AWAKENING: Mora Vadnais [Closed]

[nascent]

(OOC: The purpose of this thread is as follows. Here I'll be working with Rocket on the essentials, and eventually perhaps the advanced aspects, of RPing. My intent is to work both on the combat and non-combat skills of RP.

Although the thread says 'Closed', if anyone wants to join and can provide a good reason why then I'll consider letting one or two others in. PM me if you're interested.

The training will take on two forms: guided, and free-form. If one of my posts has an Assignment listed down near the bottom, it will have instructions on what I want you to attempt in your next post - sometimes an Assignment will take more than one post to address, however. The Assignments will usually address some skill, either of writing or RPing, so do your best. If there's no Assignment listed, just write what you see fit.

Here we go!)

SETTING MUSIC: Dive Into the Heart

The wheels of fate begin to turn... the clock's hand nears midnight.

Your hour is near, but not yet.

There is still... so much to be done before dawn...

You awaken to an unsettling realization: you are falling, descending through a hazy darkness that seems to be all around you. Yet... not falling, exactly. More like floating downward, descending through the gloomy dark at a gradual pace. Even more unsettling, you realize that you don't have your weapon on you, and don't see it anywhere nearby either. After a while you become aware of a light below you and turn your head to see where it's coming from.

Below you is an immense pillar, covered in delicate-looking works of stained glass that shine warmly as if a light resided within the pillar itself. To your surprise, the art on top of the pillar depicts... you! Strange as it seems, the enormous stained-glass surface looks to be some manner of tribute to you, as surrounding your image are representations of those things which you value most.

Your gradual descent comes to a stop, your feet gently touching down onto the pillar. Despite looking like glass, the artistic rendering seems solid and not easily broken. How or why you came to be here, in this strange chiaroscuro-world of black skies and hallowed monoliths is unknown to you, yet as you look around you hear a voice whisper through the dark.

Your story has only just begun.

[[ASSIGNMENT: From your character's perspective, describe the events of her arrival into the Awakening. Try to use vivid details and "draw the reader in" to what's going on. Be sure to describe the stained glass image on the pillar, emphasizing those things your character values the most.]]

IMPORTANT CONCEPT:
An RPer's power is the same as a writer's power: the audience. Good writing is writing that gets a reader's attention; powerful writing is writing that keeps a reader's attention. Never forget that this relationship is the source of all your strength. Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

[Rocket!]

This... is new... thought Mora as her feet came down softly on the stained glass floor. And maybe not a good thing...

Well, falling from nothingness and landing in what looks to be literally the middle of nowhere is rarely a good thing.

With a raised eyebrow, Mora cast a glance upwards. And promptly made a face. Nothing but air, and some light from nowhere. Well, not getting out that way...

Looking back down, Mora shoved a lock of red hair out of her face as she looked over the monument.

Heh. Monument. The monolith-like structure certainly seemed to be just that...

At her feet was a vast, and surprisingly solid, depiction of Mora and some... acquaintances...

Hesitantly, Mora stepped forward toward the portrayals.

Taking up most of the space was Mora herself, to her surprise. In a very awesome pose that made her look like someone other than someone just forced into the school from the black beyond. It gave off a nice, faded, orange glow. Encircling it, in miniature circles, were...

...huh? Todd. That guy from 3rd grade, with the goofy smile and, erm, freckles. Weird... Mora hadn't seen hide nor tail of him since then. Well, he looked well enough here.

Grampa Forthright. Mora smiled at his picture. He was a nice old geezer, if a bit on the sentimental side. Always had her back, grey hair and balding or not. He doesn't smile enough, though.

Looking over behind her representation, Mora's face gave way to another scowl. Her parents. Sighing, she forced herself over to the opposing circles.

Hah!Both of them were frowning. Serves them right. ...or something. Mora scratched herself behind her ear. Well, they're nice enough people. Mean well, and all that. It's just... well, nothing important.

Both of the 'rents had their customary frowns stretching across their faces, and Ma'am had her glasses on. Never left home without 'em. And Sir was hard at work, trying to look important with his hand rubbing his chin again. Morons.

