PARTY STATUS Thallasa: 238/240HP, 0/60MP Adalric: 113/150HP, 15/30MP Torrin: 92/155HP, 0/50MP Aria: 45/70HP, 0/20MP Illiana: 42/45HP, 20/20MP Boreas: 40/85HP, 11/30MP Tinarah: 35/60HP, 0/20MP Qamar: 32/50HP, 10/30MPGlyde: 27/60HP, 0/20MP Takehiko: 27/85HP, 5/20MPChrono: 20/70HP, 2/20MP Master Thallasa folded her arms and looked at the costumed group, minus Glyde, and smiled. The sight of them was quite amusing but they really did fit in with the whole "superhero" aesthetic that this world appeared to have. "Glyde has a point. Everyone can't just waltz right into a trap. Those of us left with the most energy should be the ones to go. Adalric, Torrin, Aria, Illiana, and myself will face them head on." Torrin opened his mouth in protest but she held up her hand to quiet him. "I will keep an eye on Aria. Besides, the girl is capable of holding her own." She pointed towards the a tall tower with an antenna extending up into the sky. It wasn't the tallest building in the skyline nor the most modern-looking but it was the one she pointed at nonetheless. "When that magical message was up I could sense power coming from the direction of that building. It's likely they're using that building's antenna to amplify the inhibitor field...and knowing villians like that, they're going to want to make a public display of dominance against the heroes of this world." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "But there's no way the magitek generator could be inside that building. It would still be too exposed. It must be underneath it." "Just jumping in here, but they're the Unforgivables. We're obviously Team Incredible because we're going to save Mr. Incredible. That is the plan, isn't it?" Frozone spoke up. "Of course, but we're going to need someone with knowledge of the underground system to get the others underneath that building. The...er...Unforgivables have a device that is weakening our party. We stand a much better chance fighting them with it disabled." "If it's that important then Frozone can help you there." Elastigirl stated with a small smile. "You and Mr. Incredible fought some sort of underground-themed villain last year didn't you? You should know your way around." "What? No way! Incredible's my friend and I should be there fighting those C-Tier bad guys!" Elastigirl, walking over towards the other hero, placed her hand Frozone's shoulder and whispered something into his ear stretching up, literally, to reach him. Frozone nodded and folded his arms, relenting to whatever she had told him. "Alright. I'll do it. But you better come back with Mr. Incredible in one piece." "I'll be joining you guys then. I--we need to get Mr. Incredible back before they use him to hurt anyone." She stepped forward, her determination clear in her voice. Torrin patted Boreas's shoulder, glad his friend had played along by wearing the costume. "Nice cape. Mine's better though." He was weary of heading straight into a trap or what was likely going to turn out to be an all out brawl in the streets...or atop a skyscraper, but with Thallasa's plan he was feeling more confident about the situation. The fact that she was able to sense magic at this great a distance made him wonder if it was just a skill she had or if he still needed more training in that regard. He hadn't heard of a master being able to do something like that but it hardly seemed like a topic that would come up. Ignoring Qamar's obvious ploy to get him to speak up on his own lack of rest he cracked his knuckles feeling more determined now to push on. "So the six of us charge forward to that building and everyone else heads underground to disable the magitek? Seems simple enough. Give no quarter." Perhaps it was the costume making him more confident, or the late night chat, or the fact that regaining his magic was within grasp but whatever it was he was feeling ready for a fight.
Master Thallasa folded her arms and looked at the costumed group, minus Glyde, and smiled. The sight of them was quite amusing but they really did fit in with the whole "superhero" aesthetic that this world appeared to have. "Glyde has a point. Everyone can't just waltz right into a trap. Those of us left with the most energy should be the ones to go. Adalric, Torrin, Aria, Illiana, and myself will face them head on." Torrin opened his mouth in protest but she held up her hand to quiet him. "I will keep an eye on Aria. Besides, the girl is capable of holding her own." She pointed towards the a tall tower with an antenna extending up into the sky. It wasn't the tallest building in the skyline nor the most modern-looking but it was the one she pointed at nonetheless. "When that magical message was up I could sense power coming from the direction of that building. It's likely they're using that building's antenna to amplify the inhibitor field...and knowing villians like that, they're going to want to make a public display of dominance against the heroes of this world." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "But there's no way the magitek generator could be inside that building. It would still be too exposed. It must be underneath it." "Just jumping in here, but they're the Unforgivables. We're obviously Team Incredible because we're going to save Mr. Incredible. That is the plan, isn't it?" Frozone spoke up. "Of course, but we're going to need someone with knowledge of the underground system to get the others underneath that building. The...er...Unforgivables have a device that is weakening our party. We stand a much better chance fighting them with it disabled." "If it's that important then Frozone can help you there." Elastigirl stated with a small smile. "You and Mr. Incredible fought some sort of underground-themed villain last year didn't you? You should know your way around." "What? No way! Incredible's my friend and I should be there fighting those C-Tier bad guys!" Elastigirl, walking over towards the other hero, placed her hand Frozone's shoulder and whispered something into his ear stretching up, literally, to reach him. Frozone nodded and folded his arms, relenting to whatever she had told him. "Alright. I'll do it. But you better come back with Mr. Incredible in one piece." "I'll be joining you guys then. I--we need to get Mr. Incredible back before they use him to hurt anyone." She stepped forward, her determination clear in her voice.
Torrin patted Boreas's shoulder, glad his friend had played along by wearing the costume. "Nice cape. Mine's better though." He was weary of heading straight into a trap or what was likely going to turn out to be an all out brawl in the streets...or atop a skyscraper, but with Thallasa's plan he was feeling more confident about the situation. The fact that she was able to sense magic at this great a distance made him wonder if it was just a skill she had or if he still needed more training in that regard. He hadn't heard of a master being able to do something like that but it hardly seemed like a topic that would come up. Ignoring Qamar's obvious ploy to get him to speak up on his own lack of rest he cracked his knuckles feeling more determined now to push on. "So the six of us charge forward to that building and everyone else heads underground to disable the magitek? Seems simple enough. Give no quarter." Perhaps it was the costume making him more confident, or the late night chat, or the fact that regaining his magic was within grasp but whatever it was he was feeling ready for a fight.
Arctus saw no way to insert himself into the conversation between Karina and Luna without callously wrecking some sort of emotional moment and...even he wasn't that Heartless. Get it? No? Arctus shrugged. He used the power of filler to extend this paragraph into something less short. Arctus brandished his blade and swung it upwards, cleaving through the ground and sending debris propelled by gravity magic towards Heartless and obliterated several on impact. "More down. Many more to go." He muttered under his breath before resorting to what was quickly becoming one of his favorite maneuvers and launching his own sword to pierce through several more Heartless and several more on the return trip. He glanced at Karina who, by now seemed to have finished her conversation just as she glanced away from him and went into a battle rage. Impressed, he followed after the young woman. Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Heartless Remaining: 55 Neoshadows 72 Darkballs
Arctus saw no way to insert himself into the conversation between Karina and Luna without callously wrecking some sort of emotional moment and...even he wasn't that Heartless. Get it? No? Arctus shrugged. He used the power of filler to extend this paragraph into something less short. Arctus brandished his blade and swung it upwards, cleaving through the ground and sending debris propelled by gravity magic towards Heartless and obliterated several on impact. "More down. Many more to go." He muttered under his breath before resorting to what was quickly becoming one of his favorite maneuvers and launching his own sword to pierce through several more Heartless and several more on the return trip. He glanced at Karina who, by now seemed to have finished her conversation just as she glanced away from him and went into a battle rage. Impressed, he followed after the young woman. Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Heartless Remaining: 55 Neoshadows 72 Darkballs
Arctus, realizing he might have stepped on a nerve, backed down. "Okay okay. Just don't leave me with a bunch of strangers. I was never taught not to accept candy from them--hey wait a minute. Why would you want to give up something as great as a keyblade? If I had one I wouldn't trade it for a chain. No offense, you make it look great and all...but a keyblade? I'd throw my sword in the dump for one." Arctus performed a sick backflip. Heartless died in response. "There's clearly a lot more going on here than I thought. When this is over just point me in the direction of things that need to be downed. There's only so much backstory and grudges I can absorb at a time." He stated, scratching the back of his head. Keyblades, Nequabots, people messing about with darkness, and...what else? Was Karina going to tell him that her "friend" Luna was a Princess of Heart? He was just glad that, for now, all they had to worry about were a few (hundred) Heartless. That was something he was more than comfortable focusing on. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 7 Neoshadows Heartless Remaining: 605 Neoshadows 642 Darkballs
Arctus, realizing he might have stepped on a nerve, backed down. "Okay okay. Just don't leave me with a bunch of strangers. I was never taught not to accept candy from them--hey wait a minute. Why would you want to give up something as great as a keyblade? If I had one I wouldn't trade it for a chain. No offense, you make it look great and all...but a keyblade? I'd throw my sword in the dump for one." Arctus performed a sick backflip. Heartless died in response. "There's clearly a lot more going on here than I thought. When this is over just point me in the direction of things that need to be downed. There's only so much backstory and grudges I can absorb at a time." He stated, scratching the back of his head. Keyblades, Nequabots, people messing about with darkness, and...what else? Was Karina going to tell him that her "friend" Luna was a Princess of Heart? He was just glad that, for now, all they had to worry about were a few (hundred) Heartless. That was something he was more than comfortable focusing on. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 7 Neoshadows Heartless Remaining: 605 Neoshadows 642 Darkballs
