[ Joe | Station of Awakening -> Station of Reflection ]
The heartless was unable to dodge, and not strong enough to absorb the hit. It disintegrates into a cloud of black ash, and that cloud too disappears shortly after.
Without warning, the station shatters. The only sight as you fall is a pillar below you, the shattered remains of the station above, and blackness all around.
You land on the pillar below without injury. It is a single surface, without the defining lines of a mosaic or stained glass piece. This one holds an image of a desert landscape. If you look at it long enough, the desert image shimmers, and you may be able to make out more shapes and images. Each step you take causes the surface to ripple. The ripples stop when you stop, and the surface clears once again when the ripples reach the edge of the platform and disappear.
Around the edges of the platform are eight glowing numbers, evenly spaced. The numbers are 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 17, 19. _______________________________________________________________
Damage to shadow: 39 - 24 = 15 / defeated
- Please describe what type of desert you see. Dune filled, hilly desert? Flat? Yellow sand, white sand? The description is up to you. - If you stare at the image for longer than a few minutes, please stop. Something will happen, and I'll have to post a response. - If you walk up to a number, please stop. Something will happen, and I'll have to post a response.
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 6:16 pm
Song Yi Kim : The Dark Path : Station of Awakening
Song took the fatal step to the rod and gripped it tightly in her hand. Her grip appeared to crush it, shattering it into a sparkling array of light that glowed brightly in the darkness. The light collected around Song's grip and then disappeared as if it had been absorbed by the girl. Song had barely felt any resistance from the weapon when her hand enveloped it. It was there, feeling pretty sturdy, one moment and then just gone the next.
There was a moment of silence as if whoever dictated the instructions to Song knew that this was a choice that took some time to sink in. She had made just another choice that felt permanently and greatly significant that she couldn't take back. Now, was the make the third such choice.
Song had chosen one. Now, she was to <'Discard one.'>
Song recalled those words with closed eyes as she searched for some sort of change in her body that could have been caused by the rod. She felt nothing of the sort. she opened her eyes again and then slapped both hands against her cheeks. She had just caught herself being too serious. she chided herself, as she forced a smile. Being serious, in Song's opinion, didn't suit Song. She didn't really have a reason to be serious now that she thought about it. All she did was choose something out of three.
In fact, she was now at the easiest decision: what to discard. Song reminded herself as she slowly walked to the shield, Indeed, it was that logic that drove Song to choose the shield to discard.
The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.
You give up this power?
It would probably be ideal to discard the sword. After all, she only needed to hit things with one type of attack. It was basic min-maxing in basically every genre. Max what you use most and min what you don't need. Focus on your core and neglect everything else that you will either never get a chance to use or will never have to use. It would be safer to not lack in defenses and to just solely focus on dishing out magic damage. However, there was something about the symmetry of it all that just didn't sit well with Song if she chose to choose the wand but discard the sword. There were two offensive choices and one defensive choice. Song wanted to split her choice on this offensive/defensive categorization of choices. Different arguments could easily be made because this was all just a matter of opinion, but she would keep the offensive options on the side of not discarded and the defensive option on the side of discarded. After all, this was how she had made her weapon choice in Re:coded. Except she chose the sword, not the rod.
Besides, like she had explained to herself before, <'Death is the best cc.'> It wasn't an argument she usually agreed with,
Once the rant over, she coughed to finalize it. To give up the shield meant that she couldn't really say that she was going to focus on support. At least, she couldn't say it without feeling like a hypocrite. To be content with not being able to call herself a support felt strange to Song at first. That is, until she realized that, unlike a video game, trying to cover for an ally was going to hurt. she raised her right hand to the left and up,
With a slash of her arm, almost as if she was crossing out the shield with the two fingers she had raised, Song finalized her decision to give up the power of the defender. The red and black shield split in two and shattered much like the rod had when Song had gripped it. The sparkling light that formed the shattered shield faded, leaving a momentary afterglow before that too disappeared. The finality of this choice gripped Song much like the last two choices she had made.
As the shield vanished, doubts clouded Song's mind. Perhaps it wasn't wise to discard an object that symbolized an aspect of her character that would likely be heavily tested on the path to darkness. The dark embodied selfishness. A reminder of kindness would be welcome. Song closed her eyes. Since her first decision to pick a path, she had come to accept that her choices, once made, were part of the past she could not change. She would need to move onwards. She accepted her decision but also clung to her doubts, hoping to remember them should she ever forget to act out kindness. She would just need to remind herself to be kind without the shield. Besides, she didn't even know if that was how the weapons worked.
