Waves of Terror(Temple of the Seal)

[prythian]

(No posting here until after Gathering Hope is complete! Only for Temple of the Seal participants.)

The remains of the Temple slid off of the mountain in a large avalanche, triggered by a large shriek.

What appeared to be a giant bat, with a wingspan of 20 feet, hovered in the air, flapping large wings. It had a large mouth, with rather large fangs inside of them. It shrieked again at the ground, the waves of sound tearing the mountain apart. A large cave opened up, and it flew in. The cave immediately became pure black, a dark mist filling it.

The Screamwing made itself comfortable.

[Rocket!]

There are two kinds of fun.

There's good fun. This generally involves laughter, video games, or anything that can be reasoned ot of the "not-evil" category.

Then there's Stitch fun.

"YEEHAAAAAW!" shouted Stitch out the window of the rediculously sized Gummi Ship, spiralling downwards for the snowy mountain tops that rested atop the Land of Dragons.

He then did a barrel roll.

Tongue flapping in the wind, breeze sending ripples down his koala-esque ears, various flashing lights alerting Stitch an all aboard to fasten your seatbelts and pray to your respective being of omnipotence... it was a good day.

Right before Cwen's foot slammed into his head, at least. Up until then, it was rather nice.

Quickly following the kick with grabbin the alien by the scruff of it's neck and stuffing it back in the pilot's seat, Cwen shoved her face into the alien's with a look that could kill.

500 MILES FROM GROUND LEVEL...

"C'MON YOU LITTLE FREAK, WHERE'S THE STOP BUTTON OR WHATEVER?!?!" Cwen shouted angrily over the sound of a two ton Gummi Ship falling through the air.

A-ah...

Realizing the true prediciment they now found themselves in, Stitch shoved Cwen away and started looking over the dashboard with frantic panicking starting to set in. Oh, this wasn't good at all...

Grasping a few knobby things, pulling back on a hefty looking joystick, and biting his toenails, Stitch prepared himself for the worst.

Cwen, on the other hand, was imaginig many, many mean things to do to that little bugger's corpse once she got her hands on him... as she held on for dear life out the passenger side window, where Stitch had shoved her.

Aly could do naugt but take it all in. This was not how she'd been expecting such travel to take place.


And then the ship crash landed into the Land of Dragons, with great aplomb.

Stitch swore off dog-style window fun from then on.


[ Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I TOTALLY DID NOT FORGET THIS ]

[nascent]

(OOC: Um, yeah. Sam here. Totally didn't forget... ^_^;



Before the violent crash-landing could send Cwen flying off several feet in some random direction, most likely ending in a not-so-soft touchdown, a leather-gloved hand reached through the window. It took firm hold of her arm just above the elbow and pulled, reeling her in as Stitch's hands flew from one control to the next.

There were no words from her rescuer. Magus just stood there, watching the chaos of what was about to be their landing unfold. His left hand released Cwen and grabbed for the nearest handhold, which so happened to be the back of the pilot's chair, steadying himself against the cockpit wall with the other.

The landing, if you could even call it such, shook the heavily-armored Gummi ship like a mild earthquake. It lasted only seconds, but was plenty enough to jar awake anyone in the back who'd fallen asleep on the way. When the ship had made a complete stop the slope of a familiar mountain filled the cockpit window. They were at the base of the mountain on which the Temple of the Seal had rested.

"You, Stitch, are a very peculiar specimen." Magus commented dryly. He turned to Cwen, then glanced at the other passengers. "We should get out into the open as quickly as possible. If the ancient Heartless is, indeed, here then it certainly heard the sound of our arrival. There's no sense in being sitting targets."

Without another word the shadowmage made for the exit. Very goal-oriented guy, but not much of a people-person...

[Homac]

Thomas flew out of his seat, and nearly slammed into the wall as the ship "landed."

'Ow... who's idea was it to let the little blue monkey thing drive? I think I broke a rib.'

He staggered to his feet, and followed magus with shaky steps out the door. "You're right, we need to move fast, before the heartless attack us. Let's get moving, everyone."

