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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2014 16:04:05 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
Zidane was tired, that much was true about the thief, but it less so came from his physical dramas as of late and more to do with the emotional stress that filled his heart with doubt. Guilt by association was a trait oft bereft a criminal, but the young Genome was, in all manners: a human. His heart felt, ached, died and lived again and everyday. Seeing his friends amidst the duress of his inabilities and ignorance in the past hurt more than a thousand physical wounds. Zidane may have been, what many define, a person with a good heart, but in truth he was a lonely spirit on a world he never belonged. Maybe it had been an unconscious knowledge all his life. He did not belong anywhere, were his true feelings for a longtime.
In the end family was always there for him.
For that, by its very extension, Quina, Freya, Eiko, even Steiner, had become family to him, tied at the tail end of Tantalus. He wanted to protect this family he had built on his own. The people he loved, laughed with and shared a tent with... Being a little tired was to be expected, at least when it came to his heart. He was glad that Steiner was a bit more inclined to allow him to do this on his own. Even though he still pulled Noctis around he felt more it was due wanting to protect the guy. This was not his world, and no matter how much he tried to shuffle into the background: he stood out. There was no telling who would take advantage of such a thing, and knowing Lord King he would lock Noctis up like a sideshow freak rather than have something like him get away. Keeping Noctis by his side was best because he felt that the way to get him home was to finish what they started.
That was how it always worked, at least he felt. The heart was driven by their goals and took the body where it wished to go. If Noctis had no reason to stay, he would have to go back home and no longer have to suffer the peril of being on a foreign land.
The doc’s words really bothered Zidane. Were these stones maybe from Terra? It seemed a lot of these powerful magic artifacts had come from Terra and lay stranded on Gaia. From Ark to the Four Shrines that guarded the former portal to Terra, these strange devices all seemed to wield a worrying destructive power. Just what kind of world was Terra that they needed so many weapons? Doc Tot warned that the Lord King would certainly take advantage of these powers and they were not safe in his hands. That Zidane was absolutely sure of this fact, especially when it came to the King family. They were one of the cruelest and corrupt of the four great Noble Houses of Treno. They were warned not to run in headlong, but there was no time for otherwise. Zidane punched his fist into the palm of his gloved hand as he quietly seethed. Blinking the rouge looked up at the idea to cross his mind.
“Thanks Doc, you gave me a great idea! You think we can climb onto the roof of your tower?” the boy had an enthusiastic glint in his eyes.
The doctor chuckled and stroked his beard in thoughtfulness. “I don’t see why not, you likely have an idea now what to do. Be safe you two…” The Doc paused and looked to Noctis. “Oh, do you think you can come back to visit me after again?” the Doc was curious about Noctis, he wanted to ask the lad some questions.
Zidane reached out to grab Noctis’ arm, to alert him that he was moving, and fast. “Sure Doc, we’ll be back!” The thief quickly scrambled out to the tower’s balcony and worked on climbing onto the roof.
With skill that came with years of training the rouge pulled himself up and easily hopped to the nearby rooftop. The boy would patiently wait for Noctis before he tarried to the end of the roof and pointed off toward the King’s Manor in the distance. The glow of the Auction House lights and silhouettes of the stone Griffon statues were unmistakable even at this distance. The rogue thought it was a pretty clever idea and something King would never expect. Zidane placed his fists on his hips. His tail was stiff, the end bristled as the tip curled toward his backside. He was amped by his idea!
“We can sneak into the manor the way we came the last time. That high window should still be unlocked.” No one ever climbed that high to finagle a window, it would mean an easy entry without risking the guards or Lord King’s voracious pets.
In the meanwhile King stood waiting. A smile curled on his crooked lips as he reached out his hand. The Gold Armor marched toward its master, the pulsing Bloodstone in its chest burning with the heat of life. The armor knelt before its master, armed in its shield and sword of gold. King’s hand was gently taken by the armor and swore fealty by pressing its master’s hand to its forehead. Lord King motioned for the armor to stand and pointed.
“Go. Take care of the queen and my guests.” Lord King motioned to a small brigade of his armed guards and headed toward the manor’s exit. They would siege the queen’s home, for a King must always complete his collection.
The Gold Armor rumbled what seemed to be a call in affirmative before it stood and marched toward the bedroom where the gold queen slept. It stalked through the velvet halls and up the steps to the sleeping quarters. Entering Lord King’s Quarters it would raise its blade high in the air. The glistening weapon shone against the moonlight that bled into the bedroom. The armor hungered for another host. Its desire to live led it to follow its master’s desire to take.
Take.
Desire.
Take.
Desire…
It would bring down its blade, looking to absorb the Queen as it had the serpent minion, as it had Klein. It would take the Blood it needed to drive forward. It was the reason Bloodstones were often enchanted with Magical items by Terrans. Human lifeforce was fleeting. It could only power the stone so much before the soul returned to the Cycle. Magical items lasted and mimicked the circulation of power a soul was naturally capable of. The armor would continue to want to absorb souls until nothing on this world remained. So long as its master desired, so would it desire to live for its master. Lord King would take the land, take the Crystal Griffon and take the Queens head to add to his more macabre collection of defeated enemies.
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: Off with her head! ►SKILLS USED: n/a CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2014 22:16:35 GMT -5
Noctis remained standing off to the side quietly listening to Zidane and Doc Tot exchange words. As the pair spoke of bloodstones, Lord King, and someone who was connected to Zidane knowing more answers than the older scholar did, the young prince found himself become more and more and more of an outcast in this strange world. Sure, he had Zidane and shouldn’t feel alone, but there was something going on here that Noctis did not understand. Something that caused the rather peaceful air in the in the room to become suffocating as tension and some other emotion wrapped their hands tightly around the blonde who had to bare them the most and Noctis himself. Noctis wasn’t sure what it was he had gotten himself into when he took the place of that downed man or even decided to continue where another had left off. He still didn’t understand why he had done such a thing and even with all the traveling done and the friends he had made along the way, Noctis still couldn’t help, but to feel that he had stuck his hand into a pot of still living crabs that were tearing away at his hand in their desperation to get out. While Zidane was weighed down by emotions that only seemed to intensify as the doctor spoke, Noctis was weighed down by heavy worry about the unknown. Yes, it was true that he had agreed to help Zidane and it was also true he would not abandon his friend after coming so far with him; however, the more he lingered in this situation, the stranger the advnture became casting the already lost prince further into confusion the more things were revealed. Bloodstones were some ancient artificat that held unimaginable magic that according to Doc Tot shouldn’t have been in the hands of the people of Gaia. While Noctis didn’t know what all that meant, he did understand that a powerful object had wound up in the wrong hands and in turn not only slaughtered people, but had driven people mad on two occassions. The reason that someone would want such a thing was beyond Noctis. Sure, the scholars could pick apart the object and study it all day, but the average person or someone of high class? Why would someone want to hold onto something so dangerous? Was said keeper plotting something with the dangerous objects? Or did this owner simply get a kick out of other people’s misery? The questions went on and on inside of Noctis’s head causing him to frown lightly and fold his arms as he tried to understand the logic behind such madness. He thought, but nothing he came up with made any sense, so in the end Noctis gave up trying to piece the puzzled together and simply settled with the fact that the person they were after –Lord King—was the source of all this mayhem and that he needed to be stopped before he could do anything else. Sure, Noctis was a stranger in this world, but that did not seem to change the face of corruption. Lord King…he couldn’t be allowed to get away with his dangerous crimes any longer. He would help Zidane if he could... even if at the moment he felt quite useless in the foreign terrain. Regardless of what Noctis was feeling, he managed to keep most of his feelings locked away from the sight of the others as he continued to listen to the information and warnings from the older man. When the other was done talking, Zidane punched one fist into the open palm of the opposite gloved hand as he quietly gave off a wave of angry energy, seemingly frustrated even more than himself at the situation they had gotten into. Noctis felt for the guy that did his best in a place that maybe didn’t understand or appreciate his hard work as much as they should. Maybe…like himself something made Zidane an outcast too and perhaps it was this trait and the guy’s kindness that caused the dark haired prince to want to stay at his side and see whatever trouble they got into all the way to end. Noctis couldn’t explain it, but a unbreakable bond had formed between him and the thief in the short time he had been with him. It was a bond that would allow Noctis to return to the guy’s side wherever he may be to help him out of whatever jam he was in. It was a strange bond, but it was one that brought much comfort to the prince and helped him push away some of the doubt within. It helped him focus once more…and not a moment too soon it would seem. Shortly after Zidane had performed his punch of anger, the blonde blinked as his eyes seem to gleam with excitement once more. Upon seeing the theif back to his usual self, Noctis’s serious expression softened a bit as he unfolded his arms and tilted his head at Zidane who was thanking Doc before asking if they could climb to the roof of the tower? What on earth was Zidane thinking that required a visit to the rooftop? Was he perhaps going to use the roof top to plan their next steps? …Maybe not. Zidane seemed to be the think on his feet type rather than a planner, but even so Noctis was curious as to what he was planning to do. And look even Doc seemed to be amused at the idea and with ease gave them permission to perform the task! With permission given, Noctis looked over at Doc Tot only to find his serious eyes back on him; however, instead of flinching this time he met the older man’s eyes evenly as the other spoke. He was asking if they would come back to visit him after everything was over, probably to gain more information on Noctis; however, instead of feeling uncomfortable about a second round with Doc, Noctis found that he wouldn’t mind humoring the guy for helping them out, so Noctis gave the older man a light nod in response that suggested that he would indeed return…if he could. He wasn’t sure how long the dark portal would be held at bay before it nabbed him again, but hopefully those portals would let him keep the agreement that had been made and perhaps allow him to stay long enough to get to know this world and its people a bit better. He wasn’t sure, but maybe by staying a while longer he could find the strength to keep fighting even when alone and even find a way back home. Maybe Doc Tot, Zidane, or others could help him along the way. It was an idea that the prince wouldn’t mind exploring. Even if he learned nothing to get him back home, he could at least learn this world here, so the exploring wouldn’t be a waste. In any case, after the brief nod was given Noctis attention was turning to Zidane as he grabbed his arm and tugged upon it signaling that they were leaving before the blonde was moving off towards the opening that led onto the balcony. As Zidane moved, he verbalized Noctis’s nod to Doc who only nodded with a knowing look in his eyes before becoming still to watch as the pair exited the room. Following Zidane out onto the balcony, Noctis watched the path the thief took upward before bracing his body for his own climb up. Following the same path that Zidane took, Noctis made his way up the side of the tower at a slower, yet steady pace as he did what he could to find foot and hand holds that made it easier on his leg and himself to climb up the structure. Once he reached the top and pulled himself up, he moved into position to make the small hop to the next building, stumbling only slightly when his injured leg didn’t want to cooperate. Nothing really hurt, it was just the leg had become a bit stiff, so as he moved over to stand with Zidane at the edge of the roof, Noctis leaned over slightly to massage the stiffness away from the leg as he scanned the view they were given from their high vantage point. All of Treno was laid out before them in its usual beautiful display of lights that had somehow taken on a malicious glare since the last time the young prince was here. Maybe back then, he had been in awe at something new, but now that he knew Treno and what was lurking there? The face of the once fascinating city took on a different look as the pair examined it, quietly for a moment. Then Zidane, wound up with anticipation of their next move, pointed off to the distance lights and silhouettes of the strange statues that decorated the familiar Auction House. The place where all this started. As he pointed at that structure and Noctis listened to his words, the young prince found himself smirking in an approval as he pulled himself back into a standing position. “You have a good memory, Zidane. I had almost completely forgotten about that window,” Noctis said as he looked over at the blonde with the first playful smirk he had shown in a while. Then as his eyes drifted back to the Auction House and the path they had to take Noctis became serious once more. “Let’s do this then and pray our target is not expecting us,” Noctis said as he gestured for Zidane to lead the way into the unknown and hopefully not to death. At least Etro wasn’t showing herself, so maybe this was a good sign… **
However, as much as Noctis might pray for safe travel, Lord King was a man that was as clever as he was cruel. As he stood waiting for the golden armor to approach him with a cruel smile curled upon his lips, his mind ticked away and plotted his next moves. He expected guests and so like the cruel host he was, he began to pave the twisted path that would lead them straight into his home and perhaps add even more to his already glorious collections. When the armor kneeled before him and took his hand to swear fealty to the man that was its master, Lord King couldn’t help but to chuckle inwardly as he sensed the power that radiated from the stone that was buried deep within the armor. The stone that gave it life and made it wish to stay alive to fulfill its master’s desires. Desires that often fulfilled the armor’s own desires to live. For the promise of blood and souls, the armor served its master faithfully and without question. Never thinking to bite the hand that fed it as long as said hand could keep dishing out the delicacy it liked to eat. Even now when the man it could easily detroyed command the armor to stand and gave it orders along with a group of guards that were standing awaiting commands of their own, the armor rumbled its understanding before drifting out of the room with the guards following closely behind it. With contentment flowing through him, Lord King drifted through his luxurious halls and into one of the studies where he found a glass and poured himself some wine. Taking a sip of the red liquid, King moved the glass slightly from his lips causing the smallest amount to of the liquid to slip out of the glass and patter to the floor. Taking a moment to quietly observe how the red droplets were spreading, Lord King found himself grinning and chuckling as he heard the scream cut short by the blade of the armor coming down upon the golden goddess’s chubby neck resound through his home. Feeling delighted at one thing being collected for his collection, Lord King looked away from the spill on the floor as he turned to a wall and after approaching it pulled the string that would cause the secret passage to open. Slipping into cool darkness, Lord King moved along the familiar path to find the best seat in the house to enjoy his wine from as he waited for the rest of his collection to come to him. Oh yes. This was indeed going to be a wonderful night. ** Meanwhile back on the roof tops, Noctis was following behind Zidane as they made their way from one spot to the other as they continued to move towards the Auction House and their target; however, Noctis found himself pausing to rest his leg for a second and when he did, he heard a sound from below. Ducking his head to stay in the shadows, Noctis crept closer to the edge of the roof he was on and peered down to see a group of armed guards leaving out of the Auction House they were so close to. As he watched the pack of guards hurry down the pathways and began to move towards the exit that would lead them out of Treno, he frowned slightly before pulling himself back into the deeper shadows as he looked over to where Zidane was. “Hey, Zidane. Did you see that group of guards leaving just now? What do you think that means?” Noctis asked as he kept his voice low as he moved to make sure that only Zidane would be hearing the words he spoke. The window they were aiming for was a few hops ahead, so the young prince wouldn’t be able to hear the scream that filled the house a few seconds before they were to arrive at their destination. He wouldn’t be able to guess the guards' true purpose for leaving the city nor would he be able to realize that should they get into the mansion once more, the blood soaked golden armor whose core pulsed and glowed with new life now that it had the soul of the golden goddess within it would be somewhere in the dark home waiting for the new souls to collect. ________________________________________ ►TAGS: Tag! You’re it! ►NOTES: Crouching armor, hidden Lord….Into the lair of the beast we go.
