Temple of the Seal(Perma-open!)

[nascent]

"ACK! UGH!" Hades grunted as the giant lizard landed on him. He tried to shove the beast off... but quickly discovered that it was melting! "Holy Hera! GAH! YUCK!"

Finally peeling himself away from the liquefying Heartless, Hades looked down at the puddle with mixed confusion and surprise. At his feet all around him was dark slop, and at the middle was a Heartless emblem. The lord of the Underworld quickly stepped away from the inky pool, but not before picking up the peculiar token. He looked at it briefly, like a collector examining a rare find.

"Hmm... haven't seen them drop anything like this before..." He turned to Dante, patting the swordsman's shoulder with his free hand. "Nice work, kiddo! You really helped out back there." He looked back at the puddle. "Yeesh, can't be healthy to leave this lying around. I wonder if it'll burn..."

[prythian]

The Heartless Emblem gleamed for a moment in Hades's hand, shining brighter before crumbling into dust. The darkness within the pool began a swirling motion, and began extruding into a pillar of darkness in the room. It shot out tendrils of darkness down hallways faster than anyone could stop it, seeking out one thing for one purpose.

In the inner workings of the Temple, an old man lay on a bed. He looked as if he'd lived thousands of years, and the weight of those years pressed heavily on him. A tendril shot into the room, and soon more followed, attacking the old man.

Within mere moments of Hades removing the Emblem, the Seal of the Temple of Taste was dead.

The darkness vanished, but there was a tangible difference in the air of the Temple.

[nascent]

Before he could do anything to stop it, the darkness on the floor erupted. He staggered back as tendrils flew, knocking him flat as they rushed at impossible speed... and then, the god of the dead felt it. A familiar feeling, one he knew well.

Someone, somewhere very close, had died.

For the first time in eternity, Hades had a small taste of what it meant to mourn someone's passing. He'd never so much as met the old man... but he had fought for him. He'd tried to protect the Temple's elder, he really truly had. Even if his intentions were just to meet his own needs, it didn't change the fact. The grim god inhaled sharply as realization washed over him, eyes wide . . . then they closed and he hung his head.

"Na pari i eychi..." Hades fist pounded the floor in frustration. "Na pari i eychi oloi..."

Sighing, Hades got to his feet and looked over at Dante. "We lost, kid. **** it all..." He began walking towards the door, but stopped after several steps and looked over his shoulder. "Their abbot, the guy in charge, is dead. We failed... and, hey, odds are I won't be a welcome visitor on the scene, so I'm gonna go talk to the monks at the entrance. You did good, though... I respect that."

He looked away. "For a mortal, you ain't half bad."

With that, the deus of death made his way out into the halls. Any expression, whether humor or anger, was gone from his face. To say Hades' expression looked passive, though, would have been an overstatement -- it was more accurate to describe him as stoic, impassive. As he came up on the monks who were tending Orias, Hades made no grand or snide remarks... he didn't even meet their gazes, intentionally looking away before they could make eye contact.

Silence reigned for several unbearably long moments, ended as a weary sigh escaped the god's lips. "It's over. We... I lost."

He then turned and looked at the monks. "I take it his soul was bound into the Seal too, right? That's how these things usually are... means getting him back is probably beyond even my reach." Hades leaned against the wall in an upset slump, clearly angry at himself. To be one-upped by a defeated Heartless! It would be awhile before his pride recovered from something like that. Massaging his forehead, he added "Look, I know it's no consolation... but I would have done what I could for your boss. Life extension, Elysian Fields... something."

Hades took a long, deep breath. "Fat lot of good that does now, though."

[Dante]

The tendrils were everywhere! They knocked Dante, along with his cleaver, back against the wall. Hanging in the air... was the stench of silence. His head hund low, the warrior attempting to hold back his anger, his hatred and his sadness. What could he have done to change this outcome? He knew all to well what had just occured and, knowing Hades a bit, the death god probably knew it too. Looking up at Hades as he walked out, the Ex-Apprentice forced a smile to show that he wasn't all lost in grief. "Yeah... Thanks."

It was about a minute after the lord of the dead left when the tears began to stream down Dante's face. His anger was releasing itself and so was his hatred towards darkness. The grieving tee shot up and roared in pain. "What could I have done!? It was up to me to protect that old man! I... I f-f-failed you all... It's all my fault..." Nothing was ever going to be able to lull this raging lion inside of his heart. Not even Ange's arms wrapped around his neck.

He wiped away the tears, attempting to lock away the anger. The teen began to make his way outside, the sun shining brightly through the water and into the Temple. As he passed the monks that tended to Orias, Dante kneeled down with them and bowed his head. He gave a little prayer not just for Orias, but for everyone that guarded this temple and even the temple itself. Again, the adolescent user journeyed forward, stopping one last time to speak with Hades.

