Super Smash Quest - Story - Chapter 271: Double Edged Elements

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Date: April 19th & 20th, 2006.
Charles, leaving Ivan's office and seeing what he's been working on, sets out for finding the man that has been teetering on the edge of Questerdom and serving The Void. Charles sets out for Metal. Charles then looks for Aetos.
Aetos is eating... something... in R&R.
Charles goes into R&R. "Ahh, there you are, Young Ward."
Aetos swallows, and looks up at Charles and waves.
Charles: "I've been wondering if you I could use the white emerald in an experiment."
Aetos: "What do you mean? Rather, what experiment?"
Charles: "I'll show you."
Aetos shrugs, and reaches under his cape.
Charles shows him a chart of what he plans to do; it shows an equation and some sketches.
Aetos pulls out a wad of gum, and shrugs, then reaches in again.
Charles: "The equation is this:"
Aetos pulls out a thin golden paint chip... sighs, listens to Charles, while reaching in yet again. Aetos then grabs onto something... something so devious and destructive... so powerful your mind can hardly comprehend the powers within it.
Charles points to the former Sword of darkness, now like a kinda long toothpick thing. Beside it is a "+" sign. Next to it is the white emerald. Following the white emerald is an "=" sign. Following the equal sign is a large question mark.
Aetos pulls out the Magical Toothbrush. "I'd guess... sword of Neutrality! Woo!..." *reaches in once more and pulls out the white chaos emerald.* "There you go."
Charles: "Thank you." *takes it.* "Basically the equation is 'Sword of former darkness + white emerald = ?'"
Aetos shoves the magic toothbrush under his cape again.
Charles: "I'm going to find out with experiments... preferably outside. ...You can observe if you want."
Aetos stands and discards his food. "Maybe from the roof..." Aetos then follows Charles..
Charles: "...Yeah, not the roof." *looks for the second guy. "The roof would be a lightning rod. I don't want lightning near me. If I did, I'd ask Aribar to hit me with a spell. Solarian Sha'fol... Hmm."
Aetos: "Oh, I meant I would observe from the roof, but... I'll not do that now."
Charles opens dex. He enters the command for "Search premises for Solarian Sha'fol. OHHH! Well then... Thank you for clearing that up. You can go on the roof then. Like I said, I won't be up there."
Dex: "...BEEP! Identified. He is in the Stadium Library."
Aetos: "Psh, we could have assumed that."
Charles: "...The Library's up now?"
Dex: "The library has been recently completed. It is down one door and across one hallway, then down again and the last door to the right."
Metal Man (GM): See: here.
Charles: "...Must speak with people to see if rooms are completed ahead of schedule." *leaves the southern door, Goes past the cafeteria and warp room, takes a left, past the warp room again, and goes into the door on the right.
Metal Man (GM): Charles would open the door, and there would be Sha'Fol, reading through books.
Sha'Fol: "Hmmm... very strange indeed. The past can't decide whether I am evil or not."
Charles looks to Sha'fol.
Sha'Fol: "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Charles: "You are a Solarian and were a host for The Void, yet you have helped us and have turned your back on chaos. These acts are not things that can be easily be judged, Advisor Sha'Fol. It is not our place to say who you are." *sighs.*
Sha'Fol: "You appear to need something. Do you?"
Charles: "Yes. I apologize for digressing. Do you still have to former sword of darkness?"
Sha'Fol: "I have only Valcion; the old sword that remains in one piece lies with Julian."
Aetos eyes Sha'Fol.
Charles nudges Aetos. "Don't start."
Aetos blinks. "But... what is Valcion?"
Charles: "I asked Julian if he had it. He said you kept it since you were the one that pulled it out of his body."
Sha'Fol: "...Odd. Let..." *Searches his pockets; it falls out of one he appeared to have neglected.* "It must have gotten stuck in there somehow."
Aetos: "Heh... Oook..."
Metal Man (GM): It's on the floor; it can be picked up.
Charles: "Forgetful much?" *picks it up at the hilt.*
Metal Man (GM): It glows sinisterly, almost like some sort of assassination knife. Picking it up, Charles feels how devoid of power it is. It feels like handling a glorified toothpick.
Charles: "It doesn't seem to be totally gone. It's power, I mean."
Sha'Fol: "It can never be completely destroyed, unless you wish to unbalance the realm. However, its power and the source of them have been destroyed, so it probably won't return within our lifetimes."
Charles kinda says something under his breath. "Speaking of forgetful, the guy next to me sorta asked about Valcion; what it was."
Sha'Fol: "The sword which is one of three; the other two remain missing." *He pulls out a large, buster-style sword which is dull and made of Jade.* "This weapon focuses psychic energy and uses it to do various things."
Aetos: "That seems extremely powerful."
Charles: "That sword he carries, Aetos? Combination of swords of light, darkness, order, and chaos. I believe the alternate swords came from other timelines, someone said."
Aetos: "Heh, the four powers, if they combined into that sword... wouldn't that mean it has the power to rip through space-time, not to mention people and even mountains?"
Sha'Fol: "It is used to project energy of the mind; the others project the soul and the heart, respectively. I fear they were destroyed with the rest of Solaria."
Charles: "No Quester has the ability to handle its immense mental power. That's how powerful it be."
Aetos nods and closes his eyes. .oO(Soul... hm...)
Charles: "Okay, two other swords similar in power to Valcion? I didn't know. As for me?" *shows Sha'Fol the same chart as he did Aetos.* "I'll be experimenting around this idea. See what happens. Now then... I'm going outside."
Sha'Fol: "It worked once."
Charles: "Doesn't mean it may happen again." *leaves for the outside. "I'll be outside. You can watch on the roof like you wanted, Aetos."*
Sha'Fol: "...There isn't even much of a second floor yet..."
Aetos follows Charles outside, but would leap skip and jump onto the roof from there. Aetos then runs behind a large bush or something to conceal himself from Charles. "I'll just be over here, in case anything happens to go wrong, K?"
Charles: "The Sun feels good... almost feels like Kuja isn't here."
Metal Man (GM): Charles heads outside. There he has the emerald and the broken sword.
Charles stands atop a short mound. He takes out the white chaos emerald and puts it to his left.
Aetos sneakily pulls out the X-zone Crystal from under his cape, and rubs it. "Psst... I know you can hear me." he whispers to it.
Charles then takes out the broken dark sword and places it on his right. "..." *sweatdrop.* "What to do from here?"
Aetos: More whispering to the crystal: "You need to somehow stop this from happening. I don't know what might happen, but it wont be good for you."
Metal Man (GM): Aetos would hear a voice in his head. "Destroy the Emerald!"
Charles: "..." *pockets the emerald and the sword.*
Aetos yells out, "Try hitting the sword onto the emerald!"
Charles: "...k." *takes out the emerald and sword again.*
Aetos whispers more, "You said I can't destroy it without the red emerald."
Charles tries tapping the emerald and sword together a couple times. (emerald to the middle of the sword.) Charles then sits down to do this.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos would hear another voice in his head. "Or you can take it and stab it with the sword." Charles taps it repeatedly. It makes a funny noise. A very funny noise indeed.
Aetos discards the crystal into his cape once-more. Aetos then runs out from behind the bush. "No, SMACK the emerald with it, I bet they will make it work."
Metal Man (GM): It's weird. Sorta like a resonance, but it never continues long enough to really do anything.
Aetos: "Hmm, or we could work together on this... You hold the emerald, and I attempt to fuse it to the sword. Is that good?"
Charles looks to Aetos with a cold glare.
Aetos: "Or hey, the other way around works?..."
Charles: "...YOU WANNA INTERRUPT MY EXPERIMENT, PUNK? DO YOU!?!?!?" The twitching of the eyebrow... very scary.
Aetos takes a step back. "You aren't gonna get anywhere without meh." he humphs.
Charles says, in a cooler voice, "Pardon. That doesn't slip out much."
Aetos kinda sighs.
Charles: "I'm merely prided in my work. That's all."
Aetos: "Oh come on, let SOMEONE give you some help once in a while. Two heads are better than one."
Charles turns around to the two pieces of work. "Okay, I think I got it." *holds emerald in left, sword with right, and slowly puts them together so they are touching.*
Metal Man (GM): More weird sounds issue forth.
Charles: "Uhhh... Chaos... Control?"
Metal Man (GM): Charles causes the emerald to glow, but nothing else. The sword looks oddly brittle.
Aetos: "I'll be here when you want help."
Charles: "...*whistles.*." *tries to push the emerald into the bottom of the sword; its hilt.*
Metal Man (GM): Charles does so, but the hilt is the tough part. The blade is skinny and weak looking.
Charles pulls it out of the hilt. "That didn't work!" He proceeds to push it into the blade.
Aetos: "No, no no, you gotta actually try and stab the emerald. It's like a test. The less fear and restraint you show, the more it will become one with you and your sword there. You gotta prove yourself worthy of the blade and emerald."
Charles: "Ah ah. You may want me to break it, but I am not gonna do that. Besides, the emerald is yours, not mine."