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 20:06:02 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
Even from high above, Treno’s beauty was non existent. It was once one of the most beautiful and active cities on the plateau, but that beauty was transient. When the city was first built it brought with it prosperity, but soon thieves would find homes among the rabble of rich who had found Treno a prize much too precious to afford to the workers who had built small settlements along the waterways. The workers were pushed to the edges of Treno as Nobles bought up the prized waterfront properties, forcing the less fortunate toward the outskirts. The fringes of the city became easy pickings for crooks coming along the trade routes. Those like Tantalus who followed the airships found Treno an easy target. The City of Eternal Darkness did not necessarily earn its name for the near perpetual night offered by its mighty mountain coverage. The frightening things that happened in this city were enough to steal away the beauty it once had. Once, long ago, this city was prosperous, but now it was a cesspool, from both ends of the financial ladder, leaving regular folk stuck in the middle of a war of money, when all they sought was to live to the best of their ability.
Zidane and Noctis traveled along the rooftops. Zidane seemed to never slow down when it came to these sorts of activities, but it was thanks to many factors that, even after a terrible poisoning, he was able to continue their forward march. Not only was he genetically given to such a fate, but his training and life in the streets made sure he kept on fighting because for someone like him, giving up meant not only a defeat for the self, and possible death: but it mean that he would fail his family and bring harm to them. If he let Lord King get away this time it meant that his friends struggled and suffered for nothing. He was no soldier, but he was gunna punch that guy in the jaw! Zidane knew how dangerous the Lords of Treno was. They rarely schemed together, unless it fully benefited them, but the Kings were especially dangerous. He had never successfully entered the manor without being caught and had the hardest time escaping. It had become almost an obsession for the thief to challenge the King’s household. Maybe this was why he was so driven? He could not help but worry that his motivation was selfish.
As they made their way across the roofs it would not be long until the Manor was in sight. Zidane led the way, trying to find the easiest way possible for Notics. He could tell the guy was slowing down. The thief had noticed a few times that the young man had struggled through their travels. Maybe he was not used to it? Zidane felt it was pushing him. The rogue crouched at the window that sat above King’s dining hall. The rogue's gloves tightly clenched the open window as he stared down into the bright, gold decorated room. The table looked like it was set for a dining party. The plates were laid out, and on them were namecards. The silverware was a temptation for any thief, but even Zidane had his priorities. If he got Noctis hurt or killed over some obsession…. This was an ongoing rivalry between the rogue and Lord King. the first time he had come on a job here he was met with resistance and every time thereafter. It was like the man expected him! It became a challenge, and little did the thief know, it was a game for King as well.
“Listen, Noctis… don’t get involved.” The thief suddenly said. “I know you want to help, but -- don’t get deeply involved with problems that aren't yours…” Was he speaking out of a general concern, or was it something he knew otherwise.
The thief looked up to the stars and pointed to them. The glittering gems were difficult to see in the bright, city lights, but if one looked carefully they could see them above Tot’s tower, where he observed he heavenly bodies. Out there, those worlds… Each star belong to another and there you would find problems that sometimes, you simply could not resolve. He knew how hard it was to turn one’s back against someone in need, but it was even harder when you took it personally. The thief turned to face Noctis and smiled weakly. He held out his hand to the guy before shoving his shoulder hard. Behind Noctis, off the edge of the building were hedges, so if he fell he would be safe, but if he did not fall, it would still give Zidane the time he needed. Soft words escaped the rogue’s mouth.
“You’re like a brother to me, and seeing you get hurt because I’m selfish…sorry Noctis.”
With those words the rouge flipped back into the window. A he did so his tail curled up to pull the window down with him. It would slam closed behind him. The thief reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small throwing knife. It had been the one that poisoned him. He jumped up and gripped his gloved fingers against the window’s edge before he jammed the blade in to seal the window. The thief sadly smiled before he let go and landed back on the balcony, then flipped back to swing down into the dining hall. Zidane marched in, making his way over to the dining table. Looking around the manor seemed empty, but it always felt that way. This place always had a bad air to it. A Zidane read the namecard…. it read only one word: thief. A shadow drew over the rogue. The giant, golden armor was posing against the wall as one of the many suits that decorated the room, but slunk in the corner it was hard to notice it. Zidane’s head snapped up before he dove forward, barely evading the blade that cleaved through the table with ease.
While Zidane was left to deal with the Golden Golem, outside of Lord King’s estate a small band of the Queen’s Guard arrived. Leading them was Captain Aldebert Steiner, two Pluto Knights and four Alexandrian Knights. The Captain met with the Door Guards of the King’s Manor. He would state that he was there on report that a thief was believed to be planning a coup on the Auction House and he was there to arrest him, by order of the Queen. They were allowed in without question, after all who would question the Queen’s Guard?
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: In comes the Cavalry. ►SKILLS USED: n/a CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2014 15:49:12 GMT -5
The party that had been sent to the now dead goddess's palace exited the City of Eternal Darkness and headed across the vast fields without fear of the creatures that used to plague land when the Myst was heavy in the air. The small group marched forward following the trails of the carriage that had brought the goddess to their lord's home until finally they found the floating fortress of gold. With smirks laced with greed upon their faces, the leader of the group gave a mighty yell before leading his men towards the fortress that had now shudder to life and made quick commands to its computers to activate the defenses to keep the intruders out. The battle between man and fortress had begun, but to the soldiers that moved in and around those defenses like drones, they already knew who had the battle in their hands. So even when comrades were lost to this or that, the soldiers continued to fight their way towards the entrance of that golden fortress, driven by dreams of riches and fears of the punishment that would be given should they come back to their lord empty handed. ** As the battle between man and the fortress continued a different sort of war was beginning to unfold at the Auction House within Treno. Lord King was sitting quietly before a large wooden table that had a large chunk of the center section carved out and sunken inward so that a strange and flat metal could be laid into the crater that was created. On a normal day, this metal was simply that - a piece of finely designed metal inlaid into the wood to highlight the beauty of the wood's lines and curves; however, today the metal showed its true purpose within the semi-darkness of the hidden room in which Lord King sat. Glowing faintly, the enchanted piece of metal unleashed its magic giving Lord King a shimmering layout of his property and the area just outside of it. As he watched the images with a smirk on his face, the Lord wondered just how much fun could be had before all guests that were expected to arrive were eliminated fully. Would the blonde thief and that strange brat he had with him be leaving this time or would the reaper finally claim them both? The Lord was quite excited to know the answers, especially when it came to that monkey tailed thief that always came to his house to attempt to gain something and escape, but always his pets and traps sent the strange blonde running back out with only a small bit of his life to hang onto each time. A common theif would've learned its lesson a long time ago and would've given up completely on the idea of actually successfully stealing from Lord King, but this thief? This thief was persistent and fun to try and squwash. And why was that? What made this thief so much more exciting to hunt than the others? Well the answer to that was simple. It was his luck to survive. Lord King wanted to end that luck and yet with all his cleverness and tricks, this one tailed thief would not go down or fall prey to such things. The thief simply got up and returned. At first this strange habit was annoying to King, but the more the thief got away and return, the more the greedy man became intrigued by the thief's skills and like the tiger he was he sought to devour that thief and make him his forever. Unlike all of his other treasures, Kuja and this tailed thief called Zidane were rare catches that if only he could collect them then and only then would he truly feel that he had become an all powerful ruler of the world. To gain that which he could not grasp. That was his ultimate goal in this deadly collecting game. Yes. These strange creatures were indeed elusive, but with the right bait, he knew that one of them would show up and come to him. Power and unimaginable treasure, cruel tricks and death, and rumors to spread the small fire far and wide to perhaps ensnare the things he sought. His plan was costly and time consuming, but being a master of his art Lord King did not mind wasting such trivial things to stir up chaos and then reap every riches he could from the trouble caused. It was his way. His power. How else did one such as he become the ruler of all of Treno? How else was it that out of all the Lords in town, his family name was the one that was feared the most? Oh yes. Lord King knew his way around things. Knew how to plan and lure. His plan was almost perfect, but their were a few kinks between him and his prize that simply had to be done away with at this point in the game. The first was that strange child that followed the thief about. While Lord King did not claim to be an expert on every creature in Gaia, he knew without a doubt that the strange child in black didn't belong in Treno or any other place in Gaia. He was an outsider and one he saw as a pest to be gotten rid of rather than something to collect. Unlike the thief who had gained the Lord's interest long ago, the little pest with the thief was proving more bothersome than the Lord first thought. He drew too many eyes to himself and in turn brought more junk to surround his precious prize making it that much harder to collect what he sought. It was annoying, but Lord King figured if he let the loose string flow in the wind for a while longer, then that the brat would come back with the thief and once back in his territory, the string would be snipped and burned. And you know what? For the most part, Lord King had predicted things well enough. The thief, unable to let things go, had returned along with the little pest; however, instead of bringing said pest inside a strange thing happened as Lord King watched the show upon the table. The thief seemingly got rid of the pest for him before jumping into his dinning hall alone and sealing the passage way in! So the thief wants to this to be one-on-one eh? Well, I can play that game, the Lord thought to himself as he watched the golden armor hidden in the hall move from its spot to engage the thief in battle. Grinning, Lord King leaned in to get a better view of the battle that was displayed; however, as he moved he noticed something odd happening near the front door of the display and so turning his eyes to the scene there, he watched as guards from Alexandria arrived. What is this? he wondered as a light frown came upon his face as he watched the Door Guards let the Alexandria guards in without any fuss. And what was that? Lord King's eyes flickered to the side part of his house where the pest he had thought to be dead was crawling into a window one of the servants forgot to lock. Watching as the pest went one way and the guards began to spread out over his home like roaches in search of the thief no doubt, Lord King sat back in his chair rethinking his plans. He hadn't expected Alexandria guards let alone Pluto Knights to get involved with his affairs, but it would appear like the pest they were all drawn to that little blonde thief and were all here to take him away from him. "We shall see about that," Lord King muttered before clicking a button under the table that caused the image of his home and all who was in it to shift to one side of the table while a different image of the holding pins for his pets appeared in the blank spot. As he looked over his selection of pets, he began to carefully choose what to send after whom. He needed to get rid of the pest, but he couldn't afford having the guards find the thief before the armor collected him, so then it was time to play a game of hide and seek, were the prize for winning the game would be one's life. Watching as the pieces began to fall back into place in his head, Lord King got to work on locking doors and herding the guards and the pest to where he wanted them to be. As long as he could keep them separated and confused, then they would not be able to find the thief until it was too late. If a few of the uninvited were killed off, Lord King had his ways of apologizing and pretending he knew nothing of the matter. After all, it was not like he was actually harming anything himself, now was it? ** Meanwhile back on the rooftops Noctis came to a stop next to Zidane as they reached their destination. Looking over the corrupt city, Noctis took the moment to catch his breath and rest his slowly healing leg. Leaning his weight on his good leg, he began to mentally perpare himself for whatever was beyond that window and hiding in the huge manor. While he did not know Lord King or of his rivialry with Zidane, the more he lingered on the guy's rooftop, the more he began to feel like a dark hand was waiting to slam down upon them and crush them. He couldn't explain why he felt this way or even why he felt like they were being watched, but there was something about this place that kept the prince on edge like no other. He didn't like this place and wanted more than anything to leave; however, with evil afoot and running loose Noctis knew he could not turn back. Sure, these people and this world wasn't his protect, but he was here now connected to the world even if he didn't know he was bound to the land yet. He had made a friend and watched people die at the hands of greed and insanity. To walk away from that and pretend he didn't see it at all? No. He couldn't do that. Even if the problem was not his to begin with he was already rooted deeply in the matter at hand. He would push forward no matter what and see this journey to the end. With his mind set and determination filling him, Noctis prepared himself to make the climb to the window; however, it was just at that moment that Zidane began to speak words that filled Noctis with both dread and confusion as he let them sink in. Zidane was telling him not to get too deeply involved in a matter that was not his, but how could he say that when he knew full well that Noctis was already buried into this mess so deeply there was no turning back? Zidane knew this and yet....he was telling him to run? Why? Why now? Frowning Noctis was about to protest, when Zidane look upwards towards the sky and pointed up towards that dark canvas. Noctis eyes followed the pointing finger as he narrowed his eyes trying to see beyond the lights to what it was that Zidane was pointing at. What was it? The stars? And if so, what did stars have to do with what had just been said? Beyond confused now, Noctis looked back over to Zidane with a questioning look that only deepened as he saw the other turn to him with a small smile upon his lips. With clarity sinking in like a boulder falling from a cliff, Noctis knew what Zidane was planning to do and as he realized this, his confused expression shifted into one of concern and rebellion against such a thought. "Zidane..." Noctis began as he took a step towards the thief intending to stop him before he did anything reckless; however, before he could continue on or make a move against the thief, the other lifted his hand and then with a firm shove, he pushed Noctis backwards with unexpected strength. Unprepared and with a leg that did not quite work well, Noctis stumbled backwards trying to catch his balance, but found he would not be gaining any as his feet met the edge of the roof! Moving his arms like a pinwheel, Noctis tried to