Search and Destroy [C]

[kairikiller]

[Dawn will be skipping her turn due to lack of something to post with.]

Dusk's eyes turned to see as two people entered the huge throne room where he had awaited someone. It was about time! He chuckled lightly. "Eh, the hag's overgrown worms didn't kill ya? That kinda sucks...mostly for you, ya know?" Dusk brought together his hands, cracking his knuckles so loudly that the sound echoed through the room. "I was kinda hoping I'd get some action. But, eh, more ants? You two probably haven't hit puberty yet, huh, Squeakys? At least you'll die like men," Dusk taunted as he tilted his head until it was completely upside down, a chorus of cracking noises further echoing throughout until his head rectified itself.

And then, the siren song came. Well, it was more of a screech. Dusk looked around, his guard dropped. Who was it? That smell. It was there again. That sickening smell of impure waves. But, these waves were tainted with more than what they were before; these were tainted with anger.

The whole room was shaking violently. The ceiling would surely collapse upon the combatants in due time, so Dusk knew this battle wouldn't last long. The boys in front of him had such frail bodies compared to his; they wouldn't survive anything. So, he'd have to have his fun while he could...then he'd have to go hunt down the wretched siren who was causing such problems and getting in the way of his fun.

A support pillar within the room gave way and fanned downward. Dusk didn't even notice it as it fell down upon him. Horizontally, it crashed down upon him. But, the pillar didn't do anything to him except make him dirty as his body easily crushed through it by simply standing there. 5 seconds later, he ruffled the back of his head. "Ow," he said simply before looking at the pillar to his side. "That kinda hurt."

He chuckled again as he bent down, grabbed each side of the pillar and lifted it as if it was a baseball bat. The pillar was at least 100 feet long and 5 feet thick; obviously, it was a warning to his opponents of his unparalleled physical strength. Heck, a normal person wouldn't even be able to roll this thing if it was on the ground, but this was Dusk; a 8 foot giant of pure muscle. Dusk slowly moved his right leg back, getting into a batter's stance. "You baby boys ready to die as men?" he mocked, a short, but unsympathetic chuckle following.

[Renewed Gemini]

Nodding toward the newcomer's way, Gemini slightly chuckled at Dusk for calling him a man. He tried to hide his nervousness at both, the size of Dusk, and the the castle seeming like it was going to be torn down. But he knew that this was impossible due to the fact that this was Disney Castle, and held up not only by amazing foundation, but by tons of magic.

"I have some news for you, large one," Gemini said slowly. He began to change. His face grew into a black snout. His purple cloak melted into his body and turned black. His red eyes went into a yellow. Fangs grew out of his mouth as his hands and feet grew claws. Besides the thumbs and the fact that Gemini was on two feet, he had returned to his wolf-demon form.

"I am no regular man!" Gemini dropped onto all fours so that he could be faster. His longsword rested on his back as Gemini ran as fast as he could, his slender body dashing through the rubble of fallen debris. Once close enough, Gemini jumped from one fallen rock, to another, up into the air. Gemini unsheathed his sword and made an attempt at the narrow open area of Dusk's eye.

[yuber]

As the three stood facing at all ends, ready to commence the heated battle, a loud rumbling sound hit the room with extreme force. The walls shook violently yet the Replica remained on his feet still in his stance ready to dish it out, as some would say. Dusk's comment wasn't exactly amusing but he found a curt reply. "Seems we're not the only ones hitting puberty. Got a bad case of acne under that mask?" his voice cold and sarcastic. His head cocked to the left in an intimidating style yet it would hardly rub on a being like Dusk. His tall frame reminded him of Lexaeus, although they had never spoke he had seen him wondering the corridors of the Castle back when he was under the orders of 'him'.

Something broke the silence and did so with a high decibel rating. Watching with one eye only, the support pillar had given way to the tremors and began to cascade directly onto Dusk. Yet his stillness gave the impression it wasn't going to do much damage to someone like him. Indeed the white pristine pillar fell atop Dusk yet his frame ceased to buckle and left him only with a pile of dust on his shoulder. "This guy is a joke..." he spoke to himself once he commented about something. Perhaps he had better thoughts than to try this on, yet someone insisted that they begin the combat.