In fact, she didn't know how her choices worked period. Not just her choice of what to keep and what to discard, but also the choice of her path. Barring any cosmetic changes, largely the light being much dimmer, everything that had happened so far was pretty much what she expected. In other words, it was what happened to Sora in the games, and if his path had to be any of the three, it certainly had to be light, considering the character of the boy and the ascending staircase his dive contained.
[ Joseph | Station of Awakening -> Station of Reflection ]
The wild swing struck the heartless squarely, and it exploded into a cloud of ash upon impact. As it disintegrates, it reaches its hand toward the sky, but it too turns to ash; the tip of its claw is the last part to fade. It leaves behind three small round rocks.
Without warning, the station shatters. The only sight as you fall is a pillar below you, the shattered remains of the station above, and blackness all around.
You land on the pillar below without injury. It is a single surface, without the defining lines of a mosaic or stained glass piece. This one holds an image of a desert landscape. If you look at it long enough, the desert image shimmers, and you may be able to make out more shapes and images. Each step you take causes the surface to ripple. The ripples stop when you stop, and the surface clears once again when the ripples reach the edge of the platform and disappear.
Around the edges of the platform are eight glowing numbers, evenly spaced. The numbers are 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 17, 19. _______________________________________________________________
- Please describe what type of desert you see. Dune filled, hilly desert? Flat? Yellow sand, white sand? The description is up to you. - If you stare at the image for longer than a few minutes, please stop. Something will happen, and I'll have to post a response. - If you walk up to a number, please stop. Something will happen, and I'll have to post a response.
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 6:50 pm
[[Feather – Station of Awakening]]
Now this is just getting to fizz level annoying. Scratch that, Yasuo with Malphite ultimate combo levels of anger inducing rage. Staring back at the little bugger trying to steal her heart, she watched it attempt to claw at the apparatus around her, not getting past its odd barrier like thing that appeared. Laced with sheet music like transparent lines, the barrier erected itself to protect her from taking too much damage. Well why didn’t it do that in the first place? Well probably because she got ganked, now thinking about it but besides that fact.
There was a slightly dull moment which Feather just watched the heartless try to head butt and claw at the barrier. It’s slightly pitiful watching the little yellow beady eyes staring at her, though mercy was never a strong suit of her. This thing will not relent a single second, so why should she do the same? It’s like if an enemy champion is lagging and disconnecting from the game, you don’t let them off the hook. You camp that mofo and get that Vayne so fed so she will carry you into late game. They will do the same to you if your internet was getting eaten up by five people at once. The thin creepy smile slowly plastered itself on her face, which only means one thing.
Time to lay down the judgement.
The notes started to glow brightly in a dim pale blue trailing along the lines, a location marker signalling where Feather has to flick each note correctly to cast. Being one to love many rhythm based games, mostly the keyboard pushing ones or button mashing, one glance up at the target with the same smarmy grin as Feather started to play the mini-game that her own weapon brings along. As the notes line up on the markers, Feather had to gently flick the somewhat cold note with her fingers, good thing she actually plays piano or it might be a bit weird with the rotation of the digits along the sections. It felt more of a piano organ type crossed with a guqin, though Feather believes that’s what Sona’s weapon was based off on in the first place.
During the main chorus of the song, she matched each of the slow beat song easily. It doesn’t seem like all the other songs will be this slow, so probably this will be the only break for now. All of the notes gathered in front of her into a large music note pulsing blue, and it seemed like she went into a feature zone which the notes went golden. Those went into the giant main note and after the section, fired itself at the heartless in a cold icy blast that did a spray of snowflakes as it hit on impact.
“Oh, get wrecked son.” Feather shouted from her distance, flipping the heartless off as well because sometimes it’s just fun to be that immature to monsters that want you to disintegrate into the darkness along with them. The poor little heartless will now know the true definition of pain.
Cast: Drop the Beat - Tidecaller Heartless Attack- 12 Feather Defense - 10 + D20: 15 = 25 Feather Attack- Power Chord 12 + D20: 20 *Crit* =32 Current HP: 97/100 [556/1000 words]
[Joseph: Station of Awakening -> Station of Reflection]
The thing apparently died before his 'trap' could even activate. Which left him relieved, grateful...and a little frustrated. He knew what his rune could do, but...he kind of wanted to see it in person. However, it seemed to have been not meant to be...at this point, at least.