shift his weight forward so he would fall on the roof instead of backwards and for a split second he was perfectly balanced on his tippy toes. It was in this moment of balance he heard the words that came out of Zidane's mouth before the other was going inside on his own, the window snapping closed with a thud like the final nail in a coffin. With that sound, Noctis battle with gravity ended and he was pulled backwards and off of the roof. The fall was quick not really giving the stunned prince any time to scream even if he had wanted to. When he smacked into the hedges below a few seconds later, Noctis remained on his back in the semi-comfortable bed of leaves with his mind whirling at what had just happened. Zidane...he was trying to protect him with the action he had done, but...he couldn't leave the other on his own. Why? Because he being as stubborn and insane as myself at this moment, Noctis thought as his mind snapped back into sharp focus as he let a bit of agitation fill him up for the action. While he respected Zidane to no end and understood the guy's motives for pushing him away, what Zidane didn't know about him was just how stubborn and loyal Noctis was to his friends or family...or how well he did not listen to seemingly good advice when other lives were involved. So as he became free of the hedges and stumbled a bit forward. Noctis looked around the area he was in, freezing only slightly when he thought the gleaming statute before him was an actual guard; however, when said statue didn't move to attack him or anything like that, Noctis let out a quiet sigh as looked around the area he was in quickly. The moon illuminated a garden of some sort making the prince think he had fallen within the inner circle of the house rather than the outer one where guards would've found him easily. Heh. He had been lucky to fall on the other side, but now he had the problem of getting back into the mansion and making his way to the dining hall Zidane had entered. Maybe if he could find his way there, he would be able to find Zidane again and hopefully in one piece. But how to get in? Noctis turned his attention from the gardens and back to the mansion itself. Beyond the hedges there were tall arches that led to cover pathways and next to those pathways large windows.Seeing a potential way in, Noctis carefully made his way into the cool shadows of the pathways and towards the window. Making sure no one would spot him, Noctis tried the first window...only to find the large thing locked. Go figure. Sighing inwardly, Noctis moved to another, but got the same results. Shaking his head, Noctis did his best to not give up hope as he moved about the windows carefully until finally he found one that was unlocked. Feeling relieved, Noctis pushed the window opened quietly and carefully stepped over the ledge into a quiet hall brightly lit by the hanging chandeliers in the area. Keeping quiet, Noctis scanned the hallway for trouble, but found it surprisingly empty. Not sure if this was a good sign or not, Noctis closed the window behind him and then made his way further into the hall that stretched for miles to the left and right. Windows lined one side of the wide hall while the other wall was filled with strange statutes of creatures and people. Trying not to remember what happened the last time he had entered a hall full of statues, Noctis took a breath and began to walk down the pathway leading to his right. As he walked tensed and alert for anything, Noctis wouldn't know that unexpected help was close by until it literally tumbled out of the wall before him. ** While Noctis made his way down one hall, on the opposite side of the wall of statues, a very agitated man in full body armor wandered the interior of a vast room of collected statutes. As Steiner moved into this room tensed and irritated, he let the events play out in his head of how he had gotten into this rather unfavorable situation to begin with. It had started shortly after Zidane and the one called Noctis had left him in the guard room on their way to complete whatever task they had in hand. Steiner had indeed let the pair go, but Zidane's hasty behavior and the other's way of playing along had really gotten to him, so after hours of debating, the Captain of the Pluto Knights had decided to do some snooping about of his own. He wanted to know why thieves were after his golden helm and what it was that had set Zidane off so easily. While it was true the blonde was a ball of chaotic energy on his own, for the other to be so upset about an issue and not share always caused concerned for the older knight who had learned that while he could punch Zidane for almost everything he did on a daily basis, the kid was not as bad as he seemed. He had a good heart and did what he could to do what was right. And while this was all well and such...Steiner also knew the blonde had the unfortunate luck of poking his nose where it shouldn't be or having some rather disturbing and deadly baggage hanging about him. Everything from the kid's lifestyle to his original family was dangerous and worrisome. It had been stressful traveling with Zidane and gaining truths, but now that everything was calm and he was not traveling with the kid? Stress didn't even begin to sum up the amount of worry and paranoia that Steiner felt when thinking that Zidane had once again gotten into trouble and to make things even worse, an outsider was involved! With increased worry flowing through him and hardly enough facts in his hands to help him figure out what the hell was going on, Steiner had dug further into the rumors of the gold armor, but got nothing but repeated stories and fluff to go on. After hours of the same thing, Steiner had retreated to the pub both for a rest and hopefully some better information; however, like most of his other leads this too had been a bust. Being no wiser than he had been before, Steiner had left the pub only to find himself being stopped when a familiar cold and deep voice called out his name. Turning to face the speaker, Steiner thought that he must've drank one too many drinks for right before him, leaned against the side of the pub was the most unlikely of people. Amarant Coral was a giant of a man that had a body that seemed to be built out of the mountains themselves. He didn't carry many weapons with him, but what he did have was used to their fullest in combat as the powerful unarmed combatant used the items as throwing items when in a jam. Amarant was a tricky man to contend with fully of mystery and danger. While he proved himself loyal enough when he had traveled with them to stop Kuja, Steiner had always been iffy about trusting the guy, so to see him far from his home of Treno and seemingly waiting for him against the side of a pub, the older guard had put up his defenses, but found them quickly dropping as the shadier man approached him saying he had the information he sought. A bit put out that the other had been following and spying on what he had been doing, Steiner naturally fussed at him about the behavior, but the other hardly blinked at the action as he waited calmly for the rage to end. When Steiner finally did calm down, Amarant had him follow him to the inn where the strange hunter happened to be staying. It was here that the red head began to tell Steiner about the golden armor. He told him that it wasn't just some treasure that had not been stolen from its owner, but actually a treasure that had been scattered on purpose by someone and then through the use of rumors, a mass hunt had been created for the lost pieces so one could gain the supposedly grand reward Lord King was offering for his missing armor. A bit confused, Steiner had asked Amarant to explain a bit further, but instead the other had simply shook his head and told the older guard to put two and two together before promptly leaving the room they had been in. Put out by what seemed like a rude remark, Steiner had steamed for a bit as he left the inn and headed back to the castle. It wasn't until he was back in his own room and had actually sat down that what Amarant had meant by his rude remark smacked him in the face like a hammer. The armor was purposely spread out and belonged to Lord King....and if Steiner's memory served him right that Lord King's criminal record was longer than all the rivers in Gaia combined! Lord King...could it be that he was using the armor as a lure of some sort...and what of Zidane? He was a thief right? And one that had a reputation to protect... so that meant... Damn it! Why didn't I see that sooner?Hopping from his seat and moving to gather both gear and weapon, the Captain of the Royal Guard would gather a small collection of his best men and then travel as fast as he could to Treno and towards the Lord's home. Being a professional and a pretty convincing liar, he and his men had gained access to the Lord's home easily enough....but that ease of getting in had been a trap. He and his men were allowed to wander the mansion in search of the supposed thief that had entered, but the more they wandered the more they got separated. Men were locked in rooms or fell through trap doors until finally Steiner was by himself and herded into a blasted hall of constant turns and tricks that ended in this room.. Infuratating, Steiner thought as he moved to the left side of the room he was currently in and leaned against one of the suits armor with a heavy sigh as his eyes drifted up to the highly detailed ceiling. Why was this happening? Was the Lord of this manor really planning to take out himself and the guards? Didn't he know the trouble he'd get into for that? Or was this something else the Lord was doing? Groaning lightly, Steiner bowed his head in frustration as he felt a headache coming on. What was the deal with this Lord? Why did he have to play with them like they were toys? In frustration, Steiner balled one hand up and swung it back to hit the armor he was leaned against. He felt the solid metal resist the blow, heard it clang and rattle, but then.... click!"Hm?!" was all Steiner said before he was found himself falling back as the armor behind shuddered and then slid back and into the wall. Unprepared for such an action, Steiner found himself tumbling head over heels into the next area. Cursing lightly, Steiner rolled onto his hands and knees only to find his eyes looking at a pair of black boots.... ** Noctis continued his walk down the hall until unexpectedly the suit of armor behind him moved and shifted. Tensing, Noctis automatically fell into a defensive position as he whirled about with his left hand open and ready to grasp his sword if he needed to summon it; however, as his eyes saw the thing that tumbled through the wall, grumbling and cursing, Noctis found himself relaxing a little as he looked down at the thing before him. "Steiner?" Noctis asked confused and unable to believe his luck. The man on his hands and knees before him glanced up at him when he heard his name and upon seeing who it was the older man's eyes widened. "Noctis? What are you doing here? Where is Zidane?" the older man asked as he got to his feet. Smiling slightly, Noctis was on the edge of answering that question, but before he could the hall began to shake and the sounds of loud stomping could be heard from the other end of the hall as a low all too familiar growl filled the area. Feeling his heart begin to race, Noctis looked over at Steiner who was staring back at him with reflected concern written upon his face. As one, the pair turned their head to look down the hall only to find the worst sort of creature to be standing up ahead. With a huge muscular body and purple fur, the large and deadly horned creature easily recognized even by an outsider like Noctis - Behemoth - stood in their way. As the huge creature came to a halt down the hall it growled as its black eyes locked on Noctis and Steiner for a few seconds and then letting out a snort, it lowered its head and began to move down the hall...quickly. "Move! Move!" Steiner was yelling as he shoved Noctis towards the opposite pathway of the hall. Without much more needing to be done, Noctis stumbled forward and began to run with Steiner close behind him and the charging Behemoth gaining steadily upon them.... ______________________________________ TAG: Tag! You're it! NOTE: That moment when think you are completely screwed....
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 12:34:13 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
Zidane slowly turned around as the shadow that stood over him only brought a sensation of dread to his person. The armored fiend seemed to bellow as its golden hide rumbled. Upon the center of its chest the Bloodstone sat encased, beating with magical energy like a heart. Because this stone fed on souls rather than being imbued with magical artifacts as Kuja once done with them, it was insatiable. The power of a magic relic never faded, but eventually souls passed on or weakened in the belly of such a beast, especially when that beast fed off their energy. With sword in hand the gold golem raised its blade, intent on cleaving the Genome twain upon his master’s command to be rid of these dissident enemies. Thinking quickly he thief dove forward as the golden sword came down upon him, the blade crashing into the ground and shattering the marble floors. Zidane felt the debris fly through the air, causing him to react and throw his arms up in a defensive manner. Staggering to his feet after his dive forward he spun around only for the blade to come at his and slash horizontally across his chest. The thief jumped back, barely dodging the tip of the blade. The golden golem’s attacks continued to push Zidane back until he was forced to the banquet table.
“Oh hell.” Zidane looked back when he bumped the edge of the wooden table. He looked up only to see that the golem was going to come at him again. “No way!” He shouted out before rolling backwards and onto the table.
The boy twisted his body rolled onto the table with force. With that momentum he slid along his hands and knees across the surface. The blade came down and clear through the wooden flat. Splinters, along with much of the plates and silverware were strewn through the air with considerable force. When Zidane looked up, through his bangs, one of the forks sunk onto the space in front of him, nearly piercing his digits. His eyes widened as he pushed to stand, only for the table to suddenly slant forward. Zidane looked up and saw that the monster pressed its foot on the table trying to press its weight down onto the table to force Zidane toward their blade's reach. Zidane turned to run, but felt as gravity drew him down. He could not roll left or right at this angle. Looking up he would kick off the surface of the tilted table. He quickly drew his blades before slamming the head off his dagger into the table with a snap. Seeing that its target managed to hold on: the gold armor let out an angry rattle. With its foot still on the table it would slash the golden sword across the table and cut it clean in half, sending Zidane clear over the other side as he was temporarily stuck with his precious blades.
The boy tumbled forward with a surprised shout as more than just the table went crashing down, but he did as. The force of the fall caused Zidane’s blade to loosen and slip from its embedded place. Zidane landed harshly on his side, doing well to keep his blades from cutting against his skin. He looked up, eyes dashing toward the sides before he pushed his hands to the floor and hopped onto his feet. A sudden rumbling had the rogue looking back toward the table end that stood between him and the golem. The table did not stand between them long as the massive, shining monster slammed away the wooden barricade with its golden shield, sending it flying into the wall which caused it to shatter into dust and splinters. Zidane took off running as the blade came down once again, nearly lopping off his tail in the process. For such a hulking piece of metal this thing was fast and furious. He could barely get a move in edgewise. There was no way to get an advantage. It was as if it knew what he was thinking and that was impossible, but it fought exceptionally well, as if it was a soldier. His eyes widened at the horrifying realization.
Whatever the stone absorbed, did it perhaps use the powers of that person?
A Bloodstone stored the power of the magical relic inside of it. It guarded this power and held it to itself. In practice the stone could take the power or weakness of an enemy and hold it, taking it as part of itself, shielding the object or individual if it was still standing or alive. Zidane’s friends had faced this first hand, leaving him with none of the experience to deal with Bloodstones.They were a deadly object from a world that was long gone. They did not belong in the hands of men like Lord King or villains as Kuja once was. It was a curious wonder how Lord King got his hands on it, but with travel more frequent thanks to the development of Mistless Airships it only made it easier for criminals to find their way to the other continents along with the nobles. Looting and pillaging rare looking goods was a thief’s livelihood and getting rare goods was the livelihood of Treno Nobles all the same. Those stones should have stayed on those continents, far away from those troublesome villains.