Eyebrows now thoroughly rubbing at each other, Mora pulled an about face. For all the expansive space, the pillar seemed to be the only object around. It certainly dominated the area pleasantly.

Not that she cared. "Alright Voice," Mora shouted back at the Voice from Who-Knows-Where, "howabout I get a defintion?

"What story?"

[nascent]

So young...

You have the entirety of worlds stretched out before you.

Don't hesitate.

A faintly shimmering ball of light now slowly emerged halfway between Mora and the pillar's edge, floating roughly a foot above the surface. As it hovered it seemed to emanate a sound, something akin to music but barely audible. In a row in front of it three items appeared in small flashes of white light. One was a small, old-fashioned looking six-shot revolver pistol, not unlike those brandished in the old west. Next to it sat a recurve crossbow, a small quiver of iron bolts laid out alongside it. Finally, on the far left sat a large blunderbuss, a large pouch filled with small iron balls seated passively atop the archaic wide-barreled shotgun.

You are the one who must write this tale.

Choose your scribe wisely.

The floating ball of light suddenly began to move away from the weapons and into the dark beyond the pillar, illuminating a long ramp-like passage of stained glass panels as it went. The light took a sharp turn, following the path as it ascended before finally coming to rest on another newly-revealed pillar in the distance.

The path you tread will not always be safe.

Don't be afraid. Inside you is a power that can overcome all.

Embrace it, and shape your destiny with your own hands.

[[ASSIGNMENT: All right, I think you're ready for your first training exercise. This is meant to test both your own creativity and your character's adaptability, so read carefully.

This is a strategic thinking exercise I like to call "the Obstacle Course". In your next post, your objective is to get Mora from where she is now to the next Awakening pillar via the path revealed by the light. Of course, it's not as simple as just walking there... oh no, not even close.

Along the path, "randomly" generated hazards and the occasional enemy will emerge to get in Mora's way and put her in danger. It's up to you, the writer, to both make this interesting and challenging for yourself.

Your next post will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Minimum 900 words (It's a long path, after all. Remember that it's a straight shot at the start, then curves around about halfway through and continues straight until it reaches the next pillar.)
  
• Minimum of 8 Hazards (Here's the list of Hazards: random eruptions of fire, ice covering the path, fast-freezing rain, blinding fog, blinding light, ball lightning, poisonous cloud, quicksand-like pool of darkness, deep hole, stone spikes {from beneath the path or from above, still or projectile}, miniature earthquake, walls closing in, giant spiderweb, attack by a Heartless (you choose what type), or invent one or two of your own! Also, you can have repeating Hazards -- up to three repeats per Hazard -- as long as the repeats are spaced out somewhat.)
  
• Creativity [30 pts] (Be as inventive as you can here. I'm looking for not just how you overcome the Hazards on the path, but also how you describe and interpret the Hazards.)
  
• Tacticality [30 pts] (Try not to just cut your way through any Hazard that gets in your way. This goes back to the creativity expectation.)
  
• Utilizing your Environment [40 pts] (Your surroundings be mindful of, Yoda say. The path is fairly wide, but drops into an endless abyss if you step off. Try to use this fact to your advantage if possible. Sometimes a Hazard can present an opportunity or a dynamic that your character can take advantage of. Keep this in mind.)
  
• Spell-Check Yourself (If you're using the newest version of Firefox it'll let you know when you write something it doesn't recognize. If you're not using Firefox, typing your post up in Word will work just as well. Up to five points [-5 pts] can be taken off your total score if the spelling is consistently problematic.)

100 - 91 pts = A
90 - 81 pts = B
80 - 66 pts = C
65- 51 pts = D
50 or lower = training failed

Bonus points can be added in for exemplary RPing, which basically comes down to impressing me with what you write. Take as much time as you need and try to have fun with this - it's a chance for your character to really show off what she's capable of. And remember that you only need to get to the end of the path, not necessarily shoot down every Heartless that comes after you.

And I promise she'll get her weapon back after this, as I doubt revolvers and such are really her style. If you have any questions or whatnot, feel free to PM me.

