Safe Haven? [FINISHED]

[Squall Leonhart]

"We need some help here!"

Leon's shout came across the working area of the town center loudly and forcefully enough that people would have responded even if it wasn't the oh-so-familliar voice of the RGRC's unofficial leader. The scarred swordsman was carrying an unconscious man in his arms with a few others following behind with similar victims. A couple of citizens volunteered their shops and homes as resting places for the stricken and soon they were being placed on whatever couch or bed was available nearby.

"Call the doctors! We don't know what's wrong with them!"

Leon walked back outside and looked back at the alley he['d come form. There had been four people in total and the others were now being carefully moved as well.

'What was that guy?' the swordsman thought seriously, recalling image. When a portal of darkness appeared not far from him Squall Leonhart had pulled out his revolver gunblade and prepared for an enemy attack immediately, but while the figure that appeared certainly seemed like that of an enemy they carried with them unconscious people. 'Are they that knight's victims?'

Leon couldn't be sure. The person in the black armour had said not a word before laying the people down gently, gesturing as if for help, and then vanishing in another portal. It certainly seemed as if it were trying to help them than hurt them.

Either way Leon was neither a doctor nor a healing magician. After giving out some orders to the present RGRC staff members he walked back towards the alley just to check if anything else was going to appear.

[Shinn]

Of all the places to take them the young knight went with this place. Was this really a good choice? It didn't matter, the worlds would all become targeted soon enough. But this place might just prove to have the solution to stopping these creatures. This world had been through so much in its past, perhaps the citizens knew it takes more than a strong blade to defeat your enemy.

Not long after the attack on Destiny Islands it seemed the sky was beginning to be covered in thick dark clouds. But unlike the catastrophe in Destiny Islands, all seemed calm and quite in Hollow Bastion. But in truth you can't judge a book by its cover. Quietly and secretly citizens were being taken away just like the people in Destiny Islands. In fact this had been going on for about two weeks now under the radar. It started out simple, mainly the ones that wouldn't be missed much were being taken first. The homeless, single men and women, orphan children, lawyers and politicians were among the first to go. But slowly but surely people began to notice something strange, the problem was though with the Heartless roaming about it was thought that they were the ones involved in the recent disappearances.


That is where we find a young woman walking the streets of Hollow Bastion alone unaware of the fact that she was being followed. She had long curly brown hair with a short blue dress and blue high heels. Her face was covered in make up and looked as though she had been crying not that long ago. She stopped for a moment to look behind her but didn't see a thing. She shook her head and let out a sigh of relief before turning around to see two human like figures standing in front of her. They had on a pair of withered tan cloaks on that covered their entire body with the exception of the openings in the hands, feet, and head. Their body type was long and slender, their skin was a pale gray color and their face appeared to be concealed behind an all black mask in the shape of an oval. They didn't move they just stood there looking in the woman's direction. She took one step back and turned around only to see two more figures with masks standing behind her. She didn't scream the fear was all too much that she simply passed out. They looked at each other and one of them reached down and picked her up. A white portal appeared on the wall that was next to them and the one holding the unconscious woman walked over to it and prepared to throw her into the portal.

[High's .Valentine.]

Whoosh

Sharpened steel nipped at the arm that was holding onto the woman. Whether the blade managed to pierce and slice through the arm or not, the attack would have been enough of a surprise for a slight slip, and the woman was snatched from him with a burst of inhuman speed and the next thing the clammy skinned ones knew, the unconscious female was in the hands of another. He stood a mere few feet away from them, the woman proudly draped across his thick shoulders as if displaying a hunted prize. An arrogant grin flashed on the pilot’s weather worn face, replacing the usual scowl that lurks on those lips. Slamming the iron butt of the spear into the cobble street of Radiant Garden, it was as if Cid was proclaiming territorial right to this alley…the whole town even.

“Still got it in me,” the blond mechanic back tracked, inching back towards where he had came from and putting distance between himself and the robed creatures. “The hell do you think yer doin’?” Shoving the spear head at the four, Cid demanded an answer from the intruders, trying to bide himself time. The grin had been replaced with a far more menacing scowl, and blue eyes glared at the four with vile contempt.

Cid wasn’t much of a strategist, but any half brained twit would know that the odds are not in his favor at the moment. He was by himself, carrying a woman, who would slow him down, and faced with four strange, shriveled mummies. One advantage he had was the wide street he was on. Though dark and grim, the street was big enough for someone like Cid, whose spear was too long do anything but hinder his movements in an alley.

