Temple of the Seal(Perma-open!)

[Rocket!]

Mora almost whistled. Almost. It was starting to get epic.

But... priorities are priorities. In the mayhem of the blasting and attacking, Mora had found her rock.

It was a nice rock. Big. Sturdy. Kinda hefty. Maybe three feet long, at most. It kinda rounded out near the top.

And so began the blending buisness. Stuffing the large rock into the bullet making compartment, Mora began to have the gun break down the contents of the object. In moments, the rock was no more than rubble.

Latching down the ammo compartment, Mora got up slowly, paying close attention to the humming of the gun. It'd take a while before any bullets could be used, but at least she'd have ammo.

Mmm. The hum-- it's too loud. Sighing, Mora sat down on the bare, grassy floor. She'd been hoping to make a dash for the entrance of the temple, but... well, again... the only thing she had was surprise. If she didn't use it as best she could, she probably wouldn't last long. Mora's just not as tough as the rest of the crowd here.

Harumpf. It's no fun sitting out.

[prythian]

The blasts converged on Rukio with an explosion, blasting him backwards through the air into a tree. He wouldn't die, but it was a serious injury. The remained of the orbs were blasted out of the air by Cordell's gun, while the Darkside leaned down and reached into the ground.

It pulled up its hand and was holding a large orb of energy. It released the energy up into the sky, where it ominously hovered, shedding small balls of darkness around the battlefield, which exploded when they touched something. With a distraction for those on the battlefield, it turned back to the Temple, pounding on it once more rhythmically.

The Invisibles didn't pause at Kassom's battlecry, but stopped seeing the monk standing before them barring their way further into the Temple. He inhaled through his nose... and then breathed out fire onto the Invisibles. As the golden flames washed over the leaders of the group, two of them dissolved into darkness, vanishing. The rest turned and went the other way. He turned to Kassom. "My brethren will keep them from getting farther than the Great Hall. Go!"

Iris's hammer landed on the ground with a thud, embedding into it hard enough that there would be problems pulling it out. As the five marbles Vates had thrown fell to the ground, the magic in them activated. One merely had flower petals begin blowing about the battlefield. The second one coated the ground in ice. A third blew up on two Darkballs, destroying them.

The fourth blew up the ground near the hammer, freeing the hammer and sending it flying into another Darkball. After that, the hammer landed on the ground... and the fifth marble landed on top of it, coating the head of the hammer with lightning.

[nascent]

(OOC: Nice use of the marbles! And thanks for the "gift"... THOR SMASH! xD

By the way, the Darkside doesn't seem to be reacting to 'The Red Corsair's dark energy cannon shots at it... just curious about that.)



"Confound it!" Cordell exclaimed, her super-weapon vanishing in a flare of crimson light. She hadn't been able to do anywhere NEAR as much damage as she needed to! What's more, the kid who'd stepped up to bat and protected her was in a bloody state... this wasn't going as well as she'd hoped. Her regular pistols clearly weren't going to cut it against this monster of a Heartless, and that roof wouldn't hold up forever... she needed a plan, and began looking around for anything she could use to her advantage.

Hmm... that furry girl had just arrived on the scene. And the old codger seemed to be working some kind of magic, though it didn't seem to be doing all that much good. And -- oh ****, the Darkside was...!

"HIT THE DECKS!" The captain cried out, throwing herself to the ground right before the sky started raining plumes of violent darkness. Dirt and dust flew up everywhere, Cordell trusting to her Shell Aura to protect her. Hopefully it would be enough... it wouldn't last her much longer.

-------------------------------------------------

"If you say so." Ilaelis shrugged, still speaking through Kassom. He was a bit surprised that the monks were so far from defenseless, but that was just one more mystery that could wait for later. Without further delay he turned and sprinted back out of the Temple, rejoining the fight just in time to see the Darkside's spitfire begin falling from the sky...

... and spot Iris running around in the midst of it.

"SIS!" Kassom shouted.

<<Don't worry about her!>> Ilaelis ordered as Kassom's sister retrieved her forge hammer. It sparked and flared with electricity around the head, a fact she seemed to marvel at briefly -- right before a Darkball charged her. She took a wide swing, but the evasive Heartless dodged to one side; letting the hammer thud into the ground, Iris pulled it back up in a broad sweep that was far quicker than one would've expected for a weapon of that size. <<She can handle it -- you and I have to focus on the leader, or he's gonna crack the Temple like an egg!>>

'... Right.'