Aetos: "Why would I want you to break it? It's MY emerald!"
Metal Man (GM): The blade seems to... crack.
Aetos: "You're showing restraint. The time is thinning."
Charles: "You're beginning to bug me."
Metal Man (GM): It appears like Charles could break the sword of darkness if he whacked it into the ground; otherwise, it would be able to stab into the emerald if Charles pressed it harder.
Aetos: "Besides, you know how my ideas work. I'd say they work 75/25 percent of the time."
Charles: "It's... lower than that, Aetos. No disrespect but... it's fact."
Aetos frowns. "Okay... well that doesn't mean it won't work..."
Charles: "Point."
Metal Man (GM): Meanwhile, a lot of nothing happens with da sword. Charles must be forgetting something.
Aetos: "I believe... the sword is useless without an element tied to it."
Charles: "...You know, you're right." *unsheathes his Onyx sword.*
Metal Man (GM): The big ol' sword looks like it could hack that puny dark sword into bits.
Aetos blinks rapidly.
Charles: "Well you said it lacked an element, so let's see what happens when..." *puts the Sword of darkness next to the onyx sword so they're touching, and places the emerald on top of both of them.
Metal Man (GM): Charles hears no noises this time, instead.
Aetos: "The onyx sword has an element?"
Charles: "If this doesn't work... I'll stab the emerald with the sword. Well, yeah. Darkness."
Aetos shivers. "And you say CHAOS is bad."
Charles: "It's not malevolent darkness, Aetos. It's not being used for malevolence."
Aetos: "But why would you let ANYTHING dark NEAR the "Sword of DARKNESS"... Wouldn't you fear it regains it's power and becomes cursed once more?"
Charles: "Again, you have a point... but I gotta try this one combination before I'll do yours." *touches all three together and yells "Chaos Control!
Aetos scratches his head.
Metal Man (GM): Charles manages to set his hair on fire.
Aetos screams.
Charles: "AH MY GAWD MY HAIR'S ON FIRE!"
Metal Man (GM): Maybe Charles can hurl fireballs like the wicked witch of the west now.
Charles puts it out. Charles then sheathes the onyx sword. "...Okay, stabbing time."
Aetos takes out his DEX and asks it what will happen if the Chaos Emerald of 'Neutrality' is stabbed by the weakened Sword of Darkness... in secret.
Metal Man (GM): It shows 'Unknown.'
Charles picks up sword of darkness, holds emerald to ground, and proceeds to poke.
Aetos walks behind the bush again. .oO(This will be interesting...)
Metal Man (GM): Charles pokes it; all direct stabs appear to scratch the emerald, while any off-ones seem to crack the sword. The force Charles is using is insufficient to do anything to either, though.
Aetos: "I said without restraint!"
Charles sighs.
Aetos: "Show that Chaos Emerald who's boss!" *blinks, and runs inside the HQ and pokes his head out a window to watch.*
Charles holds it up the sword about 10 inches from the emerald, and proceeds to stab it from there. Charles then winces.
Metal Man (GM): Charles manages to break the emerald. However, a tiny note falls out.
Aetos feels he's going to bleep either way.
Metal Man: "Ivan Robotnik fake emerald destroyed."
Charles: "...What have I do---"
Aetos finds himself wiping his brow.
Charles: "...FAKE EMERALD!? ...Whelp... I guess I can get in trouble for this."
Metal Man (GM): Ivan walks on out.
Ivan Robotnik: "In trouble? Not at all. You just pinpointed that someone wants to destroy it. I made sure to give out fake emeralds and protect the real ones in case something like this happened."
Charles: "...Ahhh-huh." *gets up, brushing himself off.* "When did you begin to 'foretell' this event?"
Ivan Robotnik: "Just a day or two ago. I slipped fake ones around before anyone could realize it."
Charles: "But why would someone wa---" *reevaluates.* "Increased Void activity, isn't it?"
Ivan Robotnik: "Detected just recently."
Charles: "Aetos has been using that magitek x-zone crystal a good amount lately. And just during the Meier Link fight, I swore I saw the image of the Void. Hell, even that Dark Metal Man called Aetos, 'Void Junior.'"
Aetos sweatdrops, listening from the window.
Charles: "'Void Junior' was during the chase for the Goron Ruby, though when it happened is irrelevant."
Ivan Robotnik: "Here's another one, anyway. They act like the real thing until you break them. Because they're linked to the real one."
Metal Man (GM): He tosses Charles another emerald.
Charles catches.
Ivan Robotnik: "They're just glass and a small transmitter, so if they break, they break."
Charles: "Is that why nothing happened when I tapped sword and emerald together?"
Ivan Robotnik: "...No. It would have worked if it worked that way."
Aetos sighs.
Charles: "Now that I think about it..."
Ivan Robotnik: "Fake emeralds cause the same effects as the real ones, just that they don't break the real ones if you break them. Oh, and only one can be active per emerald simultaneously."
Charles: "I see. Now about the emerald..." *looks at it.*
Digifanatic is just hanging around his room and decides to go and ask Metal some things...
Charles: "Aetos has been acting strange ever since he returned from the X-zone. He insisted that I stab the sword into the emerald a couple dozen times. He questioned why we shouldn't use chaos against darkness, even though Sha'Fol warned us not to do so and just save it for Kuja. You would think that he was..." *whispers, "...a collaborator for The Void?"*
Ivan Robotnik: "Oh, it's nothing. I mean, he's obviously just playing around. Nobody would really plan to do bad things like that."
Charles: "I understand. I'm accusing people wrongly again."
Ivan Robotnik: "Yes. Now, I should get back to work. Good luck with that sword!"
Charles looks to the sword. "Yeah, like what the hell am I gonna do with this?"
Ivan Robotnik: *Leaves.* "I have no clue."
Charles: "That was to myself, Professor!"
Aetos leaps out the window and behind the bush.
Ivan Robotnik: *Is out of earshot.*
Charles enter the building again. He looks for Aetos, near the bush like area.
Aetos yells out, "Is it safe to come out?"
Charles: "Catch." *throws the emerald to Aetos.*
Aetos: "Gick" he catches it.
Charles: "The experiment was a flop. Now I gotta return this to Advisor Sha'Fol."
Aetos looks at the decaying sword. "Hmm... you know, I have some experiments of my own. You think you could lend me that sword? I'll let YOU watch this time."
Charles: "...Sure. Why the hell not?"
Aetos places the emerald into his cape... compartment..thing.
Charles throws it at Aetos, making it spin in mid-air at him. "Catch."
Aetos: "Gah!" he makes out to catch it. "You shouldn't throw swords like that."
Charles: *sweatdrop.* "A mistake."
Aetos catches it fine enough.
Charles goes to stand behind the bush. "Now it's my turn to be behind here."
Aetos nods, and walks out to the center of the path, in front of HQ. "Hmm. First, give me that poster you have, Charles."
Charles: "...?"
Aetos: "...The one you drew on, with the equation for your theory."
Charles: "...!" *takes it out.* *gives it to Aetos.* "The theory didn't work."
Aetos lays it down on the ground, with the blank side up... and then produces several markers from his cape. "I just wanna draw out my theory, like you did. hehe."
Charles: "It wasn't a theory. It was an idea." *looks to the side.*
Aetos begins drawing several things in a circular pattern on the left side of the poster. A flame, a Feather, A droplet of Water, A lightning Bolt, A shadow, A beam of light, and finally, a dark line and a bright line forming an X in the middle of the circle. Aetos then squiggles on a big arrow from the circle of elements, to the right. Aetos then draws, after the arrow, a spear, a big sword like Onyx, a Gun, and a staff. Aetos then marks a tiny '=' after those, to leave room.
Charles: "You're wanting to combine all the elements in a weapon?"
Aetos shakes his head. "No no." Aetos then draws the spear with a circulating wind tip, the big sword shaded in darkness, the gun shooting a lightning bolt, and the staff creating a shield of ice. "Now... we know that some of our weapons have elemental properties. But... do we know HOW? Now... my theory, is that we indirectly channel our energy into our weapons, getting the varied results. But what if we use all of our willpower, to channel nearly our entire being into the weapons..?" *draws a slash after the elemental-weapons. Then he draws a question mark. "But if we use too MUCH of it... *draws a slash after the question mark, and scribbles on a skull and crossbones.* "To sum it up... Element + Weapon = Elemental-weapons/unknown/ or... Death. But it all depends on how much energy you let drain from yourself into your weapon, I suppose."
Charles: "There's a flaw with your theory."
Aetos: "Hm."
Charles: "Machines do not use energy in using weapons with elemental properties."
Aetos: "Those are merely built in mechanics." *pulls the spear off his back.* "This used to be an ordinary spear. Now, you've seen what's been done with it. I didn't program anything into it intentionally... I just let it connect to my soul. I'm not saying there aren't other ways to enhance a weapon's power... I'm saying there seems to be other feats at work with some people."