Still, he moved towards what remained of the Heartless, picking it up. It seemed to be three little rocks. Ordinary, small rocks. It gave him an idea, but he had no time to act on it as he let out a yelp of panic.
Suddenly he was falling. More falling. Why? He didn't like falling. Especially not when it looked like shards of glass were falling with him. Still, he had somewhere to land...though he braced himself again, out of instinct.
He landed on the pillar without any fuss, gently patting himself down to make sure nothing was broke(besides his skin where he was still scratched up). It seemed like he was okay. And he even had the rocks. All two of them. Wait...
"Ow!"
The pebble hit him on the head, bouncing off and onto the pillar, which got him looking at it while he picked it up.
The desert was hill after hill after hill. Orange sand, like a desert cast in the light of a sunset. There was even a cactus that dotted one of the hills.
Rubbing his head where the pebble hit, he looked at the desert in wonder. He was pretty sure he never, ever wanted to go to a desert. He didn't like heat at all. Still, it was a pretty picture.
He looked up, noticing the numbers. There...seemed to be a pattern. Well, that's what he thought, at first, but the pattern faltered at about half way. So he ignored them(and the desert) for now, instead focusing on the three rocks.
He sat on the ground, crossing his legs, and awkwardly held the staff and used it to etch into the small rocks, pausing between each one as he decided what to actually put on them.
Once he was done, he got up, sending the staff away and wiping off the dust that was scattered on his leg. He wasn't careful, so it was wasted. Not that he knew what to even hold the dust in, anyway.
He looked at the numbers again, rolling the three rocks in his hand. None of them stood out to him. Not really. But he wandered over to the glowing 13, his steps rippling the image as he did so. Maybe they had something significant he could notice once he inspected more closely.
---------------------------- HP: 82/100 Current Stock:
ᛊ (Sōwilō) [bomb type] x2ᚷ (Geƀō) [bomb type] x1
Current Runes:
ᚷ (Geƀō) [body type] x1
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 8:25 pm
Joe : Station of Awakening -> Station of Reflection
Joe let out a sharp breath and smirked as his blade hew through the creature, its form disintegrating into black ash.
He had done it. It might have only been a Shadow, the weakest of all Heartless, but still, he’d won. He’d taken on the creature with nothing but his own strength and he’d won. The feeling was exhilarating.
Still smiling, Joe took raised up his blade and watched as the wisps of cold faded away into nothing. The spell he had cast hadn’t been the difference between his life or his death, but he was sure it had made his life easier. He wondered what else he could do to his blade beyond simple elemental spells. Surely there was more that he had yet to unlock...
Suddenly Joe heard the sound of glass and he fell further into darkness.
“s**t” Joe swore as he twisted through the air, his blade slipping back into nothing as he tried to right himself. He should have expected this, it was a dive after all. These things didn’t end until he dove deep and faced an actual monster. The real trials were only beginning.
Eyes focusing on the platform bellow him, Joe closed his eyes and waited. He wasn’t worried about falls anymore. If the fall at the start hadn’t pasted him across the ocean, something this small would be fine. The laws of normal dreams did not apply here after all.
He was right. Joe landed on the balls of his feet and looked around, trying to get a feel for his new location. It still felt like glass, but it looked nothing like the mosaics that one would find in a church. This looked like a landscape painting, a large and shifting picture of a desert. Not a flat, barren wasteland either, but one with grand hills and sweeping valleys, with white sands that fell across the terrain like a fresh snow.
It was captivating, he had to give it that. As he moved across the platform to get a better look, he immediately noticed that he was sending ripples across the image with every step, causing the geography to shift with it. Now the hills were growing larger and steeper, into mountains. The valleys were digging deeper into the earth, becoming deep crevasses and canyons. The sands shifted and turned across the land, becoming dunes and swirling inclines.
It was only when he looked up briefly and noticed the numbers around him that he stopped his little terraforming display. Eight numbers in all, each floating in midair, evenly spaced across the edge of the platform: 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 17, and 19.
Was this his next choice? It was a new one, he had to give it that. This had never shown up in any game he had played. Of course, it being new meant he didn’t have any prior experience to go off of and unlike the last platform, there was no mysterious voice to help him.
Joe slowly turned in place, taking stock of each of the numbers. The only numbers he saw that he knew had anything to do with the series were thirteen and possibly three. But no, it couldn’t be that simple, right? And even if it was, Joe really did not want to go anywhere near the number thirteen if the dream was running on Kingdom Hearts rules. He might be willing to take risks but he wasn’t an idiot.