At the main entrance of the manor, which was attached to the Auction house via a long hall dressed in velvet carpet and expensive artwork the Lord King, head of the King household, would meet the Pluto Knights at the front doors with his home guards, or mercenaries, stood protecting their gilpurse. There was never a point in outright robbing the noble, for many have heard of his disregarding fetish for torturing those who were caught foot stepping onto his property. Normally something such as this could not deter a criminal… at least were one to ever escape alive. And one always did… that boy. He would have his day. Lord King clutched his hands behind his back, meeting the Knights as they stormed into the Auction House. The poor Auctioneer was having quite a time trying to keep them at bay, the Captain was a loud one and it was always difficult to deal with sorts like that. He was glad to be relieved by the Lord King and quickly made his exit.
“Dear sirs, it is rather late, what brings you to my humble abode?” Of course the Nobles of this fair and dark city could never be tried were anything suspicious.
With that shit-eating grin Lord King faced the Captain as he explained of the criminal believed to be on his property. The nobles were just as underhanded, if not more so, than the thieves they lived side by side with. He motioned his hand and stepped aside to allow the guards in, but they would find little to service their needs. When the Pluto Knights marched in, Lord King’s features fell as he waved his hands to command his mercenaries to follow him toward the floating island. He was sure if the Queen found out about it she would claim the land as Alexandrian soil. But he would not allow it. That land had to be his. He spent so many years looking for it, missing so many pieces to an infernal puzzle and to think that one woman had access to such a place. As he made his way out into the plateau it would seem Fate would have other ideas for him. The island, without its master, began to raise back up into the clouds. The Lord King shook his fist angrily.
“Get the Griffons saddled, you and your men are flying there. Once you find it and find a means to bring it down… you will be paid a king’s ransom and than some!” He stamped back into his Manor, the Mercenaries grinning and moving out as ordered.
While Noctis and his new ally fought in the room, Zidane was having troubles of his own. He thought he had finally out maneuvered the golem of gold only to have his ankle grabbed harshly. “Can we talk about this?!” The answer was apparently no when Zidane was thrown violently into the door on the opposite side of the dining hall.
His body hit with such force that he slammed clear through it and flew over the balcony, down to the main hall. He landed on his back with a groan. Focusing his eyes he looked up, only to see the Golden armor leering down at him. Its hand gripped the railing that the rogue’s body had just flown over, crushing the marble surface. Zidane’s eyes widened when he realized what it was planning to do.
“No, no!” He looked back to spot where his blades had fallen and he scurried toward them, grabbing them as he took off running.
The gold armor leapt off the balcony and slammed onto the ground, roaring. The speedy thief flew passed Lord King, fluttering up his coattail and frills, forcing him to reach up and thread his hair back into place. Lord King was about to take a step forward, but stopped when the golem went thundering passed. He rolled his eyes and wondered just how many of his traps had those stupid knights set off. Zidane blazed through the halls looking for a way to get away from the monster, but these halls were all too familiar and were laden with traps and hellholes that were a bummer to crawl out of. No matter how fast the thief ran the golem seemed perfectly capable of keeping up with him. It was not long until the metal monster was at his heels and bowled over the thief, body slamming him through a wall, which happened to be the room the Behemoth was initially trapped in with the Knight and Prince. Zidane rolled and rolled until he finally came to a stop. His whole world seemed to be spinning. He blinked his eyes and looked up, only to see a black nose in his face, huffing and snuffling. The body felt the blood rush from his face as his eyes widened. From the pan into the bloody fire! The gold armor pushed through the wall completely, but moments later.
Zidane now lay under a Behemoth covered in dust and debris from the stone wall. He quickly rolled back and fell into a couch in front of the Captain and Noctis. “Uh, I brought company.” He grinned as he stood with his blades at the ready.
The living armor threw out its blade and the Behemoth roared. Now it was two against three, but was the fight really all that fair?
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: Well at least it's kinda an even match now? ►SKILLS USED: N/A CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 8:14:53 GMT -5
Lord King had hoped to be able to sit in his hidden room and watch the show from afar; however, according to the report given to him by his personal servant and spy, it would appear that the blubbering fool that he had left to deal with the guards was failing miserably in his efforts to speak with the armored men and the first set of mercenaries he had sent to claim the floating fortress his goddess had were now no more than ash in the field where the thing resided. So as he selected a creature to keep his guests entertained, Lord King had shut down the magical table as he slipped out of his chair and scooped up his wine glass before turning to leave the room with his servant in tow. He needed to make himself presentable if he had to deal with guards. It was a troubling affair, but unfortunately when fools were left to run things one could not enjoy the pleasures that one such as himself had the right to and so to keep everything in some order and his plans on schedule, King would simply have to handle the situation himself…and handle it he did. While the thief and the other intruders were kept busy with pets, traps, and minions, Lord King got dressed and made sure that every strand of hair was in place before he was leaving his room and began heading down the hall towards the front part of his manor. As he moved, he made light gestures to the hidden mercenaries that easily slipped from their hiding spot to form a small group that followed just behind Lord King as he continued to move forward with confident strides. When the well dressed man appeared from around the corner a few seconds later, he saw he was just in time to rescue the stuttering and flustered Auctioneer who was having a great deal of trouble dealing with the guards that wished so deeply to get into his home. A sad and disappointing display, but that is what happened when the weak where used as cover for the strong. Regardless of the thought, Lord King did not show his displeasure as he instead stepped forward with his most winning smile to greet and question the guards that quickly notified him about the problem at hand. When he heard that there was a thief in his home and the guards wanted to find said the theif, the Lord easily bowed out their way and let them do as much exploring as they wanted. After all, they were only performing their duty, no? So what right did a noble such as himself have in interfering with such a courageous and noble thing? The sarcastic thought ran through his head as he watched the guards go rushing in hoping that they would not be foolish enough to set off his traps. He really didn’t want to have to create some excuse as to why some of the Queen’s best guards vanished in his home…not that she could really do much to him on his own turf. Still the formalities would be quite tiring, but that was something that simply would have to be dealt with at a later time. He had a floating fortress to claim and so the small little search of his manor was not going to stop him. With that thought in his head, Lord King’s eyes drifted to the mercenaries that waited for his command like the well trained vultures they were. Nodding at the gather group, he left his home and headed out to see just what exactly the fortress had done to his men…and as he was told, the gleaming structure did indeed take out the first wave of humans leaving only a few chocobos and bones behind. Shaking his head inwardly, Lord King kept moving towards his destination taking note that the structure was not making any moves to attack him or his men as they approached; however, as Fate would have it, the highly prized structure decided that it no longer needed to be on the ground and so running off of some command left behind by the now dead goddess, the structure rose high into the sky and began to disappear into the clouds like some form of a twisted angel. Frustrated, Lord King shook his fist at the retreating structure; however, Lord King was not one to give up so easily on a prize, the man quickly turned his eyes to the mercenaries with him and gave the orders needed to get them well on their way to getting his prize back. With his offer laid upon the table, Lord King left the vultures their own devices as he retreated back into his manor to do some more plotting and planning of his own. He didn’t think that he could leave the handful of mercenaries alone to complete the job. No…that prize was probably even more dangerous than any other prize he tried for yet. Yes. He needed to summon a specialized hunter to ensure his prize was secured. So re-entering the house, Lord King was moving to his study to get the correct paperwork out to said huntress when he found himself being forced to stop as first the little thief he sought to finally crush dashed passed him at lightning speed…and right behind the little rat was the golden golem moving at amazing speeds as it moved with hell-bent determination towards it target. It was amusing that the thief still lived and even more amusing how the golden armor had transformed into quite a beast after its meal. It made Lord King wonder just what sort of woman the goddess had been to give the armor such power. Still, the matter was trivial, so with a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head, Lord King moved deeper into his manor as his mind wondered about the guards and how many had died due to carelessness in his home. It was surprisingly quiet now and while King really did want to just sit down and watch the fun once more, the man simply had too much work to do if he was to remain the most feared and richest in Treno. ** While Lord King moved about his manor to take care of his work, scattered throughout the house each guest was having issues of their own. The lower ranking knights were fighting for their lives or literally hanging onto things as floors collapsed under their feet and threaten to drop them into the reeking pits of darkness and death below. Most knights were strong enough to hang on, but the weaker ones of the group ended up letting go and falling to their doom. The losses were indeed sad, but thankfully small in number. However, a trap would’ve been more “pleasant” to deal with than the “entertainment” that Lord King provided his “guests of honor”. To the thief he loved to hate, a suite of armor he gave that if successful in its goal would soon have another soul to feed on. And to the Captain of Knights and the strange boy that was friends with said thief, a beautiful behemoth was sent out to test just how fast the pair could run….and fast they were. As soon as Steiner was yelling move, Noctis was moving as fast as his legs would allow him to go as the huge beast at the end of the hall roared and began to charge at them. Lagging slightly behind Steiner who was surprisingly fast for a man that wore so much armor, Noctis’s eyes darted here and there for some form of escape as the pounding of the behemoth’s clawed feet (hands?) got closer and closer. His eyes searched, but was only finding statues, statues and – Chink! Fwoosh!As soon as Noctis heard the sound from up ahead, the prince’s eyes snapped forward just in time to see one of the elaborate chandeliers that illuminated the hall, snap from its thick chains and coming whooshing down with amazing speed straight towards Steiner who was in the lead1 Seeing a brief flash of what would happen to Steiner should he keep up pace and continue to move forward, Noctis instinctively changed the direction of his run, so that instead of going directly forward, he ended shoulder ramming Steiner to the right side of the hall. “What the -?!!” was all the older knight could say as for one brief second he was able to turn and see that Noctis and not the behemoth had hit him. As relieving as it was that it was a person rather than the hard hitting beast that had struck him, this did not change the fact that the action deeply upsetted the knight; however, thanks to a little thing called gravity the knight had no time to yell at the younger man for the action. As Noctis's body met the hard armor that Steiner wore, the young prince had shoved the heavier man with all his might towards a statue of a undead warrior. As a result of the speed, weight, and the unexpected strength behind such a tackle, Steiner was easily knocked off balance and before he knew it he was spinning off course as his body tried to adapt to the move that was sending him straight for the statue with the dangerous looking spear. Moving to avoid the spear, Steiner managed to turn himself about to face the other side of the hall; however, instead of falling sideways, he was now falling backwards and so instinctively, he tried to grab whatever he could to stop the fall. However, the thing he grabbed was Noctis…who unfortunately for him was also falling thanks to the tackle. So with the added weight upon him, Steiner slammed back first into the statute having the wind only slightly knocked out of him from the intial blow; however, when Noctis's weight came down on him a second later, what little wind he had in his lungs was forced out causing the older knight to let out a grunt of discomfort as his body went limp for a second as it tried to recover from the blows dealt to it, but it would appear that Lady Luck was not quite done with them. As soon as the pair slammed into the statue, there was a light clicking sound before the statue was slipping back into the wall dragging the downed pair with it before it was spinning around and tossing them into the next room. With a loud clatter and "oofs" and "umphs", the prince and the knight were deposited onto the cool marble floor of a quiet room. While Steiner tumbled a bit forward from the throw, Noctis ended up landing on his back and hitting his against the marble floor. Wincing from the whack to the head, but not worried about any damage done, Noctis forced himself into a sitting position as he looked towards the skeletal knight statue that had gotten them in this room. He could hear muffled scratching and growling no doubt from the behemoth trying to get in as the statue snapped itself securely in place; however, by some miracle the behemoth could not get through and so after a few tense seconds of listening to the sounds the beast made, the creature decided to give up as the growling it released could be heard fading away. Letting out a held breath, Noctis shoulder’s slumped in relief as he turned his head to look over at Steiner that was face down on the floor. Concerned for the knight, Noctis picked himself up off the ground hopping slightly to rebalance his weight between his good and bad leg before he was making his way over to him. “Steiner, are you okay?” Noctis called to him as he continued to move forward with a light limp. In response to the question, the older knight grunted as he began to move to pick himself up. “I would be just fine,” the knight grunted as he pushed himself to his knees and then looking over at Noctis glared at the young prince with disapproval for the earlier action. “If you damn kids would start warning folk before doing anything rash!” he complained to the young prince. Noctis smiled sheepishly at the other as he rubbed the back of his head. “Ah. Sorry about that, but that was all I could think of at the moment,” Noctis said as he stopped next to the guy and held out a hand to help him up. Looking up at him with the frown still in place, Steiner hesitated as he shook his head at the apology. “Well, next time think loudly instead of to yourself,” the other grumbled before taking the offered hand and got to his feet. Once Steiner was back on his feet, the knight looked around the area with his serious eyes. “Now where are we?” he mumbled as he glanced uneasily at the walls. To his words, Noctis was quiet for a second as he took in the strangeness of the room. The walls were lined with skeletal statues holding weapons of all kind. Candles lit the large well polished room of tanned marble and stone. The ceilings were high and the place was empty of almost all furniture; however, near the front of the room up a small flight of steps there rested a long table full of candles and pictures that surrounded what looked like a skeleton on a cross in the middle. The table was draped with a red cloth stained with various waxes that only added to the air of eeriness the strange room had. Above the table rested a large stain glass window with another skeleton on it peering down at all who entered this strange and vast room. “I think it is a shrine or temple for the dead,” Noctis said in flat tones as he took a few steps the alter. “Wonderful,” Steiner said in sarcastic tones before continuing on about the irony of it all; however, Noctis was tuning out the complaining as his eyes remained locked on the glass window. He eyed the shapes in the glass with a confused frown. There was something very wrong with some of the purplish glass