“Tsk…heartless, nobodies, dragons, who wouldda thought…” hoisting the young woman so he could get a firmer grip on her, Cid continued to hold the spear in front of him, unwavering. His scowled deepened and the stick that was usually bobbing between clenched teeth forgotten at his gummi hanger while he was rushing off to town square. Originally, the pilot had intended to seek out the penny pinching fowl, Scrooge, for something he needed for the new gummi ship he was trying to improve, and of course, snatch a stick of that salty sweet ice cream from the flat footed bird. But of course, something’s always got to target Radiant Garden and snatch citizens. News and rumors had already been drifting around the place of disappearances. Cid and the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee could hardly get a grasp of what was going on, even with Merlin’s self acclaimed hocus pocus and Cid’s superior skills at the computer.

“Come on, talk, unless yer too dried-up fer any words,” Highwind gritted his teeth, a pit bull on the loose. By now, he was probably seven or eight feet away from the creatures. “Where didja take all the people?”

[nascent]

<<Well now, this should prove interesting.>> The demon silently thought to himself.

Unknown to the denizens of Hollow Bastion, there was more than just Heartless and ghastly kidnappers prowling in the dark that night. Kassom Sercha crouched, hidden, and watched the scene unfold from above, perched in shadow atop a nearby roof. The lynx's keen senses were adept for reconnaissance whether day or night, and that was exactly what he'd come here to do: recon. He'd heard talk that the Heartless were a fairly common sight on this world and, impressively, the local inhabitants managed to keep the shadowy creatures subdued and under control. No small feat, and one he intended to learn as much as he could about, since there was a chance that such knowledge could blunt the Heartless which threatened to overrun his own world.

But these beings... he suspected them to be something other than Heartless. One cannot judge such a thing based on appearance, of course, but the other senses can lend clues. The faint sounds the creatures made as they moved... the smells that radiated from them. These things only a born hunter would discern, and both Kassom and his 'master' were such hunters: one of the natural, the other of the unnatural. At the very least these were no common Heartless - their behavior made that deathly clear.

“Where didja take all the people?”

'So there have been others.' Kassom mused at hearing the swarthy engineer's words.

<<Mass kidnappings usually indicate a purpose, a goal. Heartless wouldn't waste time with such a thing.>>

'So what do you think?'

<<No conclusions yet. We've only just chanced across this. Let's keep watching for a while longer...>>

[Shinn]

The masked beings just stared at the scruffy looking man who had just taken their 'victim'. They made no effort in responding to him for various reasons other than the absolute obvious. They just turned their heads sideways, their necks cracking as though they were getting ready to fight him. They then gazed up at the dark cloudy sky and began to shake wildly letting out a horrendous yell. The ground shook as the sound waves burst out from them in one giant sonic boom. The force from the sound wave was more than powerful enough to knock Cid back quite a few feet back causing him to release the woman.

They quickly took this moment to take the woman back from Cid. Two of them ran forward to go and take her running in a very peculiar way, their feet didn't move at all and they seemed to just appear in one spot each second much like it was some kind of distorted horror movie. The other two went to attack Cid, while he was falling back from the force of the sonic boom one appeared above him in a flash and dug its foot right in his stomach knocking him to the ground with a loud thud. The other came right behind his comrade and flew down to slam both of its feet into Cids face smashing his head into the concrete ground.

[Squall Leonhart]

Leon found nothing more, but unless the mysterious stranger had more people to drop off he hadn't expected to. A quick sweep of the alley left no traces behind by anything. The sounds of activity in the square behind him alerted Leon to the fact that at least one doctor had arrived. That was good. Maybe they could see if there was anything wrong with the people besides being unconscious. He certainly hoped not of cour-

'What in the world!?'

The noise of the blast generated by Cid's new friends was more than enough to alert Radiant Garden's protector that trouble was brewing. Some of the RGRC members behind in the square were skilled fighters so he left the new arrivals in their care, knowing Aerith would show up to offer healing support soon enough. The revolver was gripped tightly on his shoulder as the swordsman ran top speed at an incline down the streets.

Try as he might, Squall was still human. He wouldn't get there right away...

[High's .Valentine.]

At least they talked. However, it was nothing Cid had expected—though he should have been ready for something like this. The blast knocked the large man off of his feet, his grip on the woman slipping due to his surprise. She fell from him and was again snatched away by the strange creatures like a toy forcibly passed back and forth between arguing children. Though the woman was gone, his spear remained firm in his grip, stuck to his fist like Velcro. Though he didn’t have a firm hold on the young woman, the man had been trained to never let go of his weapon.