‘Hang on.’ Joe thought‘Idiot…’
Maybe this wasn’t meant to be a choice at all. All of the numbers around him, had something in common, save one. They were all prime numbers, only divisible by one and itself. All except for the eight.
Joe’s gaze fell on the only non-prime of the group. Its presence was curious, especially considering that it replaced the prime number seven, an immensely important number in the lore of Kingdom Hearts. The fact that it stuck out like a sore thumb compared with all the primes meant it definitely warranted a closer look. Perhaps it was the key to solving this puzzle.
Joe slowly approached the number eight, ripples flowing over the platform with every step. He knew that something was going to happen once he got close enough and he would be ready for it.
Gentleman Knives
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Faera Meralin
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 8:32 pm
There was that almost comical moment where Ahria was windmilling her arms and flailing every which way she could, trying desperately to slow her fall(pointless, obviously...) before she eventually landed. There was a tense moment where she steadied herself and readied her daggers again, looking for an enemy that wasn't there. Instead, she found a desert.
There was sand... Lots and lots of sand... 'Oh, wait... there's a dune... and... no... that's just more sand...' She immediately thought of doge again. (Much sand... Such desert... Wow...) She mused her current surroundings for the moment before noting an odd marking in the sand. It looked like a portion of dirt or something, but she couldn't understand why it would be there of all places, until she started noticing other patches of the same material arranged in a ring around the outer edge of her current 'platform'.
It took several minutes of pondering and a closer look to solve the mystery. They were numbers. Difficult to notice at first, and large enough to not be immediately recognizable, but they were definitely numbers. She paused for a minute, looking them over. '2... 3... 5... 8... 11... 13... 17... 19...Some kind of pattern, but what does it mean?' She stared at each number, trying to decide if this was a puzzle to be solved or another decision to be made.
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:27 am
Luna - Station of Awakening > Station of Reflection
Luna felt the satisfying sensation of her blade tearing through the Shadow Heartless completely, turning the little monstrosity to dust. "Destroyed...what a scrub." She giggled at that, having dropped into gamer speech to insult her slain opponent. When Sora and Roxas first began their journeys it took them at least a combo to take out a Shadow Heartless, so it came as quite the surprise to her at just how weak they were, or was it how strong she was? She was honestly expecting a little more out of the thing, but it was a one and done deal, it hadn't even scratched her, kind of disappointing really. "I can honestly say that wasn't very fun, I barely even got to smack it around. Maybe I should hold back next time?"
"Pshhh, nah." The young woman waved her hand at the thought of it, going easy on something just wasn't in her nature, that and it did technically try to kill her; however terribly that went.
The all too familiar sound of cracking glass caught her attention at that point, Luna barely managing to take a look down before the station she was standing on shattered completely, putting her into free fall once again. Her stomach lurched at the sudden sensation of falling, instilling a brief moment of fear into her as she looked down upon the pillar below her, glass shards raining down all around her, yet curiously nowhere above her or the platform itself.
Luna landed without incident, deciding to strike the Metal Gear Solid pose seen in just about every intro of the game, observing the rippling of the image below her before cocking her head up and rising from her crouched stance. The floor rippled once more as she rose to her feet, extending towards the edges before vanishing and leaving the still image of a desert before her. Pictured was a desert at night, white sand turned gray by the shadows of night, with dunes of many sizes extending across the landscape she could see.
Her gaze shifted after a moment, observing the glowing numbers around the edges of the platform with interest. "2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 17, 19. What the hell is that supposed to mean? The only number here that has any relevance is thirteen and there's no seven." She crossed her arms underneath her breasts and began to glare angrily at the numbers surrounding her. Luna hated math and numbers and doubted she could find any sort of pattern here without assistance. Two of the numbers were even, there's a number two, the rest are odd. "One, two, three, three? Two, four, two. The two's on the end are separated though, that can't mean anything." She observed, having added onto each number to reach the next and counted each of them. "Adding them together just gets 78, that's meaningless. Subtracting from nineteen down gets....negative thirty-five I think?"