Arctus raised an eyebrow at Karina's words. Someone else who had attacked her but didn't hate her? That was interesting. "Well you are pretty attackable." He laughed. "Nice to meet you, Luna. I'd tip my hat but I don't have one. So just pretend I did anyway." He spoke, spinning his blade overhead causing the sword to whistle in the air then he stabbed it into the ground causing comets to rain down on Heartless. Satisfied that he had done enough with that he realized he wasn't sure what was going to happen once the battle was over. "So I'm still not sure what's going on here..." He muttered under his breath before deciding to answer Luna's question for Karina. "Karina's done a lot! Mostly just befriend me. We're inseparable. Some girl ran by and thought we were an item. I'm not too opposed to the idea but the missus here is worried about looking cool. So, uh, keep it quiet!" Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Heartless Remaining: 636 Neoshadows 644 Darkballs
Arctus raised an eyebrow at Karina's words. Someone else who had attacked her but didn't hate her? That was interesting. "Well you are pretty attackable." He laughed. "Nice to meet you, Luna. I'd tip my hat but I don't have one. So just pretend I did anyway." He spoke, spinning his blade overhead causing the sword to whistle in the air then he stabbed it into the ground causing comets to rain down on Heartless. Satisfied that he had done enough with that he realized he wasn't sure what was going to happen once the battle was over. "So I'm still not sure what's going on here..." He muttered under his breath before deciding to answer Luna's question for Karina. "Karina's done a lot! Mostly just befriend me. We're inseparable. Some girl ran by and thought we were an item. I'm not too opposed to the idea but the missus here is worried about looking cool. So, uh, keep it quiet!" Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Heartless Remaining: 636 Neoshadows 644 Darkballs
Arctus hadn't noticed someone else drop in on the two in the excitement of battle. Putting a stop to the whole conversation he and Karina were having, he looked down at the girl then back at Karina. "Friend of yours then? Or enemy?" Arctus asked curiously, not sure whether to be annoyed by the interruptions or amused, before going back into battle. "Have at thee!" He shouted at the Neoshadows he lunged at, smacking a Darkball in the process of rushing forward. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 676 Neoshadows 658 Darkballs
Arctus hadn't noticed someone else drop in on the two in the excitement of battle. Putting a stop to the whole conversation he and Karina were having, he looked down at the girl then back at Karina. "Friend of yours then? Or enemy?" Arctus asked curiously, not sure whether to be annoyed by the interruptions or amused, before going back into battle. "Have at thee!" He shouted at the Neoshadows he lunged at, smacking a Darkball in the process of rushing forward. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 676 Neoshadows 658 Darkballs
Arctus, intending to try showing off in front of Karina and move along the ten thousand Heartless battle took action by rushing in and swinging his sword in a wide arc to cut down several Neoshadows and Darkballs. "Get some!" He shouted before following up with a downward swing and then a stab with made his sword rocket out from his grasp and strike down several more Heartless before it came back and returned to his hand, Arctus spinning the blade in reverse and dispatching of one more Heartless to keep the sword's momentum going when he caught it. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 7 Darkballs 2 Neoshadows Heartless Injured: Darkball: 1/9 Heartless Remaining: 712 Neoshadows 693 Darkballs
Arctus, intending to try showing off in front of Karina and move along the ten thousand Heartless battle took action by rushing in and swinging his sword in a wide arc to cut down several Neoshadows and Darkballs. "Get some!" He shouted before following up with a downward swing and then a stab with made his sword rocket out from his grasp and strike down several more Heartless before it came back and returned to his hand, Arctus spinning the blade in reverse and dispatching of one more Heartless to keep the sword's momentum going when he caught it. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 7 Darkballs 2 Neoshadows Heartless Injured: Darkball: 1/9 Heartless Remaining: 712 Neoshadows 693 Darkballs
"I'll attack you from behind all I want!" Arctus joked, taking his sword and using it like a golf club to swat a wounded Neoshadow up towards a damaged Darkball, destroying both in a single glorious collision of Heartless. He was unstoppable. Spinning his blade in hand as he continued to follow after Karina while taking out Heartless as he went along. He didn't mind being the one to follow the fiery girl's path of destruction since their interactions were more fun than the battle itself. After using his gravity magic to crush another Darkball he laughed when Karina brought up having an image to maintain. "Really now, I thought someone like you wouldn't care what other people thought of you. And besides, I know better than to try jumping on you in the middle of a fight. Unless we're the ones fighting." He teased, taking another swing at another Darkball that crossed his path. "I'll never shut up now that you offered, though. Also, is it hot in here or is it just your face? Little Miss Red Cheeks." Arctus began to chuckle at his own joke but was forced to stop upon having to duck and weave out of the way of Heartless leaping his way. He struck down even more Darkballs in retaliation. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 10 Darkballs 1 Neoshadow Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 714 Neoshadows 728 Darkballs
"I'll attack you from behind all I want!" Arctus joked, taking his sword and using it like a golf club to swat a wounded Neoshadow up towards a damaged Darkball, destroying both in a single glorious collision of Heartless. He was unstoppable. Spinning his blade in hand as he continued to follow after Karina while taking out Heartless as he went along. He didn't mind being the one to follow the fiery girl's path of destruction since their interactions were more fun than the battle itself. After using his gravity magic to crush another Darkball he laughed when Karina brought up having an image to maintain. "Really now, I thought someone like you wouldn't care what other people thought of you. And besides, I know better than to try jumping on you in the middle of a fight. Unless we're the ones fighting." He teased, taking another swing at another Darkball that crossed his path. "I'll never shut up now that you offered, though. Also, is it hot in here or is it just your face? Little Miss Red Cheeks." Arctus began to chuckle at his own joke but was forced to stop upon having to duck and weave out of the way of Heartless leaping his way. He struck down even more Darkballs in retaliation. Arctus Heartless Defeated: 10 Darkballs 1 Neoshadow Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 714 Neoshadows 728 Darkballs
Torrin wasn't sure what to think about his costume considering the pants looked a little...tight fitting. On one hand he really enjoyed the design of it and on the other he had to wear it in front of other people who already knew him. Still, the thought of going around in a mask and saving people excited him. Anonymity was something he craved growing up but he already knew that he would not be able to really enjoy it here. Once the device was disabled, Mr. Incredible saved, and the villains brought to justice, they would have to find their exit. Thinking about it now reminded him that there was quite a few things on their to-do list before they had to leave. Perhaps he'd get a chance to enjoy playing hero. And that didn't sound too bad at all. Torrin left, costume in hand, to get a change of outfit. "Of course! Go change, darlings!" Edna pushed both Qamar and Tinarah out the room so that the two would leave to change. As the others started to return, one by one, in costume she smiled brightly at the new heroes. "Excellent! Now you can truly be called superheroes!" She paced back and forth, carefully examining how the costumes fitted to their bodies and, as Torrin returned, looked at him without even glaring. "Yes you all truly are wearing the latest and greatest in Mode fasion." She smugly noted. "I'm happy you like it, dears." She grinned at both Illiana and Aria. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starting to feel pretty heroic right about now." Torrin spoke up. "...And a little exposed..." "You guys are going to want to see this!" Frozone's voice called out from outside the mansion. Above the city magical words shone brightly in giant red flaming letters. Are you ready to play a game? It's time to maim! The Unforgivables versus Team Incredible! Most of the words began to vanish until only the words "Game Time" remained.
Torrin wasn't sure what to think about his costume considering the pants looked a little...tight fitting. On one hand he really enjoyed the design of it and on the other he had to wear it in front of other people who already knew him. Still, the thought of going around in a mask and saving people excited him. Anonymity was something he craved growing up but he already knew that he would not be able to really enjoy it here. Once the device was disabled, Mr. Incredible saved, and the villains brought to justice, they would have to find their exit. Thinking about it now reminded him that there was quite a few things on their to-do list before they had to leave. Perhaps he'd get a chance to enjoy playing hero. And that didn't sound too bad at all. Torrin left, costume in hand, to get a change of outfit. "Of course! Go change, darlings!" Edna pushed both Qamar and Tinarah out the room so that the two would leave to change. As the others started to return, one by one, in costume she smiled brightly at the new heroes. "Excellent! Now you can truly be called superheroes!" She paced back and forth, carefully examining how the costumes fitted to their bodies and, as Torrin returned, looked at him without even glaring. "Yes you all truly are wearing the latest and greatest in Mode fasion." She smugly noted. "I'm happy you like it, dears." She grinned at both Illiana and Aria. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starting to feel pretty heroic right about now." Torrin spoke up. "...And a little exposed..." "You guys are going to want to see this!" Frozone's voice called out from outside the mansion. Above the city magical words shone brightly in giant red flaming letters. Are you ready to play a game? It's time to maim! The Unforgivables versus Team Incredible! Most of the words began to vanish until only the words "Game Time" remained.
