Fantasy Shattered Fates: Renewal - A Dark Fantasy Boss Battling Epic

[Euclid Leaf]

Vystari's eyes sparked with each clash from above. She shook her head at the foolishness on display.

"I can't believe it... that fool thinks he can do what all of us together could barely do..."

But much to her disbelief, Dwynn was able to do what seemed to be the impossible. If not for a dire price. She could barely recognize the man falling anymore, nor the beast, the shredded upper body spewing, cluttering, and ejecting all sorts of foulness.

The falling debris concerned her greatly, her eyes tracing the outline of the great rocks plummeting down at the party. To her, she was more worried about the safety of her allies than what sort of threat the beast would prove. She turned to the others, to see what they would do. The first to move was Irosane, who moved ahead without mention. She shook her head again. His eyes were aimed for the falling monster, who let out a weak scream as it coughed out a stream of blood. Perhaps he thought that finishing the beast now would be the best option. In most cases, she would be inclined to agree. But doing so alone was far too dangerous. Did he not see what happened to Dwynn? Irosane was nimble, as always, moving between the boulders with his silvered blades extended. Then, he did something that shocked her. He was planning on using the chains of his twin swords to swing one of the boulders into the beast itself. If one thing she learned, it is to never take the danger present by the beast for granted.

It would be difficult to change the momentum, given their strength. But she could only hope he succeeded, turning now as Niatiel pushed underneath the hail.

[Irosane would strain his body from the act of near-superhuman strength and dexterity. The rock would fly, swinging like a pendulum flicked fully round. But it would not make contact. Not because he missed, but something had interfered with his action. Suddenly, bursting from the pale flowers that were falling all around him, a darkness swept over and altered his course. The black mist appeared identical to the looming presence before, if not weaker, pumping the very life from Irosane's lungs as it swirled and swirled around the lone wisp.

The gurgling, dying beast, with one great, heaving lurch, grasped the side of the stone which it paralleled in a desperate attempt. A violent spray of rubble can only be seen as the monster was lost in a great plume that exploded afterward. It appeared shortly again, hanging like a ominous cloth pinned to the side of the cracked stone. The long hairs that draped off its back were literal hairs out of reach from Irosane. The flayed skull hissing as the wisp passed underneath, dragged away by the black tide. Its eyes locked onto his for a brief moment, and he could see something swirling deep within. It was not yet finished. Not yet.

Unfortunately, for Kyo, this also meant she would not have her revenge. For the time being.]

Vystari followed along, amazed by the scenario unfolding.

She was even in more shock at what Niatiel suggested. To save that fool, who brought all this trouble, quite literally, raining down upon them? Her heart truly was made up of something pure. But it was a dangerous thing. As it was now. Vystari had seen it, probably because she was more concerned for the girl than she was of herself. It was falling, and it was falling very, very fast.

"Nia--!"

But as she reached out a hand towards Niatiel, the large shard came between them. The impact splintered the stone flooring, sending grass and chunks of rock caving up and around their feet. The sudden impact caused her to stumble backwards. Then another, and another fell. The floor beneath her began to crumble and crack, breaking under the very weight of the falling sky.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her, and Vystari bobbed her head to see the kind face of Niatiel. She grinned, mostly because she was happy that her companion was still safe. But Vystari wouldn't be smiling for long. As she stepped forward to join Niatiel, her footing began to falter as the ground gave underneath from another stray impact. What appeared to be an inch of ground rapidly extended to a feet, then two. It was like seeing a string going taut.

Vystari began to slip away, the force of gravity prying her hand away from her dear ally.

The area around Vystari was breaking away beneath her. It will begin to spread, starting at the center of the arena. Those who remain within this growing crater for just one round, including those who act just after this post, will fall into it without exception.

...

Dwynn could only feel the coldness. He no longer felt his own heartbeat, nor the pain that once enraptured his chest. The very pain that swelled up and burned his every fiber, that stubbornly inflamed his veins and viciously soaked his flesh. It was all fading away. His mind was swirling in the expanding numbness. The only thing he could feel now was the lingering sting of failure that nagged at his mind. If only he was faster, stronger even, then this would all be over. But at least it was not complete failure. He managed to show those hesitant slow-footers the true potential of their abilities. When they pushed past their known limits and reached for unexpected greatness. But alas, all great things come at a price.

He can feel the looseness, the unhinged part of his chest. Or something around there. How badly was he injured? He couldn't tell. It felt like he was losing weight, mysteriously. He wasn't able to see through the smog that clouded and invaded his vision and mind. There was only one thing he can do now. Fall.