Luna slammed her foot down repeatedly like an angry child after a few more moments of agonizing over the numbers, sending a series of ripples throughout the platform again. "Blaaaaah, this is worthless, I hate numbers. Why should numbers be in my Dive to the Heart, why isn't this part like the games, huh!?" She shouted angrily, hoping for a response from the voice in her head, which proved worthless after about a minute of staring at the remains of the station above her. She let out a sigh and adjusted the gauntlet on her left hand in an absent-minded way as she redirected her attention to the desert landscape at her feet. Luna took notice of the fact that there were several caves and rocky outcroppings which seemed to separate or lead into some areas of the desert, along with several trees, some dead, but others looking quite lively and well, leading her to believe that the desert was either rather small or that she was just seeing an edge of it. Eventually the landscape would shift to a rockier area of the desert, where she presumed the end of it would lie, soon stretching out into small rocky plateaus covered in a fine layer of sand.
"Well this is a lot more interesting than numbers anyway." She commented aloud, continuing to observe the desert, taking care to make sure she never moved in order to be able to see the scene as clearly as possible. Who knows, maybe she'd get sucked into the desert or her evil twin would drag her through the image and they'd have some stupid mirror battle because the world wills it.
Combat Information Ability Active: Currently Charging: Enemy Attack: Defense Roll: Attack Roll:
The heartless attempts to move out of the attack's way, but the hit is unavoidable. It begins to sink into the floor, only to have the vibrations from the music prevent it from doing so.
Thwarted and hurt, it continues with its basic attack, lunging directly ahead at Feather's heart. _____________________________________________________________
The choices being made, the final dream weapon disappears as well. All of the pedestals have sunk back into the ground. Upon their disappearance, you become aware of magic. It's as if it's always been there, and you are just now recognizing it for what it is.
You are now aware of your abilities.
With this recognition comes the knowledge that you can summon your chosen dream weapon at will. It disappeared when you grabbed it, but if you call, it will return.
The spot where the last pedestal sunk into the ground is still dark. It begins to move, and two claws reach up from the ground. A shadow heartless pulls itself up onto the station. It's never still, bobbing, looking around, drawn to your heart. Yellow eyes fix upon you, and the creature lunges at you with its claws. _____________________________________________________________
Attack STR: 21
Dream Weapon: 0 points (no added bonus to attacks or defense, just your STR stat + D20 roll)
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:49 pm
[ Luke : Dive Into the Heart : Station of Awakening ]
You like cuttin' up and carryin' on, you wear them gowns. So how come I feel so lonely when you're up gettin' down?
He watched as the pedestals disappeared, then danced all around the platform to the tune in his head as he wondered what he would have to choose next. 'First paths, then weapons... I wonder if..." He trailed off and stopped spinning all at once as images filled his mind. They weren't exactly images, really, but shadows thereof. They passed by so quickly, but the memory of them stayed intact; he felt like he could see the images on the backs of his eyelids if he closed his eyes. After a moment of arguing with himself internally, he did just that, and the visions appeared once more. An image of sending out a piece of his energy in the shape of a creature to sap at the energy of something else came to his mind. Then a vision of healing those in need. That one brought a smile and a pink tinge to his always-so-easily-flushed cheeks. Once that image faded, he saw an image of a wild tornado ripping across he sky. And then they were all gone, as if someone had drawn a curtain over his vision.
So I'll play along when I hear that special song. I'm gonna be the one who gets it right. You'd better move when you're swayin' round the room. Looks like the magic's only ours tonight.
It was like a waking dream. He could remember the facts of what the images told him, what he was capable of, but he couldn't remember any details about them; the shapes, the colors, what these techniques had been used on, all were mysteries to him, nagging at his brain like all unanswered questions did. Finally, one last image entered his mind: wielding the shield he had chosen just a moment before, using it to attack foes as well as defend himself and others. It was gone in less than a second, just like the others, and he couldn't remember the details, but he knew. He knew. It was part of him now. If he called it, it would answer. While he was deep in thought about all of these things, what they meant, and whether or not this really could still be considered a dream, he noticed a dark spot left by the last pedestal. Before he could question what it was, it began to rise up from the floor, and his jaw dropped when he realized what was standing before him was easily in his top-ten list of most recognizable fictional creatures.
'That thing..."
Heartless.
'Heartless.'
Heartless!
"Heartless!" he finally managed to say out loud after swallowing a lump in his throat.
HEARTLESS!
'I think you're missing the basic point here.'
Right... Um, what are you just standing there for? RUN!
While he hesitated to act, stricken with fear and curiosity, the Shadow finally went from bobbing and twitching to running, then to a giant leap right at him.
"Afeeyo!" he impulsively shouted in one of his own fictional languages as he raised his arms up in front of him, crossed over each other at the wrists. It was the only defensive reaction he could make in such a short span of time, though he knew it would do him no good.