Arctus froze for a moment when Karina asked what he meant with his choice of words. He laughed it off and shook his head trying to play it cool. "It's a cultural thing. Maybe I'll explain it to you some time." He ducked underneath a Darkball that sped by, holding his sword up to catch the Heartless which sliced it in half with its own momentum. Despite all their numbers avoiding the Heartless attacks seemed pretty easy. It was almost as if there was no HP mechanic in fights like these. Despite not dealing as much damage to the enemy numbers as the keybladers Arctus still felt quite invincible in the moment. "Hey! I didn't stab you. I only kicked you. And if you recall correctly, I wasn't myself at the moment. But-" He winced when she punched his shoulder, showing her strength, and rubbed it with his free hand upon feeling the stinging sensation on his arm. "Hah. Maybe they won't be dreams for long." He readied his sword once more and threw it at the nearest Neoshadow and, using the same trick as he did against the Nequabots, relied on the power of gravity to propel his sword forward to slice through several more Heartless before it finally returned to his hand. "Gotta say! This is a lot more fun than fighting robots!" Arctus exclaimed excitedly. Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 779 Neoshadows 743 Darkballs
Arctus froze for a moment when Karina asked what he meant with his choice of words. He laughed it off and shook his head trying to play it cool. "It's a cultural thing. Maybe I'll explain it to you some time." He ducked underneath a Darkball that sped by, holding his sword up to catch the Heartless which sliced it in half with its own momentum. Despite all their numbers avoiding the Heartless attacks seemed pretty easy. It was almost as if there was no HP mechanic in fights like these. Despite not dealing as much damage to the enemy numbers as the keybladers Arctus still felt quite invincible in the moment. "Hey! I didn't stab you. I only kicked you. And if you recall correctly, I wasn't myself at the moment. But-" He winced when she punched his shoulder, showing her strength, and rubbed it with his free hand upon feeling the stinging sensation on his arm. "Hah. Maybe they won't be dreams for long." He readied his sword once more and threw it at the nearest Neoshadow and, using the same trick as he did against the Nequabots, relied on the power of gravity to propel his sword forward to slice through several more Heartless before it finally returned to his hand. "Gotta say! This is a lot more fun than fighting robots!" Arctus exclaimed excitedly. Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 779 Neoshadows 743 Darkballs
"Huh...well I guess that explains...something." Arctus looked over at the girl who had wedged her way between him and his prey, Karina, and stepped forward. "Ananta right? Name's Arctus. Trying to have a nice chat with my--uh....with Karina. So if you wouldn't mind..." Arctus swung his blade over the girl's head, catching a Darkball as it zoomed overhead destroying it. Through the course of cutting down Neoshadows that crossed his path he kept pace with Karina to keep her back covered. He hadn't been particularly interested in the rest of his comrades in the Black Coats but Little Miss Hothead? She was intriguing. Feisty. Though he was sure someone like her had been called that at least a dozen times. "Honestly you're not so bad! Being a little rough around the edges adds character." He smirked, swinging the blade around to catch two more Neoshadows and clip a Darkball with the tip in the swift cut. There were so many Heartless he could only wonder how they had been summoned here. It didn't matter but he was still curious. "Fight fight fight, kiss kiss." Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 869 Neoshadows 883 Darkballs
"Huh...well I guess that explains...something." Arctus looked over at the girl who had wedged her way between him and his prey, Karina, and stepped forward. "Ananta right? Name's Arctus. Trying to have a nice chat with my--uh....with Karina. So if you wouldn't mind..." Arctus swung his blade over the girl's head, catching a Darkball as it zoomed overhead destroying it. Through the course of cutting down Neoshadows that crossed his path he kept pace with Karina to keep her back covered. He hadn't been particularly interested in the rest of his comrades in the Black Coats but Little Miss Hothead? She was intriguing. Feisty. Though he was sure someone like her had been called that at least a dozen times. "Honestly you're not so bad! Being a little rough around the edges adds character." He smirked, swinging the blade around to catch two more Neoshadows and clip a Darkball with the tip in the swift cut. There were so many Heartless he could only wonder how they had been summoned here. It didn't matter but he was still curious. "Fight fight fight, kiss kiss." Arctus Heartless Defeated: 6 Neoshadows 1 Darkball Heartless Injured: Darkball 8/9 Enemies Remaining: 869 Neoshadows 883 Darkballs
"Guess it's hard to turn off the whole soldier mode, huh? I know how it feels. It's tiring looking over your shoulder every second. I don't think I'll ever stop to be honest." Torrin shrugged and walked after Edna alongside Boreas pausing only to watch as the woman stopped in front of a well-secured door with almost a dozen electronic devices requiring passwords and identification. Only after she had unlocked everything did the door finally open revealing a long hall with a massive display case behind which there were a multitude of costumes. Torrin's eyes widened slightly, impressed at the craftsmanship(craftswomanship?) of the costumes on display and a little taken aback at the bright colors some of them possessed. He could only wonder how Edna managed to get their measurements as the sizes of the costumes seemed to line up with those of the group. "BEHOLD!"
"Guess it's hard to turn off the whole soldier mode, huh? I know how it feels. It's tiring looking over your shoulder every second. I don't think I'll ever stop to be honest." Torrin shrugged and walked after Edna alongside Boreas pausing only to watch as the woman stopped in front of a well-secured door with almost a dozen electronic devices requiring passwords and identification. Only after she had unlocked everything did the door finally open revealing a long hall with a massive display case behind which there were a multitude of costumes. Torrin's eyes widened slightly, impressed at the craftsmanship(craftswomanship?) of the costumes on display and a little taken aback at the bright colors some of them possessed. He could only wonder how Edna managed to get their measurements as the sizes of the costumes seemed to line up with those of the group. "BEHOLD!"
Frozone looked at the group, still looking unconvinced but he sighed and relented with a nod. "Well that's that then. I hope you all really can handle yourselves in a fight because it's looking like a direct confrontation is the only way to get Mr. Incredible back." "Thank you. All of you. Frozone means well but he's just used to working alone or with Mr. Incredible." She explained, glancing over at the other hero. "I'm Elastigirl." The young woman waved at the group. "We need to break Mezmerella's spell on Mr. Incredible when we find him. I bet those goggles she has are what's focusing her power." Elastigirl tugged on Frozone's arm to lead him down the hall to continue talking strategy with him while Edna left down another hall, disappearing around a corner. Thallasa entered the room, having left her bedroom just as Glyde began to speak his mind. "Well, it's unlikely that whoever knew of our location was one of us considering the device was already set by the time we got here." She responded. "Unless we're going to start pointing fingers at one of us that's here now we're just not going to get anywhere trying to figure out how they knew we were coming. But I understand your concern. It bothers me as well. There's just nothing we can do right now but push on." Torrin arrived last, yawning as he stepped over towards Boreas. "Hopefully today's more productive than yesterday." He said to no one in particular. "Hope you caught more sleep than I did." Torrin looked over at Boreas and crossed his arms. Edna stepped back in the room and motioned for the group to come over towards her and follow her. "Come come!" If they looked close they would have been able to see bags under her eyes caused from a lack of sleep. "I spent all night working on new suits for all of you, even you," she glared at Torrin, "so that when you all go out people will look to the skies and say, those heroes are wearing Mode!" "Is...that what we really want them to say?" "Bah! Of course not, darling. I have a sense of humor too. Now come! Witness the glory that is your new super suits!" Without another word Edna Mode rushed back down the hallway she had vanished into earlier. "Hey Chrys. Ready for some action? Master says they've got us outnumbered ten to three but that they've been fighting some group of villains. So we just gotta wait around for them to tire out and wham!" Dentro smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Aria's there too so we're going to have to bring her back." Koa added. "Definitely not going to be awkward." "Isn't your sister there too? Illi-llama? Illuminia? Iliad? Chrys? No wait we have a Chrys." Koa sighed. "Illiana." He corrected. "And yes...but if it comes down to it I'll just put on my keyblade armor." "But what about the awkward family reunion? You're sucking my fun out of this." Dentro frowned but Koa ignored him. "That's enough. You won't be arriving directly to the city the other keyblade wielders are in so you will have to travel. There is a device preventing me from creating a stable portal." "Really? But-" "Opening a portal directly from the Realm of Sleep into a Waking World, through the thickening darkness that exists in between, and in the vicinity of a powerful magic inhibiting field is no simple task. Even for me." The Light Chaser did not sound amused about being questioned of his ability. "O-of course, master. Forgive me." Dentro lowered his head. "Now, it is time for you to leave." A column of light opened before the trio. "The field will weaken you as well so until the device is destroyed, choose your battles carefully." On the other end of the portal was a quiet suburb and, in the distance miles away, towers spread throughout the horizon marking the downtown area.
Frozone looked at the group, still looking unconvinced but he sighed and relented with a nod. "Well that's that then. I hope you all really can handle yourselves in a fight because it's looking like a direct confrontation is the only way to get Mr. Incredible back." "Thank you. All of you. Frozone means well but he's just used to working alone or with Mr. Incredible." She explained, glancing over at the other hero. "I'm Elastigirl." The young woman waved at the group. "We need to break Mezmerella's spell on Mr. Incredible when we find him. I bet those goggles she has are what's focusing her power." Elastigirl tugged on Frozone's arm to lead him down the hall to continue talking strategy with him while Edna left down another hall, disappearing around a corner.
Thallasa entered the room, having left her bedroom just as Glyde began to speak his mind. "Well, it's unlikely that whoever knew of our location was one of us considering the device was already set by the time we got here." She responded. "Unless we're going to start pointing fingers at one of us that's here now we're just not going to get anywhere trying to figure out how they knew we were coming. But I understand your concern. It bothers me as well. There's just nothing we can do right now but push on."
Torrin arrived last, yawning as he stepped over towards Boreas. "Hopefully today's more productive than yesterday." He said to no one in particular. "Hope you caught more sleep than I did." Torrin looked over at Boreas and crossed his arms. Edna stepped back in the room and motioned for the group to come over towards her and follow her. "Come come!" If they looked close they would have been able to see bags under her eyes caused from a lack of sleep. "I spent all night working on new suits for all of you, even you," she glared at Torrin, "so that when you all go out people will look to the skies and say, those heroes are wearing Mode!" "Is...that what we really want them to say?" "Bah! Of course not, darling. I have a sense of humor too. Now come! Witness the glory that is your new super suits!" Without another word Edna Mode rushed back down the hallway she had vanished into earlier.
"Hey Chrys. Ready for some action? Master says they've got us outnumbered ten to three but that they've been fighting some group of villains. So we just gotta wait around for them to tire out and wham!" Dentro smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Aria's there too so we're going to have to bring her back." Koa added. "Definitely not going to be awkward." "Isn't your sister there too? Illi-llama? Illuminia? Iliad? Chrys? No wait we have a Chrys." Koa sighed. "Illiana." He corrected. "And yes...but if it comes down to it I'll just put on my keyblade armor." "But what about the awkward family reunion? You're sucking my fun out of this." Dentro frowned but Koa ignored him. "That's enough. You won't be arriving directly to the city the other keyblade wielders are in so you will have to travel. There is a device preventing me from creating a stable portal." "Really? But-" "Opening a portal directly from the Realm of Sleep into a Waking World, through the thickening darkness that exists in between, and in the vicinity of a powerful magic inhibiting field is no simple task. Even for me." The Light Chaser did not sound amused about being questioned of his ability. "O-of course, master. Forgive me." Dentro lowered his head. "Now, it is time for you to leave." A column of light opened before the trio. "The field will weaken you as well so until the device is destroyed, choose your battles carefully." On the other end of the portal was a quiet suburb and, in the distance miles away, towers spread throughout the horizon marking the downtown area.