To his left his apparent ally had morphed into some sort of wolf. It perceived all the laws of physics in how his body mutated to fit the skin of a canine family member. Both eyes now on Dusk he new that the pair would have to work together to bring something like 'that' down. Replica Riku gave a sarcastic grin before he recoiled his left hand watching Gemini shoot off towards him. "I'd ask you the same question" directing it at Dusk. The glow intensified and swelled into dark blue flames encoiling his gloves left hand. Thrusting his palm outwards and towards the target, it followed Gemini with a quick movement.

Within a few seconds it had caught up to the amazingly fast transformed Gemini. Just before contact the flame spliced into 7 seperated although smaller flames. Homing in on their target they sweeped away from one another before all crashing into Dusk simultaneously. It wouldn't do much damage, yet the Replica wanted to see what this brute was actually capable of before closing in with the Soul Eater. "Let's hope he's on top form" he murmured to himself with that grin returning like a rash. He couldn't help but smile in times like this...so eventful and joyful. This is what he lived for.

[ophelia]

The seascape of black churning sludge continued to hone away at the small Warrior-made isle. Whittling away at the chunks of marble and tossing shrubs and other structures courtyard to and fro with barley a thought in edgewise.

Bursts of light and magic emitted from the midst enclosure were literally drowned or dampened by the tempest (to her ears at least), but noise was magnified tenfold and echoed painfully down at the bottom of the "ocean". The crumble and splash of falling debris was enough to make an earthquake like crescendo, but the added crunch of battle and murmur of shrill testosterone filled voices gave Ophelia a headache. They spilled out through the cracks and sunk to the bottom where she was situated, along with the bubbles of painfully heavy oxygen. It was even enough of a bother for her to look up and regain some of herself. The squall died down a bit, as some of focus entered her eyes again as she stuck a finger into her ear to twist.

BOOM!! As a column fell and was confiscated as a weapon.

Ouch. Loud.

She jerked to the side to avoid a large chunk of rock that seemed to be aiming to squish her. Woops! There went another one! She shook a fist up in the direction of the ceiling before swimming in a zigzag of swift motions to avoid the next avalanche of plaster.

Another. Ouch. That hunk broke a nail.

Both sides of water were being buffeted with conflicting currents and projectiles, a bit like her disoriented mood and location in space. She was shunted to the side and then to the other before yet again being smashed against the other wall and buoyed up by a single wave and tossed through an open crack in the column. Ophelia skidded across the open floor of the rectangular configuration containing Dusk, Roxas, and Gemini. Stopping about three feet with a wet slap and flat on her face.

[kairikiller]

[Dawn will be posting.

Roxas, technically, I should auto-kill you for godmodding. Your flames just can't automatically hit Dusk. But, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt.]



      Dusk's eyes focused in on Gemini. The child's body slowly misconstrued into a beast. What an ugly thing. The very sight of it made Dusk want to kill it instantly. These light-dwellers. Gross and imperfect creatures, they were. It was disgusting. That is why She was leading the warriors into war against the filth; to dispose of these wretches.

      It didn't matter though. "Here, boy!" Dusk taunted as Gem darted about, whistling in a fast, but rising and lowering sound. "Here, puppy!"

      And then, here Gemini came. Time slowed down to Dusk. His brain processed many answers to this situation and possible outcomes. To him, it seemed like 3 minutes of thinking in frozen time. But, in reality, it was less than a second. Dusk would dodge Gemini's stab and counter-attack with ease. As Gemini's blade cut through the air, Dusk began to spin his entire body. The blade slid across Dusk's glossy mask harmlessly. But, the giant pillar aimed at Gemini and approaching Gem's airborne body quickly wasn't going to be harmless...nor easy to dodge.

      Time seemed to slow down again to Dusk. Dusk's eyes focused in on the flames shooting forth. But, they weren't a big enough threat to pay much thought to. Dusk just finished up his spin. The broad pillar that may or may not have just smacked Gemini followed up and met with the flames (and Roxas if he is in range). Small chunks came out of the pillar from where the flames hit, but didn't even touch Dusk.

      Stomping his foot, Dusk stopped himself and thus found himself watching a body slip across the floor of the room. It wasn't one he had seen before. But, that smell flooded his nostrils. That sickening smell of water and oil. The impure wave-user. That she-devil would have to be disposed of quickly...