around the skeleton’s hips and legs… !!Noctis’s eyes widen as his mind understood what the problem was. “Behemoth!” Noctis called as he turned away from the glass and moved forward just as the creepy piece of art shattered and said large creature came bursting through the glass in a shower of glittering glass. With a landing that shook the room and cracked the marble floor, the behemoth landed in a crouching mass of muscle as glass clattered and shattered about it. Pulling himself to a halt next to Steiner who had just unsheathe his sword, Noctis spun around just as the behemoth was slowly pushing itself back into a standing position as it growled and trembled with anger. As his eyes darted quickly around the room, Noctis found their options for escape were none.... meaning they would have to fight this time around, so preparing himself for the hard battle ahead, Noctis took a fighting position as he summoned his sword in his left hand; however, just as the fun was about to start, a loud crashing from the left wall had everyone (thing) in the room turning towards the ruckus as the wall exploded into flying debris and dust that forced both Steiner and Noctis to back away from the flying rubble in order not to be struck by it. As the wall crumbled, something dusty and debris covered tumbled right under the behemoth before coming to a rest. Narrowing his eyes to see through the mess that had been created, Noctis found his eyes widening in shock as he saw what it was that was now under the glaring behemoth. “Zidane!” “Zidane?!”The name was called simultaneously by the Captain and the prince as mixed emotions flowed through each one of them as the saw their friend alive and more or less well; however, before any words could be exchanged, there was more crunching and rumbling as the rest of the wall fell down…and the golden armor came pushing through with a pulsing red stone in its chest. Noctis felt all the blood drain out of his body as he saw the armor that had tormented them during their journey. He had thought thing had been defeated when they took out the revenged possessed captain, but….but now it was back and looking more alive than it ever had been as it pushed its way into the room and marched to the behemoth’s side as Zidane rolled away and came to a stop before them with blades ready for a fight the new threat Zidane made a comment about bringing company as he gave one his trademark grins, but this only got an angry response from Steiner. “Company?! You call that company??” the older man was yelling as he pointed his blade at the golden armor that was now taking a battle position next to the behemoth. “Just what the hell is that thing anyway?!” Steiner was demanding; however, Noctis was not really paying him any mind as he watched the armor and behemoth get in position and prepare for an attack. “Let's save it for later, Steiner. We have work to do,” Noctis said in the calmest and most controlled voice he had displayed yet as his body lowered and his sword rose to be level with his eyes. The golden armor swung its blade out to the side as the behemoth rose its head skyward and let out a roar. The challenges were thrown out and then everything was moving. The golden armor was charging towards Zidane and Steiner as the behemoth came charging horns first at the group. As the foes attacked, Noctis pushed himself from his position ignoring the light throbbing of his leg as he moved to meet the charging pair; however, instead of attacking either of them, the prince charged forward moving slightly so he was more in front of the behemoth than the armor. When it looked like the beast and man were going to crash into one another, Noctis threw himself on the marble floor and slid along his back right under the behemoth who tried to impale him with its horns. Noctis felt the wind of the powerful blow and the sting of a cut on his right arm as the tip one horned grazed him; however, ignoring that for now, the prince quickly changed the position of his sword in his hands and thrusted it upward so that it not only stabbed into the thick skinned behemoth, but was able to cut along the underside of the beast as he continued his slide. Once he reached the end, Noctis took his sword out of the roaring beast as he carefully curled forward fully expecting the tail that whacked him in the back and forced him into a roll. Coming to a stop a few feet away from his foe, Noctis picked himself up from the ground knocking off loose debris and glass from his body as he turned quickly to face the behemoth who had slid to a halt when it was attacked. Knowing full well that the attack he had landed upon the creature was not enough to keep it down, Noctis watched as the behemoth slowly turned itself around and marched towards him as it growled in anger. Only a tiny bit of blood was dripping from that armor hide letting the prince know that all he had done so far was made the creature angrier; however, this was fine by him. He wanted to get the creature’s attention on him to give Steiner and Zidane some wiggle room since the armor was also a problem in the room. As the behemoth came to a halt a few feet in front of him, It pushed itself from the ground and rose onto its hind legs in an amazing display of strength. In anger the creature roared at the prince trying to intimidate him before it was coming forward to swipe out heavily at the prince with its clawed hand. ** While Noctis dealt with the behemoth, Steiner had moved forward to counter the high vertical swipe the golden armor had attempted to land on Zidane. As the golden sword met Excalibur, Steiner felt as if every bone in his body had been rattled lose as the strange armor bared down upon him with inhuman strength. With a growl, the creature pushed the knight back forcing him off balance with the shove and in turn left him open for a strike, so like any well trained solider was taught to do, the armor tried to indeed get in the strike it could see happening; however, Steiner while seemingly slow was the Captain of the Pluto Knights and so with speed that belied his size and weight, Steiner managed to place his blade between the on coming horizontal swipe of the golden blade and his chest plate. The swipe hit hard and forced him back a few more steps; however, the older knight held his ground as he regained his balance. Raising his sword horizontally and pulling it back to his shoulder, the older knight charged forward with a yell before pushing off the ground sending his form into the air as he raised his sword high above his head. The sword began to glow with a white energy before gravity was pulling the knight down upon the armor. As he fell he swung his sword downward aiming to hit the golden armor with a combo of a heavy downward slash and his armor break technique. Naturally, the armor moved to guard such a move; however, while it blocked some of the physical attack, it could not defend against the power of armor break and so with a strange grunt the armor reeled back as the power of the technique flowed through and Steiner landed on the ground with a clatter. As the golden armor stumbled back, it moved its arms to the side to try to keep its balance; however, in doing so it left itself and its pulsing core unguarded and open for an attack…. ______________________________________ TAG: Tag! You're it! NOTE: Maybe…If a death waltz can be performed in perfect sync with three people instead of the even two vs two that is... Abilities used by Steiner:Armor Break: 2 post to reuse
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 11:47:32 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
The mercenaries mounted the Griffons and took off into the sky before the continent drifted completely out of sight. Wild cawing and flapping wings under the weight of armed men was chaos and a struggle for the already large, winged beasts. Momentum provided the hired-hunters with the lift needed to reach their destination. The thick and deadly, curved talons of the Griffons held strong to the edge of the Continent as it floated by the plateau at such a low altitude. It was not long before Lord King’s men and the continent was out of sight and beyond the clouds. None would believe their eyes were they to see, nor would there stand proof of such a mythical world save behind the reconnaissance collected and found by the thief and thief alone. Who more to want a world of treasure but man who had to have everything? Lord King was a devil in disguise and would stop at nothing to collect all the pieces to his dream. Portraits that lined the Lord’s halls were vibrant images of a world above the clouds. Vases painted to mimic the swirling clouds feeding storms to the plateaus. Dreams to own that which no one else held providence over. A land where he could build himself a kingdom and stand above the wretch of Alexandria that was ruled by simpering women who believed that doing good brought prosperity. It would only lead the country to ruin. Where Lindblum continued to advance… what did they do?
Nothing.
Lord King would watch for a while. Once he grew weary for the night he would call off the Behemoth, the suit of Armor providing him a clear understanding of the power of the Bloodstones and just how to control it. This was but a test for future endeavours and would provide hours of entertainment until than. The high crystal windows that decorated the death room filled the it with a glittering light that swayed under the glow of the chandelier. The wax of the candles dripped against the black, metal frame. The creaking chains that held the light source high above the warriors was dulled out by the voracious roaring of the purple menace. Lord King watched from behind one of the crystal windows. With a glass of wine in hand and legs crossed he watched the spectacle, knowing just how jealous Lord Knight would be to miss the bloodbath. Behemoth were among the most violent and feral of beasts. Gnashing fangs and raking claws gave the monster a formidable presence. Rippling muscles mobilized the massive creature and allowed it to charge forward in an attempt to impale its enemies. Behemoths were fiercely territorial and were known to kill anything to get too close. The beast would miss thanks to Noctis’ quick footwork and run head first into one of the walls, shattering the marble pillars that held the room up. More debris flew into the air as bodies moved around the compact room trying to keep from being shish-kabobs at the end of the monster’s horns. When it could not gore its enemies the mighty beast would stand and look to swipe at Noctis.
All the the young thief had to corral the armor, which was no small feat. The Gold Armor was light and tireless thanks to it not being the least bit human. Violent slashes met with ground as the thief expertly dodged his opponent, but it was not long before the thief slipped backwards and lost his footing. The mighty golden blade came down upon the thief, only for the Pluto captain’s blade to meet the Golden one. The weapons screamed against one another as sparks flew. The Captain’s blade came down onto the armor, rattling it to its core. They had a chance! Zidane kicked to his feet and charged, body pushing through the air in a dash so he could hone in on his enemy.
“Noctis!” Zidane called to his ally’s attention. As soon as the thief was close enough he ran forward toward the stunned armor and wrapped his tail around its leg before pulling it out from under the armor.
The rogue jumped and kicked the golden golem’s side sending it toward the Behemoth with enough force to knock into its side and send both beast and armor into the opposite wall. The thief snapped together his daggers and spun them in the air as they combined into his Thief’s Blades. It would be up to Noctis to finish the pair off. The behemoth had been knocked to its side and the heavy, muscle bound beast was not going to have the easiest time rolling back onto his paws.
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: You know gold armor is vulnerable to magic? ►SKILLS USED: Air Dash, Slingshot CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2014 5:36:17 GMT -5
The mercenaries had indeed caught up to the floating fortress of legend. The large creatures that bore these coin fed men were able to dig thick claws into the land that held such a place up as it continued its retreat into the sky. Within a matter of seconds, the fortress of dreams and those that dared to challenge it was swept into the thick cotton like clouds above and vanished from view. The tale of what transpired between the fortress and those men was left only for gods to observe. As the floating city and the men disappeared into the clouds, Lord King would watch the scene with eyes gleaming with greed. He wanted so badly to have everything and that fortress the goddess had so selfishly kept to herself would be giving him the power and riches to gain exactly that. The struggles to get to this point had indeed been hard, the elusive floating fortress thought to be only a dream to most who did not believe that such things could exist. A floating land of vast riches and the most powerful technologies known to man. A war machine and palace that had no limits to where it could go. It held many secrets that were said to give one the ability to truly become a god if those secrets could be cracked opened and their precious content revealed. The rumors of the place spread, but thanks to the lack of evidence of such a place and the far-fetched tales of those who claim to have seen with their own eyes this floating jewel, the Fortress of the Sky was deemed to be a myth and nothing more, but to Lord King it was very real. His father and his grandfather had both seen and tried to gain this precious treasure for themselves, but their lack of strength had caused them to fall and in turn look like delusional fools chasing a fairytale. The pair had documented quite a bit about their findings, but thanks to the cryptic way the information was written, nothing useful was gained from the books. No proof, no clues. Nothing. All of it useless writings of madmen. The dream…no the obsession, was only able to become real in depictions of this mythological place painted across expensive vase and rare paintings that the King line had collected over time. The pictures to some represented a dream never to be fulfilled, but to Lord King it was a reminder of what sort of shoes he had to fill. His father and grandfather had tried to prove the world wrong by bring back proof of such a world, but Lord King was not kind hearted or foolish like his ancestors. No, he was much more malicious than that. He didn’t want to show proof of such a world’s existence. No, what he wanted was to show its power and superiority to a world that was being led blindly by fake shepherds and idle fools who were content let the idiot shepherds rule the world. The shepherds’ lack of experience and strength would lead the world to ruin and the idleness of their blinded allies would only quicken this process. So to fix such a hienous crime against the children of Gaia, a devil would need to take over to reveal to the blind sheep just how unfit women and old fools were to rule the world. With his fortress in hand and his kingdom built there would be nothing in Gaia that could stop him from doing as he pleased. With an iron fist and fear, he would not only save his family’s name from the those that dared to speak ill of them behind their backs, but he would save Gaia from its doom. With him in charge the world would be right again. If….If he got his prize. If’s. Lord King did not like if’s. If’s meant there was a chance of losing and Lord King never lost. He knew the fortress would fight back and so his mercenaries while trained well would more than likely not stand a chance against the fortress’s defenses. Like the men he sent before, it would only be a matter of time before they joined the dead also. He couldn’t rely on them to win. No, the Lord had to take another sort of step to ensure victory. So when the devil was tired of watching the clouds, he went back into his manor and headed to the deepest part of his home where he took up pen and paper and begin to write an offer to a demon that could indeed ensure his victory. Being a devil, the man did not trust demons as these sort of coin hunters ran off their own rules. Still a demon would be the perfect way to finding what he sought once more. After all much like mercenaries, demons were always after the reward. The only difference was one could not buy the loyalty of a demon and so one never knew if the demon would stick with the bargain or ignore it completely in turn for something else; however, this fact was of little concern to Lord King who kept writing with a smirk upon his face. He would bring the demon to Gaia and use it to get to the treasure. The only thing he had to worry about in the end was making sure he had a plan to overcome the demon should it turn and try to claim his prize for itself or another. Oh yes…in the end Lord King always got what he deserved and as he finished that letter and sent it off, there was no doubt in the vicious king’s mind that this time would be no different. With his work done for now, the tired Lord collected another glass of wine as he made his way towards the halls that overlooked his Temple to Death. Inside the thief, knight, and child should still be fighting the armor and the behemoth. While the behemoth was only added fun, it was truly the armor that the Lord was concentrating on. After all, this little dance would reveal much about the Bloodstones and how to control them to the man. He was certain he would probably lose one stone, but that sacrifice was necessary to his plan ahead and would not harm the devil much. For you see, Lord King had secrets...dark ones that even those who thought they knew him