Arctus looked around the battlefield at the army of Heartless and was almost thankful to be done fighting robotic copies of some person he didn't know. It seemed that the others fighting were engrossed in their own affairs and were possibly in a show of oneupsmanship. Perhaps that wasn't a word. But he didn't care. Though, one thing he did notice was that Karina seemed to be...offended? Of course, she seemed to always be offended but this appeared to be a different kind. As he readied his sword he found the scenario to be amusing especially given the fact that he did not have to worry about word count during the battle. "Why so bothered about being shown up?" Arctus called out towards Karina as he rushed forward, cutting down both a wounded Darkball and a Neoshadow in a single swing. "Just how many people do you even know? And how many people have you gotten on the wrong side of?" It seemed like everyone who knew Karina wanted her dead. She was a hothead sure but did she have to make enemies with everything that breathed? ...Yes. That was probably the case. Looking up at an Invisible gliding overhead Arctus extended his hand as a black and purple wave of energy shot forth from his hand, striking the Heartless and suddenly caused it to drop to the ground at an incredible speed crashing into and obliterating a Darkball upon its own destruction. Heartless Defeated: 1 Invisible 1 Neoshadow 2 Darkballs Heartless Remaining: Defeat 966 Neoshadows Defeat 964 Darkballs Defeat 26 Invisibles
Arctus looked around the battlefield at the army of Heartless and was almost thankful to be done fighting robotic copies of some person he didn't know. It seemed that the others fighting were engrossed in their own affairs and were possibly in a show of oneupsmanship. Perhaps that wasn't a word. But he didn't care. Though, one thing he did notice was that Karina seemed to be...offended? Of course, she seemed to always be offended but this appeared to be a different kind. As he readied his sword he found the scenario to be amusing especially given the fact that he did not have to worry about word count during the battle. "Why so bothered about being shown up?" Arctus called out towards Karina as he rushed forward, cutting down both a wounded Darkball and a Neoshadow in a single swing. "Just how many people do you even know? And how many people have you gotten on the wrong side of?" It seemed like everyone who knew Karina wanted her dead. She was a hothead sure but did she have to make enemies with everything that breathed? ...Yes. That was probably the case. Looking up at an Invisible gliding overhead Arctus extended his hand as a black and purple wave of energy shot forth from his hand, striking the Heartless and suddenly caused it to drop to the ground at an incredible speed crashing into and obliterating a Darkball upon its own destruction. Heartless Defeated: 1 Invisible 1 Neoshadow 2 Darkballs Heartless Remaining: Defeat 966 Neoshadows Defeat 964 Darkballs Defeat 26 Invisibles
Spoiler Torrin trailed behind Aria and scratched the back of his head while searching for the right words to start the conversation. He inhaled slowly looking up at the sky, his eyes glowing yellow. When nothing particularly profound came to mind he decided to start speaking with whatever came to mind. “I’m sorry about all that mess back there. I know this day hasn’t been easy on anyone.” Aria sighed out softly, sitting down on the grass under a tree. “Yeah… everyone is on edge and very tired… And grumpy.” She glanced up at Torrin with that last phrase and smirked slightly to show that she was jesting. It faded though as she looked back over to where the horizon would have been and rested her arm on her knees. “I should have stayed quiet about the nightmare… I knew better than to talk about it, but I felt like I shouldn’t have kept everyone in the dark about it. Now there’s all sorts of people worried about me and…” She huffed out and closed her eyes a moment. “I’m flattered a bit, but it feels like no one can really trust me to take care of myself, you know?” Placing a hand on the bark of the tree Torrin leaned against it and kept his eyes to the sky, nodding slightly to Aria’s words. “Hmph.” He huffed out in amusement at her grumpy comment. That was definitely a word that could describe him. “Sometimes it’s not about trust, it’s about ability. You’re not capable of defending yourself from the Chasers. It’s nothing against you...but I guess I’m one to talk. I’ve been fighting them for a year and it’s just been a losing battle.” He chuckled. “Still, I get it. You didn’t ask for anyone to make a fuss about you. You didn’t ask to be a Princess of Heart. I understand feeling the weight of something bigger than yourself that you never had a choice in.” He looked down at Aria. “Point is, even if you didn’t tell them about it they’d find some reason to fret about you. Nothing you can do but get stronger and prove you can handle yourself.” Torrin was right, but it still didn’t make it feel any easier. Aria hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees. “I feel like… I’m just a hassle sometimes to be honest. Like I’m not really useful, or I just get in the way.” She fell silent for a moment as unpleasant memories swirled around in her mind and she opened her eyes to force herself to stay grounded in the present. “I know I have to prove myself and keep going. But no matter how much I do… It doesn’t seem to cut it sometimes. But I guess that’s the process of growing; it never really stops.” “You are a hassle.” Torrin chuckled. “But that’s fine. Nothing good in life is easy.” He sighed as his mind went back to the reason he really wanted to talk to her. “We can make small talk or...big talk? Either one...uh we can do that but the reason I wanted to talk to you was to give you a few options on your nightmare problem.” Torrin picked off a piece of bark from the tree and looked it over, tossing it down the hill. “If you’re not okay with hearing it right now, we don’t need to go into that.” He added. “Well I was planning to stay up anyways,” Aria softly stated. She flopped back on the grass with her arms sprawled above her head and looked up at Torrin from where she was. “What are my options then?” she asked, getting right to it. “Obviously I can’t stay awake forever…” “Actually, with some training you can stay up a lot longer than someone else can. Think about it, people sleep to get their strength back. Under normal circumstances keyblade wielders have magical energy recharging within them all the time. With some training you can turn that energy into something to make sleep irrelevant. Though…” He paused, his glowing eyes now fixed on Aria. “I don’t think that’ll work right now as long as the magitek device is still active. Unless you’ve got enough magic in you to do it. Doesn’t take much. Not nearly as much as a spell does.” He scratched the back of his head. “Then there’s the idea Gero wasn’t too happy with. If what’s hurting you is a Heartless it would be easy for me to go into your dreams and destroy it.” He mulled over it for a little longer then brought up Aria’s final option, “then there’s my method of meditation...without magic this won’t be as effective but with the right technique you can do that instead of sleeping. It’d allow your body to rest without you having the need to sleep and, therefore, dream. Only problem is, it takes time to learn to do something like that.” Aria frowned and groaned as she put her hand over her eyes. “I don’t have any magic left in me at all,” she grumbled. “I had to yell at everyone earlier to help Glyde out because I didn’t have anything to save him.” She then removed her hand from her face and met Torrin’s interesting glowing eyes. She stared at them a moment, fascinated by how they looked in the dark. “Do your eyes always do that?” She shook her head as she realized it was a stupid question and then placed her hands behind her head. “A-anyways… I don’t want you to try to venture into my dreams. It sounds dangerous, like really dangerous. My light could hurt you, or this thing that’s in my head is more powerful within that… dream realm. I don’t know, we still don’t know enough about it save I’ve been seeing it for the longest time.” “Um…” Torrin looked back to the sky and folded his arms, not sure if he was supposed to be flattered or concerned by the way she looked at him. “Yeah. They do. It’s just a natural thing my people do in the dark.” The explanation he gave was poorly worded but accurate. He cleared his throat. “I’m really good at not dying. If there’s one thing I’m good at it’s that so you don’t need to worry about me.” Was that really a skill to be proud of? It hardly seemed honorable, a concept he had almost completely abandoned when he left his home. “Hm...but if you’re still not comfortable with that then…” He scratched his chin and folded his arms across his chest. “We could just cure you by performing the ritual of Arumon Ayustet. I nominate Qamar as our sacrifice.” Torrin spoke in a serious tone but smirked ever so slightly after he said it. Aria blinked with that last bit and then scrunched her nose as she realized she was lost. “Ar-what Ay-what-a-now?” She then saw his smirk and scoffed. “Torriiiin, noooo. We’re not going to sacrifice anyone.” She let out a half-laugh and sat up from the cool grass, brushing some of the green blades that stuck to her shirt. “I think… as much as I hate to leave this unattended, we have to observe it more before we decide to do anything. So long as I’m not dying from it, I think I’ll be okay in the long-run.” “Well I guess I brought this ritual dagger along for nothing.” Torrin let out a grunt as he took his seat on the grass, hitting it with a thud as he did so. “Here’s hoping you have some normal nightmares in the future then.” Worried as he was, he had no intention of forcing his judgment on Aria unless she was actually dying. “Sooo…” He awkwardly tapped his hands against his lap, at a loss for words. Aria couldn’t help but to giggle when Torrin seemed at a loss for words. She plucked a piece of grass from the ground and twirled it in her fingertips as she thought for a moment. “You know… even though I wasn’t told I was a Princess of Heart, everyone around me seemed to know. I mean, duh, my aunt and uncle were probably already told about me before I came to them… but they kept it under wraps pretty well. I mean, I never really suspected I was anything more special than the child they never had to raise.” She paused a second as she looked over at Torrin before looking back at the grass in her hand. “But… we had these monster things called wrenfel. They were pretty large wolf-like creatures that could seriously hurt someone if they had a chance. They usually stayed away from humans, but they somehow became tainted with darkness. The animals we raised were killed, the crops were destroyed, whole farms were wiped out. My uncle was maimed by a pack of them that ventured on our farm and lost his arm and leg, but Master Gero appeared and saved him from dying.” She crumbled the blade of grass in her hand and forced out a laugh. “I have a point, I promise.” She sighed out and sat with a crisscross, trying to tie the pieces grass into small knots as she talked. “Because is the wrenfel attacking and bringing down farms, everyone kind of panicked. Ours was a big farm and we were able to take in families that lost their own and help them survive. I mean, besides that one time, the wrenfel stayed away from ours for the most part. But because everyone was afraid… the blame started to point to me, because these problems never showed up until I came along. And I started to feel responsible for everything bad that happened. And that’s when I really, really wanted to help and not be useless. The kids from the other families were in charge of circling the property and take down wrenfel that came too close. My aunt and uncle tried to convince me I was fine the way I was and it was just all superstition and talk that I was the bringer of bad luck, but I wanted to prove myself. So, I went out against my uncle’s words of telling me to stay put, found a group of boys that were helping out and…” She trailed off and stopped fiddling with the plantlife in her hands. “I wasn’t welcomed… and they echoed everyone else’s fear towards me. They took my weapons from me, roughed me up, and then shoved me in this empty supply box and… l-locked me inside of it. They pretty much said if I want to help out, then I could by being given back to the creatures I brought there…” Aria stopped talking a moment and teared up. She muttered at herself for being emotional over this since it happened so long ago and furiously began wiping her eyes. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. I couldn’t get out… I could hardly move around inside of it, it was so cramped. I was dragged off the property and rolled down a hill, still trapped inside that t-thing. There was a point where wrenfel came and t-tried to break the box, but they got distracted or something and I was l-left alone for the most part. I thought I was never going to be found. But I was late into the evening when it started to get cold… by a search party, and Grandpa Gero.” Aria sniffed and shook her head as she tried to stop her emotions from overflowing. Her body was shivering from the flashbacks of the experience and her heart ached from the memories of being rejected. “I-I’m sorry. I know you p-probably aren’t comfortable with st-stories like this, but I just wanted you to understand why I’m so determined to prove myself. Why I keep trying to fight and not wanting to worry others so much.” She kept trying to wipe her eyes to stop the tears, scolding herself for breaking down like this. Maybe she was at her breaking point for today and just really tired. But of all the people to cry in front of, she definitely didn’t want to cry in front of Torrin. He seemed uncomfortable with people as it was, and she knew how awkward people could get around someone that was crying, especially if they didn’t know them that well. “I’m sorry,” she half-whispered again, hiccuping and taking in a shaky breath to try to calm herself down. “Don’t be sorry. Thank you for trusting me with this.” He spoke calmly after she uttered her second apology. It was difficult for him to stay silent after such a story when it was so obviously painful for her to get out. He didn’t even understand why she would open up to him in that sort of way but, putting aside the anger he felt towards those who wronged her, he could spot similarities in their own stories. It was too late to change what had been done to her but he could still let her know that she wasn’t alone. “People do stupid and horrible things when they’re afraid. It’s not an excuse but...I don’t know. I’m sorry I don’t have any words of wisdom to make you realize all the pain you’ve been through has been worth it but I can tell you that who you are now is what matters. Maybe you’re a little too sweet for your own good but, from what I’ve seen, you’re one impressive farm girl, Aria.” Torrin plucked a blade of grass from the ground and held it out towards Aria to replace the one she had crushed. “I know what it’s like to have people look at you different because of what you are. Being able to wield the keyblade and being of royal blood. Both are requirements for being the heir to the throne. Coincidentally, out of all my cousins, some of which were direct descendants of the king, that description only fits me. My uncle never held it against me that his own children would never take his place but everyone else did. I knew I didn’t deserve it and so I ran away. I never wanted to be the one to send someone else to their death fighting my battles. Especially not Boreas.” Torrin flicked a pebble he spotted on the ground and shook his head. Years had passed since then but the guilt weighed on him just the same. He paused for a moment to turn his head towards Aria. “Just don’t start calling me Prince Torrin or I’ll start calling you Princess Aria. Please. I don’t care for titles.” He summoned his keyblade out in front of him and laid it across his lap. “Funny how having something like this can cause so much jealousy...well, it’s not funny. I’m just not good at lightening a mood. A broody loner doesn’t really have much in the way of warm hugs and squishy words. ...Sappy words. Soft words?” He shrugged. “Anyway...I get it. I’ve searched for so many ways to prove that I’m worthy of the keyblade that I’m all out of ideas and I’ve racked up more failures than I can count. Getting you away from the Light Chaser though? That was a win. Same goes for the people you helped save from that burning building earlier or having kept your head on straight when you were kidnapped. Those are your wins.” Aria sniffed and stared at the blade of grass that was offered to her. She finally took it, smiling a bit as she wiped away the last of her tears. She began to tie it in knots as she listened closely to Torrin. Maybe it was mentioned earlier, but she didn’t catch that Torrin was royalty until now. And with the way he described his fate of being such, she was starting to see more clearly how rough of a world Torrin was from. She again smiled and giggled when he asked her not to call him Prince Torrin. “As long as you don’t lock me in a box or put me in any enclosed spaces I can’t get out of, or do anything to make me mad or something, I won’t call you that.” She fell quiet again as he spoke, observing his keyblade closely. “I didn’t know I had the ability to have one until last year,” she mumbled. “Or that I was a princess of heart until about six days ago. I just wished it was one of my mentors that told me instead of the bad guy…” She sighed out through her nose and then glanced at Torrin. “I was seriously going to punch you though when you dragged me out of that world.” She broke out into a soft giggle and instead nudged his shoulder with hers. “I mean, he had me thoroughly convinced the world would fall apart as soon as I left before all the darkness was gone… though I didn’t know what he was saying was true, and what was false… I guess that was one of the false there.” “It’s not your fault. The Light Chaser has fooled me before too.” He scratched his cheek and smiled slightly, glad Aria had cheered up. “Hah. You punch me? So much for being a pure light.” Torrin teased. Looking back up at the night sky then took in a long deep breath before leaning back. “We’ve still got plenty of time to kill before morning. If you want, there’s a few tricks I could show you. It’d help keep me awake too.” “What kind of tricks?” Aria asked curiously. She was going to ask if they would hurt, but then she knew that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Or at least she hoped so. “Nothing extreme. Keyblade transformation, a few old fashioned hand-to-hand moves, how to unlock a door without a keyblade, how to start a fire without magic…” Torrin shrugged. “We’ve got the time.” Aria hummed as she thought over her options. ”Well I sort of know about the unlocking door trick. The fire starting stuff without a keyblade I’ve done since I was little. I’m kinda interested in the keyblade transformation and hand-to-hand combat. I got my butt kicked by just one Light Chaser apprentice on a friendly duel match…” “I see…” Torrin clapped his hands together and rubbed them against each other, nodding at Aria. “Then let’s get started.” He looked up from his book, setting down the pen, when he sensed the presence of his students arriving on the world. His eyes shifted towards the window seeing the dimly lit streets of Eventide Town before they returned to the pages of the tome before him. He flipped through the next could of pages, some blank, some already written in with the letters on the pages shifting to form new words and, in time, tell new stories. There was nothing of note there that he did not already know. The Light Chaser picked up his pen once more and returned to the page he had been working on, adding the final details before shutting the black book. He stook up and placed the book in his black cloak before putting it on and pulling the hood up to obscure his face. His students had returned with another Princess of Heart. This one had less fight in her but to be safe he placed young Anastasia in a deep sleep the same as the others lest she hurt herself trying to escape. There was no point in talking any of them into staying. He already knew their answers and even if they tried to play along with his plan they would only try to escape down the road. It was easier for everyone this way. With another princess taken care of he returned to his lodging for the night as usual and returned to his writings until night turned into day. In the morning, just after having been contacted by his seventh student, the Light Chaser left to gather Dentro, Koa, and Chrys. After having brought along both Dentro and Koa he went to the inn Chrys had been staying at. For now Avra, Pagos, and Zeno could have their rest as they had done quite enough. "It's time, Chrys. Meet us in the town center when you are ready." The Light Chaser spoke after giving the door to her room a quick knock. Without another word he, Dentro, and Koa left. Torrin spent the last two hours of the early morning sitting on his bed. Aria had given in to exhaustion and wanted to get some amount of rest after their training last night. Both his body and mind were weary and with what sliver of magic still stored in his body he forced himself to remain awake but knew that he could not keep this up much longer. That magitek device had to go. He couldn't afford to slow down now and become a dead weight. The sun had risen high enough that he felt now would be an appropriate time to leave his room once more but just as he reached for his door he could hear voices outside. One belonging to Edna, one belonging to a hero from yesterday, and another...he couldn't place. "Elastigirl and I have checked every back alley, laid the smack down on every low life thug we could get our hands on, and reached out for our contacts in the super community...and we're sure we know where the villains have their hideout." "What are you waiting for!?" Edna shouted. "Fight! Save the day! Bring back Mr. Incredible!" "Woman are you crazy!? The other supers have their own nemesis to deal with and Elastigirl and I are outnumbered nearly ten to two! More if you count those robohats!" "Are you super or are you a mouse!?" "Didn't you say you were making new outfits for some new heroes that showed up? Why can't we just ask them to help us? That would even the odds!" "Those kids aren't hero material. They didn't even have a place to stay!" "Come on they can't be that bad."