[darkriku]

Furiously, the Ravenous screamed in frustration. Where had its prey gone? Searching the castle shaped hedge, its long, twisting tongue couldn’t detect Xero anywhere. Hunger pains drove it to search once more every leaf that made up the garden decoration, but yet again, nothing. Testing the air, then the murky waters, it picked up the taste of several more meals, but opted for the one smelling more of death, the one its twin had already devoured. Belly flopping into the waters, it wiggled its way to its double, only to find that the other giant worm was unwilling to share. However, it stilled shared the other’s passion to feed once more.

Unfortunately, neither could detect any food items in the courtyard. They would have to move on. But to where? Back to their master? Or after the scent trails? Unanimously, the twins lunged forward towards the quivering castle, but stopped short of the large entrance. They couldn’t both enter at once. The Ravenous on the right snapped at its brother, forcing it away. It would be taking the main entrance in search of the fighters. The other, giving its counterpart a sharp hiss, crawled over the wall in search for another entrance.

Two random, but equally knocked out, guards laid defeated on the castle’s cold floor. Idiots! Fuming over being disturbed, Dawn kicked the closest to her before slowly making her way down the quaking hall. Fearful that the library might cave in on itself, the warrior decided to ‘check out’ two large books to avoid having to sift through piles of rubble later. Still, what was the idiot Dusk doing?! ‘Probably playing around, as always,’ she muttered unhappily, the two large books straining both skinny arms.

After a quick mental argument with her captive, the female warrior prepared to summon her toothy transportation until being irritatingly interrupted again. Yellow eyes glared at a nearby wall, shaking fiercely and sprouting cracks to expand between the various weak points being exploited. It didn’t take long before rock obstruction crumbled, allowing entrance to the hall for a great mass of shimmering white. Teeth glimmering and prehensile tongue waving like a beauty queen on parade, the bullied Ravenous squirmed through the small passage before coming to a complete stop before its master. Dawn merely gave the beast a barely acknowledgeable glance. “Good timing, here,” she ordered grumpily, passing the large manuscripts into the parasite’s clutching tongue. The long, powerful muscle obediently wrapped around the texts.

Hands free, save for her scale called back into her hand, it was time to be rid of pests that continued to follow them. Especially now that she knew of a particular secret being held somewhere within the palace’s depths. Hopefully she’d be able to find it, despite the looming threat of the castle falling to pieces. Of course, falling into ruin was really too good of a fate for this disgustingly, magically enchanted world. Really, the very atmosphere made her want to spit.

Back in the throne room, a loud screech announced the entrance of the first Ravenous, just in time to witness Dusk’s homerun swing of the giant column in his powerful grip. Its powerful sense of smell tasted the familiar hints of former prey items its master had ordered it to pursue. Most attractive though was the strong fishy scent that drifted through the large hall. Unfortunately for worm, there was another contender for the prize to be eaten. Itself. Smashing through the wall on the opposite side, in wiggled the second Ravenous, books in hand, or rather tongue, and master standing crossly on its slick back. While having missed the initial action, she had arrived just in time to witness the consequences of taking on her partner.

Idiots! Both the fools that continued to bother them, and her partner! “Quit playing around Dusk! We still have things to do,” she scolded before jumping down from her summon’s back. While she normally wouldn’t have bothered to unleash a technique of her own upon these weaklings, at least one of them here had managed to do a number on her summon. That, coupled with the fact that they had more pressing matters to attend to, left the warrior irritated and impatient. Holding her balance before her, Dawn concentrated on unleashing an unseen status upon the ones that dared to stupidly follow them into the castle. Starvation. Cast in a matter of seconds, the spell would take place instantly by starting at its lowest level of torture. Hunger Pains. A terrible ache would attack the three remaining fighters, assaulting their senses with a feeling of being physically famished and mentally enraged.

[yuber]

[Well, I guess god-modding is in the technicalities then. I didn't mean to come across that way in the post. I should have re-worded it and I apologize. Plus its Replica Riku, not Roxas who is fighting]

His flames neared Dusk but it seemed using his weapon, the former support structure, had stopped the smaller magic spell reaching its target. Flexing his left hand toward Dusk and Gemini, a crescent shaped barrier comprised of transparent hexagons formed in front of his ally and would provide him with protection from the large object. Although the barrier would most likely smash due to the impact it would save his life. "He owes me..." he thought mentally becoming aware that he was also in range of the attack. Eyes widening in mere surprise, the large pillar was now beneath him as he performed a somersault several meters into the air to avoid the marble like pillar. Casually landed back upon the floor, he let out a little smirk as his cloak shifted slightly after the stylish theatrics.