And now, for a bit of musical encouragement!

SONG: The Spirit Never Dies by Masterplan

[Rocket!]

[After this, I almost hope Mora gets her weapon back. However, her weapon uses parts of the environment for ammo, so I dunno.

Personal reference: 3141 words]

Oo...kay...

Mora, looking at the weapons all the while, stepped up to the platforms. The light encompassed her, surprisingly-- just being near it illuminated the surrounding area.

Not that there was much to light up. But still.

With a raised eyebrow and hand thoroughly glued to her chin, Mora looked over the weapons she had to choose-- sorry, write with.

All the while, she couldn't help but get the feeling this was something big. Something that'd stay with her. The idea didn't help her any...

Mora glanced over at the pathway. Looked like an easy walk in the park, but... why the weapons then? Something's up...

I don't like this, she thought. The best thing to do would be to wake up from whatever this is...

But since that's not an option...

Acting instinctively, Mora went for the shotgun and bag. It was the only one that made sense, given her preference for larger weapons. Smaller weapons... well, they just plain felt weird. Too light, for one thing, and--

Mmm. Ranting's probably best saved for some other time.

As she pulled the gun and bag down from the pedestals, she dropped the bag and gun to the floor and began to shove ammo into what few pocket she had. The pedestals in question waned out of existence.

Hefting the bag over her shoulder, (and getting a clump of red hair in her face while doing it. Dang!) she grasped the gun in her right hand so that she could use it at a moment's notice.

Odds are she'll be needing it soon.

Smiling, though forced, Mora padded forward, toward the colored path. The bag wasn’t the lightest in the world, (At. All.) and had her walking in a burdened gait. Mora consoled herself with the thought that it’d be better that way anyway. Slow and steady, or something like that.

Still didn’t help her. Mora was really itching for some speed—get this done and over with!

Mora came across the first platform. Picking up the pace, she forced herself forward.

Second platform. Gun was starting to get annoying. Mora loosened her grip on it a bit.

It was when her foot landed on the third one that problems started popping up. Five of them.

Five shadows faded into view, creeping along the path ahead. Tilting her head to the right, Mora raised an eyebrow. Moving… shadows?

Making sure the gun was loaded, (and it was,) Mora moved up on the things slowly, making sure she made as little noise as possible.

Fourth platform. Mora squinted. The shadows—they had legs and stuff. Weird…

-BAMF- in the back. Landing face first on the ground, and very sore to show for it, Mora went into autopilot as she dropped the bag and gun to shove off the ground. Rolling to the side, she got a good look at the attacker. And promptly widened her eyes quite a bit.

It looked a lot like the shadows. Same small size, the arms were pretty similar… and then there’re the bright yellow eyes. Eeeh. Mora pulled her head back to look up at the shadows. Peeling themselves from the pathway, the creatures definitely were of the same kind.

-BAMF-

“Aah!” Dang! Gotta keep an eye on the problem at hand, gotta keep an eye on the problem at hand. Why do I forget the important stuff when I need it?! Mora was forced far off to the side with that last bash in stomach, and was waay too close to the edge. Scrambling, she scurried away from the edge in a serious rush.

Six shadows, then. Could be worse. Or something. Running over to the gun, Mora bent low and grabbed the gun as she rolled to land kneeling at the ground. The first one was running, and getting a littte too close--

And then she brought the gun to the shadow’s head.

-BANG-

The bullet swooshed through the creature’s forehead, leaving a black trail of mist… or sand? After a brief pause, it simply drifted away like dust.

Mora on the other hand was shaking furiously. The stupid ancient gun had a nasty kickback. Still holding the gun, though she was holding it hard enough to get some serious sweat, Mora nervously turned to face the remaining… things.

The most she got, though, was a brief glimpse at them fading away.

If this voice, thought Mora as she grimly looked upwards, is anything humanish, it’s a goner. Seething, Mora got up and burst off running along the path. Get this done and over with! was her plan at this point.

Right until the seventh platform flipped over. While she was on it.