didn’t know about. Content about the future, Lord King finished his walk to the viewing room and pulled a chair up to one of the tall crystal like windows and sat down to watch the battle continue below. ** The room shook after the behemoth had slammed its horned head into the wall of the room when it was taken off of its straight line course towards Zidane and Steiner by Noctis quick reaction to the charge. As marble pillars cracked and shattered and dust filled the room, the chandlier that illuminated the room shuttered under the quake that had made its way up the wall. Statues of the dead crumbled and clunked to the ground as the large beast backed up and pulled its head from the wall. It shook off the debris that had fallen upon it and the creature did not seem to care or notice how a spear from one of the statues protruded from its face. With a growl, it would turn to face the one who had ruined its attack and begin to stalk its way over to the offender. In a show of power and rage, the large beast would stand up on its hind legs and roar as its tail lashed the air violently to keep the large frame vertical as the creature glared down at its opponent. Taking a step forward, the creature made its swipe at the prince who quickly tried to avoid such a blow, but thanks to his bad leg stumbled a bit in his grace. Yes, Noctis got away from the first strike, the wind of the powerful swing tugging at his clothing as it went by and missed him by inches; however, the behemoth’s follow up swing was not so easily avoided. As his still recovering leg caused him to stumble as he rolled upon his feet after his dodge, Noctis heard the heavy step the behemoth took and knew without a doubt that it was attacking again. Turning slightly to quickly gauge what sort of attack he was dealing with Noctis let himself fall to the floor as a heavy swipe was aimed at his head. The blow swept over him, but the behemoth was quick as it fell back on all fours and attempted to swipe at the prince’s exposed back. Noctis tried to roll, but the strike was too fast. Noctis felt the pain of claws ripping mainly into the left side of his back as the swipe found its mark; however, he had no time to worry about that as the behemoths mouth came forward and managed to grab his sword arm when he tried to get away. “Ah!” was all the prince was able to let out before his sword was falling out his hands and clattering to the ground as the creature who had him yanked him from its colossal form and slung him in the direction of the alter. Like a doll, Noctis flew through the air before crashing painfully into the alter that rested at the top of the stairs. With a clatter and sound of groaning wood, articles were tossed from the alter as candles wobbled dangerously on the cloth, but thankfully did not fall their melted wax strong enough to hold them down. With pain riddling him from all sides, Noctis forced himself from the floor as he shook his head to quickly clear it…only to look up and see the behemoth charging towards him. Gritting his teeth, Noctis got to his feet swaying a bit unsteadily at first as he held his injured arm. Taking a breath, Noctis blocked out his pain as he instead concentrated on using a spell against the beast. Sure, he typically used his sword to orchestrate his magic, but it was not a key component to casting and besides the behemoth would bowl him over before he could even summon his sword back to his hand and a shield would prove useless against the might of such a creature, especially when backed into a corner. A spell was the only --- “GRRRRRRR!!!” the behemoth was roaring in distress as it was smacked by the golden armor that had suddenly been flung its way. A bit confused, Noctis watched as the heavy armor took down the large beast causing it to crash with a thud to its side as it slid a bit on the marble floor. Blinking it took a second for Noctis to realize that it had been Zidane and Steiner that had saved him from the charging beast. He wasn’t sure how, but somehow the pair had somehow managed to unbalance the armor and knock it into the beast! Clever and impressive, but nothing to relish about now. Here was Noctis chance to bring the cursed armor and the beast down! As if reading his mind, Noctis heard Zidane call out his name as he blocked out pain once more as his arm was lifted and he summoned the energy to use Thunder. As the air above became charged with energy, Noctis brought his arm down causing a bolt of lightning to rush from the darkened ceiling and come crashing down upon the golden armor who had gotten to its feet and thus became the tallest point between the squirming behemoth on the floor and itself. As the lightning struck the armor, the creature’s body began to jerk causing it to lose the sword and shield it was carrying as it stumbled into the behemoth again. As electrified metal hit the beast, the behemoth let out of roar of pain as it was suddenly becoming part of the electrical circuit that held the armor and now the beast captive in its painful web. Not waiting to see if either could recover quickly, Noctis took a step forward before becoming a ghostly mist that traveled from his spot by the alter to the place where his down sword was. As he reappeared, he scooped up his sword in his hand as he turned upon the stunned armor. With all of the might he could muster, Noctis moved forward and thrust his blade right in the center of that armor’s chest where the red stone glowed brightly. With the a loud cracking sound the blood red stone cracked and then shattered causing the menance that was the armor to collapse in a useless pile of charred metal as the stone’s magic was taken away from it. There was a display of lights that signalled souls leaving the area, but Noctis was not concerned about that as he took a few steps back from the behemoth who was now upon its feet once more. As the injured creature turned to face them, it looked like it was going to attack when it unexpectedly tilted its head as if it heard something. Being still for a while, the behemoth eventually let out a rumble that could be taken as disappointment as its head bowed and it retreated out of the room via the window it had used to get in. “Now what caused it to do that?” Steiner whispered as stunned as any at the vicious behemoth’s behavior; however, Noctis’s shock did not last long as he turned quietly to look up at the window the behemoth’s head had been pointed towards when it had halted. There in one of those crystal windows a figure was standing from a chair clutching something in hand. The odd design of the windows made it hard to tell exactly all of the details of the figure or the item in hand, but Noctis didn’t need to see all that to know exactly who it was that was at the window watching them. “Lord King,” Noctis said his voice low and cold as he glared up at the figure. Not wanting to believe him, Steiner quickly glanced at the window that Noctis was looking up at to see for himself if what Noctis said was true. As soon as the older man’s eyes fell on the figure that was now seemed to be looking dead at them as it lingered in the window, the knight became still for a second before he was speaking. “So Lord King has become bored of us and decided to be generous enough to call off his pet,” Steiner said coldly. “Hmph! Well, he just wait until we get to him. We’ll see how high and mighty he feels when he is brought down off that power horse of his.”
The knight muttered the words bitterly before shaking his head and looking back at Noctis and Zidane. “However, I’ll beat the life out of him after we get out of this. Alright, let’s patch up and get out of this place before we lose this chance. Since you’re bleeding let’s start with you,” Steiner said as he became the commander he was once again. Noctis continued to stare up at the figure in the window quietly for a moment, but then blinking the figure vanished. With an inward sigh, Noctis nodded lightly before turning his attention to his allies. “Right,” he agreed softly with the plan before falling silent and allowed his injuries to be worked upon. As soon as he was patched up, his attention and Steiner’s turned to Zidane next. ** While all this chaos unfolded on Gaia, a messenger would take Lord King’s letter to the moogles that ran the mail service; however, the little moogle that was sent on the mission to find whoever this “demon” was and deliver said letter to it quickly found itself quite frustrated as it searched Gaia high and low for a thing that did not seem to exist. So sitting alone on the island that was said to be where all chocobos came to go to a paradise, the white moggle sat on the shore of the island with its wings folded and its pompom bowed in defeat. How was it to successful deliver a letter to something that did not exist? Was this letter's supposed demon even real? Or was it just a trick by whoever Devil was who had sent the letter in the first place? Sighing again, the small moogle opened its messenger bag and pulled out the vague letter and looked at it with open hostility. “I don’t get paid enough to play games with you,” the moogle said angrily before it got to its feet and then using all of its might it tossed the letter towards the ocean with the intent of watching it sink; however, as soon as the letter hit the water and indeed began to sink, the moogle immediately felt guilty for its act and so in a panic it had tried to save the letter from its watery grave; however, the letter’s sinking was quick and all to soon the envolope had vanished under moody waves. “Oh no!” the moogle cried as it pulled on its little ears in distress. Surely, her boss would fire her for this blunder, unless by some miracle she was able to fish the letter out of the sea; however, as dark eyes met the dark blue of the ocean, the mail moogle had to wonder if that was even possible. Wouldn’t the letter be destroyed by now? “Oooh!” the moogle groaned as she flitted above the waves trying to figure out what sort of lie she could tell to keep herself from being fired. As the moggle did this, the letter that was thought to have sunk into the ocean and to its doom was actually swept away by a dark corridor that had opened on the ocean surface as the moogle threw the letter away. The dark corridor was blue in coloration making it easy for it to blend in with the ocean as the messenger that resided inbetween all worlds began to collect the letters and items that were meant for people that could not be found by normal means. As the letter fell into the messenger’s bony hands and the collector read who the letter should go to, the creature lazily tore open a second portal in the darkness and tossed the letter into a world of sand. As the letter was tossed into this world of sand, the hot desert breeze tossed it along the wind currents until with a light snick it landed at the feet of a cloaked figure that had paused to look at a map as it traveled. Sensitive cat like ears twitched under the hood the figure wore as they picked up the unnatural sound of something hitting the sandy earth and so curiously, the map holder moved the map to look at the ground where the sound had come from. Crimson eyes would land on the slightly smudged white envelop buried slightly in the sands at its feet as a small black fox head peeked out of the hood to the left of its owner face also eying the envelop. From the right side of the figure, a white fox would poke her head from under the shifting cloths she hide under to protect herself from the sun; however, as the white fox saw the envelope, she would come out of her hiding spot to sniff and examine the letter. There was a ruffling of paper before the clawed hand of her owner reached down to pluck the envelop from its resting spot. Holding the envelop by its corner, the strange figure stuffed the map it was using into the pack at its back before was moving the now free hand to grasp the other corner of the envelop. Holding it out before it, the figure would read the odd writing upon the envelop that simply read: “From the Devil to the Demon”, in neat cursive letters. Not recognizing the writing, the figure’s eyes traveled to the familiar burn marks in the corner of the letter that let it know the Messenger in Between Worlds had sent this…meaning it was free game to those of the mercenary world and he just so luckily had been picked as the winner of chance this time. With no more fear that this letter had been lost, the cat like mercenary opened the envelop and after reading the short message inside, the mercenary flicked its tail as a smirk appeared on its lips. Folding the letter back up and sticking it in its pouch, the mercenary pulled its map out once more and flipped it to the opposite side that revealed a complicated yet useful map of the layout of the worlds it had been to. Finding Gaia on the map, the mercenary nodded as he recoginized the world as the place he had met Zidane and in turn had vanished from the place mid-quest when the darkness took him. The event had indeed ruffled the mercenary's feathers as he really had wanted to complete the job; however, he had sent that kid to aid the guy, so if all went well then Zidane would be fine and maybe he would encounter his ally again. He hoped he could meet the guy again and perhaps make up for the failure before by working with him on this new task. After all, could anyone really turn away an offer of treasure beyond their imagination and the chance to find a fortress that was worth even more than the gil being offered? No, he thought not. Still, before all that fun could be had he needed to meet the Devil that had successfully caught his interest with such a tasty offer. But the question was would it be gil or something else that would drive this particular “demon” forward? And would the Devil be able to keep him on his team? ____________________________ ►TAGS: Tag! You’re it Zidane! ►NOTES: And so the plot slides into something new…. ► Action Used: Noctis used:Thunder: Cooldown: 1 Teleport: 2 posts Steiner used:Armor break: 1 post
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2014 1:01:28 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
The event, as a whole, was a very noisy affair. When the armor crashed into the behemoth it did so with enough force to rattle the collective metal monster against ground and beast as the pair collided. The behemoth let out a monstrous bellow that rumbled deep. Its claws lashed across the marble ground scraping and gnashing the surface as the mighty talons bore into the stone with frightening ease. As the purple beast struggled the armor shook and tried to reconstitute its form, held together by magic. A mighty bolt of lightning crackled through the air before the arc of electricity struck the armor and sent it into a fitful seizure. The flow of the magic that kept the golden golem together was disrupted by the sudden surge of lightning that now coursed through its form, and now through the behemoth. The young Genome dropped to a his right knee using his thief’s sword to barely prop himself up. His free hand came to rest upon his left knee as he looked up, panting from the exertion. A few scrapes and bruises and a really sore shoulder were all that plagued the thief for the moment. He had already healed from his earlier bout of poison. He was pretty resilient, and quite the stubborn ass. Pushing to stand he shook out his hair and raised his head high. Even after getting tossed around like a doll and running for his life from the cleaving blade the thief would remain a shining example of youth, ever the jovial prince of rogues. His head turned up, following the gaze of his two companions only to see as the Lord King’s figure slinked away from the scene of the crime, so to speak. He recognized that cowardly shadow anywhere. It was not long ago that the rogue had found himself a rat in the meister’s maze, zig zagging through traps and slung upside down like a piece of meat.
He looked over to Noctis who seemed to have the worse deal between the three of them. Though Steiner had a full set of plate armor and the rouge himself managed to pace around the golem with ease the young Prince did not appear to have either archetype of skill at his disposal. The thief suspected it was due to the injury on his leg, he may have received it during their bout with the cursed Captain of Greed at the Alexandrian Harbor. Zidane was the sort to pay careful attention to detail. Little slipped the brigand’s observant eyes and sticky fingers. He wanted to speak up when he first notices the pain his alley tried to bear, but Noctis always seemed to carry an air of pride to him that much reminded him of one of his friends. The friend was a warrior to with a peculiar sense of honor and justice, and a foul mood that easily matched a Behemoth with a thorn in its paw. Zidane unlocked his blades and placed them back in his sheath. He looked to Noctis and smiled, but it was not a smile that the thief was known for. It was one full of worry. Few knew of the cruelty Lord King was known for, and even less lived to tell the tale. In fact Zidane was one of the only to have escape the monster's fiendish agendas.
With the fight over the Behemoth would pad away, exiting from whence it came. Its heavy frame would crawl over the debris, tail dangerously lashing behind. Steiner worked on tending Noctis' wounds while Zidane made his way to the center of the room. Something was off. He looked up toward the chandelier, eyes narrowing in question as he sought to focus on the darker areas. There was a strange and familiar feeling he took from the, almost eerie, movements of the flickering candles. Though Lord King's home was nothing like that castle, brimming with darkness, Zidane couldn't help but feel a weight on his chest.
"Zidane!" The thunderous call of Steiner's voice startles the thief from his thoughts.