Craning his neck to the left, his cursed sword Soul Eater was raised upon Dusk once more. "Boys and their toys..." he mumbled to himself. Of course it was a reference to himself, his own toy was quite playfully being held in his right hand. No longer caring about Gemini, he put not blame on himself if anything were to happen to him for he had over-exerted himself before 'testing' an opponent. About to rush in for a quick combo upon the huge man, he found himself turning his head behind him. A fish type creature was on the floor...accompanied by one of the worms that had previously been in the courtyard. It was the deafening screech which had done that...how lovely it was to make an entrance.

Letting out a sigh, he murmured "I hate interuptions..." despite that Ophelia had been there a while. Turning his attention back to Dusk, he kept a keen sense of hearing to make sure that he wasn't surprised. Ensnared between Dusk, a worm and some random fish thing lying on the floor, he felt slightly vulnerable. Although it did not appear upon his face, he was actually starting to enjoy this little fight. Truthfully he had a keen idea that he would die or lose a limb or something like that. Not that he cared. Pain builds character, or so he thought anyway. Now it was time to actually do something but the question was which enemy to target.

Dusk did seem like the more powerful opponent but the newly involved work would find its way to the Replica and most likely deliver a terrible blow. Deciding on a last minute attack, he withdrew his right hand clutching the Soul Eater tightly. It eye was blinking at its master and began to resonate with a light blue aura. It spread to the whole blade becoming a bright shade giving off energy. Using his whole weight, he sliced the air in front of him and then thats where the attack would happen. That aura was drawn into the air into a shape of the letter 'O' and was now speeding towards Dusk with incredible speed. Having a very powerful momentum as well as a cutting effect sharper than diamonds, it would be no easy task to dodge or block even for Dusk.

Whatever this light disk touched would be sliced indefinitely and with a homing effect you could only relinquish your fate to the winds. Long range attacks weren't exactly his thing but he had no choice at the moment. If he got into a dead-lock of combo's and counters with either of his opponents then the other could quite easily sneak up and over-power him. This would effectively ensnare him and render him either dead or dying. Another screech filled the room which sounded further away than it had previously. Getting slightly agitated he clenched his left hand after withdrawing the blade back to his stance. "Will you shut up!" he roared in anger dark blue flames erupting from inside his palm.

Spinning on both feet clockwise, he thrust the hand forward with force and the flames detached themselves from his extremity and towards its target, once more with great speed. If this spell were to hit then the worm would find itself engulfed in dark flames for that was its nature. Plus being en-coated with bodily fluids, it would make the process much faster. Not to mention the explosion which would probably rip a huge chunk out from the worm. To his dismay the other twin had managed to find its way into the room through a crack in the wall. Its master was riding upon its back quite casually all powerful like yet he could sense that something wasn't quite right about it all.

He had believed it had been the other worm, which was the target of the Dark Firaga spell, who had made a most deafening noise. So the wild cards had been put in place and now the Replica, Gemini and some mermaid thing were up against all odds. It was probably a matter of time before they were all defeated or killed but either way the Replica wouldn't be careless. "This could be bad..." he muttered to himself now facing the worm as well as Dawn, his azure blank eyes gazing at her. She was the one who seemed stunned to see him like he was a ghost or something. Did she know who he really was? But it was only the Replica of her captor inside her head which was standing before them all. Now things would take a turn for the better...or the worse. A stomach pain hit him hard..."I'm hungry? I've just eaten?" suddenly he felt a little deprived and seriously starving. What the hell was going on...it must have been her.

[Thats devilishly long so I marked out bits in which applies to the worm, or Dusk. The worm is blue and Dusk is red.]

[Renewed Gemini]

Gemini was appalled. How did he miss!? HOW? This was it, his four lives flashed before his eyes. The pillar came closer and closer. He remembered the time he almost got into Kingdom Hearts...and failed. The pillar was almost there. The other time, when he was one with the Soulwraiths...he had everything, until they betrayed him....