Torrin trailed behind Aria and scratched the back of his head while searching for the right words to start the conversation. He inhaled slowly looking up at the sky, his eyes glowing yellow. When nothing particularly profound came to mind he decided to start speaking with whatever came to mind. “I’m sorry about all that mess back there. I know this day hasn’t been easy on anyone.” Aria sighed out softly, sitting down on the grass under a tree. “Yeah… everyone is on edge and very tired… And grumpy.” She glanced up at Torrin with that last phrase and smirked slightly to show that she was jesting. It faded though as she looked back over to where the horizon would have been and rested her arm on her knees. “I should have stayed quiet about the nightmare… I knew better than to talk about it, but I felt like I shouldn’t have kept everyone in the dark about it. Now there’s all sorts of people worried about me and…” She huffed out and closed her eyes a moment. “I’m flattered a bit, but it feels like no one can really trust me to take care of myself, you know?” Placing a hand on the bark of the tree Torrin leaned against it and kept his eyes to the sky, nodding slightly to Aria’s words. “Hmph.” He huffed out in amusement at her grumpy comment. That was definitely a word that could describe him. “Sometimes it’s not about trust, it’s about ability. You’re not capable of defending yourself from the Chasers. It’s nothing against you...but I guess I’m one to talk. I’ve been fighting them for a year and it’s just been a losing battle.” He chuckled. “Still, I get it. You didn’t ask for anyone to make a fuss about you. You didn’t ask to be a Princess of Heart. I understand feeling the weight of something bigger than yourself that you never had a choice in.” He looked down at Aria. “Point is, even if you didn’t tell them about it they’d find some reason to fret about you. Nothing you can do but get stronger and prove you can handle yourself.” Torrin was right, but it still didn’t make it feel any easier. Aria hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees. “I feel like… I’m just a hassle sometimes to be honest. Like I’m not really useful, or I just get in the way.” She fell silent for a moment as unpleasant memories swirled around in her mind and she opened her eyes to force herself to stay grounded in the present. “I know I have to prove myself and keep going. But no matter how much I do… It doesn’t seem to cut it sometimes. But I guess that’s the process of growing; it never really stops.” “You are a hassle.” Torrin chuckled. “But that’s fine. Nothing good in life is easy.” He sighed as his mind went back to the reason he really wanted to talk to her. “We can make small talk or...big talk? Either one...uh we can do that but the reason I wanted to talk to you was to give you a few options on your nightmare problem.” Torrin picked off a piece of bark from the tree and looked it over, tossing it down the hill. “If you’re not okay with hearing it right now, we don’t need to go into that.” He added. “Well I was planning to stay up anyways,” Aria softly stated. She flopped back on the grass with her arms sprawled above her head and looked up at Torrin from where she was. “What are my options then?” she asked, getting right to it. “Obviously I can’t stay awake forever…” “Actually, with some training you can stay up a lot longer than someone else can. Think about it, people sleep to get their strength back. Under normal circumstances keyblade wielders have magical energy recharging within them all the time. With some training you can turn that energy into something to make sleep irrelevant. Though…” He paused, his glowing eyes now fixed on Aria. “I don’t think that’ll work right now as long as the magitek device is still active. Unless you’ve got enough magic in you to do it. Doesn’t take much. Not nearly as much as a spell does.” He scratched the back of his head. “Then there’s the idea Gero wasn’t too happy with. If what’s hurting you is a Heartless it would be easy for me to go into your dreams and destroy it.” He mulled over it for a little longer then brought up Aria’s final option, “then there’s my method of meditation...without magic this won’t be as effective but with the right technique you can do that instead of sleeping. It’d allow your body to rest without you having the need to sleep and, therefore, dream. Only problem is, it takes time to learn to do something like that.” Aria frowned and groaned as she put her hand over her eyes. “I don’t have any magic left in me at all,” she grumbled. “I had to yell at everyone earlier to help Glyde out because I didn’t have anything to save him.” She then removed her hand from her face and met Torrin’s interesting glowing eyes. She stared at them a moment, fascinated by how they looked in the dark. “Do your eyes always do that?” She shook her head as she realized it was a stupid question and then placed her hands behind her head. “A-anyways… I don’t want you to try to venture into my dreams. It sounds dangerous, like really dangerous. My light could hurt you, or this thing that’s in my head is more powerful within that… dream realm. I don’t know, we still don’t know enough about it save I’ve been seeing it for the longest time.” “Um…” Torrin looked back to the sky and folded his arms, not sure if he was supposed to be flattered or concerned by the way she looked at him. “Yeah. They do. It’s just a natural thing my people do in the dark.” The explanation he gave was poorly worded but accurate. He cleared his throat. “I’m really good at not dying. If there’s one thing I’m good at it’s that so you don’t need to worry about me.” Was that really a skill to be proud of? It hardly seemed honorable, a concept he had almost completely abandoned when he left his home. “Hm...but if you’re still not comfortable with that then…” He scratched his chin and folded his arms across his chest. “We could just cure you by performing the ritual of Arumon Ayustet. I nominate Qamar as our sacrifice.” Torrin spoke in a serious tone but smirked ever so slightly after he said it. Aria blinked with that last bit and then scrunched her nose as she realized she was lost. “Ar-what Ay-what-a-now?” She then saw his smirk and scoffed. “Torriiiin, noooo. We’re not going to sacrifice anyone.” She let out a half-laugh and sat up from the cool grass, brushing some of the green blades that stuck to her shirt. “I think… as much as I hate to leave this unattended, we have to observe it more before we decide to do anything. So long as I’m not dying from it, I think I’ll be okay in the long-run.” “Well I guess I brought this ritual dagger along for nothing.” Torrin let out a grunt as he took his seat on the grass, hitting it with a thud as he did so. “Here’s hoping you have some normal nightmares in the future then.” Worried as he was, he had no intention of forcing his judgment on Aria unless she was actually dying. “Sooo…” He awkwardly tapped his hands against his lap, at a loss for words. Aria couldn’t help but to giggle when Torrin seemed at a loss for words. She plucked a piece of grass from the ground and twirled it in her fingertips as she thought for a moment. “You know… even though I wasn’t told I was a Princess of Heart, everyone around me seemed to know. I mean, duh, my aunt and uncle were probably already told about me before I came to them… but they kept it under wraps pretty well. I mean, I never really suspected I was anything more special than the child they never had to raise.” She paused a second as she looked over at Torrin before looking back at the grass in her hand. “But… we had these monster things called wrenfel. They were pretty large wolf-like creatures that could seriously hurt someone if they had a chance. They usually stayed away from humans, but they somehow became tainted with darkness. The animals we raised were killed, the crops were destroyed, whole farms were wiped out. My uncle was maimed by a pack of them that ventured on our farm and lost his arm and leg, but Master Gero appeared and saved him from dying.” She crumbled the blade of grass in her hand and forced out a laugh. “I have a point, I promise.” She sighed out and sat with a crisscross, trying to tie the pieces grass into small knots as she talked. “Because is the wrenfel attacking and bringing down farms, everyone kind of panicked. Ours was a big farm and we were able to take in families that lost their own and help them survive. I mean, besides that one time, the wrenfel stayed away from ours for the most part. But because everyone was afraid… the blame started to point to me, because these problems never showed up until I came along. And I started to feel responsible for everything bad that happened. And that’s when I really, really wanted to help and not be useless. The kids from the other families were in charge of circling the property and take down wrenfel that came too close. My aunt and uncle tried to convince me I was fine the way I was and it was just all superstition and talk that I was the bringer of bad luck, but I wanted to prove myself. So, I went out against my uncle’s words of telling me to stay put, found a group of boys that were helping out and…” She trailed off and stopped fiddling with the plantlife in her hands. “I wasn’t welcomed… and they echoed everyone else’s fear towards me. They took my weapons from me, roughed me up, and then shoved me in this empty supply box and… l-locked me inside of it. They pretty much said if I want to help out, then I could by being given back to the creatures I brought there…” Aria stopped talking a moment and teared up. She muttered at herself for being emotional over this since it happened so long ago and furiously began wiping her eyes. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. I couldn’t get out… I could hardly move around inside of it, it was so cramped. I was dragged off the property and rolled down a hill, still trapped inside that t-thing. There was a point where wrenfel came and t-tried to break the box, but they got distracted or something and I was l-left alone for the most part. I thought I was never going to be found. But I was late into the evening when it started to get cold… by a search party, and Grandpa Gero.” Aria sniffed and shook her head as she tried to stop her emotions from overflowing. Her body was shivering from the flashbacks of the experience and her heart ached from the memories of being rejected. “I-I’m sorry. I know you p-probably aren’t comfortable with st-stories like this, but I just wanted you to understand why I’m so determined to prove myself. Why I keep trying to fight and not wanting to worry others so much.” She kept trying to wipe her eyes to stop the tears, scolding herself for breaking down like this. Maybe she was at her breaking point for today and just really tired. But of all the people to cry in front of, she definitely didn’t want to cry in front of Torrin. He seemed uncomfortable with people as it was, and she knew how awkward people could get around someone that was crying, especially if they didn’t know them that well. “I’m sorry,” she half-whispered again, hiccuping and taking in a shaky breath to try to calm herself down. “Don’t be sorry. Thank you for trusting me with this.” He spoke calmly after she uttered her second apology. It was difficult for him to stay silent after such a story when it was so obviously painful for her to get out. He didn’t even understand why she would open up to him in that sort of way but, putting aside the anger he felt towards those who wronged her, he could spot similarities in their own stories. It was too late to change what had been done to her but he could still let her know that she wasn’t alone. “People do stupid and horrible things when they’re afraid. It’s not an excuse but...I don’t know. I’m sorry I don’t have any words of wisdom to make you realize all the pain you’ve been through has been worth it but I can tell you that who you are now is what matters. Maybe you’re a little too sweet for your own good but, from what I’ve seen, you’re one impressive farm girl, Aria.” Torrin plucked a blade of grass from the ground and held it out towards Aria to replace the one she had crushed. “I know what it’s like to have people look at you different because of what you are. Being able to wield the keyblade and being of royal blood. Both are requirements for being the heir to the throne. Coincidentally, out of all my cousins, some of which were direct descendants of the king, that description only fits me. My uncle never held it against me that his own children would never take his place but everyone else did. I knew I didn’t deserve it and so I ran away. I never wanted to be the one to send someone else to their death fighting my battles. Especially not Boreas.” Torrin flicked a pebble he spotted on the ground and shook his head. Years had passed since then but the guilt weighed on him just the same. He paused for a moment to turn his head towards Aria. “Just don’t start calling me Prince Torrin or I’ll start calling you Princess Aria. Please. I don’t care for titles.” He summoned his keyblade out in front of him and laid it across his lap. “Funny how having something like this can cause so much jealousy...well, it’s not funny. I’m just not good at lightening a mood. A broody loner doesn’t really have much in the way of warm hugs and squishy words. ...Sappy words. Soft words?” He shrugged. “Anyway...I get it. I’ve searched for so many ways to prove that I’m worthy of the keyblade that I’m all out of ideas and I’ve racked up more failures than I can count. Getting you away from the Light Chaser though? That was a win. Same goes for the people you helped save from that burning building earlier or having kept your head on straight when you were kidnapped. Those are your wins.” Aria sniffed and stared at the blade of grass that was offered to her. She finally took it, smiling a bit as she wiped away the last of her tears. She began to tie it in knots as she listened closely to Torrin. Maybe it was mentioned earlier, but she didn’t catch that Torrin was royalty until now. And with the way he described his fate of being such, she was starting to see more clearly how rough of a world Torrin was from. She again smiled and giggled when he asked her not to call him Prince Torrin. “As long as you don’t lock me in a box or put me in any enclosed spaces I can’t get out of, or do anything to make me mad or something, I won’t call you that.” She fell quiet again as he spoke, observing his keyblade closely. “I didn’t know I had the ability to have one until last year,” she mumbled. “Or that I was a princess of heart until about six days ago. I just wished it was one of my mentors that told me instead of the bad guy…” She sighed out through her nose and then glanced at Torrin. “I was seriously going to punch you though when you dragged me out of that world.” She broke out into a soft giggle and instead nudged his shoulder with hers. “I mean, he had me thoroughly convinced the world would fall apart as soon as I left before all the darkness was gone… though I didn’t know what he was saying was true, and what was false… I guess that was one of the false there.” “It’s not your fault. The Light Chaser has fooled me before too.” He scratched his cheek and smiled slightly, glad Aria had cheered up. “Hah. You punch me? So much for being a pure light.” Torrin teased. Looking back up at the night sky then took in a long deep breath before leaning back. “We’ve still got plenty of time to kill before morning. If you want, there’s a few tricks I could show you. It’d help keep me awake too.” “What kind of tricks?” Aria asked curiously. She was going to ask if they would hurt, but then she knew that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Or at least she hoped so. “Nothing extreme. Keyblade transformation, a few old fashioned hand-to-hand moves, how to unlock a door without a keyblade, how to start a fire without magic…” Torrin shrugged. “We’ve got the time.” Aria hummed as she thought over her options. ”Well I sort of know about the unlocking door trick. The fire starting stuff without a keyblade I’ve done since I was little. I’m kinda interested in the keyblade transformation and hand-to-hand combat. I got my butt kicked by just one Light Chaser apprentice on a friendly duel match…” “I see…” Torrin clapped his hands together and rubbed them against each other, nodding at Aria. “Then let’s get started.”