Before Cid can even hit the ground, or think of cursing to the mummies, one appeared above him in a flash and whaddya know, slammed its foot into Cid’ unprotected stomach. His little flight cut short, Cid crash landed on the ground with a wheeze. His stomach, though muscular, was in excruciating pain despite the slender appearance of the beasts. It took most of Cid’s will power to keep his eyes open, for he knew that wasn’t the end of it.

Raising his spear so that it laid horizontally across his face, Cid turned his head away from the foot just as it jammed into his block, narrowly avoiding mashing his head into pulp. With a grunt, the man pushed against the force, shoving the creature off of his much needed head and tried to swipe at the shriveled thing with his spear in the meanwhile.

“Shit…” The mechanic started, his pangs of agony rippling across his stomach as he heaved himself up with the Venus Gospel, and continued on dropping words far more vulgar than what he had started with. A glance before him and Cid ‘s mood worsened. They were running off with the woman.

[nascent]

'Not particularly subtle, are they?' Kassom thought, wincing at the fierce blast of noise and sonic force the creatures had unleashed. He watched as, far below, the mysterious kidnappers brutally assailed the would-be rescuer.

<<I think it's time to play the cards in our hand, kid. Ready to have some fun?>>

Kassom grinned, already feeling his body begin to subtly change as Ilaelis took control. 'Heh. Let's bust some skulls.' With that thought he stood, immediately taking a running leap and diving off the rooftop's edge. In mid-air the crimson hue in his fur seemed to all but drain away while his eyes shifted and distorted to take on a monstrous, almost demonic disposition.

"Hey, you two!"

Twin streaks of silver flashed through the air, one aimed at each of Cid's attackers. Still falling, Kassom - or, more accurately, now Ilaelis - had thrown a pair of thin, aerodynamic daggers at the enemies, aiming straight for their masks. Whether the weapons hit home was an open question, since he had announced his presence just seconds before, but one way or the other the cloak-wearing foes would hopefully be thrown off their game by the threatening interruption.

Bare moments later, the lynx and the cobblestone met face-first... and the pavement seemed to melt. He vanished from sight once more, this time swallowed by the earth's obedient embrace.

The two who'd fled with their unconscious prize soon found themselves under the most unusual of assaults. Without warning two hands reached up from below the ground and took hold of one mask-wearer's feet, swiftly dragging the offender down into terra firma until they were shoulders-deep in cobblestone. The one who held the young woman was, him or her self, stopped in their tracks as the possessed lynx rose up from the earth several feet in front, a slender throwing knife held in each hand.

"This can go one of two ways, friend." Ilaelis spoke through Kassom now, his voice somewhat sinister-sounding and tinged with a faint undertone not unlike metal scraping across metal. "Give up and go home, or try your luck and face the consequences. Oh, and also..." He pointed one dagger at the kidnapper. "Don't be stupid and try to use the girl as a shield. That kind of anti-hero bull won't work on me... I won't hesitate to go straight through her to get you."

The Kinzoku gave his opponent a sinister grin. He almost hoped the mask-wearer would try to fight, just for his own amusement.

[Shinn]

Another guest had arrived making sure that everyone there was aware of his presence. The two knives that he had thrown were easily evaded and they just flew past the creatures landing on the concrete floor.

It all seemed pointless to try and talk to these beings. All they did was stare blankly at Cid and the newcomer unresponsive to either one of them. Did they talk to Heartless and Nobodies like this as well? And why give your opponent options that they would never agree to? Are all humans like this by nature? It would seem so, this one was just like all the others another battle ridden creation whose life existed only on the battlefield. Is this what the hearts of mankind are like? Can it change for the better?

The masked creatures all looked at each other for a second then looked at the unconscious woman. The creature who was holding her threw her up into the air sending her sky high. It then went to attack the newcomer head on with an assortment of fast paced punches and kicks. One of the four masked beings who wasn't trapped in the ground jumped up and snatched her landing a few yards from everyone else.

The masked being that was pushed off of Cid made it's way to the other side to make sure that the one who was holding the woman would not be messed with by anyone else. They quickly made their way towards the portal.

As for the one that was stuck in the ground it was not out of the fight just yet. It began to move its head around like it had done before, letting out a loud shriek that crumbled the ground it was sunk in. It back flipped out from the small crater landing near the area where the portal was.

[Squall Leonhart]

All Squall could think about was if this sudden disturbance was in any way related to the injured people he'd left behind in the square. Had the knight come here to get them protection? Would they be attacked or captured? Was this noise such a possible assailant or just a distraction? Thankfully Leon was not the Radiant garden's only protector. He had many to share the burden with, all of whom he trusted. Right now all he could do was follow his heart, which was leading him to investigate before anyone else was hurt out there.