'If that shield really is with me, I could really use it now!' As if on cue, the red and black shield appeared, its handle fitting snug against his hand, just as the Heartless' claws were about to rip into him. Instead, the creature of Darkness simply bounced off of the shield harmlessly. 'Oh sweet Farore... That really just happened. That really... Oh my gosh. Oh good gravy. Holy flaming cuccos.' His breathing was rapid and heavy, but not uncomfortable, which surprised him when he finally noticed. He wasn't used to this kind of strenuous activity.
It wants to eat your heart! Kill it kill it KILL IT kill it!
He agreed with himself wholeheartedly, and now that he had finally broken out of his stupor, he resumed his internal singing while he went over in his mind exactly how he could do that. He had no idea how a shield was to be used as a weapon, but he figured he would take a lesson from Goofy.
But I don't feel like dancin' when the old Joanna plays. My heart could take a chance, but my two feet can't find a way. You'd think that I could muster up a little soft-shoe gentle sway, but I don't feel like dancin', no sir, no dancin' today.
'I can go all Link with this thing,' he thought to himself with a smile, blushing pink once again. 'If only I had a green Magic Meter floating above my head. Oh well, let's work with what we've got.' Grabbing the shield's handle with both hands, he reared his arms back on his left-hand side before spinning around in a full circle on his heel, swinging the shield as he went in an attempt to hit the Shadow. With his luck, he would miss completely and end up looking like an idiot.
"YAAAAH!"
Don't feel like dancin', dancin'. Even if I find nothin' better to do. Don't feel like dancin', dancin'. Why'd you pick a tune when I'm not in the mood? Don't feel like dancin', dancin'. I'd rather be home with the one in the bed 'til dawn, with you~
The sun shined brightly in his eyes. It was brilliant but not blinding making James think for only a moment that he had woken up early. However, as soon as he realized that he was in a gentle free fall he understood that he was still asleep, this was a dream. Not very often he started a dream in a fall. He had fallen before in dreams though it wasn’t a very common occurrence. With the fear of dying from the fall relieved he found that the fall was actually quite pleasant as he fell through the clouds the view was really quite beautiful, surreal even. What was also surreal was the sensation of the wind on his face as he continued his descent.
’Ah, so it is a lucid dream. it’s been awhile,’ He thought as he enjoyed the sensation.
Lucid dreams were not a new thing to James, when he was younger they were a fairly common thing. It was always an interesting experience to be able to freely move and control himself in the dream. That was a slightly scary feeling when it was a fight. Especially when the fight was basically a demonically powered version of himself. However, now was not the time to think about that. The sky at dawn was quite a sight, all of the beautiful colors that permeated the atmosphere The young man focused on his descent and his focus turned to where he was going to land? crash? He wasn’t sure how this was going to end yet. Likely if it ended with a painful crash his mind would retake control and he would wake up. He didn’t fall much further before he realized what he would be landing in, a massive, brilliant blue ocean. Normally, this would be a terrifying prospect as he was not great at swimming and the fact that he basically needed to wear a wetsuit in order to even obtain natural buoyancy. However, this was a dream, not only would he hit the water unharmed, but he would not drown.
He closed his eyes instinctively as he approached the water, salt water was unpleasant to get in the eyes. He felt the cold water wash over him as he dove in head first, a maneuver that he never would have done in real life. He had expected his typical attire that he had been wearing to become heavy and wet as they filled with water. However, that did not happen. As he sank down less light penetrated the clear blue ocean water and the events that had transpired thus far began to feel familiar. He continued to sink, deeper, and deeper, into the water. Darkness began to close all around him. How much further would he go? Surely he would hit the bottom soon.
As if in response to his mental questions the bottom appeared and James quickly pulled up as to land smoothly on his feet at the bottom. Without thought he took a step forward as he looked up towards the surface and the light. He was by no means afraid of the dark. However, being beneath the sea, so deep that light did not reach was a slightly alarming experience for him. As soon as his foot hit the sand? Whatever solid surface he was standing on the ground around him erupted into a flock of doves that flew all around him, obscuring his sight in a barrage of flapping, feathery, white wings. He watched as the majestic birds flew up to the surface and he realized why the scenery was familiar.
’Kingdom Hearts is it?’ He thought as recognizing and acknowledging that all of what had transpired was just like the openings to the Kingdom Hearts games. ’This will be an interesting dream to tell Michelle about tomorrow.’