Yelling as it forced her over, she fell down, trying to grab a handhold or something before—before…

…hesitantly, Mora got to her knees. Before her was the same path… only upside down… and much, much more dangerous. Flashes of bright light appeared along the path at random intervals. Though she was too far to see anything specific, there was definitely something moving out there. And the dark tint threw the road into a new perspective… this was going to be dangerous.

Steeling herself, Mora shoved her hair out of her face as she started down the path. This wasn’t going to be pretty, she thought…

And promptly stopped. Doing an about face, Mora realized the bag of ammo was gone. Still on the other side of this path thing! She stamped her foot on the ground. “Dammit! Aauhhh…”

It was a stupid mistake. She shouldn’t have run off without the bag. Gritting her teeth, Mora turned back to the problem at hand. The path still wound around one bend. At least it wasn’t pulling any serious magical stunts on her.

Hefting the gun into a two-handed position, Mora started jogging down the path. Right up until she stopped and started walking again. Jogging was how she got into this mess. It wouldn’t hurt to take it slow.

Ninth platform. The painted glass feeling was starting to get old. Mora continued onwards.

Tenth platform. Coming up on a light…

Eleventh platform. Situated in the dead center of the platform was a very fuzzy and unclear spot of light. It wasn’t exactly big, but it was hardly small. The floating object stopped Mora in her tracks, metaphorically speaking. Squinting, she looked the thing over.

Training hadn’t said a thing about floating lights. Or shadows. Or bloody rampaging voice thigns messing with the fabric of whatever—

Hmpf. Screw training.

Calming down some, Mora gave the light some serious thought. She had half a mind to just go around the ball. Simple enough.

But if flipping platforms and a severe lack of laws about gravity were anything to go by, the screwy logic this place goes by would probably have the thing bash her in the back.

So… she poked it. With the gun, not her finger.

The light immediately turned from a white shade to a red one. Yelling out, Mora jumped back from the light, falling on her bum. Again. Kicking her legs forward, she pushed herself backwards as she grasped at her pockets for ammo she hadn’t bloody bothered to put in the gun!

The red light quickly flared up into a very yellow hue, and started to shudder. Jiggle. Something like that.

All the while, Mora went about cursing various gods of light while shoving ammo into the barrel of the shotgun.

Fzz-CRZZT!

The little rotten light was crackling with lightning now. Shoving the butt of the gun up into its regular position, she got herself up onto her feet. This was something more familiar: ball lightning.

Familiar is good. Familiar is handleable. Sorta.

Now two platforms away from it, Mora bent her knees slightly as she brought the gun up and level with the ball so as to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.

Though she wasn’t ready for what did come. The ball of lightning flared up again, growing a good foot or two in diameter, with fulguration firing at random from the haphazard ball of fun.

Aaaaand then it charged right for Mora.

After a quick “…the hell?!”, Mora fell to the ground. The ball barreled forward, still remaining at its height of three feet. It whooshed over Mora, barely avoiding her.

That’s not, however, to say she got away unscathed. A random blaze of lightning shot down and struck a good blow to the chest.

It’s not a good feeling, losing all motor control. Even if only so you couldn’t yell out in pain, or anything.

Half a second later, the lightning disappeared as it continued down the path. After a moment, Mora blinked. Still alive… Letting out a breeze, and gasping back just as much, she heaved up to a sitting position. Mouth still gaping as her heart beat a cacophony about her ribcage, Mora gave herself a minute to recuperate. Right up until she remembered the ball of joy, of course.

Jutting her chin up, Mora scanned the path the ball had followed for a sign of it. Surprisingly, nothing showed. It’d just… disappeared.

And that’s a good thing! Grinning, Mora steeled herself as she hoisted her feet into the “up” position. Shoving her hands behind her, she pushed hard. Mora found herself standing, somehow, though she was seriously woozy.

Of course, it didn’t help much. The gun still remained on the stained glass floor. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to just lean down and grab it.

Mora did so. Stepping forward in her newfound dizziness, she shook the woozy out of her head as she began to move forward once again.