Falling... Why does this feel so familiar...

Suddenly, the image of an ocean popped into his mind. The speck of far-off light fading as he plummeted down farther and farther.
Yet it was not waves... it was snow.

...

As Harmony moved into position, it was more difficult than she expected to catch Dwynn. He was like a mere splinter in the storm of rocks and falling ruin. All manner of things flew in the way, obscuring his trajectory, and not to mention the commotion of the other wisps themselves, making standing still in order to catch him an arduous task of dodging and guesswork. It was a wash of dirt, chunks of rock, and jumbles of moss and uprooted pale weeds that poured from above. A dangerous downpour, where one stray stone might pierce her skull and end it all. It was a miracle that she would even emerge unscathed by the onslaught of the elements. Yet she did. Everything seemed to miss, landing in large piles of chaos around her. Was this the work of the gods? Or the actions of the other wisps displacing the torrent? Whatever the case, she was able to focus on her task uninhibited.

However, just when Harmony thought she had caught something vaguely similar to a large goat-man... turns out it was just a large, hairy root.
Where had Dwynn landed? Was he buried somewhere in the crumbled, ruined aftermath that surrounded her?

...

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Kietlav turned his cold, icy gaze upwards, as the beast lurked somewhere beyond, and watched thin, dark trickles of energt rise from the flowers of the stone arena, though his mind could not place their purpose. He merely watched them, shield raised high and axe held beside him, ready to strike. The warriors here were brave, all of them, he had to admit. Though he knew them little, they had spirit for fighting, and perhaps that had been something he once respected. As a large, black javelin struck one of the stone pillars high above, Kietlav tensed like an iron rod, tightening his grip upon his axe and turned his gaze down to the man who had thrown the javelin.

His mouth opened for a second as if to speak, before the man followed the javelin by its chain, much to Kietlav's surprise. Was he... climbing up to find the thing? Kietlav hadn't the slightest idea, and decided simply he would wait here and find out, as he would be of better use protecting the warriors down here than he would ascending the chain, where he could not wield arms. It was a few moments after, that Kietlav felt a strange pull from above, and heard a great roar echo out into the void, as the warrior strengthened his stance, feet pressed to the ground, legs slightly spread as he lowered his center of balance. The beast would come down upon them, and Kietlav was ready, to take its blows upon his shield, and strike it true... if the demon of the blades did not give him much trouble.

At last, the beast and the man fell from the darkness above, stuck in a glorious aerial battle that surprised Kietlav... until the stone from above began to fall as well, and blood sprayed from beast and man as they fell in a rain of stones. Kietlav raised his shield instinctively, frozen on the spot as if fear had gripped his very veins, and heat melted his will. The falling stone would sheerly crush them all, and the beast would survive, Kietlav was sure. He looked around him, to the others, their ferocity being truly admirable, and shame gripped him. If they would not give in, neither could he. He had failed before, as that nightmare had showed him, and by his will, he would not fail again. The fear was smothered, and his will became as ice as Kietlav braced himself, managing to step aside from a stalling stone, although the force of its landing knocked the man off his feet and sent him sliding across the harsh stone.

He let out a huff, blinking a few times as he stood to his feet, looking up, the cold strength of his will keeping him there. Perhaps ice and cold had meant something to him once, up on those white mountains, he certainly felt... something at the thought, but couldn't quite place it. He could hardly tell what was going on anymore, seeing Irosane, Kyo, and the others lunging through the air and hurling stones at the beast or... something. His head swam like a fish from having hit the ground with such force, and the warrior was none too steady on his feet. A darkness gripped Irosane and moved him as the beast fell, living or dead. Kietlav could hardly tell as it showered the arena in the vile sludge that was its blood. However, he heard another great crash, and saw a great stone hit the floor between Vystari and Niatiel. The two seemed fine until the very floor began to crash beneath Vystari's feet.

Kietlav understood in that moment what was going to happen, and jolted forward, his heavy form moving steadily into a sprint as the cobbled stone broke from beneath Vystari and she began to tilt backwards, losing her grip on Niatiel's hand. Kietlav was no scholar, and could not measure the distances as he moved, the cracks spreading from that point as more of the floor crumbled like the pieces of a smashed window and began to fall from their places. Kietlav ran on, his heavy footballs sounding against the stone as it cracked beneath his feet. He was like an avalanche, having begun slow, but moving now with great force and speed. He raised his shield, and only a moment's though gave him an idea as he charged, focus tunneled on Vystari alone, having not the slightest clue where the others were, much less Dwynn. "Niatiel, steady yourself!" he bellowed.

