this happened... Don't close your eyes. You aren't tired. Stay awake, for the love of god... Concentrate. He hasn't noticed how much energy you have left, only how much endurance and how many Bursts. The ronin's head began to droop as he chuckled softly to himself, asking aloud, "Tell the truth: did you think I would use my sword again with my hands like this?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:31 am
[Nick :: Seymour's Castle :: Great Hall]
"Which is why I am here. I don't want to screw up his plan, but I'd prefer not to bother him with something that you can take care of, Teacher."
Nick looked up to his teacher, giving her an embarassed smile before turning to Louis with a minor glare. He eyed the Avatar of Mateus, looking at each part of his outfit and not saying a word before finally pulling off his fingerless glove and placing it in his pocket. He slowly offered Louis a hand, giving a small smile.
"...I would hope that we can be allies, perhaps friends. But I have a sneaking suspicion that that idea will most likely not happen. But I'd at least try to be civil and polite. Killing one another would be a fruitless endeavor...Also, I'm almost a hundred percent sure you could kick my butt if you wanted to at any time."
His grin widened, and a small chuckle slipped out from his lips. Things were going to be different...he hoped.
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:23 am
[Joe: IoT: Port/Oceanedge]
Joe peeked one eye open and rolled it up to look at Dawn's hand, watching it retract as the girl asked if he was doing alright. Heh, that was funny.
"Hm, yeah, I'll be fine, once I get over...things." He didn't feel like saying how stupid he thought everything was. There'd be no point. "I just need to 'stew' in my anger, as my mother would say, till I'm over it. Easier to get away and cool down with nothing around me than to have s*** happening around me when I'm angry."
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AldrickZearse Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:21 pm
[Dawn : Isle of Tortuga : Port/Oceanedge]
"Understandable."
Dawn nodded a little in understanding. She slowly sat down next to Joe on the edge of the water, pausing a moment to take off her hiking boots before she put her feet in the water. Subconsciously she kicked them around to scare anything away that might be lingering in the water.
"I hope you don't mind if I join you," she said, though she knew it was a little late for that. Her eyes drifted over to Joe's injured hand. She didn't remember if he got that from Chaos or when he punched Kyle, "Hey, let me help you with that."
Without waiting for a response from Joe, Dawn grabbed the wrist of his injured hand. Ignoring any protest Joe might of made. She also made sure to hold his arm between her arm and side to keep him from pulling it away. With her free hand she started to summon a small portion of her Whispering Wind, allowing the wind to do its job and help Joe's hand heal.
After the task was complete she let go of his arm and looked off into the horizon, kicking the water around once more.
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:34 pm
 [Dani :: Angel Grove :: Outside the Red Rose -> Command Center] Dani instantly shut her mouth when she felt herself teleport for the first time. It was mostly more amazing to her because she had never experienced teleportation before and the fact that her color of light was blue. She started to question why the color was blue because of the fact that blue was not her favorite color. ‘This doesn’t make any sense,’ Dani thought to herself, “There must be a reason why my light turned blue and all of the others had different colors. I guess I will ask later.’When Dani appeared at the command center she was quite literally confused and afraid. When a weird robot came over and introduced itself as Alpha 5, Dani visibly jumped. ‘Holy crap a robot!’ Dani thought to herself. She personally did not know anything about the Power Rangers besides the suit so a robot was news to her. What made it worse for Dani was the fact that a floating head that also introduced itself as Zordon talked to the group as a whole. ‘I think I might’ve walked into more weird stuff. ‘ Dani continued to keep her thoughts to herself, ‘Then again, ever since I came into this weird universe everything has been crazy since.’When Zordon started to mention about the volcano that was in the center of the island, Dani finally decided to speak. “I have not been to the volcano yet even though I have been here for 6 days.” Dani spoke mostly at both Zordon and the group at the same time. “Will we be able to take the heat up there? It looks pretty menacing at the volcano.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 5:55 pm
[ ??? : Narnia : Seymour's Castle ~ Grand Hall ]
"The Maester is... most displeased with this situation," the woman, known to Nicholas only as 'Teacher' finally spoke up after a few moments, as though she had been in deep thought. Her voice had taken a turn for worse, sounding almost morose. "By putting on a mask the likes of which you are clueless about, you have placed everything in jeopardy. You were introduced as an ally of his, and should your mask be shattered, then all eyes will be upon him."
"The Maester is merciful upon those who make mistakes they cannot control. But to those that willingly dive in blindly..."
A sickening feeling began to radiate within the room. Even to the likes of Louis and Nicholas, whose hearts were coated in Darkness, the general emotion that suddenly filled them was dread. The more one looked upon the Teacher, the greater the feeling got; looking away, however, did nothing to lessen the already palpable anxiety.