Whatever was there made a speedy getaway into the darkness.
Zidane brushed the back of his head and looked to the older knight. "Man, you're always so loud." He smirked.
After patching up their respective injuries the remaining Pluto Knights escorted some of the men apprehended in the manor. A great number of these guards and workers were wanted thugs with prices in their heads in Treno. Seeing as a certain Salamander's bounty was overturned by a generous Queen, it left the thugs with the struggle of hiding from one another. The thief would make his way out into the cool Treno night. His blue eyes turned to the night sky as a deep sigh escaped his chest. The evening chill snaked up his bare arms, forcing goosebumps the raise on the surface. He crossed his arms to try and keep himself warm by rubbing his gloved hands over his skin. There it was again, that feeling! And it was then the rouge saw a glimpse of it! Something high in the sky cut through the dense clouds overhead. He recognized that! Zidane took off running, nearly hitting the ground as he stumbled through the Pluto Knights who paraded the crooks out into the streets and sorted the armor to be shipped back to Alexandria with what remained of the Pluto regimen.
The golden armor was confiscated to pay for the grievances of injured soldiers. But, what they could not recover were the pieces of the stone. They had mysteriously vanished. The captain of the knights called out to Zidane, furious that boy never seemed to run out of energy or be still! The battle had been strenuous and he knew, he knew that Zidane did not know when to simply be done. He could be so infuriating, but he had long come to accept it was simply the Genome's way. Still, he could not help but worry... Steiner stamped his armored foot against the ground as he shouted after the tailed hero.
"Where do you think you are going!?" The captain hollered.
Zidane gave a bright grin before running off toward Lord Bishop's Tower and waving his hand. Behind him. "I'll head back home soon..." It was okay he called the castle home too, right? After all that was where his heart was...
Right now there was something he had to make sure of, "Later Rusty! Noctis, let's go!" He couldn't leave the kid to the Pluto Knight's interrogations on his own now!
While this occurred outside the manor inside Lord King spoke to soldiers, explaining he was unaware of their criminal activities as he never left the manor due to a weak constitution. Though the lies obviously spilled from His mouth, there was little they could do to an noble of their own territory. He had every right to boonie trap his own home. And I'd words against the noble of his treatment of the boys, the very rivalry he reveled in with his toy, was given as excuse to his actions.
"The little monkey always comes here to try and steal from me, I naturally assumed the lad was with him as well..." Come hither to my parlour fly....
Zidane races to the top of Doctor Tot's tower. The old doctor had been reading an old book. Since the two boys had come to visit and made mention of the stones he went about researching the and their uses. So far the stone's basis or used was with magic, but the amount of magic was too wasteful and a living creature would be driven mad by them, as far as the books read... Suddenly the thief rushed passed the doc and squirreled up to his globe observatory. Tot looked up to the speedy boy as he launched himself to the clear top of the globe.
"My, I did not expect you back." Even if he did ask Noctis to stop by for a visit, his mind was on the other situation occur in before him. "You seem troubled... or mostly so." As was given the case of the thief's awkward position.
Zidane clenched his hands into fists as he didn't catch it in time... Was that Chocobo's Air Garden? It never comes this low, nor this far inland. What was going on? Well, at least he could head home now, but what about Noctis? Zidane wasn't stupid. By now he could tell Noctis was not from this world. So how was he planning to get home. Maybe that knowledge was hidden somewhere among. These sorts of stories are supposed to have a happy ending. Where was his? He stayed looking skyward. The stars sparkled through the parting clouds. Zidane raised his hand and pointed to the stars.
"Is it out there?" Zidane wanted to be sure.
It doesn't matter if you were man or beast: living to the fullest or die trying!
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: Standing there, looking to the stars, the boy looked like his brother, dressed in red... ►SKILLS USED: n/a CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 23:14:13 GMT -5
Noctis body remained tensed as the adrenaline of the battle beforehand began to drain out of him leaving him feeling heavy and sore from the pain that throbbed from the wounds given to him by the Behemoth; however, despite injuries, Noctis managed to block that all out as he felt the eyes of someone hidden watching them from above. On instinct, he had turned to look upward at the source of the feeling and found himself looking at a distorted shadow that lingered behind the high glass window above. Without needing to be told a name or anything else regarding that shadow, Noctis knew from the feeling he got that the owner of the shadow had to be Lord King himself. For several seconds, Noctis watched the shadow quietly as Etro shared a secret with him about the man and what he was about to do next. While Noctis could not make out all the details, he understood that whatever was going to happen next would not involve himself…and it would take Zidane and this man into a territory he rather not send his friend into alone. The thoughts made Noctis lips pull into a tight line as he watched the figure coldly for a moment until Steiner’s voice was cutting through the troubling thoughts that had cropped up thanks to vision. Staying quiet for a while longer, Noctis would eventually blink and speak as his eyes drifted over to Zidane and the older knight. It looked like he was first to get his wounds treated since unlike the other two he had not escaped heavier damage thanks to his injured leg messing up things here and there. Regardless of this, Noctis was submissive enough to the older knight as he moved to bandage him up. As the other worked, Zidane moved about the room first sheathing his blades before looking over to where Noctis was. As Noctis’s blue orbs met with the other man’s eyes, he saw the worried smile that the blonde gave him and in response he tried to give the other a reassuring one back despite the pain that was currently going through him as open wounds were dealt with. He wasn’t sure how convincing he was with the smile, but he didn’t want Zidane to worry about him. Sure, he was banged up, but that simply came with the sort of activities the prince choose to invest his time in. He would heal in time and be able to bounce back up on his feet as good as new once more. Whether this smile worked or not was unknown for shortly after the silent exchanged had been made, the blonde was moving towards the center of the room as the Behemoth thankful made its exit. With no one else in the room outside of the three of them, a quiet calm fell over the place and threatened to tempt Noctis to sleep. While it was true he was still in danger in King’s home, it was also true that he had not slept well in a while and unlike his friend who seemed to have endless amounts of energy, Noctis well of energy was quickly drying up, forcing him to run off of nerves and instincts rather than thought. The whole adventure was taxing upon him and with pain added to the game, maybe if they had stayed a bit longer in the silence, he would’ve dozed off even with Steiner still mending the wounds upon him. Noctis tried to keep his eyes opened and focus on Zidane who seemed to be in deep thought about something once again, but already the fatigue was winning and those blue orbs of his began to close; however, as Steiner finished tending his wounds the older man would decidedly yell Zidane’s name and in turn, this jolted the prince fully awake with a light jump. Swaying slightly from the startle, Noctis mentally shook himself awake as his eyes flickered between Zidane and Steiner as they spoke. The younger thief made a poke at the older knight who only grumbled moodily before moving to check on Zidane’s injures and upon finding anything serious mended them. The whole patching up progress took a while, so when the trio finally did leave the room that served as their battleground earlier, they exited to see the surviving Pluto Knights escorting some of the men within the manor towards its exit. While Noctis did not know what exactly got these rather rough looking men arrested, he supposed that being associated with Lord King and his hellish household was enough reason for anyone to be taken to the dungeon. Even the gold armor was taken into custody to pay for the men that were lost to Lord King’s home. As for the Devil himself, he was left alone. Somehow the snake managed to lie his way out of trouble and once more remain standing tall and proud, safe in his own domain that the Pluto Knights had no power in. Lord King let them all go without a fuss while somehow remaining calm and apologetic looking at the same time. Noctis remembered getting a brief glimpse of the tall man between the guards that surrounded and questioned him and he could’ve sworn that right before he had made out of the door, the man had looked over at him with the most sinister of grins. The look was brief. So brief that Noctis had to wonder if his mind was not playing tricks on him; however, trick or not, the glance was enough to send chills down the prince’s spine as he stepped out into the refreshing cool night air of Treno. Trying to relax, Noctis took in a breath of fresh air and let it out slowly; however whatever peace was gained from the brief action was quickly replaced by curiosity as he caught Zidane looking up at the sky. Puzzled, Noctis glanced up at the sky to catch what looked like a large mass of some sort moving through the clouds. The odd thing only showed itself briefly before it was sinking back into the clouds that drifted in the direction the mass was going. That floating mass…was that what Etro was showing him in the vision he gained when he had seen the shadow of Lord King? Noctis wasn’t quite sure and apparently he was given no time to think as his eyes were drawn to movement from Zidane. As his eyes leveled with the ground once more, the young prince saw the thief still looking up at the sky as he began to run through the crowd of knights and criminals. As soon as he started to run, Steiner started yelling at the blonde demanding to know where he was going. In response to the question, Zidane turned and gave the guy a grin before he was running off towards the tower in the distance. As he ran he waved goodbye to Steiner as he told the steaming older knight that he would return soon. Not pleased with such an answer, Steiner stamped his foot and looked like he was going to go after him and when Noctis slid passed him a few seconds after Zidane had called to him, the young prince wasn’t sure if the knight was going to scream or come after them with the face he was making as he stamped his feet in agitation and anger. Smiling lightly to himself and thanking the spirits above that Zidane had given him an easy out of having to deal with the knight on his own, Noctis had a feeling that as long as people like Steiner were around Zidane then perhaps even that vision he had seen earlier wouldn’t be able to harm the thief. Someone would always be there for his friend and as long as he kept his own faith in the other, then things would turn out okay even if he wasn’t around to see what happened when things fully unfolded. As he turned to focus on the path he was on, Noctis felt the earlier tension caused by the vision going down a bit as he followed slightly behind the quicker thief. They went back to the tower and climb to area where Doc Tot was. While Zidane ran in the room without losing his momentum, Noctis had slowed down as he reached the top of the stairs, his body no longer allowing him to keep up as it demanded rest from him. So obeying the prince walked up the last few steps just as Doc began to speak as he looked up from his book when Zidane went zipping by. Coming to a stop a respectful distance from the Doc, Noctis smiled lightly at the words. “Life wouldn’t be much fun if everything went according to what we excepted,” Noctis responded back in light tones that belied his fatigued state. To this Doc Tot turned to him slightly as he glanced over his thick glasses at the younger man. “Indeed it would be quite boring,” he responded in serious tones before giving a small smile of his own to show he too was capable of playing word games. Despite the small bout of fun that the pair had, things quickly became serious once again as Doc Tot looked over at Zidane who was now at the top of the large globe with hands clinched in fists as he stared up at the dark skies with an odd expression on his face. Upon seeing the look Doc Tot made a statement about the other’s condition, but instead of getting a response back the thief had remained silent for a second before he was lifting one hand and pointing towards the barely seen stars in the sky. As he pointed at those stars, both Doc Tot and Noctis followed the point with their eyes and reacted differently to what was said regarding those stars. Doc Tot frowned lightly as he snapped his book shut and tucked it under his left arm before he drifted a few steps forward. “There are many things out there, Zidane; however to answer your question, I would need a more specific example of what you inquiring about,” the older man said before falling silent to await an answer; however, the one who began speaking in response to the words was not Zidane, it was Noctis. As the young prince opened his mouth and began to speak the doctor turned slightly towards him as he listened to the words that were spoken. “Heh. So you’ve figured me out,” the prince began with a light sigh as he took a few steps towards the globe before pausing and looking up at the sky again. “Yeah. My home is somewhere out there and while I don’t know exactly how it will happen, I will someday end up back there. I can only hope that like this place it is still in one piece,” Noctis finished as he watched the stars twinkling above. “You come from another world entirely?” Doc Tot asked with a hint of shock in his voice, but not much suggesting to the prince that the older man had come to the conclusion long ago and like Zidane only wanted some confirmation that he was indeed an outsider. To his question, Noctis nodded.
“Yeah. An odd dark portal swallowed me up from another world and threw me here. I can’t explain why that happened it just did,” Noctis told the doctor honestly. The older man nodded lightly as a frown of thought crossed his face. “And that world you were taken from was not your own?” he asked. Noctis shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.” The old man nodded again before he was raising a hand to stroke his bearded chin. “I had heard rumor of people mysteriously vanishing all around Gaia via similar means as you said brought you here. I had thought the problem was Gaia’s alone, but if it you are here, then what is to say others have not been displaced too? This is highly disturbing,” the doctor said as his frown deepened even more. “Yeah…” Noctis said suddenly getting the feeling that he was going to become the subject of some deep studying if the conversation’s topic did not change soon. It was true he wanted to get home, but how he was going to do that was beyond him. He couldn’t rely on the dark portals and he no means of reaching those stars to search for a path back home on his own, so for the moment all he could do was try and figure out the problems before him. Problems…that reminded him… “Umm..I have a question that may seem a bit bizarre, but….” Noctis began a bit uneasily before taking a breath and finishing the sentence. “Do you know if land masses float around here?”