Twelfth platform. Doing better now, and definitely feeling better about the whole ordeal. So far, the rotten place hadn’t bothered to finish any of the ordeals. Either it was pretty darn lazy, or it wasn’t interested in finishing her off. Though the lightning got pretty close…

Thirteenth platform. The curve was coming up now. Not more than maybe four platforms ahead. Of course, the thought didn’t help much given what was waiting on the next one.

Fourteenth platform. Dead center, three feet in the air, was another white ball. Joy.

Poking it obviously didn’t work. Or at least—not poking it with the gun. Now there’s a thought. But it totally wouldn’t be worth it. Better to just try going around it. Mora reasoned.

So getting down on hands and knees, she grappled forward along the tinted path under the white speck. With her head down along the ground, though, she couldn’t see the rotten little thing take on a menacing tone of green. Quickly shifting into a globby appearance, the dark green ball promptly fell down onto Mora.

WHAM.

It’d hit hard on her back, crushing her down onto the platform. Bouncing back up, it drifted through the air to the next platform. Gasping for breath, Mora jumped to her feet and dashed forward after the ball. Dang, the thing was waay heavy.

Fifteenth platform. The ball was moseying around, bouncing here and there on various ends of the path’s section. Pulling the gun out, Mora also reached into her pocket and pulled out more ammo. All while keeping her distance from the ball, she grappled with the gun, trying to get it open. After a click, the contraption opened up. After shoving the bullets already in there out and into her pockets, Mora gripped the two bullets she’d brought out earlier and cast her only magic spell she had, Gravira, on them.

This time, she thought as she loaded the magicked bullets into the blunderbuss, I’m going to play it smart. Like I should’ve been doing all along.

Snapping the shotgun shut, Mora brought the weapon up to aim. The green little bugger was still having some kind of solo dancing party.

Following it with the barrel, Mora cautiously brought her finger around the trigger. Up and down, and all around. That ball just didn’t stop moving.

…there! It jumped right for Mora. No sideways action. She pulled the trigger.

-BANF-

One of the bullets got it, with the other just nicking it. Of course, it was the second one that made all the difference. While the first one gave it a good shock and sent it flying some, the second one’s Gravira spell kept it flying with it over the edge and… away.

Sighing, Mora grabbed the gun and rearmed it. There was no way she’d be going without ammo again.

Seventeenth platform. Turning time. Stepping onto the platform, Mora checked her remaining stash of ammo. She had… maybe five shots left. Ten if she started loading only one barrel. And that’s not counting what was already loaded. Frowning, she turned to the left. The remaining stretch. Who knows how it’ll end—right now it looks like she’d have to go through a wall.

Mora moved on.

Eighteenth platform. Nothing news worthy here.

Nineteenth platform. Mora grabbed her ponytail and shoved it down the back of her shirt. No need for it getting in the way.

Twentieth. Walking on it, Mora immediately knew something was wrong. She wasn’t sure, but…

-swip-

She slipped. Sighing, she leaned up to get back on her feet. Only to find out she was slipping. To the left.

“H-hey! What…?!” Grabbing the gun, Mora threw herself forward and hoisted her arms over the far edge. Now fully dependant on her arms, she scrambled up and over the end, seating herself on the side of the platform.

Gravity’s been shifted. Mora thought. The remaining path was now not unlike a tightrope wire. Dang…

Shoving the gun through a belt loop, she gripped the edge and began to force her weary body forward.

Twenty-first platform. Mora wasn’t liking how inaccessible the gun was… especially with another fudging light coming up.

Twenty-second platform. If it weren’t for the wedgie, Mora would’ve probably been laughing about the whole ordeal.

Twenty-third. Another white spat of light floated impassively before Mora. Gritting her teeth, Mora gave the spot an ugly look as she came to a halt.

Cue the awkward silence.

. . .

“Aah, to heck with this. GRAVIRA!” she shouted. Black/purple mist swathed the ball as it attempted to bring the light to the ground. Instead, though, the ball enveloped the mist, taking on the very same black/lavender hue.