He looked up from his book, setting down the pen, when he sensed the presence of his students arriving on the world. His eyes shifted towards the window seeing the dimly lit streets of Eventide Town before they returned to the pages of the tome before him. He flipped through the next could of pages, some blank, some already written in with the letters on the pages shifting to form new words and, in time, tell new stories. There was nothing of note there that he did not already know. The Light Chaser picked up his pen once more and returned to the page he had been working on, adding the final details before shutting the black book. He stook up and placed the book in his black cloak before putting it on and pulling the hood up to obscure his face. His students had returned with another Princess of Heart. This one had less fight in her but to be safe he placed young Anastasia in a deep sleep the same as the others lest she hurt herself trying to escape. There was no point in talking any of them into staying. He already knew their answers and even if they tried to play along with his plan they would only try to escape down the road. It was easier for everyone this way. With another princess taken care of he returned to his lodging for the night as usual and returned to his writings until night turned into day. In the morning, just after having been contacted by his seventh student, the Light Chaser left to gather Dentro, Koa, and Chrys. After having brought along both Dentro and Koa he went to the inn Chrys had been staying at. For now Avra, Pagos, and Zeno could have their rest as they had done quite enough. "It's time, Chrys. Meet us in the town center when you are ready." The Light Chaser spoke after giving the door to her room a quick knock. Without another word he, Dentro, and Koa left.
Torrin spent the last two hours of the early morning sitting on his bed. Aria had given in to exhaustion and wanted to get some amount of rest after their training last night. Both his body and mind were weary and with what sliver of magic still stored in his body he forced himself to remain awake but knew that he could not keep this up much longer. That magitek device had to go. He couldn't afford to slow down now and become a dead weight. The sun had risen high enough that he felt now would be an appropriate time to leave his room once more but just as he reached for his door he could hear voices outside. One belonging to Edna, one belonging to a hero from yesterday, and another...he couldn't place. "Elastigirl and I have checked every back alley, laid the smack down on every low life thug we could get our hands on, and reached out for our contacts in the super community...and we're sure we know where the villains have their hideout." "What are you waiting for!?" Edna shouted. "Fight! Save the day! Bring back Mr. Incredible!" "Woman are you crazy!? The other supers have their own nemesis to deal with and Elastigirl and I are outnumbered nearly ten to two! More if you count those robohats!" "Are you super or are you a mouse!?" "Didn't you say you were making new outfits for some new heroes that showed up? Why can't we just ask them to help us? That would even the odds!" "Those kids aren't hero material. They didn't even have a place to stay!" "Come on they can't be that bad."
Torrin folded his arms, his eyes narrowing at Qamar. Fed up, he opened his mouth to call her out on her attitude problem when Illiana spoke, oblivious to how tense the situation was becoming and making light of it like it was entertainment to her. Would it have been better to snap at Illiana? Probably. At least it would be a different face to look at and Illiana seemed the type to leave when she was fed up. Qamar refused to back down when she knew nothing of what she spoke of and-'Butcher them all.' Again the voice echoed in his head. Torrin had half the mind to pick up Qamar and shove her through her door regardless of who was watching but allowed it to just remain a thought. Then Take spoke. At first Torrin nearly snapped at the boy too for daring to stick his head out right now. Thankfully for both of them Take acted as a voice of reason calming him somewhat. "Thanks." Torrin sighed. "Thanks Take..." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "Everything I'm trying to do has it's reasons. I've been doing...this longer than anyone else has and old habits are hard to break but right now I'm just not in the position to explain anything to any of you." By the time Aria had arrived, presumably having heard a good deal of what had just transpired, she wasn't looking too happy. She cared more about stopping the fight than anything but the argument was merely an obstacle to him. He didn't care how it got resolved so long as Qamar stayed out of his way. "You're right. Fighting is a waste of time. Can we just step outside for a minute and have a word alone? This can't wait and," he glanced over at Qamar then back at Aria, "this isn't for anyone else's ears. It...it's just important." He finished.
Torrin folded his arms, his eyes narrowing at Qamar. Fed up, he opened his mouth to call her out on her attitude problem when Illiana spoke, oblivious to how tense the situation was becoming and making light of it like it was entertainment to her. Would it have been better to snap at Illiana? Probably. At least it would be a different face to look at and Illiana seemed the type to leave when she was fed up. Qamar refused to back down when she knew nothing of what she spoke of and-'Butcher them all.' Again the voice echoed in his head. Torrin had half the mind to pick up Qamar and shove her through her door regardless of who was watching but allowed it to just remain a thought. Then Take spoke. At first Torrin nearly snapped at the boy too for daring to stick his head out right now. Thankfully for both of them Take acted as a voice of reason calming him somewhat. "Thanks." Torrin sighed. "Thanks Take..." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "Everything I'm trying to do has it's reasons. I've been doing...this longer than anyone else has and old habits are hard to break but right now I'm just not in the position to explain anything to any of you." By the time Aria had arrived, presumably having heard a good deal of what had just transpired, she wasn't looking too happy. She cared more about stopping the fight than anything but the argument was merely an obstacle to him. He didn't care how it got resolved so long as Qamar stayed out of his way. "You're right. Fighting is a waste of time. Can we just step outside for a minute and have a word alone? This can't wait and," he glanced over at Qamar then back at Aria, "this isn't for anyone else's ears. It...it's just important." He finished.
Torrin sighed when he was addressed by someone else. "You assume too much. Look, if I had the patience and time to explain to you every detail of what's gone on and what's going on in my head, I still wouldn't do it." He rubbed his temple took in a deep breath, trying to tone the sound of annoyance in his voice. "I don't need sleep. I just need a quiet chat with Aria to discuss her options. If you want to spend your night awake alone in your own room, you're free to do so." No, that wasn't quiet right. The tone remained the same regardless of how much he wanted to temper it. "Look, I'm trying to play nice here." He took another deep breath, trying to keep calm. "I just have a particular set of skills you don't. Nothing against you but it's just...too messy to explain." He shook his head. There was just a detail left remaining that irked him more than anything else. "Oh and one more thing..." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell me what to do. Unlike you, I have no master."
Torrin sighed when he was addressed by someone else. "You assume too much. Look, if I had the patience and time to explain to you every detail of what's gone on and what's going on in my head, I still wouldn't do it." He rubbed his temple took in a deep breath, trying to tone the sound of annoyance in his voice. "I don't need sleep. I just need a quiet chat with Aria to discuss her options. If you want to spend your night awake alone in your own room, you're free to do so." No, that wasn't quiet right. The tone remained the same regardless of how much he wanted to temper it. "Look, I'm trying to play nice here." He took another deep breath, trying to keep calm. "I just have a particular set of skills you don't. Nothing against you but it's just...too messy to explain." He shook his head. There was just a detail left remaining that irked him more than anything else. "Oh and one more thing..." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell me what to do. Unlike you, I have no master."
Torrin remained in the living room a little longer and walked over towards the broken window, stepping over remains of broken and mangled robots and...bowler hats? He didn't even want to comment on what went on as it was bad enough that a hero had been brainwashed to turn on them. He cursed under his breath knowing that they were lucky no one died that night and that he should have known better to be prepared for a trap like this. A light breeze came in letting him take in the refreshing night air. He reached inside one of his coat pockets, causing a slight rustle of paper as he did so and withdrew a paper. He had taken a few too many back on the Council's world and now had no idea what to do with them all. Taking one out and smoothing out the creases in his hands he looked over at the hallway to watch as several of the others went to their rooms then back down at the note. "Hm." Approaching Aria's door Torrin slid a note underneath the crack and knocked on her door. At the very least, there was one thing he hoped he could make right.
Torrin remained in the living room a little longer and walked over towards the broken window, stepping over remains of broken and mangled robots and...bowler hats? He didn't even want to comment on what went on as it was bad enough that a hero had been brainwashed to turn on them. He cursed under his breath knowing that they were lucky no one died that night and that he should have known better to be prepared for a trap like this. A light breeze came in letting him take in the refreshing night air. He reached inside one of his coat pockets, causing a slight rustle of paper as he did so and withdrew a paper. He had taken a few too many back on the Council's world and now had no idea what to do with them all. Taking one out and smoothing out the creases in his hands he looked over at the hallway to watch as several of the others went to their rooms then back down at the note. "Hm." Approaching Aria's door Torrin slid a note underneath the crack and knocked on her door. At the very least, there was one thing he hoped he could make right.
When Torrin overheard the conversation going on as he stepped inside the mansion he wasn't sure whether to scoff at the suggestions to help Aria or make a serious remark about it. Though he supposed it was not fair to be so harsh when the others weren't there to see what he had. They were only doing their best and it was not their fault that it would not be enough. "Not to put a sour tone on all your friendly conversation but none of that will help. Meditation takes time and won't be effective for solving a problem like this." Meditation may have been fine for calming the mind but for fending off some kind of nightmare creature? It would have been totally useless. The same could be said about some kind lullaby from Tinarah. Though it was true he had no surefire way of solving the problem outright he still had other, more direct, methods in mind. Torrin glanced over at Aria then returned his attention back towards the other two girls. "Focus on getting your own rest." He spoke towards Qamar and Tinarah. "The only thing that would help," he looked over his shoulder to make sure Thallasa had not returned yet before continuing, "the only thing that'll help is-" “Chop, chop, darlings! You must get your beauty rest. I need you all to look and be fabulous in the morning. No dark bags under your eyes and the likes of that.” Edna walked in, her cup in hand. "I have too much work to be distracted by late night chatter. Go! Go! Sleep! Rooms are down the hall." She spoke quickly, motioning with her hands to rush the group out of the living room. "Are there even enough for all of us?" "There's eleven of you, yes?" "Yeah." "Fourteen rooms." Torrin scratched his head trying to wrap his head around why someone who lived alone would need so many guest rooms. "Why so many?" "I never have thirteen of anything. It's bad luck." She spoke dismissively. "Right...that makes perfect sense." He doubted the woman ever had guests over and likely only had rooms made just to fit with her superstitions. Still, she vaguely reminded him of a blacksmith back home with an equally eccentric personality.