"The Maester will not take kindly to such a mistake again, Nicholas," she spoke, and suddenly the anxiety and dread was lifted. "You treat this as some game. Lie, lie, lie... the more you break truth, the more likely you are to be broken. You must not lie- you must simply twist the truth. Be vague, and leave your words open to interpretation as often as possible. You should be as the wind, mysterious and fluid; not as the stone, concrete and easily deciphered."
"Sir Louis, the Maester sends his apologies for the disruption and hopes that you are doing well," the 'Teacher' said, turning her attention to Louis with a slight nod. "If there is nothing you require, then he advises that you return as soon as you can- the less time you spend 'fighting Chaos', the more likely it will be believed that you can make it out alive."
"As for you, Nicholas, you will simply have to remain here, and I will simply have to teach you what I know... what the Maester knows," she finally finished, turning back to Nicholas. "He is allies with a certain Ivalician faction, so his knowledge should be enough to allow you to blend in."
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:55 pm
[[Louis : Narnia : Seymour's Castle - Grand Hall]]
Louis looked to the other avatar, worried for his safety more and more as she went on. Each moment passing, adding to the growing anticipation and anxiety. Despite lifting the weight in the air, Louis' gaze snapped up to the woman when she spoke to him. He listened to her speak, taking her words to heart. Her statement earlier was a blatant reminder that he needed to stay on good terms with Seymour no matter what. Else that one slip, may be his last.
When all was done and said, Louis spoke, "Thank you for your concern, Ma'm. Please report back to The Maester that all is going well. So far it would seem there are no... meaningful seeds of distrust in the group as far as I'm concerned. If all goes as planned, even this blunder should play nicely into my plans. If it's not too troublesome, I'd like to speak to Nick alone when you're done." His eyes drifted to Nick and he smiled, "A friendly conversation, don't worry."
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:02 pm
[Nick :: Narnia :: Seymour's Castle ~ Grand Hall]
Nick could feel his face pale as Teacher went on. The nervousness, the anxiety, the idea of death hanging over his head. Louis could possibly beat him a fight, but he was quite certain that Teacher could destroy him without so much as flicking a finger. He bowed his head and waited for her to finish her disapproving rant before quietly saying,
"I will not fail you or the Maester again. Please forgive me, Teacher. I have avoided just about all contact with the others in the group except when I am with Seymour. Talking to them is...difficult. I am ready to learn, and I would also like to go to the armory again, if possible. I feel that the halberd is an ineffective weapon for me in battle."
Nick turned to Louis, raising a brow in curiousity. Mateus' avatar wanted a friendly conversation after threatening to kill him where he stood. Something was a bit off, but perhaps he could learn more about Louis. Whether he would have to use it against Louis at a future time to save his own skin or use it to aid in a future plan of his, he was uncertain. Hopefully, it would never come down to such a bad finale, but Nick was not about to get screwed over by someone he had just met and expected to work with.
"Very well, 'Sir' Louis, I'm willing to listen as long as you don't stab me. Hard to be civil with a rapier puncturing my lung." Nick grinned, giving Louis a small nod.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:47 pm
[Joe: IoT: Port/Oceanedge]
Joe did let out a "Hey!" of protest, but didn't really pull away from Dawn. He just let her work her magic, then when she was down, his arm fell back down and he continued staring at the sky.
"You know, you're kinda pushy when you want to be," he said, legs kicking lazily. "Guess it's a good thing, though."
Just listening to the waves and surf was calming. It was the effect nature got after a storm. And it was nice.
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AldrickZearse Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 6:56 pm
[ Kyle ; Sora ; Kuja ; Zexion : Isle of Tortuga : Port ]
"Hardly, petite fille," Kuja responded, flipping his hair behind his shoulder in the process of rolling his eyes. "Sailing is barbaric and best left to those in the lower echelons of society. Those of us more privileged have no business committing such menial tasks."
"Just tune him out, the rest of us do," Sora whispered into Sayrike's ear before patting the new girl on the shoulder with a chuckle.
Before Jack could even respond, Jacob walked up and hugged the older teen, reassuring him. He found his words... surprisingly uplifting. Someone entirely new actually... agreed with his logic? A toothy grin formed, and his heart was strengthened, even if only for a bit.
Louis did that of his own accord... so that's not entirely on my hands... though Chaos-
.:Don't be stubborn. They are after me. You are not to blame for my existence.:.
That was surprisingly kind of you.
He tuned out her immediate retort, instead focusing on what was going on. "Well then, Captain, it seems you have yourselves a temporary crew. Well, me, anyway, I can't vouch for anyone else-"
"Count me in! It'll be just like old times!" Sora said, bounding forward with his normal grin. "Lead the way, Captain!"
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