“Crap.” Mora scurried forward, hoping the ball would take it’s time about chasing her this time.

No such luck. The spatch of dark light lashed out a mean-looking whip at Mora. The thin lash ripped through her shirt and left a nasty mark on her arm. Yelling out, and now unbalanced, she dropped down and hugged the thin walkway as best she could so as to not fall off.

Doomed. This couldn’t… couldn’t end well. The black little fury was closing in, she probably wouldn’t have enough time to grab, much less use, the gun, and she wouldn’t be able to move nearly fast enough to get away with this mess on her arm. There’s just… no way.

Damn it. Play- it- smart.

Reaching around with her good arm, Mora gripped the gun. She immediately pulled it down before she might’ve fallen. Casting Gravira on it, she also sent a small prayer to whatever deity might be listening in on this whole mess up.

I won’t fail. Not twice in a row.

The ball lashed out again, this time close enough to do some serious damage. However—its tentacle was dragged to the gun. And stuck there. It promptly began tugging on it.

Dang! Mora thought. That thing’s strong. Too strong… Admittedly, she’d been hoping she could just throw the gun overboard and wave good-bye to the black monstrosity. But no, this thing was too tough for that. As it is, it’s almost pulling her over!

Clenching her teeth, Mora gave up on the whole thing. Throwing the gun down on one side, Mora threw herself off the other side. Of course, that’s not to say she was going to give up completely. On the way down, she grabbed the arm thing. If she was going down, so was this thing!

…in that brief moment… with wind rapidly flowing across her body… Mora couldn’t help but think—

…Wait, what? The gun—it came down on the other side as Mora came through the other! Yelling out in joy, she quickly snatched it.

All three came to a halt. Mora, just barely holding on with one hand on the tentacle and the other gripping the gun, rapidly thought down the situation. The bugger was still wriggling, but it wasn’t going to poof away or anything just yet. If Mora could get up and onto the gun like a seat…

Grinning, Mora started to force her weight forward and back, having her body work like a swing. Third time around, she managed to get her legs up and over the gun. She instantly grabbed the loose tentacle with both arms, the ball on the end continuing to jiggle around, all while anticipating the jolt the move to the gun would do.

It came alright. As if her arm wasn’t bleeding enough. But still, she was on! A silent celebration erupted within Mora’s head.

And so Mora began again, using the gun as a swing seat. Each time she moved higher, she jolted the ball end of the arm forward. Slowly but surely, she was making progress.

As this was going on, Mora couldn’t help but wonder about this whole mess. Especially the point in it. I mean, sure, it’d be sorta fun having someone go through loops made of fire and lava, but there wouldn’t be much reason behind it. What was this all about?

As the final platform approached, Mora glanced over at the ball. It wasn’t moving around anymore. Whether or not that was a good thing, she didn’t know.

Suddenly, she felt the pull of gravity start to give way… downwards. The real downwards. The ball began to squirm again, for whatever reason.

One stomach churning twist later, Mora found herself smack dab in the middle of the underside of the platforms. So… she began to pull. Gradually, the gun moved upwards towards the right side of the path. As she neared the edge, Mora fortified herself for whatever was to come.

With one final prayer, she flipped over onto the upside path.

The final platform. Without bothering to think (again…), Mora dropped the wriggling mass of purple light into the abyss. With the gun fast following it, she realized a moment later.

Either way, it looked like this was about done. Dashing forward, Mora dove onto the top of the second monolith structure, heading straight for the center of the pillar. A few of the remaining bullets fell out of her pockets in her fervor.

[nascent]

(OOC: Nice! Well done, Rocket! You went far above and beyond expectations on this, and clearly have a solid grasp on the key concept: utilizing your surroundings. In that respect you were quite brilliant -- the whole gravity reversal bit was a particularly nice touch. Here's the breakdown of your grade:

Minimum 900 words: Exceeded
Minimum of 8 Hazards: Exceeded
Creativity: 30 pts
[While you didn't do anything extremely inventive, your post showed consistently strong creativity both in the Hazards themselves and how Mora reacted to them. You did plenty enough to get a top score in this category -- I'm impressed by what you're capable of!]
Tacticality: 30 pts
[Mora approached the unusual circumstances she was faced with in a very believable, yet clearly thinking and planning, manner. You managed to balance being true to the character's own persona with the needs of the situation very well, and your solutions were a pleasure to read. Full credit here, too.]
Using Your Environment: 35pts
[As mentioned earlier, you did a good solid job of using the environs to help Mora address the Hazards. The swing bit was a particularly nice touch. 35/40 pts.]