Kingdom Hearts was not at all an unfamiliar topic. It was definitely an odd one for such a lucid dream though, considering he hadn’t touched a Kingdom Hearts game in ages. Sure he kept up to date with all of the news on new releases and participated in a through roleplays so the games were frequently on his mind. This was the first time he could recall ever dreaming about it though.
’I’m surprised my memory has recalled all of these details so accurately. I wonder how far into the sequence this dream will go.’ He thought as he turned his focus back away from the ocean surface above where the doves had long since flown out of sight.
”This is different,” He muttered to himself in thought. He had expected the brightly colored stain glass platforms of the station where the main character would always land. This wasn’t it.
Instead he stood before three different paths, one to the left, one straight ahead, and one to the right. Thought different the meanings were obvious to say the least. Especially now with the full realization that this was indeed some kind of Kingdom Hearts dream. A cursory glance was all he needed to know which path represented what.
The path on the left, the one that somehow clearly led further downward deeper into the dark abyss was obviously the path of Darkness. The path which, in darker days, in earlier years James would have possibly chosen. In his middle school years he likely would have chosen it without a second thought. His weakness and the relentless bullying that had turned him into a former shell of himself… bad days, bad memories. It was thanks to his friends in High School and his exposure to Kingdom Hearts that actually helped him pull himself away from those dark thoughts and acknowledge the darkness that was within himself.
Next was the path in the middle, the straight and narrow. He couldn’t see much beyond the start of the path and it was clear that this was the “Road to Dawn” the neutral path, Which left the path on the right. The brightly illuminated, upward path that was so obviously the path of light. The brightest path. Light was a wonderful thing. However, it could also be a blinding force that would force one to see nothing but itself. As much of a man of faith as he saw himself as, that did not feel like the right path for him.
”Straight and narrow it is,” He stated with a nod as he made his way towards and onto the middle path, curious as to where it would lead.
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:31 am
Song Yi Kim : The Dark Path : Station of Awakening HP: 100/100 | ATK: 10 | DEF: 10
The final dream weapon, the dream sword, scattered into an array of light without any prompting from Song and vanished. In its wake, the three pedestals, now empty, rumbled. Their shaking kicked up a cloud of dust that hadn't been present a moment ago. The pedestals slowly sunk back into the platform, the dust settling and disappearing once the pedestals had disappeared.
You are now aware of your abilities.
Just like that, Song became conscious of magic. Except, it didn't feel like anything new, more like something she had always known. She carefully analyzed her thoughts and reactions to this situation. The sensation of learning something while also recognizing it as something that had always been there was something she never imagined she would be able to experience first-hand. This was a rare experience and she wanted to remember as much of it as possible for when she roleplayed.
It was… certainly a strange sensation. Not completely unlike or like what she expected. Her body suddenly seemed to know what to do and it felt like something she had practiced for years and years. All those fictional works where magic had to be meticulously learned as a type of precise science that was intentionally left vague because the writers did not want to have to think up all the rules and laws? That wasn't what it felt like now. Right here and now, Song felt like she could easily bend time itself to hasten her movements and then rejuvenate herself with mysterious forces. For the first time, she noticed a separate dimension just within reach, and what's more, that she could reach within it as easily as she could reach for a fork or a book but only under certain circumstances. Not only was Song's illusion of magic as a heavily study-based art shattered but also what she always admired as the power of pure will. That special force of will that kept heroes standing against all odds? Song felt some of that in her body now as well, even though she was anything but a brave hero.
Just as all these powers felt familiar, however, they also disoriented Song. The knowledge that magic always existed overwhelmed her. It should have been hard to believe no matter what, but Song found it easier and easier to comprehend as the seconds ticked by. She identified this sensation, That identification, however, left more questions than answers, .
Then there was also this giant gap between where she stood now and what she could achieve, and she acutely felt that gap. So much power and potential. What she could do now was only the tip of the iceberg, restrained by rules and limits that she may one day shed. She wasn't very distraught over this revelation, though. She was used to being weak. As of right now, she was very happy with her awesome, to her, if standard assortment of abilities.
There was also something besides abilities locked within her body now. Song reached out for that small light and as she wrapped her soul, heart, spirit, whatever it was she was using (she didn't know) to perform this nonphysical action she could feel that while it was small it had the potential for so much more, just like every aspect of her newfound abilities. She willed that light to present itself and come to her aid. In response, the Dream Rod summoned itself into Song's hands. It appeared rather plainly. No bright sparkle of light. No vortex of darkness. Not even neutral smoke. It just materialized and was there. Song couldn't help but feel disappointed… for a reason she couldn't quite place. Really, she didn't think she should mind. A non-dynamic entry just meant that it was that much easier to summon the weapon without anyone knowing, and that was certainly an advantage, no? Perhaps she was associating the lack of effects with the weapon being not very good?