With a single mighty leap Ilaelis landed on the domed roof, running on his toes to achieve maximum speed and agility as he charged the Darkside. The thunderous rumble of its fists on the building made him stumble and nearly fall, but luckily he was able to turn one of his blades into a tendril of metal and latch it onto the area where the large diamond had previously sat. Thus anchored, the lynx resumed a rapid pace towards the enemy.

"Time to play, big guy!"

The next time the Heartless brought its massive fist crashing against the roof, the steel-skinned rogue was there to take advantage of it. He jumped into the appendage, moving in a rapid blur of agile motion as he raced up its arm and leapt towards the head, aiming to sink his blade right into the creature's face. If that failed, he was prepared to whip his metallic lifeline around and latch onto his foe's wrist, swing back up, and try again.

No matter how much they got knocked around doing it, Kassom and Ilaelis were determined to bring this giant crashing down.

[Akito]

Alexis sighed. Heavily. He had hoped, hoped, for an easy cruise. But no, alas, now, he had, on his coat, spilt his tea from the ship's shaking. Irritating. The sounds of battle had long sounded outside the ship and Alexis, quite frankly, had up to now chosen to ignore it from the relative safety below decks in his quarters (Albeit, he had to dodge the occasional stray blast of dark energy or flung sword). He would simply abandon ship if it were to go down; it was none of his concern. Until now. Now they had annoyed him.

Though with no evident hurry, Alexis got up and strode up towards deck. It was anarchy, as with even the best organized battles. A magic circle appeared at his feet as it took him but a few quick seconds to take everything in around him, certain positions that mere sight might miss. Heartless, they always did pulsate magic; rough, murky dark magic, but magic none the less. He had seen them and everything they could do far too many times already, there ought be no surprises; he knew these demons too well.

Standing amidst a rush of other Heartless of the Red Corsair (Some of whom Alexis had tried to get to know on their trip from Agrabah), Alexis stuck out quite sorely with most of them, including their gracious Captain, having thrown themselves to the floor. Especially when eight exercise sized balls of Destruction made an appearance, orbiting him for the briefest moment before flying out with the agility of a swallow. They protected him, and to a lesser extent the Red Corsair and her crew, from the scattering, smaller dark energy by intercepting them before they could reach him. He needed the protection for now. The greatest threat of course was the Darkside; Alexis would need to pose an equally great threat. From where he stood, a magic circle, quite alike that at his feet, appeared in front of his outstretched hands, palms open. Though several seconds were needed where he would be more vulnerable than usual, it would be worth the wait.

And just like that; he fired. A cylinder of pure Destruction was released from the enlarged magic circle, five metres in diameter, and swept towards the bulk of the Darkside at a vicious pace. A more agile opponent might've have seen the obvious attack (Glowing magic circles aren't usually a good sign) and taken measures to evade. However, this was a Darkside. They were hardly known for their maneuverability.

[Rocket!]

Mora grinned. It was a cheeky kind of grin, with a fair amount of mischievousness in it, and maybe a little eager.

Jumping up from her little dirt patch, and double checking the gun strap, Mora Vadnais knelt low and began to make her way towards the nearest tree. Well, not just the nearest. This one was tall, had a whole lot of leaves, and wasn't too high in the air.

Very nice tree. Made for great getaways.

Grabbing a branch, Mora swung herself up and over, landing on top of the very same branch. After shoving her red/brown mop of hair out of her face, Mora hefted her gun up into her lap. She opened the ammo container.

Hmm... looks good. Plenty of ammo now. Snapping it shut, Mora pulled the gun up to her shoulder and leaned up against the tree (for support).

Not a whole lot to see from this angle, but the big huge pseudo-hulk thing was enough to fill any view. Didn't take much before the face came into range.

Or rather, the eyes.

After briefly taking aim, Mora fired off two shots for the thing's eye. The left one. Obviously, the second one was in case it moved, but still.

Can't be too careful.

Mora dropped down to the ground right after and started making her way around the temple. A huge grin was plastered across her face. They'd have a hard time finding her, that's for sure!

[prythian]

((They... missed. Yeah. I totally didn't forget about them at all, they just missed.

*shifty eyes*))

Fortunately for Kassom, he was knocked off the roof by the Darkside in a counterattack, hitting him with it's other hand and knocking him to the ground before he could latch on again. Fortunately, at least, because Alexis's beam shot THROUGH the Darkside mere seconds afterwards, blasting a large hole in it and doing massive damage. The shots Mora had made weren't even noticed as the Darkside wavered for a bit, collapsing onto the Temple. It began dissolving into darkness, and once a few seconds had passed, its body had disappeared completely.

Meanwhile, the Darkballs had been pretty much obliterated by now, and the attack the Darkside had made disappeared once its master was slain. All that was left were the Invisibles...