BOOM

Gemini was barely hit by the pillar, but blasted to the wall and heard a cracking noise. He felt his abdomen. Broken rib. His healing factor would get to work on that immediately. Meanwhile, Dusk's back was to him, and Gemini could still walk. When he was hit, he transferred back to his human form, but that's not a problem.

Gemini stood up...it seemed to go in slow motion. Very quietly, he raised his sword and stabbed at Dusk's back, attempting to slide the sword down the back, opening it up. There was NO WAY Dusk could dodge this.

[ophelia]

The scent of the worm was even stronger. So strong she felt like the chunks of oozing flesh were sliming their way across the scales of her back and could here the faint slither as it moved hither and thither around and invisible. She wretched and roared scrambling to her feet. Everything around was so huge and Ophelia felt incomprehensibly small in comparison. Luckily she had every where to turn, because no one was focused on her in particular. Even as graceless as her entrance had been, it had at least not been an extremely outlandish one. And the source that she had followed had to be here some where right? A huge pulsating blob of dark magic was sure to be easy to find? She stuck her sharp nose into the air and sniffed hopefully, but then as she had barely begun her search she felt an angry glare of incomprehensible malice burning into her back. She turned around slowly with wide eyes and then sunk low to the ground hissing.

In the land of mermish smell-vision a vortex of swirling putrid purple power surged around the figure of a man like the teeth of a horrible monster. Pulsing in a way that seemed to be flowing through his body and at the same time perpetually eating itself. His searing glance only lingered on her for a second, but she assumed that was because his cold awareness was focused on his three attackers. Sparks of scent and technicolor magic flame burst in arabesques from two other smaller figures with purer enchantment signatures, blasting at the man-demon and from a wolf-boy that dogged and barreled recklessly it's way around to tear at the same fiend.

The fiend in question- she assumed, was probably what she had sensed. But with another sniff she realized with some surprise that it was not. Masked by the garish violet perfumed monster a subtle decaying undertone was present and mingling with the "ode-du-worm" musk. More feminine, more intelligent, and entirely more menacing. A little like the soft white face powder ladies of the upper crust often wore from the cradle to the grave…or a fine porcelain…Not as friendly as she has previously thought…

Ophelia slunk away behind a cluster of cracked marble, slowly as she dared, so as to not attract any un needed attention from the worms or Dusk. Trying to think fast about how to preserve her own liveliness. She jammed a webbed hand into her drenched coat and ripped out a long slightly jagged instrument that was rusty and grown over with barnacles and sea-weed. The swords blade was a tarnished silver-once and a large brass astrological looking watching watch was a-fixed to the hilt. She clenched in between her teeth preparing to scale the towering wall, but stopped and doubled over from a sudden gnawing agonizing hunger. Leaning heavily on the wall, she panted through the metal in her mouth and clutched her lower torso. Her eyes squeezed shut for only a few moments before she opened them and straightened up again. This new carnal desire for sustenance was no match for the normal hunger curled deeply in her belly. She was always starving and her temperament was filled with rage anyway, only now…she was more open to different kinds of delicacies…. Grilled worm sounded delicious at the moment…Her sword slipped quietly back into her jacket.

Ophelia then flung herself forward again, only for a different reason. Swinging up and down limberly as though she was doing an extra fluid hundred "touching her toes" she built up her momentum. Her broken bones only adding to her elasticity as she shifted her movements, left side was facing away from the wall. Suddenly with a crack of her collar bone she swung her upper body to the side in one quick jerk before wrenching it back in the other direction. Her green sheath of oil saturated hair swung upwards in a long graceful ark and flung all of it's contents into the air where it seemed to hang for a moment over the worms. Her hated wiggly enemies. The black pearly viscosity ungulated in space akin to dancing mercury, reflecting every hue of contagion like stars in the sky….before it lit up in a massive spectacular sizzling explosion.

A she had aimed for a stray spurt of Roxas's magical fire.

[darkriku]

Two horrible shrieks filled the chamber, seemingly shaking the very castle off its foundation. Like fresh fishing bait, the worms wriggled and thrashed madly about, their tails snapping a few columns in two; their teeth gnashing in agonizing pain. The stench of burning flesh wafted strongly into the air as hideous boils began to form on their backs. As horrible as the attack was, however, the creatures remained summoned to this plane of existence. Quickly they quelled their momentary fit of rage and pain. They weren’t defeated yet. It had been a noble idea to use their slime coats as a weakness, but the end result had only proven Replica’s theory wrong.