FINAL GRADE:
95pts (A)

Overall Critique:
[The only thing about your writing I would suggest working on at this point is using fewer paragraphs. While a visual space can help an author make a point, too many gives the appearance of writing in fragmented thoughts. Try to group like aspects together to form nice medium-sized paragraphs. For this stage in the game, you're quite capable overall.]

And now... for the next event!)

Indeed, you have the resolve to face what confronts you...

... even so, everyone fears something.

Darkness dwells inside every heart.

This new pillar upon which Mora had arrived was not half so welcoming as the last. The light coming up through the stained glass seemed, somehow, to be dimmer... colder, even vaguely menacing. As the path of stained glass panels vanished behind her, that dull light became just a little bit brighter... enough to reveal the dread-inducing artwork that dominated the surface of the platform.

Where the last had memorialized all that the young woman cherished... this pillar was an effigy of fear. The images here were forbidding, nightmare-like in their disposition. It was like a window into the darkest parts of Mora's heart... the fears etched cruelly upon the platform were her fears.

There is no story without conflict.

Indeed, are we not all afraid of the dark?

Conflict stems from within us...

At the center of the pillar a light emerged... a light which quickly took on a familiar shape. The MXL-Mk2, Mora's personal firearm, floated there just barely a foot off the ground, radiating light like some manner of holy object. At the same time, unnoticed, Mora's shadow had begun to lengthen behind her... in fact, it spilled over the edge of the platform like flowing water and then separated itself from her entirely. In the dark it stirred, taking on new shape and new strength for several moments before it began to crawl... slowly, steadily... back up the side of the pillar.

As you embrace strength, confront fear.

Confront yourself.

(OOC: Before you proceed to the next challenge, I'd like you to describe the images on the pillar from Mora's perspective. If you hadn't already guessed, I'm using these as a character building exercise.

After that, Mora's shadow is going to crawl back up and meet her, equipped with its own duplicate of the MXL-Mk2. The basic concept is that Mora will be fighting a Heartless in her own likeness, just like Anti-Sora from KH1. Your goal is to have Mora fight her doppleganger... and I'll give you a bit of ammo to help out.

For every hit that Anti-Mora lands on Mora, small orbs of light energy will fall from the damaged point onto the ground; likewise, if Mora lands a hit on her copy, dark orbs will drop. These can be used in either Mora's MXL-Mk2 or that of her shadow as ammo, but you've got to take the time to gather them up.

The expectations are similar to before:

• Minimum 1400 words
  
• Creativity [20 pts]
  
• Tacticality [20 pts]
  
• Utilizing your Environment [20 pts]
  
• Recreating your character's Fighting Style [30 pts]
  [This is really key to this exercise. The point is for you, as a writer, to figure out your character's strengths and weaknesses in one-on-one combat and develop ways to adapt. This goes back to what I wrote regarding the Tactical Triune.]
  
• The Shadows Are Watching... [10 pts]
  [Mora's doppleganger will start out with very simple, almost primal Heartless behavior -- aggressive, but not very smart. As the fight goes on it will begin to learn from her, approximating her abilities and thinking. Towards the fight's end the shadow will be trying to out-think Mora using what it's learned of her, thus becoming a much more dangerous opponent. I need you to do your best to recreate this learning behavior in your opponent's actions.]
  
• Spell-Check Yourself

100 - 91 pts = A
90 - 81 pts = B
80 - 66 pts = C
65- 51 pts = D
50 or lower = training failed

Bonus points can be added in for exemplary RPing, just like before. Best of luck!)