...Inside the Temple.

The Invisibles, about 3 of them left, were inside a grand hall. The passages out of the all were blocked by monks, all of whom were standing waiting for an attack. One Invisible, bigger than the rest, looked up at the moment the Darkside died. Through a small crack that had been made, liquid darkness dripped down onto the sword of the Invisible.

If it could smile, it would be grinning hugely at this point. Instead, it stabbed the sword into the ground, and darkness spread around it in a 1-foot diameter. Nothing happened, and the Invisible took the sword from another Invisible and destroyed that one. Two Invisibles were all that was left of the Heartless invasion.

[Akito]

To be able to return to the darkness whence they came, such enviable creatures Heartless were, Alexis thought this as he stretched his arms lazily. He had no home with which to return to anymore. The deed was done and with the Darkside gone, there ought be no more small balls of darkness. Even so, Alexis kept his own Destruction spheres dashing across the air. It wasn't finished yet. There were still some shadows to clear out.

"Thank you for a pleasant journey, Captain," Alexis smiled down at the Red Corsair's female Captain who had wisely taken cover on the ground. With that, the sorcerer curtly jumped off the side of the airborne ship and into the jungle below. The danger to her ship was gone for now and he expected there to be much business with repairs. Alexis did not want to be around for that, he didn't want to be obligated to help with the work.

Proceeding casually, his metal suitcase in his left and his right hand in his pocket, Alexis whistled the tune of 'London Bridge' as he made his way into the temple. Gallia still orbited his person, as if he were the sun to their eight planets (OOC: Pluto is no longer a planet Dx). Before he entered the temple, these spheres flew in first, heading straight for the two remaining Invisibles equally (4 to each) whilst Alexis stood at the temple's threshold. Still whistling, still unphased. He did however dislike the change of battlegrounds, he always had a problem fighting in doors.

[nascent]

Both Kassom and Cordell could be found picking themselves up from the dirt as dust settled all around them, the pair seeming quite a bit unhappy at how their role in the battle had gone. Not that it really mattered; the Temple was mostly intact and the enemy Heartless were all but decimated, leaving only a few stragglers to be dealt with. The young lynx grinned slightly as his sister's hammer found it's mark in the face of the last Darkball, pounding it into the dirt before it disappeared in a haze of dark vapors.

"Well, looks like things are under control out here." Kassom observed.

"Aye... but what 'bout in thar?" Cordell pointed to the Temple's entrance. Amidst all the still-settling dust a familiar figure could be seen stepping into the entryway: Alexis, with some kind of powerful spell following him around like a lost puppy.

Remembering the Invisibles who'd invaded the Temple earlier, Kassom took off at a sprint to follow the sorcerer; after motioning for her Heartless to head back to the ship, Cordell was hot on his heels as well. The two caught up with the blue-haired magister just as his spell deployed, the glowing orbs making their way into the Temple of their own accord.

"We'd better go in," The rogue suggested, looking at Alexis. "Last I saw, there were three tough Heartless with swords in there. The monks said they could handle it, but..."

He didn't finish the sentence, choosing to rush inside instead. Cordell sighed, readying her pistols and following the furry's lead.

[prythian]

One of the Invisibles was destroyed instantly by the destructive forces hitting it. The other Invisible, quicker, grabbed the sword from the defeated one and struck the balls with them powerfully, destroying them. The Invisible had two swords now, and seemed more powerful than the other ones. It slashed upwards, and a purple wave shot forwards, knocking down some of the monks that couldn't hit it with fire breath. It began doing the same with the other monks, slashing multiple times.

((Congrats: You seem to have one of my Upgraded Heartless on your hands. ))

[Rocket!]

"Hut-hut-hut-hut..." Mora had very suddenly stopped at the sound (and sight!) of the falling big one. With no other Heartless around, the only option was to head in and root out the rest. That's where bosses 2 & 3 (Cordell and Kassom. Though the order you say them changes depending on which she's talking to...) had gone.

Coming up on the entrance, Mora poked her head through the doorway.

Yowza. Lotta monks.

Pulling the gun back and around from it's backback-like position, Mora brought the gun up and rested it on her knee as she knelt down.

True, Kassom and Cordell were in the way, but odds are they'd move sideways once the passage widened out farther in.

At the ready, Mora got up and close with the gun, ready to fire at any moment.

...and then she turned her sheild on. No need to get bashed in the back where she wasn't looking.

The second the bosses move, she'll make the shot at the Heartless. 'Till then...

...dang. Waiting.