Speaking of his heart...

Suddenly Leon's vision blurred and faded, the swordsman brought to an abrupt halt in his dash. Placing a black-gloved hand over his scarred face the brunet's head hung down as he regained his composure. No citizens were around at the moment to ask him what was wrong, but considering what would happen next maybe that was for the best.

'Whatever this is I don't have time for it,' Squall thought. 'I need to get there. Fast!'

And then... Squall Leonhart vanished. It wasn't a magical poof like the wizard Merlin made use of, or even a fancy teleportation spell like some traveling warriors had that engulfed him in a glowing light. It wasn't even a summoned entrance to the corridors of darkness of the kind that the Nobodies might wrap around themselves to retreat into, or a fade away as if he were just an illusion. No... Leon simply popped out of sight in a bubble of dark energy.

Just like the kind the Heartless are known to appear and disappear from in an instant.

[High's .Valentine.]

Cid glared vehemently at the furry newcomer. He didn’t need help, especially not from some cocky two-bit rogue. Go straight through her? Cid was trying to save the damn damsel in distress for Ansem’s sake. The guy was just giving him more trouble. “Get lost,” the pilot growled ungratefully to the interloper. “I dun want you killin’ the person I’m trying to save.” Jerking his head towards the other direction, where the furry rogue should be running off to, instead of tangling Cid’s feet. “Yer just gonna give me trouble.”

Ignoring any rebuttal from the feline, Cid charged towards the masked ones who were clinging onto the woman, a fearsome look on his face. Jumping up, he slammed his raised spear down on the one carrying the woman, who had at the same time, tossed the young lady up into the air. Grunting, Cid sprung back up, grabbing for the air born woman. He missed her just by inches as another grabbed her. Like a ball, she was snatched again from his grasp. A part of Cid had the strange feeling that he was playing some kind of game with the masked buggers. Before he could land on his feet, Cid slammed the butt of his spear into the ground, cracking the cobble underneath and using the push to catapulting himself over the slender monster’s head. He landed in front of them and assumed a defensive position with his spear raised and ready to block any attack from the dim witted monsters.

Just as soon as he had done that, another joined the ranks, freed from its prison. Three against one. Not much of a fair fight, but hey, Cid’s never been keen towards fairness. The fun of a rigged brawl far outweighed the honor of a warrior. Then again, one doesn’t quite die in a brawl, but that was beside the point. Straightening back up, Cid lowered his spear and glared at the one clinging to the woman.

“I bet ya’d understand this!” In a surprise move, Cid body slammed the monster carrying the woman. Throwing his entire weight into the creature, Cid used his force in a rather risky attempt to impale the long blade of his spear into the stomach of the creature.

[nascent]

They were trying to ignore him... to leap past him and deny him the kind of battle he deserved while leaving one of their number to keep him busy. Ilaelis scowled as he ducked, dodged, and defended against the jabs of his masked attacker, becoming a blur of motion as he danced around to avoid being hit. This guy was decently fast... but the Kinzoku's trained perceptions were faster still. He continued to evade, subtly leading his opponent into over-extending his reach on just a single punch.

The phantomy figure took the bait, and the feral scout sidestepped wide while grabbing his opponent's arm. "Gotcha."

With his full strength Ilaelis carried forward his enemy's momentum, using it to send the mask-wearer flying through the air straight towards his fellow ghouls at the same time as the mouthy old man with the spear tackled the one holding the victim. With a bit of luck, it would turn into a full-contact sandwich.

That was when he'd noticed that another portal had formed, and the cloak-clad ones were all attempting to get to it. Hmm... perhaps there was an opportunity to be seized here. Picking up the daggers he'd been forced to drop during the bout of fisticuffs, Ilaelis sent one whipping through the air...

... straight towards the unconscious woman's head.

As it flew through the air the weapon seemed to melt, becoming a liquid mass that would splatter and spray like water when it hit something. With a little luck, even the best attempts of these creatures wouldn't be able to stop every drop, especially with their attentions turned on Cid and one of their own number tumbling towards them. His clever tactic deployed, the lynx charged in on foot towards the group, hoping to arrive before all the fun was over.