When Torrin overheard the conversation going on as he stepped inside the mansion he wasn't sure whether to scoff at the suggestions to help Aria or make a serious remark about it. Though he supposed it was not fair to be so harsh when the others weren't there to see what he had. They were only doing their best and it was not their fault that it would not be enough. "Not to put a sour tone on all your friendly conversation but none of that will help. Meditation takes time and won't be effective for solving a problem like this." Meditation may have been fine for calming the mind but for fending off some kind of nightmare creature? It would have been totally useless. The same could be said about some kind lullaby from Tinarah. Though it was true he had no surefire way of solving the problem outright he still had other, more direct, methods in mind. Torrin glanced over at Aria then returned his attention back towards the other two girls. "Focus on getting your own rest." He spoke towards Qamar and Tinarah. "The only thing that would help," he looked over his shoulder to make sure Thallasa had not returned yet before continuing, "the only thing that'll help is-" “Chop, chop, darlings! You must get your beauty rest. I need you all to look and be fabulous in the morning. No dark bags under your eyes and the likes of that.” Edna walked in, her cup in hand. "I have too much work to be distracted by late night chatter. Go! Go! Sleep! Rooms are down the hall." She spoke quickly, motioning with her hands to rush the group out of the living room. "Are there even enough for all of us?" "There's eleven of you, yes?" "Yeah." "Fourteen rooms." Torrin scratched his head trying to wrap his head around why someone who lived alone would need so many guest rooms. "Why so many?" "I never have thirteen of anything. It's bad luck." She spoke dismissively. "Right...that makes perfect sense." He doubted the woman ever had guests over and likely only had rooms made just to fit with her superstitions. Still, she vaguely reminded him of a blacksmith back home with an equally eccentric personality.
"One minute Gero wants me gone and the majority of the Council is looking at me like I'm about to commit genocide and the next they're letting Boreas and I go off on a mission with the rest of you like it's no big deal. It didn't make sense until I had some time to think about it." "What are you getting at?" "I've been played enough times to know when I'm being used. They obviously think darkness is the way to go about combating the Light Chaser but I just don't have the juice for that kind of fight. Adding whatever darkness Boreas and Qamar have within them wouldn't be enough either. So perhaps their angle is to get me to bring my uncle into the fight. But unless the war on my end is settled, help just isn't going to come from the Realm of Darkness. So what are they playing at?" "I don't know. The Council is a mystery to me. You're going to have to take this up with them when we return. You're a paranoid one, aren't you?" Thallasa chuckled. "It's kept me alive." Torrin stated bluntly. "And one more thing..." "Hm..?" "Why didn't anyone tell me there were two?" Torrin demanded. "Two what?" "Dammit don't play dumb with me." "Torrin I don't get what you're going on about." Thallasa sounded genuinely confused. "Wait? They didn't tell you? You've gotta be kidding me...The nerve of those guys... Sending us in with two pure lights was just asking for trouble." Torrin's voice lowered to the point of being inaudible to anyone listening. "What!? Are you certain? I had no idea...that...that's strange indeed...Two..." "Yeah well I'll keep doing what I've been doing. I...I can't keep my attention on two at the same time. I'd tell Boreas about this but I'd rather not risk him doing something that would get him killed. I have to look after my own people too." "I see. Well you have nothing to worry about then. This stays between us." Torrin said nothing in response but started to walk back to return to the mansion while Thallasa remained outside, alone with her thoughts. "Pagos, Avra, Zeno. I have an assignment for you." Immediately on hearing their names the three students stood up from their seats. The Light Chaser stood at the entrance of the tavern and snapped his fingers, opening a new portal for the group to go through. "You know what to do." He spoke calmly. "Hang in there. Alright?" Avra gave Chrys one last look before heading out with her two comrades, disappearing into the column of light. "Where are they heading?" Koa asked curiously. "I've located another Princess. It should be a simple retrieval mission for them. It should be over within the hour if all goes well." The man stated. "At this rate we should have all of the Seven within the week. Coincidentally, that should be the time when I can return Eventide to its waking state." "And us?" Dentro spoke up. "You'll be moving out in the morning once a report from my Right Hand comes in." "Student seven? Really? We're waiting on them?" "That student has a name, you know." "Not to me they don't." Dentro folded his arms. "Some Right Hand. Doesn't even talk or hang around us. Acts all high and mighty. They're still a broody loner." The Light Chaser chuckled at his student's comments. "Come now, don't be so harsh. Take the night to rest. All of you have earned it."
"One minute Gero wants me gone and the majority of the Council is looking at me like I'm about to commit genocide and the next they're letting Boreas and I go off on a mission with the rest of you like it's no big deal. It didn't make sense until I had some time to think about it." "What are you getting at?" "I've been played enough times to know when I'm being used. They obviously think darkness is the way to go about combating the Light Chaser but I just don't have the juice for that kind of fight. Adding whatever darkness Boreas and Qamar have within them wouldn't be enough either. So perhaps their angle is to get me to bring my uncle into the fight. But unless the war on my end is settled, help just isn't going to come from the Realm of Darkness. So what are they playing at?" "I don't know. The Council is a mystery to me. You're going to have to take this up with them when we return. You're a paranoid one, aren't you?" Thallasa chuckled. "It's kept me alive." Torrin stated bluntly. "And one more thing..." "Hm..?" "Why didn't anyone tell me there were two?" Torrin demanded. "Two what?" "Dammit don't play dumb with me." "Torrin I don't get what you're going on about." Thallasa sounded genuinely confused. "Wait? They didn't tell you? You've gotta be kidding me...The nerve of those guys... Sending us in with two pure lights was just asking for trouble." Torrin's voice lowered to the point of being inaudible to anyone listening. "What!? Are you certain? I had no idea...that...that's strange indeed...Two..." "Yeah well I'll keep doing what I've been doing. I...I can't keep my attention on two at the same time. I'd tell Boreas about this but I'd rather not risk him doing something that would get him killed. I have to look after my own people too." "I see. Well you have nothing to worry about then. This stays between us." Torrin said nothing in response but started to walk back to return to the mansion while Thallasa remained outside, alone with her thoughts.
"Pagos, Avra, Zeno. I have an assignment for you." Immediately on hearing their names the three students stood up from their seats. The Light Chaser stood at the entrance of the tavern and snapped his fingers, opening a new portal for the group to go through. "You know what to do." He spoke calmly. "Hang in there. Alright?" Avra gave Chrys one last look before heading out with her two comrades, disappearing into the column of light. "Where are they heading?" Koa asked curiously. "I've located another Princess. It should be a simple retrieval mission for them. It should be over within the hour if all goes well." The man stated. "At this rate we should have all of the Seven within the week. Coincidentally, that should be the time when I can return Eventide to its waking state." "And us?" Dentro spoke up. "You'll be moving out in the morning once a report from my Right Hand comes in." "Student seven? Really? We're waiting on them?" "That student has a name, you know." "Not to me they don't." Dentro folded his arms. "Some Right Hand. Doesn't even talk or hang around us. Acts all high and mighty. They're still a broody loner." The Light Chaser chuckled at his student's comments. "Come now, don't be so harsh. Take the night to rest. All of you have earned it."
Torrin raised an eyebrow when Qamar approached him, asking if there was anything she could do to help with Aria's situation. He shook his head. "Sounds like a Heartless. Not completely sold that's what it is but I don't have a better guess." Torrin shrugged and looked down at his drink, tilting the cup to swish the remainder of its contents about. It could have also been a Nightmare but the description didn't sound like any Nightmare he had heard of. Despite their name, they didn't typically take such monstrous forms. "There's nothing you can do to help." His hand went back to his pocket, finding the ring still there. 'And I'm not so sure I can either.' He thought. "Hm..." He looked towards Aria, Tinarah, and Take. The problems kept adding up. With the magitek device still active everyone would be forced to rest and that only left Torrin feeling like they were sitting ducks and maybe that was the point. And with two very big concerns present... Knowing he couldn't keep quiet about it he decided to speak with the only other master present. Given her story he was certain he could trust her with what he now knew. "Excuse me, I have a few matters to discuss with Thallasa." "It's doubtful Masters Choma and Atmos would have stood idly by while worlds were falling to darkness. Whether they knew of my whereabouts or not, they would have still taken action." She responded towards Glyde. "I'm not fond of the Council's inclination towards secrecy either but I know they have their reasons." She had more to add to the thought but when she noticed Torrin approach her she kept the rest to herself. It wasn't too relevant either way. "I need to speak to you in private." He spoke in a low tone sounding urgent. Curious as to what he wanted to discuss she nodded in agreement and allowed him to lead the way just outside the mansion.
Torrin raised an eyebrow when Qamar approached him, asking if there was anything she could do to help with Aria's situation. He shook his head. "Sounds like a Heartless. Not completely sold that's what it is but I don't have a better guess." Torrin shrugged and looked down at his drink, tilting the cup to swish the remainder of its contents about. It could have also been a Nightmare but the description didn't sound like any Nightmare he had heard of. Despite their name, they didn't typically take such monstrous forms. "There's nothing you can do to help." His hand went back to his pocket, finding the ring still there. 'And I'm not so sure I can either.' He thought. "Hm..." He looked towards Aria, Tinarah, and Take. The problems kept adding up. With the magitek device still active everyone would be forced to rest and that only left Torrin feeling like they were sitting ducks and maybe that was the point. And with two very big concerns present... Knowing he couldn't keep quiet about it he decided to speak with the only other master present. Given her story he was certain he could trust her with what he now knew. "Excuse me, I have a few matters to discuss with Thallasa."
"It's doubtful Masters Choma and Atmos would have stood idly by while worlds were falling to darkness. Whether they knew of my whereabouts or not, they would have still taken action." She responded towards Glyde. "I'm not fond of the Council's inclination towards secrecy either but I know they have their reasons." She had more to add to the thought but when she noticed Torrin approach her she kept the rest to herself. It wasn't too relevant either way. "I need to speak to you in private." He spoke in a low tone sounding urgent. Curious as to what he wanted to discuss she nodded in agreement and allowed him to lead the way just outside the mansion.