Furious and hungry, the Ravenous near the entrance threw itself forward- tongue outstretched and mouth open wide. To its delight, it would intercept the path of Gemini’s mad dash towards Dusk. Three rows of teeth attempted to clamp down upon the warrior’s shoulder and arm. Acidic fluids would pour into the newly created wounds as the parasite, like an excited puppy, would then give the swordsman a few good shakes back and forth before hurdling him back into the wall.

In simultaneous movement with its brother, the twin, after recovering but dropping its load of books haphazardly onto the floor, much to the irritation of its master, flung itself into the fray as well, but with a different target in mind. The powerful stench of decay, like a lure, enticed the Ravenous to turn upon the merling in a battle that was familiar between the species, and yet a new experience for them individually. Unlike its copy, however, its battle tactics would drastically differ. With a powerful jerk of is flexible body, the summon’s tail swept across the castle’s floor in an attempt to catch the sea creature in its momentum and hurl her into the air. Should it miss, another simple stroke of its tail would be sent her direction. However, should the mermaid find herself airborne, like a pet performing a trick, the Ravenous would whip around in an attempt to catch its treat mid-air.

Despite the pandemonium that now ravaged the throne room, a petite female figure, draped in dark garments and weighted cords coiled like snakes, glared with livid yellow eyes through the only openings of her blue, porcelain mask at the single figure that remained to have yet been attacked. Riku. Or so, that’s what this fake wanted her to think. In the chaotic moments that had transpired since her arrival and thus anxious glances at the cocky child that stood so proudly before them, wielding his little toy sword, a short conversation had taken place- one between her and her captive. His words had rung loudly in her mind, just as startled and surprised as she had initially been this replication’s appearance.

“How is it possible?! I thought I defeated him back at Castle Oblivion!”

Two simple sentences. And yet, that was all she had needed, along with another strong piece of evidence that had just recently made itself known, to confirm her suspicions. It was valued information; something that should have allowed her prisoner perhaps a moment’s rest from her sharp tongue. But that was not the case. He had quickly found himself again at the mercy of his captor’s nasty disposition, all too soon.

“I thought as much. Still, for a fake, he’s managed to last a lot longer than the original, hasn’t he?”

That had managed to shut the kid up fast. Heh. The mental image of him crawling to some dark corner of her mind and moping was enough to send a faint smile to her pale, thin lips.

“Well Dusk, the copy cat is all yours if you want him. It seems the other two are preoccupied,” Dawn piped up, her tone of voice sounding both bored and irritated, as typical. It seemed she was going to simply play the role of a bystander, for now at least. In all actuality however, she was just waiting and watching for the most opportunistic moment to strike.

[kairikiller]

      Dusk's eyes watched RR dance about. What an annoying boy. It was strange. This boy was not normal. He seemed to walk the line between Heartless and Nobodies and a Whole. But, at the same time, he was none of those things. An anomaly of queer proportions. It was even stranger how Dawn had reacted to this boy.

      This boy...

      "Riku...is that you?"

      No. No. No. No. No. No. No! That girl. She had returned to wrack his conscience. She seemed to come in and just talk randomly. Whenever she could get the chance, she came to annoy Dusk. Kairi. The girl he should have simply killed. He didn't need her strength. No. But, he was a pawn, he knew. A needed pawn. Kairi and Dusk; soul mates; destined to the same path.

      The ring that was going to cut Dusk in half was shooting forward now. Oncoming doom. But, rings were easily thrown off course. Disks in general were easily tossed aside. Fast, but easily tossed aside. Maybe "aside" isn't the proper word. Thrown "up" or "down" are the proper words. And, that is what Dusk did. His foot made a subtle tap. A circle of blood about 3 times the size of the ring appeared before Dusk. It was a very simple and placid pool, much like the one he used for teleportation. But, there wasn't to be any teleportation here. The second the ring got above the blood circle, a geyser of blood with intense force shot upward and smashed into the ceiling; the ring had been neutralized, causing small bits of ceiling to fall down.

      But, this wasn't only a way to block the attack; it was a diversion. The massive pillar spun forward through the fountain of blood and through the air, going to smash directly into the Replica Riku...maybe even take out Ophelia along the way...or Dawn/the worms accidentally.