"Hades... You know, you're not that bad of a guy. I thought, at first, that you were just the typical, witty and sarcasting low-life that took the pain of others as a joke... Now I see, that even you have a little bit of light inside of you." the warrior made his way over to the God of death and held up the wall with his right foot, leaning back and looking up with a smile on his face. "What do you plan to do now? If you go back to the Underworld," Dante held out a napkin with a name written on it. "It'd be nice if you could say hey to my uncle. I heard he had died recently, so maybe, if he's down there... His name's Jack. Tell him his buddy said hi."

[nascent]

Hades chuckled dryly. "Kid, I got more Jacks and Joes and every name you can think of down there, way more than I know what to do with. Besides," The grim god's demeanor became serious. "I can't go back until this thing with the Seal is settled, or the Underworld's just gonna get worse. So..."

Donning a half-hearted smile, Hades patted Dante on the shoulder. "What say you and I finish what we started, eh? I could kinda, y'know, hear how upset you were with yourself back there... what say you and I hunt down that black-armored jerk-wad who made this mess? At least that way we can stop the Seal from coming apart any more than it is. Whadd'ya say?"

Leaning in closer, Hades added in a half-whisper. "Oh, and the whole 'little bit of light' thing? Yeah... don't tell anybody, capiche? Seriously, I've got my reputation to consider."

[prythian]

The monks exchanged glances. "...The Seal... as well as the Orias... is dead. This is a sad day for the Temple of the Seal of Taste." One of them looked down, adding in a mournful voice. "The Temple... currently has no purpose." Another of the monks walked into the Temple, seemingly headed for a destination.

After a few minutes or so, he walked back out, holding what looked like a golden ball of metal, very small. ". . .There are several consequences of the Seal being broken." He said softly. "As the Orias has passed on, it now falls to me to explain these consequences to you. First and foremost is the effect on the Temple itself. You may have noticed the difference already... the distortion is gone, and the Temple remains firmly in reality. The distortion was a side effect of the Temples being here... yes, but that was because the Temple was caught between two places of existence."

He glanced up at the curved surface of the ball, which had cracks running in it now. "We don't have much time left, so I cannot explain the symbiosis between us and the Temple. It is not important anyways. This is the second of the consequences... a powerful Heartless has been released into this world once more. It would be impossible to face it right now, now that it has been released from the Seal just now. It will be too angry, too powerful to touch. You must take this and leave this world immediately."

"This... is a result of the final consequence." He held up the golden ball. "This is the sacred object of the Temple of Taste... the Golden Tongue. It was sealed away in a room unopenable while the Seal was operative. If one places it on their tongue, it will spread itself out thinly to cover that tongue in a layer of shining gold. When this person speaks, their voice will be layered with hypnotics, making the one they are talking to susceptible to suggestions and persuasions."

The monk shook his head. "Unlike everything else in the Temple, it will not be destroyed when the Temple collapses. It must be taken away so that it is never misused." He closed his hand around the ball. "Tell me... will one of you take it?"

[nascent]

Hades regarded the sacred object in the monk's hand with a look of curiosity. "Hypnotic power, y'say... you know, if your aim is not to have people abuse something like this, wouldn't it be better not to tell them how it works?"

The dark lord rubbed his chin in thought for several moments. So, it was all starting to add up... 'Orias' was just a name these monks used as a front to protect 'the Orias', who'd just died. And all this, just to seal up a Heartless... from the description it sounded a lot like a Titan, only angrier. But with the distortion gone, was this really still his problem? Hmm... if that Heartless' rampage wasn't stopped, it'd probably cause him enough of a backlog to make his earlier problems look like a leaky faucet. Peachy... just peachy.

Only one thing to do, then. Besides, he felt like breaking that black armored guy's face in for the trouble he'd caused. He looked over at Dante.

"Best if you hang onto it, kid. This toga didn't come with pockets, unfortunately." Hades looked back at the monk who had spoken. "So, what? You guys are just gonna stay here while this place collapses? And what about the guy who's Heartless attacked you? Anything you can tell us about that jerk?"

[Dante]

As Dante turned around, the teen saw a single monk carrying a golden orb of some sort. By looking closely, you could see that it was slightly cracked. He stared at the monk and listened to everything that he had to say. Golden tongue? Hypnosis by speaking? Was that the true power of this small ball? All of the thoughts he had... He could use it to persuade everyone on Destiny Islands that he's part of them and their lives. It would be grand!

But now was no time to be thinking of one's self. The lord of the dead looked over to the warrior, telling him that he could carry the mystical sphere. "Um... Yeah! I gladly carry that item of your's, Monk! I'll make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, Sir!" Dante gave a confident smile. This was how he was going to repay the Elder and Orias for not being their to help.

Plus, if this item wasn't a one use thing, he could use it to change his life back to normal. He could spend his days with his family and friends and then... Well, Dante would probably spend the most time with Ange, trying to make up for his lost days. All would be perfect and, hey, he could be a local hero. Anything like the heartless and such come around the Islands, he would do all he could to save the residents. Oh, how relieving that would be to his aching heart.