Charles: "Sometimes that is the case, but not usually."
Aetos: "Precisely why I'm interested... now... I am wondering if a person who has his energies flow between his weapons and himself can have the same effect on weapons that he is not familiar with. " *holds up the sword of darkness.*
Charles: "If you wielded a weapon of that was affiliated with earth, it'd still be a weapon of earth, not wind."
Aetos: "But that isn't true in all cases."
Charles: "I've yet to see a weapon that can change elemental power. ...Then again, I had thought all Solarians were people who should be fiends for all time, then Sha'fol came."
Aetos: "Well, let's find out."
Charles: "A sword of wind?"
Aetos holds the sword outright and closes his eyes... he focuses his body and becomes perfectly still in seconds... his deep though leads him into his free-spirited soul... the wind inside his soul bellows with pride and his thoughts shift, his mind and soul fuse for a moment, and he guides his soul through his body and into the sword he holds outright, trying to make it a sword of wind, in his hands.
Metal Man (GM): The sword shoots a few sparks and does nothing. It appears this sword is harder to bend than it would seem.
Aetos wakes from his focus on the sword. "Hmm... this only leads to more questions." Aetos then grins...
Charles: "It IS more than a sword of darkness, meh boy."
Aetos seems enlightened and nods. "I know just the ticket. But... You don't want to hear about THAT now." He holds the sword out for Charles.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos would notice how fragile the sword... thing... is.
Charles: "You're done with it?" *takes it.*
Aetos nods. "I suppose. This weapon is just a little too powerful to resonate with... Then again, with enough bonding..." He brings the sword back to himself.
Metal Man (GM): It feels cold and dead.
Aetos eyes Charles, waiting for a response.
Charles: "...Are you insinuating that you want to keep it for yourself?"
Aetos: "Well, perhaps, if so it would only be until I work this out. But if there is an objection I will insist on giving it back."
Charles: "You have... 10 minutes."
Aetos snickers. "10 minutes might be how long it takes to accomplish the task with One-Winged Angel, but this sword is covered in dark energy, it would take more then that, I'd guess anywhere from a month to 10 years... and this is where I see an objection in your eyes."
Charles: "Your eyes are as keen as they are sharp."
Aetos holds the sword out for Charles again.
Charles takes it, smiling. Charles then walks forward on the path.
Aetos goes back inside after nodding to Charles, and gets into his room, beginning to write more. "This will be a long entry..."
Charles raises the sword into the air. "I take this twisted sword into my hands, I take it to where it ends. This twisted sword that has been used for blight... never again shall it see the dead of night!" He brings the sword down with all his might, making it so the blade connects with a good amount of force against the ground, doing it so the blade would break.
Metal Man (GM): *SNAP.* The sword breaks into a million pieces. Then the pieces float off of the ground and reform, creating... the Sword of Order.
Charles: "What... in the world..?"
Metal Man (GM): Charles remembers... he broke the other one earlier, which is what caused the original one to form.
Charles: "It's... a new sword..."
Sha'Fol: *Wanders in.* "One of the four possibilities. You are one of those who can summon the Sword of Order, just as Meier summoned darkness."
Metal Man (GM): It is a pearl white blade, which is entirely white; the blade is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and studded with them. The handle has the images of a balance scale on it.
Sha'Fol: "You originally ignored the call for it, and Yurie wound up using the Chaos Breaker instead of you using the sword of balance."
Charles: "When it was broken the first time on the Thirteen Gentlemen's satellite... years ago. I didn't know what would happen, so I didn't know."
Sha'Fol: "The sword of Chaos is the only one which has remained unknown. With this sword converted, it may never surface, lest the sword of light be defeated."
Charles: "Are the swords legendary weapons, relics of power... or Artifacts?"
Sha'Fol: "Legendary weapons, limited in number. They pass between people as they are needed."
Charles reaches out to grab the handle.
Aetos comes down from his room. Aetos then enters the library on the HQ. .oO(Time to learn everything I can about this guy.) Aetos then opens the Dex and asks it to list all available books or records on Chaos.
Charles reaches for the hilt of the blade.
Metal Man (GM): Charles reaches for the hilt. It's pretty smooth, and looks normal enough.
Charles: "O mighty Sword of Order, nearly eleven years have passed since you have called out for your rightful wielder. Now that I have come to your beckoning, may we fight against The Void and any other chaos that is brought to this world." *makes a hold of the sword with both hands.*
Metal Man (GM): The sword glows; Charles can feel the energy of order within him. SWORD OF ORDER+10 | Medium | Demigod | 20 + 80 Non elemental 'Order' Damage |. The sword glows, now a sword of order; Charles feels the power of order surge within him.
Charles goes inside the stadium. He goes to his room, unsheathes Onyx Sword and places it on a mantle. He puts Tempest's Sword in the sheathe where Onyx was, and puts the Sword of Order in the sheathe of Tempest's Sword. He picks up Gibby's shield and equips it to his back.
Aetos assumes the DEX is scanning the library for his request right now.
Metal Man (GM): Insert large amount of documents here; Sardis Mongul's journal, The Void and the X-Zone (labeled: Outdated) and piles upon piles of documents about Tridus, Smithy, and the X-Zone. Anyway. The Quester dexes beep, as there's apparently a mission ready.
Smash Dex: "ATTN: Commander 4 (Lashiec) Located."
Digifanatic is lounging between halls at the time... "Oh..." Digifanatic then immediately heads to the BR about this one.
Charles readies his dex. "...It begins."
Digifanatic: .oO(Dang. I guess I'll have to ask Metal about the computer later.)
Charles goes to the Big Room.
Aribar yawns, waking up from a nap. He grabs his sword, wand, item pack, and other necessities while examining his Dex before heading to the Big Room.
Metal Man is lounging on his office chair, looking over some intelligence reports.
Charles has Fire Tunic as well at the ready.
Aetos attempts to locate the Journal and the Outdated Void and X-Zone study, and leaves the documents for later... he suspects it's almost time for the mission.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos is unable to locate the actual journal, but rather a digital hologram of it. And a thing that says "See: Charles L. Magellean."
Digifanatic, of course, has all of his offensive and store-bought possessions, as well as that shield again.
Aetos snaps his fingers, and goes for the study of the X-zone and the Void now, if he finds it, he would pocket it and go to the Big Room.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos pockets it. Metal sits there, and finally begins to talk.
Metal Man: "...We are nearly complete with our mission. Kuja has done absolutely nothing to stop us." *looks at the map, and shows one single spot, surrounded by completely dark lands.*
Digifanatic: "That surely is a surprise."
Metal Man: "This... is where our objective leads. Before we can finally reach Kuja's tower, we must defeat this last commander; the commander of... something."
Aribar: "... Why should he worry about a small group of mortals when he is a god? He could probably strike us down whenever he gets bored of causing mayhem."
Metal Man: "Twilight Town is here. It is the only non-occupied town on the planet." *points at a speck nearby the red dot.*
Aetos: "...That's odd."
Digifanatic: "It is. Any idea why?"
Aribar searches his memory for that town name... And remembers getting blown up by tanks near it once.*
Metal Man: "In fact, Kuja's work has made it a bigger town. It is usually lived in by people of darkness."
Aribar: "Doopliss lives there, doesn't he?"
Metal Man: "Doopliss? Well, he might have, but he vanished earlier when found in Grodus's magitek factory. The Creepy Steeple was returned to its status as a church... but that is not our objective. The area is totally undefended. We must find and destroy the last Commander in order to leave Kuja's tower open to attack... so that we can invade it without a counter-attack from behind."
Digifanatic: "Oh yeah... Aren't there six of them?"
Charles: "If this sector is our next target to secure, then who is in control of this?"
Digifanatic: "And if we only killed three, and if Kuja is one of them, wouldn't there be at least one more?"
Charles: "Kuja isn't one of the three, Ian."
Metal Man: "The others happen to reside within Kuja's tower."
Digifanatic: "Not the ones we killed... Ah."
Metal Man: "Maxamillian's machines were reported 'surrounding the tower and shooting anything that moved within a mile of it.'"
Digifanatic: "Well, that makes it easier to point."
Charles: "Who is the other Commander occupying Kuja's private sector?"
Metal Man: "...Rumors say Gerald Robotnik is, but I doubt he does it willingly."
Digifanatic: "That guy just doesn't die out."
Charles: "I am doubting it, too."
Digifanatic: "Least it seems that way."
Metal Man: "His technology, combined with Maxamillian's, is probably being used to reinforce the tower. Kuja has something planned which we cannot know. This lone wolf, Lashiec, has persisted in living mainly because he has done almost nothing to his sector. He has sent no guards, no weapons, no darkness, not even a curse. People have come to his area to escape persecution at the hands of Kuja. I don't know why... but it's real fishy. You can check it out; there's a warp pipe that leads directly into the town."
Digifanatic: "Sorry, but I have no idea, neither."
Aetos shrugs. "That sounds VERY weird."
Aribar: "So... We need not fear any darkness on this mission?"