[yuber]

All he could do was listen for the blood spurting directly behind him. Of course he knew exactly what had caused this little feat of bizzare nature. Spinning around quickly, he looked disgusted at all the blood spraying everywhere but what he saw next was slightly more disturbing. A flood of white color in the form of the pillar heading straight for the Replica in a spinning motion. Of course he couldn't think of anyone else behind him, he didn't actually care to much either but deciding on saving his own hide rather than using even more magic power to block such a massive object, he chose to evade.

Kicking hard of the ground, he leapt fro the very ceiling itself but towards the right to effectively but Dusk back into his sight once more. Feeling the wind rushing through his hair reminded him of his travels through the dark realm after being defeated by 'him'. How he hated that boy, the one he shared exact likliness with. Soaring through the air he heard the pillar hit the floor somewhere behind him but he had already begun his next offensive measure. Clenching his left fist, still holding the Soul Eater with his right, they erupted in dark flames once again. "I can't keep doing this...need to get closer" he thought mentally reminding himself.

Rotating laterally a full 360 degrees, thrusting his palm in the direction of the muscular frame of Dusk, the air combusted. A single sphere of dark blue flame ignited and sped with incredible speed towards Dusk' mid section. Upon contact, if it were to hit Dusk of course, the flame would explode in a one meter radius. Not only would it engulf his body once the target was hit, it had a unique homing ability which the Replica relied on alot. Being in mid air his accuracy wasn't exactly top notch but still that accesorized ability of tracking down would come extremely handy. Landing on both feet hard, he rolled to help his momentum before standing back up onto his feet. Such fluidity and grace was put into his evasive actions it looked as if it was pre-meditated. But of course he was just a stylish guy.

[Renewed Gemini]

((This is going to be very short))

Gemini screamed as he felt the teeth sink into his arm. He soon lost all feeling in his arm and as he tried to pull away, he left his arm and sword behind. He yelled a blood-curdling scream. His arm was cut off at the elbow. He couldn't leave the sword behind so he dodged for it and grabbed it with his right hand. Once he had it, he disappeared in a puff of mist. He hoped that the other one would understand.

Luckily, it wasn't a mortal wound, so once Gemini landed somewhere safe, it would begin regenerating.... The question is...where would he land?

((This marks the beginning of Gemini's plot "The Last Day" in case anyone's curious. ^-^))

[ophelia]

OT: Ugh..this is the most disgusting post ever....I'm going to go get some ginger ale...

In a blur of seared flesh a colossal tail struck Ophelia's side with the force of a speeding train. She never even had a chance to blink. All the wind was knocked out her lungs and replaced with the horrible stench of smoked worm. One of her legs buckled underneath the onslaught and bent sideways with a satisfying crunch.

Her mind of was a haze of pain and confusion, she had not seen the attack coming and had no clue to what it could be even as she was flying through the air except what her olfactory senses told her. That a worm was pushing against her stomach and propelling towards the opposite stone wall faster than her eyes could distinguish. Horrified to be in such close proximity with the boil-covered slimy skin her instinctual reflexes kicked in again in mid attack. Without thinking her teeth chomped down in defense deeply into the skin of the Dawn-Worm. Biting to survive was something mermaids often did in the wild to catch prey or fight for territory, but during this particular situation effectively let her ride the creature like a bucking bronco. Her teeth had formed a grasp as iron as any five fingered appendage. They were also the only thing that kept her rag-doll body from flying skyward.

But Ophelia realized half-way through her mouthful that this was the vilest thing she had ever dared to ingest in her short life-span. Venomous and possibly more lethal than anything even SHE was used to. As her teeth tugged and ripped through tough tissue she found herself with a mouthful of acid. It burned her gums and her lips horribly, even dissolving a few of her more corroded teeth. Apparently it wasn't safe to eat, and keeping it in her mouth would likely melt her head. Ophelia could already feel her jaw loosening and in panic her second mode of defense was activated.

Her hair, freed from the heavy burdensome oil in her previous attack, snaked out from all directions and wrapped itself around the full width of worm's fat belly. Like a dangerous tropical plant it grew and expanded twenty times it's original length, tangling itself around and around up and over the worm in a strangle hold. Infiltrating ever orifice and continuing to grow. Then choking down her bile Ophelia ripped her incisors from the monster along with the chunk of skin she had been chewing and gave an enormous swallow. (Deeming it unsafe to have any of her actual hide touching the thing.) Her scream was also swallowed the acid made its destructive path down her throat. She retched as it entered her stomach and her eyes bulged, clawed hands white and clutching fistfuls of her own hair.