[prythian]

A scream issued out of the new cave, drawing everyone's attention towards the cave. The Screamwing, its large ears twitching, had heard the rather loud crash, but it would've heard even the softest footfall anyways.

Its challenge giving, it waited in the dark for them to come.

[nascent]

'A bat out of hell'. That was the phrase that came to mind as that ungodly, ear-splitting screech echoed out of the cavern. Magus scowled. If the beast was anything like it's sound... this could prove a frustrating battle.

"So, it hides in the dark and dares us to enter its trap. Would that I could simply bring the mountain crashing down atop the fell thing." The shadowmage, having exited from Stitch's vessel, glared at the high and distant cave. It didn't take an archmage to guess that the black vapor seeping out the edges was something both unnatural and dangerous. The entire situation reeked of ambush, and Magus was not the kind of person to willingly let himself be had by any serious foe.

He turned to the other passengers. "We need a plan of attack. Any ideas?"

[prythian]

Out of the sky, almost as if in response to Magus's words, a large cloud of black smoke streamed forth. It funneled into the cave, drawn there, where it quickly disappeared into the unnatural darkness that clouded the insides of the cave.

The Screamwing opened its mouth and inhaled the smoke as it reached it, and it turned black with darkness. The darkness faded away and the Heartless's wings rapidly grew sharp on the edges, becoming living blades.

[Rocket!]

Aly coughed as she shuffled out of the large red craft. Cwen gave Magus a quick nod for thanks as she moved to help Aly up.

Poison emanated from her eyes as she stared down the blue thingamabob.

Properly shamed, Stitch warbled out a haphazard "S-sorry! Sorry..."

Wrapping her arm around Aly's body, Cwen pulled the dusty girl out and into the freshly packed snow. Under the shade of the brown bangs, you could still see Aly automatically trying to use her failing eyes. Her steps were awkward on the uneven ground, and every footfall was another nail in her eyes' metaphorical coffin.

She was gonna take a bit to get used to this whole "blind" thing.

Stitch had half a mind to mosey on over there and try to help, but he didn't want Cwen to step on hi--

Sound permeated through every inch of Stitch's body, his large ears shuddering at the sound coming from-- from the Heartless!

Aly and Cwen weren't having trouble with the sound, though it was unpleasant.

"Cwen, what--?"

"Shh."

Cwen was looking up, in a failed attempt to see through the darkness where the friggin' monster was.

"But, Cwen--"

"I said shush!" Cwen growled. Darkness + Heartless was not a good thing. It just got a serious kick in the power department, that much Cwen was sure of.

"...I can't see it?" Aly whispered.

"Hunh?"

"The cave-- it-- it disappeared!"

"What."

"I don't see it. There's stalagmites in there, all of them, that're cut off at the same height. What...?"

Aly couldn't see it in the cave.

Groaning, and proceeding to perform a facepalm, Cwen raised a sarcastic eyebrow Magus' way.

"We need a plan of attack. Any ideas?"

"Umm, I dunno...," Cwen rubbed her chin, pretending to stop and think,"...hitting it? Yeah, I like that plan. Not half bad, I think..."

Aly shifted from foot to foot, still unwary of the snowy ground. What was up there...?

Stitch was standing, unsure, defensively at Magus' side.

[ I hate it when my characters are rude to others. ^^; ]

[nascent]

(OOC: Homac, the Screamwing is in a cave, and the cave is saturated in black mist. All we can see right now is the opening to the cave.)

"Umm, I dunno... hitting it? Yeah, I like that plan. Not half bad, I think..."

Magus scoffed at the remark. "No force can strike a target it cannot find. If we jump blindly -" He glanced at Aly. "- pardon the expression - into this, then we'll be slaughtered."

He paused for a moment, his eyes on Aly. "You, who bear the Keyblade's power... yours must be our light in this darkness. Like a single candle illumines even the darkest night, I suspect that the presence of your blade will make it possible to fight this beast. At least, that's my hope."

The shadowmage turned towards the cave, summoning Dream Reaper to him in a flurry of shining crimson particles. "It's risky, but I don't see another course. We will need every kind of light we have. Stitch, keep those blasters close. I only hope my elemental magics will have some effect."