Dante had a question of his own, though. "Does this mean... When the Temple is gone, we'll never see you guys again?" He wanted them to be around so that, when he had accomplished his mission, he could bury the Elder and Orias somewhere peaceful and comfortable.

[prythian]

"If you use its power... do not misuse it." The monk said, giving Dante the ball of metal. It was warm and soft, almost as if moldable and heated from within. "As for the enemy... no, we do not know who he is. It is obvious he intends to try to control the sealed Heartless for himself. For all of the worlds' sakes, that must not happen, and it may not even be possible. Be wary." The monk glanced up, feeling the rumbling. The Temple would not stand much longer. Even now, cracks were spreading on the surface of the spherical building.

"...This place is going to collapse soon. You must hurry. We will remain behind. In fact..." And the monk smiled softly. "We will not be able to leave this Temple, let alone this world. You could call us... the mortal spirits of the Temple. The Seal was the only fully mortal human in this Temple. The Orias... is different. There is no time to explain it fully. Go! Go now! Do not fall with this Temple, and take the sacred object with you!"

The remaining monks had already entered the Temple. The monk turned to enter the Temple, and looked back with sad eyes. "...Lord Hades. You will not see any of our souls in the Underworld. Do not expect it. In fact... we will be going home." He walked into the Temple without a second glance. The roof of the doorway collapsing, sealing the entrance. Chunks of rock were falling from the Temple now. It was only a matter of time before the balcony leading back to the water fell.

((Two OOC notes: Yes, you both are now on the balcony/walkway connecting Atlantica to the Temple. If you don't leave the Temple at the very least in your next post, you will get hurt. You can continue a conversation in your posts, but I'm not posting anymore in this thread.

Second: The Golden Tongue will not always work. It's up to the player that you're talking to, Dante. They will have to know you have it, of course, but they decide whether or not their character is influenced.))

[nascent]

"Talk about bringing down the house... sheesh!" Hades joked dryly, watching the Temple's entrance collapse with a cringe. The entire place was starting to shake, and the barrier keeping out the ocean was rapidly beginning to spring leaks. Not. Good.

Wasting no more time, Hades snapped his fingers and immediately a swirling black vortex ringed in blue flames appeared next to him. "C'mon kid! Time to make like Pheidippides and run for it!" He gestured hurriedly at the portal, encouraging Dante inside. "We're goin' to my place until we figure out our next move. Come on!"





(OOC: Brief, I know. After Dante goes into the portal I'll post having Hades follow. After that, I'd like to put up a brief intermission thread in the Underworld -- Hades, being... well, Hades, is gonna want to do some digging on the Temples and the guy in black armor. Call on the Fates, interrogate the dead, that sorta stuff. You ok with that Pryth?)

[prythian]

((Sure. They ARE extremely old, so normally I wouldn't allow that type of thing... but most of the secrets of the Temples have been discovered anyways, and Hades IS a god. Like the monk said though, don't expect to be able to call up the soul of one of them.))

[Dante]

The warrior watched as the Temple began to collapse, the barrier beginning to shatter as he sat there, motionless and without a word. He turned to Haes when he called for him, but he wasn't ready to go. All he needed were a few a seconds... "Hey... Keep in touch... if you can, K?" With that, the warrior sprinted towards the Dead Lord, stopping before he entered the flaming portal.

"Whatever we do, lets destroy that heartless and the knight dude, K?" No more time for words. This place was going to crumble! Dante walked into the portal, taking one good look at the final moments of the Temple, knowing that this would've never happened if he were stronger... Then, he simply turned and went completely through the portal.

(OOC: The Golden Orb, thing. Is it a one use type of thing, or does it have a set use limit? Does it have neither?)

[prythian]

((It has neither. It is permanent and unremovable until death. The effects grow stronger when you make a conscious effort to be persuasive, but it isn't going to convince people of something they don't believe. You need actual persuasive skills to convince someone to do something, and it won't work off of nothing. Basically, if the character you are talking to is between two decisions, you can influence the decision, you can convince someone to do something using logic, but you aren't going to, say, convince the Pope that he's Protestant.))

[nascent]

"Whatever we do, lets destroy that heartless and the knight dude, K?"

Hades nodded, in heartfelt agreement with Dante's intentions. After all, there was no sense in letting the universe get wrecked by some amateur tyrant, especially not when there was so much of it left for death's god to take over. Save the world so he could conquer it later; bit of a compromise in terms of villain behavior, but not without precedent.

"Well, soggyville," Hades remarked, tossing off a mock salute. "It's been real... really wet." He stepped halfway into the portal. "Thalatta, thalatta... anankāi d'oude theoi machontai!"

With those parting Greek words, Hades departed and the vortex became a plume of thick gray smoke, indistinguishable from the rapid collapse all around it . . .






(OOC: Travel to Consulting the Fates. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 drachma.)