Digifanatic: "Alright, guys... let's hit it."
Charles: "To enter Twilight Town, don't we need to write our names on our backs?"
Aetos walks out of the big room and waits for everyone, then enters the warp after people pass him by.
Metal Man: "...Well, none in the town itself. Twilight Town is naturally surrounded by Crazy Dayzees and all sorts of dark versions of the normal Mario brickabrack."
Digifanatic: "Right."
Charles: "I mean to enter the pipe LEADING to Twilight Town."
Digifanatic follows Aetos on in.
Metal Man: "This pipe is different. Plus, Doopliss was deposed, so names are no longer so important."
Aribar frowns, not liking this at all... The elf decides to just bear with it and follow the others to the warp room.*
Charles: "Very well." *On his way to the warp room... he contacts Ivan by dex, leaving a message.* "This is Charles. Just wanting to know if there's anyone in Lashiec's sector that can be recruited. Reply when you can." *shuts off message.*
Metal Man (GM): Into the warp room the Questers go. *WARP.* They soon appear in the middle of Twilight Town. Except it's more of a city now. Tall buildings are around, and many people wander this plaza-like area.
Charles leaves both dexes on vibrate in case Ivan replies.
Metal Man (GM): There is, right down a small path, a large building which says "RICH SHOE BANDIT CORPORATION."
Aribar mutters something about having to decimate this town when Kuja is dealt with.*
Charles: "Hmm. This moonlight feels kinda good."
Digifanatic still just continues to look around at the place, not wanting to say anything yet...
Aetos does as Digi does.
Metal Man (GM): Nothing too odd, despite the rather large amount of shy-guy like dudes which look like thieves.
Aribar: "I would rather be anywhere else than be in this stinking den of thieves."
Charles: "Did... Metal say where to go after this?"
Aetos: "...No."
Charles: "Typical." -_-;
Metal Man (GM): The path which leads to the shoe bandit corporation appears to go off into the forest beyond it.
Aetos starts walking toward the RICH SHOE BANDIT CORP.
Aribar looks about, wondering what the most... 'Official' looking building is.
Metal Man (GM): The Shoe Bandit corporation looks the most 'official'; the rest are just businesses and stuff.
Digifanatic: "You know, Charles, you're right... come to think to about it, where do we go?"
Charles: "Let's not do what happened in the last town, okay Aetos?"
Aribar transfers his item pouch to a pocket on the inside of his cloak, sets a hand on Moonlight's pommel, and starts after Aetos. The elf tries to be especially weary of any civilians that come close to him.
Charles: "When in doubt... follow the goofball ahead of you." *follows Aetos to the corporation.*
Digifanatic: "Alright, then..." *follows the two As.*
Metal Man (GM): The group walks up to the front of the building; they can either enter it or walk into the forest.
Aribar enters the building, being as cautious as ever.*
Metal Man (GM): Aribar walks into the building, and suddenly walks out as fast as he came. His pockets feel a little lighter. For some reason, entering the building caused Aribar to leave it. Like some sort of... portal...
Aribar turns around and looks at the building. He backs up a few steps and casts Bang on the entrance. "I will NOT tolerate thieves!"
Aetos sweatdrops at Aribar's rage.
Metal Man (GM): Bang hits the entrance. Then it suddenly exits the entrance, and into Aribar's face. Apparently it's a weird portal.
Charles: "...I'm not entering a place like that."
Metal Man (GM): A bandit guy points and laughs at Aribar.
Bandit: "You remind me of that... fellow... who attacked those guys. It's in their... history... ha ha ha ha!"
Charles: "If... anybody wants to know, I'll be walking into the forest, okay?"
Digifanatic looks to see if there are alternate entrances or spots that just may not seem as well guarded...
Aribar storms over to the bandit and grabs him by the clothes on his chest, trying to lift him from the ground.
Aetos: "Hmm. You know, this would be useful if I could make this portable."
Bandit: "That door is booby trapped. Only offi---h-hey buddy! I don't work for them!"
Aribar: "You WILL tell me how to get in that building if you know what's good for you."
Aetos tosses an air blast into the door.
Charles: "...Okay. I'll be going now." *goes into the forest.*
Aribar: "I will not hesitate to blast you to smithereens."
Metal Man (GM): The air blast flies out of the door and hits Aribar.
Aetos: "...Oops."
Metal Man (GM): Charles vanishes into the forest.
Aribar: "Gah!"
Metal Man (GM): The Bandit is blown out of Aribar's grasp. He runs into the crowd and vanishes.
Aribar: "Dammit!" *glares with dagger eyes at Aetos.*
Aetos runs into the forest after Charles. "Eek!"
Aribar gets up from the ground and starts going through his pockets to see what was liberated from him.
Metal Man (GM): Aribar is zapped by his own pockets. After hurling away the buzzers in his pockets, he realizes they took all his money.
Aribar: "Damn, damn, damn, damn!" *starts around the building, determined to get to the bottom of this. The elf also unsheathes Moonlight.*
Metal Man (GM): Aribar walks around the building. No other entrances, unless he likes climbing ala King Kong. There's an open window on the third floor.
Aribar tries to judge how difficult of a climb it would be... To an unopened window on the first floor.
Metal Man (GM): Aribar would have to do things people with two arms would find difficult: reaching across sparse bumps and ledges in the building.
Aribar grips Moonlight's blade between his teeth and starts trying to climb up to the closest window.
Metal Man (GM): Aribar climbs on in. He sees a bunch of thieves behind desks... they're telemarketers!
Bandit1: "If you sign up now, we'll send you three thousand milliliters of undiluted supersodium! A---... dang. Hung up on again." *Starts dialing a phone.*
Aribar hops into the room and takes the blade in his left hand. "Or if you give me back every coin you stole from me you'll live to see another sunrise." Aribar then takes a step to the side of the window so he isn't in front of it.
Bandit1: *Turns around to face Aribar.* "...It's the situation we've all been planning against... you thought I was crazy, but now is the time!" He presses a button on the wall. "Aribar Alarm."
Aribar: "..."
Metal Man (GM): All sorts of alarms go off as they begin running away. Meanwhile, the remaining bandit takes his phone apart and re-assembles it into a machinegun.
Bandit1: *gulp.* "I must kill Aribar... for the good of my company! You... could... just run away... and spare the bloodshed. We've never done anything to you... since... uh... we blew you up."
Aribar: "You stole my money. And you exist." *The elf tries to Bolt the gun out of his hand.*
Metal Man (GM): Aribar knocks it out of his hands. He takes two chair legs off the chair and presses buttons on them. They form... swords.
Bandit1: "I am prepared. Everything in this room can turn into a weapon... if... you... insist... on fighting."
Aribar: "I am a master of magic. I have dedicated my life before Nintendus to hunting down thieves. I am a skilled swordsman. You shall not defeat me. Give me back my money and I will leave you. For now."
Bandit1: "Then I shall just have to... downsize you..."
Metal Man (GM): BATTLE. Aribar vs. Telemarketing Bandit. He takes his dual-wielded swords and lunges at Aribar.
Aribar expertly blocks three of those slashes, but the fourth slice gets past his defenses. He does shock the bandit with his electrical aura damage on that hit slice, though.*
Metal Man (GM): He gets shocked.
Bandit: "YEOW! That's it... I'll just have to rob you blind!"
Metal Man (GM): He runs at Aribar, trying to pillage his weapon. He grabs it. Also, is Aribar stronger than a munchkin? Heck no! He steals Aribar's sword.
Bandit: "Hah! Hah! Now I'll kill you with your own sword!"
Aribar: "You forgot something."
Bandit: "Huh?"
Aribar: "I'm a mage. Magic Missile!" *Fires some blasts of magical energy at the bandit.*
Bandit: "Ahhhh!" He runs around screaming.
Metal Man (GM): Miss and hit. He runs at Aribar with Moonlight, trying to slash him twice.
Aribar manages to evade that first slice, but is nailed by the second.
Metal Man (GM): The first time he knocks over a vase; the second, he stabs Aribar in the face. Pain.
Bandit: "Hahah! You shall die for your... uhhh... thief hating!"
Aribar is seriously bleedin' now... Aribar then tries to back out of stabbity range before immolating the area around the bandit with Bang!
Metal Man (GM): He runs around like a pansy. He continues swinging wildly once more at Aribar.
Aribar is nailed...
Bandit: "I'll give you your sword back if you leave!"
Aribar backs out of slashity range again before pounding his foe with more magical missiles.
Metal Man (GM): Hit and... miss. He chases after Aribar, and manages to get in both attacks 'cause he saved some energy earlier. He also wildly hits the walls with the sword.
Bandit: "Gah! Stupid inferior product!"
Aribar easily backs away from the wild sword slashes. "You thieves just have no skill!"
Bandit: "Thief? Never! I'm a telemarketer!"
Metal Man (GM): He did, but that's all the way 20 feet across the room by now. He dropped both of them.
Aribar: "You STOLE my sword!"