Regardless, Song approved of her lot even if she didn't exactly understand why she would be gifted with these particular abilities out of everything else. For a collection of three actives and a passive, Song couldn't really think of what else she would want to begin a journey with. Although, that in itself made her worry. She knew her biggest flaw in character creation was that she was pleased to spread too thin, .
Of course, Song was too easily distracted by the rush of new information to even remotely tread carefully. Still facing where the shield pedestal once stood, she was dangerously ignorant of the shadows that collected to form an enemy where the sword pedestal, the last one to go down, once stood in her blind spot. As the shadow popped up from the ground for the first time and skittered around on its two feet, Song was too busy closely examining her weapon to notice. She was twirling the Dream Rod in her hands, appreciating the giant mickey head and all the little curves and details of the wand. It felt strong, sturdy, and a little weighted towards the Mickey head. Song could feel the weight of the weapon in her hands, but just like she imagined, it didn't feel too heavy for her in the least. The heartless sunk to the ground and glided into attacking range. Song had taken a batter's stance, ready for an experimental swing with the Dream Rod she planned to use as a mace. As she'd never regularly played baseball outside of school requirements, the stance probably wasn't very correct. The heartless popped up within reach of Song. Song twisted her body, readying for a swing. The heartless lunged. Song swung.
By sheer luck, her body twisted out of the way of the Heartless's attack. The attack almost hit, though, and Song felt an unwelcome chill where the Heartless had nearly grazed her. She freaked out, and with the twisting motion created by the swing, Song rotated on her right foot, the foot she had placed forwards for the swing, to face the cause of the cold. She froze in a generic fighting stance as she saw the jittery, bug-like blob of darkness.
her mind registered uncertainly. She didn't know what to do next. The entire stance-taking was purely because of the physics that threatened to trip her if she didn't follow the twist, the instincts that screamed at her to look for the threat, and the vague muscle memory from all those times Song would act out what roleplay combat scenarios she could to better describe them. Past this, and face-to-face with an enemy no less, Song was lost.
The Power of the Guardian. Kindness to Aid Friends. A Shield to Repel All.
Actions - Ability:
n/a (10+roll=) > Heartless
[ n/a ]
Attack:
Basic (10+roll=) > Heartless
Charge:
Esuna (1 charge)
[ The user heals a single target, which could be herself, for a percentage of total HP equal to the level of this ability. There is also a percentage chance of curing minor status effects that is equal to the level of this ability. If Song wants, she can freely lower the effectiveness of Esuna, such as healing for only 5% when she could heal for 10%. Upon reaching certain points in its level growth, Esuna becomes even more potent and flexible. ]
Defend:
Basic (10+13=23) > Heartless Attack (21)
Passives Plot Armor ~ Important NPC
[ Being knocked to 0 hit points or lower doesn't make Song keel over. She rises back on her next post with a vengeance, or would if she wasn't so cowardly and passive, at 1 hp and in perfectly normal condition (no status effects, buffs, debuffs, etc.). After being activated, plot armor goes on cooldown until Song manages to heal back up to at least a quarter of her health. ]
[ James | The Middle Path | Station of Awakening ]
The path lights up with a soft glow as you move along it. On either side of the path is a drop into the blackness. You can see a small distance, but you can't see the bottom. A circular platform comes into view, and you become aware at the same time that the path is disappearing behind you as you walk. This platform is also slightly lit up, and holds a mosaic-like image of you. It looks like it's made out of stained glass. In the image, your eyes are closed.
When you walk into the middle of the station, three weapons appear around you. A sword, a shield, and a rod. They hover in the air.
Choose one. Discard one.
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 11:46 am
[ Luke | Station of Awakening ]
The shadow jumps directly into Luke's shield as he spins it, and gets knocked away. Undeterred, but clearly damaged, it gets back up quickly and leaps at him again in exactly the same manner it did at first. _______________________________________________________________
Damage to shadow: 20 Attack STR: 28
[ Song | Station of Awakening ]
The heartless left little time for thought as it continued to press the attack. It lunged at Song once again, paying no heed to its own safety. _______________________________________________________________