Suddenly she spewed the concoction of the worms own deadly acid and her own equally corrosive stomach juices back onto the worm's sensitive pelt. She gasped in relief and lay limp, only attached to the worm by her head until more hair grew over her and her broken leg to bind her to the thrashing beast.

A rush of wind flew over a hair's width away from the bridge of her swaddled nose, she opened her eyes just in time to see the pillar soaring just over them.

[darkriku]

Again! It happened again! With a bitter sounding cross between a hiss and gurgle, the worm circled the spot that its prey had just occupied. Aside a strong scent and a small pool of blood, there was nothing left of the being it had between its teeth just moments ago. Already the forearm had been swallowed. Greedily, its snake like tongue dipped downwards and lapped into crimson fluid that stained the white floor. The loud cries of its brother went either unheard or ignored. In fact, everything went unnoticed, until the parasite found itself being thrown headfirst into the floor.

Unwanting of this new piercing and decoration of sorts, the other Ravenous shook in agitation of the mermaid now attached to his belly. It was maddening how close this food item was to being devoured, and yet things continued to grow more and more complicated. Frantically, the creature began to roll, twisting and turning as if it was dying, in an effort to crush or peel off the offending hairy mass that held the merling like a cocoon of sorts. A sudden burning pain however, sent the worm on another thrashing spree as mixed acids converged upon its open wound and further destroyed the sensitive area. The beast screamed in detest of such pains, until, like its twin, it found itself airborne via Dusk’s homerun swing. Catching it just perfectly under its head, the creature rose and fell with a loud, squishy ‘thunk,’ right onto its belly.

Both worms would groggily raise their ugly heads, unsure of what had just happened. But only after a few moments of confusion, the driving desire to feed once more took control, leading one parasite towards the other as it smelled the not so fresh scent of rotting fish and sewage. Unknowing of the wound to its fellow summon, with a loud gagging noise the worm spewed forth mouthfuls of acid onto the foreign mass of hair that was Ophelia’s nest. The reaction was instantaneous. Shrieking loudly, the Ravenous carrying both merling and injury bared its teeth and darted away, thinking its twin had turned on it. Likewise, thinking the other to be holding back food, the dubbed attacker took to chasing after its confused and fearful twin.


Too close. With a deep scowl on her face, Dawn glared yellow daggers at the elbow and back of the big oaf she now stared at. She had no other choice, unless you counted getting smacked by a giant pillar or teleporting into the middle of one of her pet’s battles a choice. Teeth bared behind her mask, the female of the group seethed enough hatred for everyone in the ruined chamber room to have second helpings. “Dusk, you imbecile!” she rasped out, hands clenched tight enough to draw some of her own putrid blood. The bitter drops fell to the floor and sizzled in protest as they ate away at the smooth marble. She had every right to be furious with the walking rug in front of her. Not only had he thrown off what was to be her next attack on Gemini, but the coward had escaped due to her not being able to step in! It was an insult that the Warrior took quite personally.

No more. She would not permit another living soul to exit this chamber. Her burning eyes darted to the form of the copy cat, a dark fire erupting from his hand as he spun through the air. Without a moment’s hesitation, the fragile looking woman brought her scales forward. The golden balances shifted slightly, a pathetic indication that something much more powerful was taking place. The flame would bear down upon Dusk, all in accordance to its master’s wishes. At only half a foot away, there was no doubt that both of them should meet a fiery death. That was until the flame came to a sudden halt mid-attack. Hovering in place for mere milliseconds, the magic that was dispelled from Replica Riku then veered off to the side until landing lightly into one of the small bowls that made up her balance. From there, the fire flickered out of existence.

Not wasting any time, Dawn concentrated on her newly acquired energy. Springing from the very shadow that connected itself to Replica’s feet, a pair of identical jaws formed, yawned widely, and quickly snapped closed in hopes of clamping down upon the tender flesh of the boy’s ankles and calves. Like bear traps, should they catch their prey, they would hold the boy in place, his very shadow chaining him to the hard floor.

“Let’s see you prance out of this one, brat!”