Doc who had been in deep thought glanced up at Noctis at this. “There are many tales of the Chocobo Sky Garden that supposedly float around Gaia; however, very few people have actually been able to get to the place. Why? Do you plan to help a Chocobo find its way to paradise?” the man asked with a light smile. Noctis shook his head not really understanding what the scholar was speaking of. “No. I am not interested doing that at the moment. Let me rephrase my question: Are there any flying fortress, castles, temples, or such in Gaia?” Noctis asked. Doc Tot looked at him curiously as he heard this. The older scholar was silent as he pondered the question and then quietly the man spoke. “None that are real I am afraid. There is a rumor of some sort of fortress castle that is said to hold mass amounts of wealth and power named Andromeda. Supposedly this fortress castle can fly where it pleases and become invisible at will. The one who controls the fortress is said to be a god or goddess; however, those foolish enough to chase such a tale have either perished or gone mad from not being able to prove it is real. Why do you ask?” Doc Tot asked as he tilted his head at the young man. Noctis shook his head at this as a sheepish smile appeared on his face. “I suppose my mind has begun to play tricks on me, but before we came here, I could’ve sworn some form of structure was floating across the night sky. Maybe it was this Air Garden you speak of for chocobos. Maybe it was nothing at all,” Noctis said with a shrug. “In any case, thanks for entertaining the odd thought.” Noctis said giving the guy what appeared to be an embarrassed chuckle for even bringing up what appeared to be a trivial matter…and Doc Tot, he ate the act right up as he smiled and shook his head claiming it was quite alright to question things and be curious. He said it was how one learned before he was going into some form of lecture regarding the importance of learning today. However, Noctis tuned him as his mind whirled. Confirmation…that is what he had now. The vision that Etro had shown had in it a fortress castle at the center of what looked like a city. A city that could float through the air. The place was embedded with treasure. In the middle of this floating impossibility was a figure wielding a staff that unleashed hot beams to scorch the area around it. Everywhere those beams landed a dead body could be found. The number of the dead in the vision was so high that Noctis had lost count as he desperately sought an end to the vision that was becoming more and more nightmarish as this odd fortress began to show its ugly underside hidden under treasure. In this death fortress there ran a figure that reminded him a lot of Zidane. The figure was avoiding traps as it made its way toward the center no doubt to stop the source of the killing or maybe to steal the valuable treasure located under that reaper’s feet. While one figure ran deeper into the fortress a second one entered. This figure was twisted and dark…a symbol for a greedy man like Lord King. Like the first figure, this one to had come to the fortress looking for something to fill its lust for power and things. This twisted being was an enemy of the first figure and sought to end the other along the way. The relationship between the pair almost mirrored the one that was hinted at when Noctis and Zidane had gone to face Lord King directly. The vision left a bad taste in Noctis’s mouth as he saw the two figures there as Zidane and the twisted man they had barely escaped. To make matters worse there was a third figure in that vision that seemed to be on no one’s side at all. So between the unknown figure and the evil one, Noctis had become worried for his friend and had only just relaxed when he reflected on the sort of friends that Zidane kept around him. He thought that maybe that vision was a result of his tired mind and that maybe Etro had cropped up because he had been around so much death as of late. He had hoped she hadn’t shown him anything. He had hoped none of it was real. That was why he had asked Doc Tot his question…he had wanted him to say what he spoke of was not real, but unfortunately tall-tales had confirmed that the vision and that place was real, but how could Noctis stay and help with the new issue? Could he even help at all? Etro was commanding him to leave and told him his friend would be safe; however, hearing these words coming from the death goddess herself only made Noctis’s insides twist with discomfort. He didn’t want to leave his friend with this, but Etro would not allow him to stay. Whether it was by his own accord or not, he knew she would take him away to do her bidding elsewhere…. A bit torn as to what to do, Noctis’s light chuckling ceased as he folded his arms and bowed his head in thought for a moment. ** Meanwhile back at Lord King’s manor, King had played the apology game with the knights until finally with nothing else to throw at him, but empty threats at their disposal the Pluto Knights and their loud Captain left the premises of his home leaving Lord King to silence once more. Watching the knights go, Lord King closed the door to his house before leaning upon it heavily. His annoyance with the guards was already being pushed aside as his mind whirled to next steps needed to be done to prepare for the hunt of the treasure he so desperately sought. Pushing off of the door, Lord King was on the edge of moving further in his manor when he noticed someone standing in the shadows of the study to his left. Thinking it was one of the servants, Lord King turned moody eyes to the servant who had dared to linger instead of help the others clean up the messes made from the previous fun; however, as those snake like eyes landed upon the figure, Lord King’s moodiness turned to cold defense as he looked the odd cloaked figure up and down. “Who are you and what are you doing in my home?” Lord King demanded quietly as he slowly folded his hands behind his back. He felt the back of his hand brush against the dagger that he kept hidden in his pants. Without saying a word, the figure shifted lightly before tossing a white envelop in Lord King’s direction. Raising an eyebrow at such disrespectful behavior, Lord King’s eyes would narrow at the figure who did not budge or flinch under the glare. Impressed someone would dare continue to hold their head high in his presence or even defy him by not fearing him, Lord King looked down at the envelope between them and understood instantly who this figure was. “Ah, so you are the demon that answered the Devil’s call,” Lord King said with a smirk upon his lips as his cold eyes drifted back up to the quiet figure. “But tell me how did you know it was me who you should report to?” “It does not take long to the find the Devil when one comes to a city full of demons only. All one has to do is listen. The demon with the loosest tongue always rats out the Devil’s whereabouts. Especially when said devil pays the demon well,” the figure, a male by the sounds of the voice, said in a semi-deep toneless voice as it continued to watch him. Lord King chuckled quite amused at how this stranger managed to get tongues wagging either with liquor or some other game. This demon knew what it wanted and did what was necessary to get exactly that. This demon was dangerous in a different fashion than the brutes because of this. This demon was intelligent and so would force Lord to play his card carefully, but perhaps material objects could keep this one chained to him until he had the thing which he sought. It would be a hard game as this particular demon would be hard to predict or please. Still, Lord King had to try. His treasure had to be secure. “Very good. I am pleased at what my letter has caught. Come. Let’s discuss the details in a more private room,” Lord King said with a grin before turning from the figure and began leading the other deeper into his mansion. Without a word or sound, the figure would follow seemingly already wrapped up in the idea of rewards….. _________________________________________________________________ ► TAGS: Zidane ~♪♫♪ ► NOTES: And so the red clothing of the boy reveals themselves to be blood. Blood that run freely through a phantom fortress of treasure and power where thieves, devils, and demons doth play under the goddess’s deadly gaze… ► Action Used: Noctis used:Thunder: Cooldown: Ready to use. Teleport: 1 post Steiner used:Armor break: Ready to use.
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 20:36:30 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
As Zidane stood, looking into the dark, starry skies, he could not help deliberate on the things he had seen up until now. The world became so small when one was enlightened on the truth that the great stars above were much more than the twinkling smiles of the gods. Not that the rogue had ever fully taken to heart the belief of a greater being, with an omniscient presence. Such a thing seemed utterly unfair with the amount of suffering he has seen in his short, few years alive. What god, or goddess ever would allow the pain of the creatures they gave life to? Perhaps that was why he never questioned the idea of a single Crystal granting spark to the sea of life. It was neither a greater, nor lesser, being.
It could be saved and it could be forgotten. In the end the Crystal was the comparable to the result of becoming a Hero or Human in the story of Joseph. It gave life to a painfully true sentiment. When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. Hero or Human have no bearing at all. Being born was such a simple-to-understand process, yet the act of living could be so terribly complex that it gives raise to a hundred answers for one question. The Crystal had a simple task: create life, yet it was such a complex system that it was hard to see from but one side of the looking glass.
Standing on top of the globe Zidane allowed his hands to come rest upon his hips. Behind him his tail slowly swayed as he listened to the pair speak of the legendary Air Garden. It was a treasure Zidane had never intended to fins, but a friend needed help so what choice did he have? But, now that he thought on it: how did the Air Garden stay up there? Was it perhaps too connected to Terra in some way? Much of the things on Terra had a peculiar way of working. What of that round guy was one of Terra's attempts at creating some sort of being similar to Ark? But then why would the Friendly Monsters know about it? Something wasn't right.
There was an cave behind where the round guy slept. Eiko said it was an Eidolon's cave. Was there some sort of treasure there that Lord King was after? If so that would mean he was after his friend's playground. It was not so much of a home than a place of peace and held memories for the pair. Zidane clenched his fist and pumped it in the air. He had an idea. Hopping down from his high perch the rogue would end up standing on level with Noctis and Doc Tot once again.
"Why don't we find wout!?" The thief reckoned. "Choco knows where the Air Garden is." It was just a matter of catching it in the right place and at the right time.
"W-what do you mean?" Tot was flustered by Zidane's proclamation.
The boy pounded his fist against his chest, grinning roguishly. "Leave it to me Doc!" The Genome motioned to the young Prince and took off running toward Treno's entrance.
Once outside the thief would select a handful of strong smelling greens from his satchel. Reaching into the air he would give a sharp whistle and call the energetic bird. While the thundering steps of the ratite drew nearer Zidane would dig around his pockets. Soon he pulled from his back pocket what looked to be a old, dried up pepper. But this pepper was pretty large, nearly as big as the gysahl greens. The Dead Pepper was held in his gloved hands tightly.
"This is our ticket to the skies above the clouds!" He proudly beamed as the golden bites piles into him from behind.
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►TAGS: Noctis~! ►NOTES: Sometiems fate has other things in store for you. ►SKILLS USED: N/A CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 17:02:21 GMT -5
Noctis and Doc Tot chatted while Zidane continued to watch the skies. It was hard to tell what the blonde thief was thinking as Noctis turned blue orbs to glance over at his friend after the short discussion of the floating fortress had ended. Silence filled the room as Noctis pondered what the vision meant for his friend. Pondered what those figures of greed and the unknown really meant. Pondered ways to convince Etro and Fate to let him stay a little longer in this world to help. He did not want to leave. Could not leave. If he did at this point in time, he felt that he would be betraying the friend he had made, a sin he could never fully wipe away. Sure, it would not be his fault if he was pulled away, but that was just it. It would still feel that way. Even when he knew that something else pulled him away, the guilt of it all would weigh upon him and the worry for his friend’s safety would threaten to crush him. The adventure they had just had was hard enough and almost cost both of them their lives and now the vision was suggesting an even grander adventure that Noctis was not calculated into? The thoughts were almost unbearable, but somehow the only distress the young prince showed was only in the way his lips pulled themselves into a thin line as he continued to think and observe Zidane. He needed to stay and see this through, but how? The thought flowed across his mind, but the prince did not have time to ponder it anymore as Zidane who had shifted his position on the globe, broke the silence and suggested that they go find out exactly what that floating object was. Involuntarily, Noctis’s jaw dropped opened as he felt his heart sink. No, no, no. This could not happen yet! He didn’t have a plan at hand and this was something he did not wish his friend to just run head long into; however, as he opened his mouth to protest, Doc Tot beat him the punch as he questioned what Zidane meant by what he said, but as usual Zidane told the elderly scholar to leave everything to him before jumping to ground level taking off like a roadrunner. “Z-Zidane, wait!” Noctis called as he moved to catch up with him; however, the nimble thief was quick as the young prince chased the other through the city, trying his hardest to stop him before he reached the exit; however, Zidane made it out of the gates and into the field and as Noctis moved to follow suit, a dark portal opened under the prince and swallowed him up. Too late! Was all Noctis could think as he fell into the darkness probably to get whisked away to another world or something. All he could do as he continued to sink was curse fate for what it had done to him and pray that Zidane would be okay in the end. ** While Zidane made it out into the field and called his bird as he pulled out the strange pepper, the light footstep that came up behind him was not the familiar ones of Noctis and the voice that spoke out in response to the other would be like hearing the song of a ghost. “Oh so you are going up too, Zidane?” the voice would ask in soft gentle tones. “Can we tag along?” If the blonde turned, he would spot a cloaked figured standing not too far away with a black fox peeking out from the shadows of the hood at the figure’s shoulders and a white fox sitting close near the cloaked figure’s right side. The cloaked figure itself was slightly hunched and watched Zidane with a smile that did not touch the crimson cat like eyes that seemed to glow from the shadows of the hood. While the physical things were different, the voice would be one Zidane could recognize if his memory served him well and even if he did not remember, the eyes that watched the blonde thief were semi-soft as if watching an old friend that had not been seen in a while. ________________________________________________ Tags: Woot! Made it! Finish it, Zidane! Notes: And so this story ends on the same note that it began with mercenary and thief together again. So what new story shall unfold now? NOCTIS HAS EXITED THE THREAD. DESHI HAS ENTERED FOR THE NEXT ROUND.
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Apr 26, 2024 21:03:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 16:51:44 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves Chocobo had come running when his dear master and friend gave him a call! When the ratite slid to a stop before crashing headlong into the rouge his head would turn toward the sharp, flavorful scent of the red pepper. It was not often he got such a delightful treat and was quick thrilled whenever he saw them. He pushed against Zidane excitedly, the thief pushing him back while pulling his pepper toting hand away from the snapping beak. The Genome laughed as he gave his energetic buddy a pat. " Glad to see you're OK!" He said cheerfully. " We're gunna go for a flight!" He exclaimed as he reached to to bird's back, preparing to mount the golden avian. Before he was able to climb onto his buddy's back, Noctis' shout wormed it's way into his hearing, but that in no way placed a halt to slowing his pace; it was not until a chilling sensation gripped his heart with a sudden feeling of dread. Looking back he would see neither hide nor hair of the willful prince. Instead, all that remained, was the flickering remnants of a dark portal. Zidane pushed off Choco, who had begun to warble out in panicked chirps, powerful wings flapping and kicking up blades of grass and plumes of dust. Terror had gripped the boy for a moment. Had those Heartless creatures reached his home? Was Noctis taken like Deshi, Rosa were? Would he make it he safe? Before he could fall into his self-blame, for not minding the Prince's cries another voice slipped from the darkness. It was a voice that was a mixture of unfamiliarity but warm remembrance. It had been not long ago before they had shared drinks together and hunted the self-proclaimed monster of gold. " Deshi!!" The personal nickname was offered in a bright shout, indicative of this creature named Zidane Tribal. There was not a day he was unhappy to see his friends alive and well. Though as he welcomed Deshi back with a bright smile, worry for Noctis creases his brow. Looking to Deshi he wanted to remain hopeful that one day he would find Noctis again, alive and well. In these twisting worlds one never knew who they would meet, or part with. One day the pair would be reunited. Zidane smiled. " Sure Deshi. Come on pal... We have to finish our adventure, right?" Patting Choco's back, the mercenary would find himself in for a ride to the Chocobo's Air Garden. Thread END |
►TAGS: x x x ►NOTES: A one way trip to Paradise. ►SKILLS USED: n/a CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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