Metal Man (GM): Aribar knocked his gun away in the same area. Plus Aribar would have to run past him.
Bandit: "You invaded my office!"
Aribar: "You stole my money!"
Bandit: "You damaged my machinegun!"
Aribar tries to take some time to get away from the thief and line himself up for a run at the sword before firing his last volley of Magic Missiles at the Bandit.
Metal Man (GM): He leaps out of the way with panache.
Aribar: "Hold still!"
Metal Man (GM): He attacks with two more wild swings of the sword.
Aribar is nailed twice...
Metal Man (GM): *CRIT* He somehow manages to slice Aribar in the chin and then stab Ari's shoulder.
Aribar: "Gah!" .oO(This isn't looking good. . A few more hits and I'm a goner... And there's no way I can battle many of these people.)
Bandit: "I'm a businessman here, and I'll make you a deal; leave my office and you can have your sword back. I may be willing to haggle. A little."
Aribar: "I came here to get the money you stole from me back. I shall not leave until I get it! I had over forty-five thousand coins on me!" .oO(Note to self: NEVER take coins with me on a mission again.) *tries to rush over to the free sword on the floor and downs a Blue Potion along the way.*
Metal Man (GM): Aribar runs 10 feet towards the sword; the bandit attacks Aribar. It misses.
Aribar looks like he hasn't even been scratched now. Turn over.
Metal Man (GM): The bandit, angry, decides to open a window and hurl Aribar's sword out of it and down into the plaza below.
Aribar: "No!"
Bandit: "There are thousands of thieves down there... you will have to grab it quickly before they cart it off forever!"
Aribar: "If you do that I shall make sure your death is a slow and painful one. Very. Very. Painful."
Bandit: "Then I shall steal everything you can use to kill me and hurl it down there!"
Aribar: "This could have been avoided if you just gave me my money back."
Bandit: "Well, your loss."
Aribar: "... Let me offer you something."
Metal Man (GM): Meanwhile... Aetos and Digi, probably waiting impatiently, would see a sword land from the sky. Aribar's sword.
Aribar: "... You didn't."
Digifanatic: *boink.* "Hey, that's Ari's... I'll hold it for him."
Aribar: "You life ends now."
Digifanatic takes the sword with his open hand, leaving no spare limb open!
Bandit: "Okay. But first, allow me to steal your items!"
Metal Man (GM): He runs at Aribar, attempting to steal his items. He snatches the potion and hurls it out the window. Digi would see it falling down.
Digifanatic hopes that container isn't glass...
Aribar walks over and picks up that sword...
Digifanatic sets the shield down for a second (hey, he didn't buy it, so he's not concerned about that) to try and put the potion into his repertoire.
Metal Man (GM): Digi grabs the potion.
Digifanatic: *grabs shield back.* .oO(What is going on up there?)
Aribar stands there, facing the bandit.
Digifanatic: .oO(Best to wait so I don't attract anything...)
Metal Man (GM): The bandit decides to rob Aribar's items some more. Oh, yeah. damage, including that one earlier... and he gets zapped every time he touches Aribar. He hurls them out the window too.
Digifanatic sees more stuff falling... oO(What the...?!) *sets shield down, picks up Ari's stuff, wields shield again.*
Aribar electrically charges up this sword and unleashes a massive barrage of four hits on the bandit.
Metal Man (GM): Miss miss miss miss. He dances out of the way. He decides to steal more. Damage.
Digifanatic sees even more potions falling... he just continues to do what he has to...
Aribar tries to line himself, the bandit, and the window up in a straight line and mutters a word of enchantment on the sword before unleashing a very accurate Smash attack, True Strike, on the bandit.
Metal Man (GM): He decides to steal more.
Aribar: *Repeat of last turn.*
Digifanatic: .oO(This is getting annoying...) *rinse lather repeat.*
Metal Man (GM): *Miss.* The bandit strikes again!
Aribar: *Sacrificial dagger in Wolfman!* *True Strike the Bandit out the Window!*
Metal Man (GM): *Items fly out the window!!!*
Aribar: *Sacrificial dagger in Aetos!* *True Strike the Bandit out the Window!*
Metal Man (GM): *Miss barely!* *It's raining itemz!*
Digifanatic is just getting annoyed at the rain of potions...
Aribar: *Sacrificial dagger in Locos!* *True Strike the Bandit out the Window!*
Metal Man (GM): It's like, raining items... maybe Digi has to drop some.
Aribar: *Sacrificial dagger in Digi!* *True Strike the Bandit out the Window!*
Metal Man (GM): It's raining items! It's raining items! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!
Digifanatic just sees all the items and guards whatever the heck he can.
Aribar: *Eats pie.* *And by pie I mean a Blue Potion.* *casts Bolt on the damned bandit.*
Metal Man (GM): *ZOOM.*
Aribar: "I'll ask you one last time. Give me my gold or die."
Metal Man (GM): The bandit rubs his chin.
Bandit: "I would, but I'm not dying fast enough. You, on the other hand, are running out of things to lose out the window."
Aribar: "You WILL give me my gold. Now." *INTIMIDATION!*
Bandit: "Hahahahahaha! HAHAHAhaahahaha! That's so funny!"
Aribar: *OMGBBQ ATTACK!* *SCANNERIZE!*
Digifanatic: *sees more stuff fall.*
Dex: "...DING! Telemarketing Bandit.
Digifanatic: .oO(This is soooooooooo annoying.)
Dex: "health: 648/1014. STR: 20. END: 16. AGI: 40. MNT: 12. DEF: 03. EVD: 25. Thief: d20+23, +Acc 4x, +Fast. Wild Weapon Swinging: d20+5, 55 + Wep damage. ...This thief has had many years to practice his trade. He is head of the Telemarketing department, and one of the original thieves who attacked Aribar with a tank."
Aribar: *Bolt.*
Bandit: "...I grow tired of your antics." *Takes out a phone and pokes Aribar a lot with it.*
Metal Man (GM): Magically, he pokes Aribar once in the eye with a phone.
Aribar: *Ahem.* "BANG!"
Metal Man (GM): He trips on a phone cord. He is pretty badly wounded by now. Health: 774/1014. Plus Aribar has three lives and the telemarketer doesn't. He steals more. He steals Aribar's last potion, then just smacks him. Health: 816/1014.
Aribar takes out his Chaos Emerald.* "CHAOS CONTROL!"
Digifanatic: .oO(Aetos better not have walked away with the white one...)
Aribar tries to get into, at least what was last time, a super-accurate mode.
Digifanatic: .oO(Now would be the nice time...)
Metal Man (GM): Aribar takes it out. Aribar goes to power it up... then it is negated by a white glow. No time lost.
Dex: "Chaos emerald usage provokes The Void. Emerald action canceled by White emerald."
Aribar: "... What?!"
Metal Man (GM): It looks pretty heavy, though... maybe Aribar could hurl it at the Bandit's head.
Aribar tries to put all his willpower into beating back the White Emeralds power.
Metal Man (GM): Aribar finds himself brandishing a rock. It doesn't seem to work. The white emerald cancels it out.
Aribar pockets it and tries another True Strike.
Metal Man (GM): ...Aribar hit. AMAZING. The bandit's knocked right out of the window and onto the ground outside, killed. Digi would see him fall; then, in place of him, a mountain of coins would appear... all of Aribar's coins.
Digifanatic: *sees the bandit fall out the window.* "Whoa... what happened here?" *He makes sure to guard all this for Ari...*
Aribar falls to his knees, panting. "I... Will come back... And level this city. Not a single hole will remain for these thieves to hide in."
Metal Man (GM): Now Aribar knows why Lashiec didn't do anything--the populace is evil enough as-is.
Digifanatic text messages Ari through the Dexes: 'Don't worry. I have your stuff. --Didge.'
Metal Man (GM): Aetos and Charles have probably walked several miles by now.
Aribar casts three Cures on himself and tries to climb back down the building... He'll just have to come back later for his stuff. He's too beat up now.
Metal Man (GM): Aribar climbs on down, and sees his stuff, Digi, and a mountain of his coins.
Digifanatic: "What happened?"
Aribar: "Vile Bandits."
Digifanatic hands over Ari his sword and all of his potions.
Aribar: "... Thank you."
Digifanatic: "No problem. I decided to stay just cause I didn't wanna wind up in any mess with the others and kinda because you would have been alone otherwise."
Aribar reequips everything, thanks Digi again, and begins thinking about how he shall demolish this town.
Digifanatic: "I saw your sword fall and I was like, 'What the heck's going on?' When I recognized it as yours, I knew something weird was up, so I had to stay. Turns out it was good that I did. Where do you suppose Charles and Aetos went?"
Aribar: "Let's... Catch up with the others... Ummm... Down that forested path they went if I recall... Pre-battle correctly."
Digifanatic: "Alright."