[Shinn]

In an unexpected turn of events Cid rammed himself into one of the masked creatures pushing it back a few inches before being attacked from the rear by one of its own kind thanks to the arrogant Kasson. As it was being squeezed by the two, the masked being dropped the unconscious woman and fell to the ground. The mad man Kasson continued to ignore the fact that there was a woman in danger and continued on his selfish deeds, this time endangering the woman even more. He threw one of his daggers straight for her head, as it was going for her it began to melt and become a liquid substance.


At this same time the other two creatures had been racing over to where the woman was trying to snatch her away from these two meddlers. One dove in for her to snatch her away before the liquid could touch her while the other jumped from behind into the air.

When the masked being grabbed the unconscious woman it quickly threw her up into the air so that she wouldn't get hit by the liquid blade. The other masked being caught her while in the air and landed on the ground making a break for the portal. It was closer this time and would be there in no time now.

The masked being that had been thrown by Kasson had finally recovered and was now on the offensive once again. It looked over at Cid and went for the attack. Since his spear was made for long range purposes it would be difficult for him to use it to attack the masked being. He was only left with the option of using it for defensive purposes as the masked creature bombarded him with wild strikes and kicks.

[High's .Valentine.]

If Cid had not been attempting to ram his spear through the monster in front of him, he would have thrown it at the furry fiend. With all his weight, he leaned into the creature as an opposing force was thrown against the man, creating a sandwich of monster and man. Cid was thankful he wasn’t the one in the middle. Over the masked creature’s shoulder, his scowl turned into an expression of fury as Kassom threw the dagger at the woman’s head.

Cid tried to grab for the woman, bug again, his grasp came up short as she was dropped onto the ground. The dagger that had been aiming for the woman’s head would have hit one of the masked one but instead, it splattered, as if it had exploded in mid-air. Cid ducked his head behind the shoulder of the masked creatures and continued to drive his spear through its stomach. At least he had been able to body slam the monster who was carrying the civilian, hopefully impaling the monster as well as the one that was tossed towards him. It would be killing two birds with one stone. However, the one that had been thrown seemed to have missed the spear, though the fate of the one who should have been impaled remained unknown. The thrown creature jumped over its buddy and began to attack Cid, who was unprepared for the sudden recovery.

“Damn,” he hissed as a punch caught him on the cheek, leaving him dazed. With a kick, Cid pulled his spear from his target’s body and raised it to block the next attack. It seemed the enemy thought that Cid’s weakness was close range combat. Snarling, Cid blocked another kick, swiping it aside forcefully before tossing a punch at the monster. He had been a brawler before he picked up combat with the spear. It wasn’t as if the pilot could not toss a punch or a kick. He was just a little…stiff. However, the many years or working on gummi ships, lifting boxes and shifting debris might have been unkind to the pilot, but he was far stronger and larger than he was ten years ago. Another punch escaped his block and this time hit squarely on his shoulder.

Instead of blocking one of the monster’s next kick, Cid allowed the kick to go through and in that instant, grabbed the monster’s leg, momentarily halting its next move. He wheezed, but then grinned.

“Idiot,” chuckling darkly, Cid raised his spear over his head like a pole. But instead of hitting the monster with the length of the spear, Cid slammed the iron butt of his spear into the creature’s with all his might, all the while still grasping tight onto its ankle to avoid escape. If the iron tip of his spear made a hit, bones would easily snap. Getting the woman back might be a lost cause since they were so close to the portal. Cid would depend on the furry rogue to rescue the woman, but he might as well be wishing upon a dying star. Instead, he would reenact his revenge on these creatures, and take precautions with Leon and the others later. He would save the woman in the end…

[Squall Leonhart]

The portal was mere feet from the stranger carrying the girl. No one would be able to get between it and them in time to prevent their escape, not with others of its kind covering the only two would-be heroes present. She would almost certainly be lost without a miracle.

And the... Squall Leonhart appeared. He suddenly popped into the world out of a bubble of dark energy, just like the kind used by Heartless to travel the corridors of darkness. He appeared between the attempted abduction victim and the white portal on both feet, gunblade still in his right hand. The swordsman almost appeared confused, but then Leon wasn't exactly going to let himself stay delirious with a situation like this happening in his town.

With the trained reaction speed of his Warrior Spirit Leon assessed the situation before his eyes in the time it would take most men to simply register their surroundings were different than they were moments ago. Without wasting a fraction of a second the scarred man burst forward to the masked figure, performing a reach with his left arm and a spin with his body to try and get a hold on the woman using his Lion's Pride strength, then a slash behind himself with his revolver towards the stomach of the offender. Pulling the trigger of his weapon if and when he felt contact would hopefully release an explosive burst into their midsection to at least knock them away if they couldn't be cut.

Cid was here too... that was good.