[Akito]

Alexis' smile did not change, it didn't even budge in the slightest. Were this outdoors, Alexis would've brought ruin upon the Heartless Invisible already. But alas, he did not want to bring the temple down on their heads with his power, his own and the people around him. So he was content merely to watch and intervene only if absolutely necessary. He had no obligation to defend them. Gallia had been nullified, for now at least, so Alexis had no real way of fighting in this enclosed territory any more than what was already being done. The gunner taking aim should surely have more luck than he in this situation.

[nascent]

Hearing someone step in behind them, Cordell cast a glance over her shoulder; spotting Mora, she flashed a friendly grin at the fellow gun girl. Friendly backup, and at an ideal time... the pirate captain nodded before turning back to the situation at hand.

By the time she had, Kassom had leapt into action. The furry rogue once more bore two molded metal wrist blades, and with these he came at the dual-wielding Invisible like a wild animal in a series of rapid slashes, stabs, and feints, dancing in and out of the Heartless' attack range. It was more like he was testing it's defenses, trying to draw it into making a wrong move... or, perhaps, distract it. Cordell was betting on the second option.

Knowing Mora's opening shots would be close behind her own, Cordell flanked to one side and opened fire. Her strafing run might do a bit of damage here or there to the enemy, but that was besides the point; with her and Kassom forcing the enemy to defend on multiple sides, Mora's assault would either hit home or force the Invisible's guard against her. One way or another, with three on one an opening would show eventually... and when it did, this sword-lovin' Heartless would go down!

Presuming it didn't do that trick again...

[prythian]

The Invisible moved its swords around so quickly they were mere blurs, blocking the assault from Kassom with ease. It managed to block Mora's shots as well (Sorry, but assuming you fired based on your post). However, Cordell's shots won through. The damage it did, however, wasn't very much compared to what it might have done on a normal Invisible. The Invisible made several slashes, sending waves of energy at the three attackers.

[Akito]

The Invisible would find a sabre thrust to the back of its stomach before the time it even finished sending the last waves of energy at most everyone who had arrived except Alexis. A poor mistake to make, forgetting about even one enemy. Seeing how ineffectual guns were, Alexis had taken it upon himself to move quickly and without drawing attention to himself behind the Invisible. A relatively simple task with his physical prowess. When the Invisble was sending out the waves of energy, Alexis had managed to get himself in position, using Kassom, Mora and Cordell as decoys. At the same time he did this, his suitcase would aim to propel itself and bash against the Invisible's head.

If Alexis' thrust was successful, he would endeavor to quite humorously bring his sword up from the Invisible's stomach, as if to create a split leading up to the hole in its chest. Who said sorcerers made poor assassins?

[Rocket!]

Mora grinned and gave Cordell a two-fingered salute. Res Nullis all the way.

Time to get a little creative...

Seeing Mister Acrobatic coming around with a sword, Mora gave thought towards how to help in that regard. "Cordell! Kassom! Gonna want to back up for this one!" Drawing in her power, Mora brought her hand up and into the air, poised to fire at the Invisible. Palm open, Mora opened her mouth to warn the others of the incoming spell. "Gravira!" The blast of purple/black energy shot from her hand, spiraling towards the Heartless.

It wasn't a super-duper strong spell, but in this case it should be a good thing. Faint enough to help insure shots, or swords, aren't deflected. Hopefully.

Mora also took the time to hold her robe open and nudge a small red object sitting in her right pocket. "Bao! Get up!"

Yawning, the red object popped out of her pocket, revealing itself to be a red cap sitting a top a dog/monkey creature. Though in all honesty, it was just a robot. "Boss, why is it you always wake me up in the mid-"

Mora gave her the look.

Bao shut up.

Jerking her head pointedly at Cordell, Mora gave the minion Cordell's name. "Help her out, okay?"

Nodding affirmatively, the thing jumped out of the pocket and made it's way towards the ally.

"Gravira's a gravity spell!" Mora shouted to her allies. "Not really strong, though! It'll last, uh, a few minutes, maybe?

"And look alive, Cordell! Bao's headed your way!"

[Heeeeeey Nascent! Bao's a Class A Minion who, when within a few feet of Mora or an ally that Mora's OK'd, adds a small effect to weapon blows.

Cordell's next attack should cause a two-turn blindness, assuming it makes contact with the Heartless. It won't happen again for another four turns, though.

You also have control over Bao's character now. Bao's short, female, wears a red cap, and has more sarcasm than a Squidward convention. Not a fan of water, though.]

Mora leaned back along the entrance. She needed to be ready to jump out of the way if anything came her way. And if it was Heartless that came her way, there's a fair chance she'll whack them upside the head with her gun.

It is big.