Metal Man (GM): While Digi and Aribar are in the city... Aetos and Charles walk into the forest. The forest is perpetually dark, and full of old trees. Some have lightning strike burns on them; others look new. The path reaches a fork in the road, where an old sign stands. A bent arrow to the left says "To the Fortress of Glass." A bent arrow to the right says "To Creepy Steeple." Both look old and are covered in graffiti.
Aetos: "Hmm? What is the Fortress of Glass? Reminds me of a Museum of Glass we got back home."
Charles reads both signs. He turns to Aetos.
Metal Man (GM): The paths to both ways are covered in grass; this place is virtually unused since many years ago.
Charles: "The Fortress of Glass was a place that housed great power to Nintendus 10 years ago." *lowers his head.* "It is where Kuja gained his power of the entire planet and banished us to Turion."
Aetos: "...Oh."
Charles looks up again.
Aetos: "...I'm up for the church that apparently has no significance."
Charles: "I can tell you of Creepy Steeple. An interesting story behind it." *goes on the right path.*
Aetos follows behind 'im.
Metal Man (GM): The path is virtually empty; the Questers walk up to a series of switchbacks in the path, which go up a hill.
Charles: "Creepy Steeple was the church of Twilight Town. Long before Kuja came, a ghost doppelganger named Doopliss took residence in it and had fun turning the folks of Twilight Town into pigs whenever the bell tolled."
Metal Man (GM): Charles walks up to a certain point, then a piece of the path falls out from under him!
Charles: "Mario and his partners where on a journey for the Crystal Stars and were for---!"
Aetos: "Eek!"
Metal Man (GM): Charles leaps onto the next part of the path, avoiding a fall. It's only a small eroded part of the path; Aetos can step over it.
Aetos: "Weird." *steps over to Charles and continues following him.*
Charles continues onward.
Metal Man (GM): The Questers reach the top, and can now see the Creepy Steeple in the distance. It looks relatively polished. The path downwards is treacherous, and made of decomposed granite.
Aetos: "We could jump it..."
Charles: "--were forced to fight the ghost. Before he was defeated, Doopliss took the form and name of Mario. While the fake Mario and his new partners celebrated their victory, Mario was nothing more than a mere shadow. It was in the Town that Mario befriended one of the Shadow Sirens: Vivian. Long story short, Mario and Vivian were able to defeat Doopliss by revealing his real name, Mario took back his body and the fourth Crystal Star."
Aetos: "That sounds adventurous."
Charles: "Let's climb down, first."
Aetos: "Um... after you."
Charles: "...Or just get down there, however is possible." *looks over the edge, looking for some way to climb down.*
Aetos wonders if he could jump down the hill, he has triple jumps.
Metal Man (GM): The hill is roughly 50 feet diagonal. The Questers could leap down it. The hill could be climbed down on all fours; heck, the Questers could walk down it if they wanted.
Charles attempts to slide down the hill on his two feet, moving at a rate faster than climbing.
Metal Man (GM): Charles walks out on the hill, start surfing, and then begin falling down it like a rolling boulder.
Aetos: "Oooh, Ouch..."
Metal Man (GM): OW OFF SMACK CRASH AHHHHH!!!! *Tumble check.* Charles tumbles well. As in, he avoids hitting his head on any boulders. But his balance was so bad he took damage on his trip down the hill. On the plus side, he's at the bottom of the hill.
Aetos nods at Charles, and leaps down.
Metal Man (GM): Jump 1: Begin. Aetos leaps really far. In fact, watch out for that tree! *OOF.* Aetos leaps far across the hill and into a tree and damages himself. He slides down it and land on the ground.
Charles has many a scrape on his body. He activates the power of his star rod.
Aetos staggers around and over to Charles.
Charles casts Healing on himself. Damage healed.
Aetos: "Ready?" he says dazed.
Metal Man (GM): On the plus side, the Creepy Steeple is dead ahead.
Charles casts Healing on Aetos. More health recovered.
Metal Man (GM): On the negative side, there's, like, five Crayzee Dayzees wandering around in front of it.
Aetos: "Oooh, Thank you Charles."
Charles: "And that, as they say, is that. Would you like to hear of how I first came into contact with Doopliss?"
Aetos: "Sure."
Metal Man (GM): Strange music issues forth from the chapel. It sounds... familiar.
Charles notes the five Crayzee dayzees other there. "You might want to avoid hearing the flowers' song..it can put you to sleep."
Metal Man (GM): The Dayzees continue patrolling, seemingly charmed by the music.
Charles: "I am unable to hear well. Can you hear it?"
Aetos: "Yes... I can hear excellently... that sounds bad."
Charles: "...Augh. I hear the sound of pokemon music. What do you hear?"
Aetos: "Heh, I hear Kuja."
Charles: "Oh that can't be right."
Aetos: "Well, his music... theme... at least."
Charles: "I will have to tell of how I met the doppelganger another time. You have been brought up to date about Creepy Steeple."
Aetos: "Good enough, I suppose."
Charles: "Now then... let's try to avoid the flowers." *walks closer among the fauna, but to try to remain outta sight.*
Metal Man (GM): He hides in front of a piece of grass. The Dayzees see him and run to attack him. One of them... is an Amayzee Dayzee! Ahhhhhhh!!!!
Charles: "...OH MY GAWD..."
Aetos: "What is that one?" *Points to the Amayzee.*
Charles: "It's the infamous Amayzee Dayzee. A rare gold variation of the Crazyee Dayzee, rarely seen by anyone."
Aetos: "Is that a good thing?" *still back where they landed after the hill, by the way.*
Charles: "They almost always run away, and when they don't, their attack is madly powerful... but defeating one yields great rewards."
Aetos: "...Set it on fire?"
Charles: "...Just get over here and help!"
Aetos wonders if they noticed him yet.
Metal Man (GM): They are about to attack.
Aetos just stands there... going to help Charles eventually.
Charles has no way of outrunning them... he has to hold his ground.
Metal Man (GM): The Amayzee Dayzee screeches at Charles in a high-pitched voice.
Charles: .oO(Please run away, please run away---Oh nooo...)
Metal Man (GM): *Fail.* Man does that hurt.
Aetos: "Holy crap, that's insane!"
Charles: @_@ *shakes his head and proceeds to pound on the first Crazy Dayzee with a jab to its face then a leg sweep.*
Metal Man (GM): Charles smashes it up, old skool. It's sorta slow and defenseless.
Charles ends his turn.
Metal Man (GM): The four remaining Dayzees size up Charles and begin singing. Ahhhhhh!!!!!
Charles: "Oh Bahamut I'm in trouble!"
Aetos bug-eyes.
Charles says this in a desperate voice. And..
Metal Man (GM): They both hit for half. Charles avoids becoming sleepy.
Aetos will jump in now. "Run now, flowers, for more will come! And in mere minutes you will be overpowered!"
Charles already seems bruised.
Metal Man (GM): The Amayzee Dayzee disagrees. It sings at Aetos.
Charles: "...Oh in the name of all that is good, it's attacking again."
Metal Man (GM): Aetos manages to avoid it.
Charles: "So you want to gang up on me, eh? Well how about this." *charges up Star Rod power in hands and activates Energy Wave. That power makes a large circle that continues to grow in distance, targeting all flowers.*
Metal Man (GM): The Amayzee one dodges, while the rest get hit. Mass Paralysis.
Charles: "There. Teach ya that."
Aetos: "Good job, Charles!" *eyes the shiny flower.*
Metal Man (GM): It stares back, its shiny eyes looking demonic.
Charles: "That Amayzee Dayzee is a nightmare. I just wonder why it hasn't run away yet."
Aetos snaps his fingers and 3 small orbs of light fall from the sky and stop in front of Aetos. He blows on them and they become covered by balls of wind. They zip out toward the Amayzee Dayzee.
Metal Man (GM): The one which gets one action tries to headbutt Aetos.
Aetos jumps up and over the flower "Leapfrog!"
Charles: "...A crazyee headbutt. Ya don't see that often."
Metal Man (GM): The Amazing Dayzee tries to kill Aetos with more screeching.
Charles: "That thing is scaring me. Why the hell doesn't it run away!?"
Metal Man (GM): The music continues to play in the background. Aetos avoids screeches again.
Charles looks to the Crayzees.
Metal Man (GM): The Crayzees go to run. Then they're paralyzed. One of them continues running, but the music forces it to come back...
Charles: "...They're drawn to the music."
Aetos will search for a visible source of the music on his turn.
Charles: "That's why the Amayzee Dayzee hasn't ran yet."
Metal Man (GM): The music appears to be coming from inside the Creepy Steeple.
Aetos: "Think I should run in there and try to stop that music? I swear it's Kuja's theme!"
Charles ends his turn. "...After they attack, we run. Or you can now... I gotta feel like I wanna stay for a few more seconds."
Aetos nods and attempts to run inside the church and look for the source of the music.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos provokes an attack of opportunity. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Only the Amayzee can AOO him, which is another song. Damage to Aetos. Aetos runs out of the battle. One Crazy Dayzee is able to try to headbutt Charles. It fails. Miserably.
Charles holds up his hand to block the butt.