"Now... if we're all agreed, we should go -- before our foe grows even stronger."

[Homac]

Thomas waited for his allies to move, then called Nanashi to his hands and moved after them.

He moved to the front of the group though, nearing Magus, where he'd be able to react early to anything that launched out fo the cave.

His third focus was on his power, making sure that it would be ready to use the moment he needed it, so that he could get a good hit in as soon as possible.

[There. Reposted.]

[prythian]

Unfortunately for all of their plans, at that moment a spell cast by Oryth in the Deep Jungle took effect.

It began with shreds of purple appearing around three of the people there... Aly, Cwen, and Stitch. They grew, combining into two large purple masses, one mass containing both Aly and Cwen, and the other Stitch. Quickly it teleported them away, consuming them and sending them flying across the worlds. As an aside, Stitch's Gummi Ship picked up and vanished as when Stitch's purple sphere did. The purple vanished into the air, leaving them bereft of their transportation, and their Keyblade wielder and item bearer.

[nascent]

(OOC: ; ... the heck?! So I'm on my own now?! Oh, that's just peachy... Just realized that Homac's still part of this fight. I'll edit my post accordingly.)



A magic almost beyond his reckoning surged through the area like an invisible flash of lightning... and by the time Magus realized what was going on it was already too late.

They were gone. Cwen, Aly, Stitch... most of his allies, just abruptly swept away to somewhere beyond his awareness. His arcane knowledge and experience told him it was teleportation, and the bitter flavor of darkness lingered in the air like a bad aftertaste. The mage scowled and grit his teeth, hardly believing the audacity of this latest development. Was this the ancient Heartless' work? Or... could it be the man in black armor, working behind the scenes to stack the odds against him?

The shadowmage and the swordsman were alone now... but they wasn't helpless. Slowly Magus turned to face the cave.

"If it is truly my fate to be destroyed..." He muttered to himself.

His eyes narrowed. No, it wouldn't end here. If this battle was fated for him... then he'd find a way. Even fighting blind against a power as ancient as darkness itself...

"Hmph. So be it."

His Dreamstone scythe held ready in one hand and sparks of electricity flashing and flaring around his other, the dark-born Nobody took to the air with focus and determination, leaving his one remaining ally behind. This opening gambit was something he had to do himself. He landed on the cusp of the cave entrance in a crouched position, minimizing his size as a target while being ready to spring into motion at any given moment. The black fog, as expected, rendered him utterly and completely blind... this would not be a battle won through sheer brute force, that much was clear.

He could only hope that the Heartless was as primitive and animalistic in mind as it's screech earlier had suggested. If so, then he had a chance.

'Come to me, oh terror of the dark...' Magus thought to himself, his every sense primed and focused. For his plan to succeed, he'd need to know exactly when his foe was approaching.

[Homac]

Thomas stayed beside Magus as they entered the mouth of the cave. Nodding slightly to Magus, as if to assure him that he was ready too, his thoughts turned to the battle.

'We need to stay on guard now, with the loss of allies, our chances of winning just dropped to near nil.'

He slowly allowed his power to flow though his body and blade, and he slipped into a more focused state, ready to react when the enemy attacked.

[Rocket!]

[ WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIT NVM ]

[ Also, there are no plot holes. ]

The snow glistened, reflecting the light forming not far above it. A swathe of bright energy is what it was-- concentrated and consolidating.

It didn't take it's time though. The basketball sized ball of Light unceremoniously dumped one Aly, Cwen, Stitch, and Mora into the unwelcoming cold of Land of Dragon's snowy encasement.

"That," Cwen propped her head up, a finger in the air, "is the last time I fly express." Mora groaned her assent, rolling onto her back.

"Magus!" One blur of blue fur later, Stitch was flopping through the chilly air for the mage he'd taken a liking to these past life threatening moments.

"So, uh..." Aly asked with a small rub of her snow-laden hair, "what'd we miss?"

[prythian]

((Small note: Aly/Cwen have been randomly teleported according to the whims of plot before. Me and Rocket now have said that this happened, and Stitch and Mora grabbed on and were pulled along with them. XD Now fit them in, and I'll make the boss move after that.))