Metal Man (GM): It sings at Charles. He barely succeeds... And he evades it entirely.
Charles: "I am not fighting you things anymore... I can't keep up with all five of you." *runs to Creepy Steeple.*
Metal Man (GM): The Amayzee Dayzee sings at Charles as he runs. Damage to Charles on his way out of the battle. Both Questers are now in Creepy Steeple. It's a wide-open chapel, recently cleaned up. An organ plays Kuja's theme endlessly; it seems enchanted.
Aetos: "Hey, I've been standing here because I didn't want to do anything bad... or something."
Metal Man (GM): To the left is a large stained glass image of Kuja taking over the world with the three powers; the right, the destruction of the Questers. There are two doors on the other side, as well as two statues of Kuja nearby them.
Charles begins to turn red. Charles then begins to bleed very slowly out of his fingernails.
Aetos: "Well--what the hell!?"
Charles looks slowly to the left and right for the organ that plays this music.
Metal Man (GM): Charles hears it... but he cannot see it.
Aetos: "...K... Well, I don't think we should smash the organ."
Charles: "CHOOOOOP!"
Metal Man (GM): He hears it... dead ahead, between the two doors.
Aetos: "Oh god..."
Charles breathes hard. He moves forward, unsheathing Tempest's Sword.
Aetos runs ahead into the next room hopefully before he kills any instruments.
Charles: "MMMMMMRRRRRR... Watch out... for swoopers."
Metal Man (GM): Charles opens the left door, and enter a back room, which has a door on the left wall, one on the right, and a staircase which goes up to a middle door on the second floor of the chapel room.
Charles stands between the two rooms.
Metal Man (GM): The sound resonates from the organ. It seems almost to possess Charles' mind.
Charles listens for the mind-destroying music again.
Metal Man (GM): Charles hears it again from the same area.
Charles looks to the statue in the area... he looks to see if there is one there.
Metal Man (GM): Charles sees a statue to the left, and one to the right; but he hears an organ between the two doors.
Charles hisses like a vampire. He sheathes the sword... and goes into the right door.
Metal Man (GM): Charles enters the same back room as where Aetos is.
Aetos wonders why Charles isn-- nevermind. "Hi. You know, I was against destroying that music because I feared that might bring the statues to life or something. You ready to go on? I'm right behind ya."
Charles walks up the staircase.
Metal Man (GM): Charles walks up the staircase. There's a door dead ahead; one to the left and right, too, but they are hard to reach from here.
Charles opens the door... but doesn't enter through the door.
Aetos is up there following him, still.
Metal Man (GM): Charles sees that it goes into thin air, though he could leap to the two 'bridges' on the second floor, one to his left, one to his right.
Charles: "...Where are the red switches?"
Aetos: "Hmm... reminds me of Mario."
Charles: "There are switches in the courtyard in the back of this church that can move this staircase."
Aetos looks down to the first floor, then to the side doors that have to be jumped to.
Metal Man (GM): Charles vaguely remembers seeing a door on the right, and a door to the left, in the back room, other than the doors he and Aetos entered in with.
Charles: "...! Doors."
Aetos: "I see a few."
Charles dashes down the staircase, almost sidewinding Aetos in the process, opens the right door, goes through it, and proceeds to the other doors that go to the courtyard.
Aetos um... sticks back in the back room.
Metal Man (GM): Charles goes on the right-side door, and is now facing an ! switch.
Aetos looks to the left door and opens it, looking in.
Charles punches it down.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos also sees a P-switch. Both Charles and Aetos hear a rumbling. The staircase moves to the right second-floor door.
Aetos raises an eyebrow at it.
Charles returns to the back room and proceeds to go up the staircase.
Metal Man (GM): The staircase leads to the aforementioned door.
Charles opens the door and goes through it.
Aetos shrugs and makes a jump for the left second-floor door instead.
Metal Man (GM): Charles enters it; a nice and clear bridge up to a door at the other side of the chapter awaits. Meanwhile, Aetos leaps onto the useless left path.
Aetos: "But what's over here, Charles?" He yells.
Metal Man (GM): Leads to nowhere, save for a door into the main room.
Aetos shrugs and attempts to catch up to Charles.
Charles walks along the path. He is at the door.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos leaps to Charles's side. They're both at the door now.
Charles opens the door. He goes inside.
Metal Man (GM): The staircase winds on up to the top of some sort of bell-tower.
Charles goes up the stairs to the top. What is up there? We shall see.
Aetos is merely following along still.
Metal Man (GM): It's an empty bell tower.
Aetos: "Hmm what did you say happens when the bell tolls?"
Charles: "That was when Doopliss inhabited this place. In Nintendus time, that was over a decade ago."
Aetos: "And that was?"
Charles: "I was expecting an inhabitant but... now..." *listens for the organ music.*
Aetos: "You gonna ring it?"
Metal Man (GM): Charles hears it faintly, down below. In the main chapel room.
Charles: "And allow people from Twilight Town to hear the church bell ringing? We have nothing to lose so go ahead."
Aetos looks for a chord to pull.
Metal Man (GM): There's a nice big cord to pull. On the bell.
Charles: "Honestly, Metal has given us a vague direction as to where to go. That portal won't be appearing until our mission is completed."
Aetos tugs the cord once.
Metal Man (GM): Charles tugs it once; it rings loudly. The Dayzees below begin fleeing.
Charles: "That solves one problem."
Metal Man (GM): What there is from here... shocks Aetos and Charles, somewhat. They can see the glass fortress quite a while away from here; it appears... infected.
Aetos: "Huh... does it normally look like that?"
Charles: "Well now. I was wrong about the fortress. Sadly... no."
Metal Man (GM): A beam of light still comes out of it; the former path of an elevator which took the Questers to Atlantis.
Charles: "I'm shocked as to how it is right now." *gets out his dex to determine which sector the glass fortress stands on.*
Dex: "...Glass fortress. Lashiec's territory; infested by dark energy."
Aetos: "Well, should we he---" he tugs the bell-cord again.
Metal Man (GM): It rings again. Nothing happens. It's pretty silent out here.
Aetos: "Well... third times the charm." *tugs one last time.*
Metal Man (GM): The bell rings... and a dark mist arises from the stairway Aetos and Charles just left.
Charles: "I believe it's time we leave the cathedral. I will contact the others and tell them to meet us at the Glass Fortress... perhaps another part of Kuja's power can wane."
Aetos: "But... what's happening?"
Charles notices the mist. "... The more actions you do, the more I'm convinced you're related to Skyhigh and a second person."
Metal Man (GM): The mist coalesces into... a person.
Tridus: "Stop right there, Questers."
Aetos: "...Like him? Tridus, why are you here?"
Metal Man (GM): It's... Tridus. A 6'6" man who wears black pants, a black vest, and a black shirt, which are rimmed by white. His eyes are red; his hair, which is black, is spikey in all directions. He has a sword sheathed on his back.
Tridus: "You summoned me with the bell. What else?"
Charles: "Is there... business you wish to conduct with us?"
Tridus: "You tell me. I didn't summon myself, after all."
Aetos: "Heh, well..." *eyes Charles.*
Tridus: *Points at Aetos.* "I've been hiding in this dank place ever since I returned to Nintendus, because the Questers obviously don't like me very much."
Aetos: "Oh but who could hate you, Tridus."
Charles: "A good place for you to hide, Solarian."
Aetos squints his eyes. .oO(Sha'fol, Tridus... I didn't realize until now that they are both descendants of a destructive race...)
Tridus: "So... do you need anything?"
Aetos: "Well, sure we do."
Tridus: "It costs a bit of Smash Power to vanish again as I do, so I feel charitable for now."
Charles: "The source of the organ music. Where does it come from in the main hall?"
Tridus: "An invisible organ between the two doors to the back room."
Aetos walks to Tridus and whispers in his ... ear.
Charles eyes burn with fire. "The melody of Kuja... a bane almost as strong as what the Solarians did to me... so long ago." He goes down the steps. "If you will excuse me..." Charles then leaves the sight of Tridus and Aetos, as they hear a sword unsheathing and him yelling, like a berserker, "CHHOOPPP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOOOP!!"
Tridus: *His eyes bulge a bit at what Aetos said.* "...I have no clue. The Void long left me, and that emerald was never within his grasp."
Aetos steps back. "Ivan took the real chaos emeralds from us, and I need the white one back..."
Tridus: "Why do you need a loathsome artifact of law?"
Charles thunders down the spiral of stairs, the words of chopping bellowing at the top of his lungs. He opens the door, jumps from the balcony, and proceeds to slash... slash... CHOP CHOP CHHOOOPP!...at the organ.
Aetos stares into Tridus' eyes.
Metal Man (GM): The organ is torn apart.
Aetos: "Because it's mine."
Metal Man (GM): Tridus's red-iris'd eyes seem cold and insensitive.
Tridus: "Well, if you don't know where it is, you can't really own it, can you?" *chuckles.*
Metal Man (GM): Meanwhile, Charles gets himself a dex ding. His dex buzzes.
Charles breathes heavily, staring intently at the area of the organ. He sheathes the sword of tempest, saying, "How...*breath.*...many times do...*breath.*...I have to do this."
Aetos: "I want you to locate and retrieve the white chaos emerald. The real one, not any like this." He pulls out the other fake one Ivan gave Charles who gave to Aetos.
Charles calms down. He brushes his hair, glad to be outta that berserk rage, and opens his dex. "Charles Here."
Tridus: "...I'm sorry, but stealing emeralds is not something I want to do. They're cursed..." *He looks down.*
Ivan Robotnik: (Dex) "I identified a possible ally. You could probably get Tridus on our side if you told him what was going on. There's another one, unknown, in the Glass fortress."
Aetos lifts his hand up to Tridus, and reveals the previously concealed mark of the X-zone crystal. "Being cursed isn't so bad."
Tridus: "...Oh yes it is." *He holds up a right hand, which is covered in many, many scars.*
Aetos stares at Tridus ominously.
Charles: "10-4, Professor. 10-4. Over and out." *Charles closes the dex, and proceeds the long trek back to the belfry.*
Tridus: "I cannot let you serve The Void."
Aetos makes his scar vanish. "Hm."
Tridus: *He draws a sword... what? The Chaos Maker? Yes. A sword covered in runes... images of The Void... the blade is wavy and sharp on all of its edges.*
Aetos: "That blade doesn't belong to you anymore."
Tridus: "My sole purpose is to keep this from ever reaching one who could misuse this sword. It... is also an excellent weapon against those who wield chaos."
Metal Man (GM): Charles bursts in on the room, seeing Tridus and Aetos. Tridus has his sword out... the Chaos Maker.
Aetos smiles, then frowns. "Charles! Help!"
Charles: "...!"
Tridus: *Points at Aetos.* "He is a servant of The Void."
Aetos: "He's the one with that sword with those weird pictures all over it!"
Charles: "...Tridus..."
Tridus: "I am the protector of the sword. It must be kept from The Void."
Aetos: "Then explain how you swept in here in that funky ghost form, like The Void does!"
Tridus: "You confuse my evil abilities with my chaotic ones, servant of The Void."
Charles faces Tridus. Making sure that Aetos doesn't see Charles's face.
Aetos: "Quit calling me that!"
Charles: "Why that's ridiculous, good sir. I accused Aetos of being a collaborator myself and Ivan has said he isn't." *Winks at Tridus.*
Tridus: "...I see."
Charles: "Aetos doesn't have anything to do with that chaotic freak." *Winks at again.*
Aetos gets out a dex and takes a picture of Tridus holding the sword, then pockets it quickly.
Tridus: "He is clearly innocent."
Charles: "Thank you for seeing it that way."
Tridus: *Puts down the sword.* "What do you require of me, anyway?"
Charles moves outta the way so Aetos can see both of them again. "Aetos, allow me to explain."
Aetos looks over to the tower. "Is there time to explain? We should probably head over there now."
Charles: "Tridus, you are aware of the situation of Nintendus, of how Kuja has ruled for the past 10 years. A month or two ago, we arrived on Nintendus. After finding Ivan and his men, we've slowly defeated Kuja's commanders one by one. Denon was destroyed in his Archellago II, Grodus's base was crushed by The Void, and Meier Link was dealt the final blow by me using a holy branch and the 'law' inside me."
Tridus: "So I see." *He nods.*
Charles: "Grodus told me and Aetos, in secret, that he never really worked for Grodus, so his status is unknown. As for allies, Ivan and I were have teamed up to find those willing to take down Kuja and his armies. I've been able to convince Skyhigh to join our cause and Sha'Fol thanked us from releasing him from his eternal prison in Meier Link's lair. Right now, it our next destination is the Glass Fortress where Kuja gained."
Tridus: "That is the reason I am here." *He raises the sword.* "I acquired this godly sword from the ruins of it, in exchange for a vow to never let it fall into the hands of Kuja or The Void. And... all I need is a sanctuary with which to keep it away from those who would use it for evil, for I am hunted far and wide for this blade."
Charles: "This is why we ask for your assistance. We have had our differences in the past, but I know that not only you want to be able to live in peace from Kuja's iron grasp, but want to prevent The Void returning to Nintendus. He has been gaining power since we've been using the emeralds' negative energies."
Aetos: "We've? It was Garrick all the way."
Charles: "ALL of us, including me, have been misusing their powers."
Aetos scratches his head.
Charles: "Right now, we are on our way to the Glass Fortress to investigate the infestation. Would you help us in our cause, Tridus?"
Tridus: "If it stops The Void and protects the holy sword, so be it."
Metal Man (GM): He sheathes the long, wicked sword.
Charles: "...Assuming Aetos also eases up on using his magi crystal."
Aetos: "...I've used it once?"
Tridus: "It is an inferior device; no harm can be done with it."
Charles goes, "Mm-hmm" in a sarcastic tone. "Right now, the other Questers are in Twilight Town. I'll dex them to know to take the path to the fortress and look into the glass fortress. Ivan has also told me we can also find an ally in the fortress itself."
Aetos: "Do you know who?"
Charles: "Right now... there's nothing left to do in this cathedral, is there? He didn't say. We just have that lead and that's it."
Tridus: "The cathedral was remodeled to allow the worship of Kuja. No one worships Kuja. Therefore, it is empty, and devoid of anything besides me and that organ you destroyed."
Aetos: "And the music... that attracted monsters?"
Tridus: "Used to enslave those of low will. You are lucky it wasn't a full moon."
Charles: "Amayzee Dayzees are of low will? Sheesh. ...That is another reason why we're here. Metal detected little to no activity in this sector by Lashiec. Do you know why this sector is almost at peace?"
Tridus: "It is inhabited by beings of great evil already. Furthermore, the very glass fortress you look upon is the focus of Kuja's omniscient vision; all who defy him are normally killed by lightning. It is the so-called eye of Kuja."
Aetos: "Dastardly."
Tridus: "Lashiec took this sector, feeling lazy. He had gotten used to sitting around and doing nothing while being summoned; he had no plans on doing anything once he was in an official position. ...Like all high-powered commanders, he focuses on himself rather than troops; this makes him a particularly strong enemy."
Charles: "The remaining Commanders of Kuja will be stronger than Meier Link, and we barely survived that encounter... but tell me. The beings of great evil in this land... are they the Heartless?"
Tridus: "I know not any heartless in this land; rather, they are thieves. Filthy thieves. In the town."
Aetos: "Thieves... I bet that's what happened when Aribar stepped through that door."
Tridus: "Aribar? A town full of thieves? In the same place at the same time? ...I'm sure that didn't end in a nice way."
Charles: "'Ffrraid so."
Aetos: "...What's wrong with Aribar and Thieves?"
Charles: "Guess you we won't have to worry about Dark Metal Man, then." *Charles leaves a message for those in Twilight Town.* "Questers, Aetos and I are leaving Creepy Steeple for the Glass Fortress. Tridus, Aetos and I are going to investigate the infestation of the place and see how to shut off the 'eye of Kuja'." *closes his dex. "...Aribar and Thieves don't mix. That is the smallest way to put it."*
Tridus: "Aribar hates thieves like Charles hates Solarians."
Aetos: "Oh..."
Charles: "Correction. Many Solarians."
Aetos: "Doesn't Charles hate Cactaurs most?"
Charles whinnies like a horse.
Aetos points at the tower.
Tridus: "...Mention it again and he might think you are one."
Aetos: "Sic' em!"
Charles: "I'm comin' for ya, Needles!" *rushes down the steps again and all other stuff to leave the cathedral.*
Aetos looks to Tridus. "After you."
Tridus: "Very well." *He takes the sword, spins it once, and then turns into mist, which descends down the tower's outer walls.*
Aetos sighs and pulls out the X-zone crystal and speaks into it again. "Tridus is here, and he seems to have full intentions of using that sacred blade against us. I didn't even say anything about you and he knew I was on this side of the playing field."
Metal Man (GM): The crystal talks back to Aetos.
The Void: "He was spared by the foolish VG. He is an even worse enemy than Charles; he may use my own techniques AGAINST my cause. Avoid provoking him; rather, try to get the sword from him. A sad thing that trying to steal it provokes him into killing whoever tries it."
Aetos nods "And... in case you didn't notice, Ivan has replaced the chaos emeralds with fakes. I do not know where the real white chaos emerald is..."
The Void: "All the same. Get them gathered. The energy should still benefit me."
Aetos pockets the X-zone Crystal and leaps off the roof toward the entrance of the church.
Metal Man (GM): Aetos lands in the dirt, and takes a healthy amount of damage from his fall. Ow.
Aetos twitches on the ground.
Tridus: *Reforms, next to where Charles probably is.* "That is why I do not use my corporeal form to descend from high places."
Aetos: "Owww..."
Charles: "NNNNEEEDLES!" **ZZOOOOOOMMM**

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