He had failed the ones he cared for before, and that pain shook him to his core, even now. He did not know these people, much less to care for them, but he would not fail them. He could not fail them, to save these people with such light in them, such courage. The warrior hoped, reached out for that feeling of ice, of cold, the harsh wind on the mountain, the solidness of ice, all those things he had felt in that memory, the only thing he had of Home. Winter. Winter, the harsh winds, the ice, the snow, it was a good thought, a comforting one.

Kietlav soon reached the current end of the stone as this section too crumbled. He jumped from this point, shield out stretched, throwing his body weight forward with as much force as possible. His only hope, was to hit Vystari with the outstretched shield, to push her back with the force of his shield before she fell too far. Kietlav moved through the air, crossing over the growing pit in the arena, the sensation of seeming weightlessness sinking his gut as he kept his eyes up, away from the endless void below. Although, it never crossed his mind how foolish a plan this was, or how unlikely he was to make it across himself. In his mind, none of it mattered, for his thoughts were only of the sharp, cold winds of home; of Svargonir.

 

[Lekiel]

KATHUNNK

Emerald irises looked up curiously as the black blade buried itself into the stonework of one of the many pillars held in limbo overhead. She'd been watching the beating pulse of pellucid blooms. Pearlescent light winking in synchronicity almost as if they mirrored the lifebeats of something alive. She'd remembered the shade of the twisted judge, swathed in its sallow skin, folded and creased and torn like listless rags clinging to a malnourished frame. Hadn't the pale lights flowed and glimmered to its shifting presence? A contrast of fragile beauty and irredeemable repugnance that were so at odds with each other that it seemed they were made to be in this world of pale lights and oblivion shadows; hope in living despair, a goddess of terrifying beauty, an ugly beast of nobility. The absurdity of each paradoxical contradiction warred on her brow, clinging to her mind like a viscous stain, one which Brielle would not discard even if she could. And with every flash of blackened steel and feral roar drifting down from the embattled combatants above, she could not help but feel like they were all part of one sweeping tapestry. Brushed in strokes of woe and hints of silver linings, extending from the before which she could barely remember and into the fathomless future by some fervid Great Painter.

And just like the before which she could barely remember, the world around her began to rain; though not with fire and ash, but with crumbling stone, and dirt, and vines, and heroes, for that was what they both were. Beast and cursed warrior. Dwynn... She wondered what he'd given to have achieved. But she was wrenched from her transfixion by the ever-increasing tremors that shook the platform on which they stood.

Brielle...!! Brielle..! Brielle..!

A distant voice, echoing from the depths of the past perhaps. A warning?

She blinked. Watched as a huge chunk of ruin hurtled her way. Sidestepped at the very last moment, pivoting on her feet while her arms brought about the glaive in a sweeping arc. Her arms trembled when the heavy blade collided with crashing stone, splintered pieces of stone exploding outwards to cut gashes across her face. But she'd managed to get out of the way. Safe for now.

She heard the shouts and cries of her companions, knew that they were all in this crumbling chaos. She tensed her frame to one side, ready to get out of the falling ruins, but something up above drew her attention. A pale form, and somehow, even amidst the chaos and gloom, she could see his scared and bloodied frame, white droplets of life fluids trailing in the wake of his fall. And at the sight of the hapless figure, she felt a sudden inexplicable surge of desire to preserve whatever life it might still have. Washing over her as strongly as was her desire to flee, catching her by surprise. And in that minute instance, Brielle felt split in twain. It was as if there were two opposing entities within her, two minds in one.

Her body hesitated. It cost her.

The ground beneath her feet cracked, split asunder as the center of the platform crumbled away.

One moment she felt the floor recede below, and then she sank into darkness.

ooc: I hope I got this right? Everyone is supposed to fall into the abyss?

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Keeping her eyes set on the exact location Harmony watched the rubble begin to cascade down from the dark abyss. The soft rhythm as the heavy stones collapsed onto the floor began to resonate against the wisp. Since releasing that burst of energy the concert in her mind was still present, but soft. However, as she began to hone her focus the music in her mind began to rise to a crescendo. Taking a heavy breath she pushed off the ground and began to make a dash to the point where she thought Dwynn would reach. Her body was light as the wind as she dashed towards her location only for a large stone to collapse right inches from her face. Lifting up her foot she slammed it against the stone stopping herself from colliding against it. Her hair caressed the cold stone as she jerked back from the force. Chest heaving she looked up as the rubble began to tumble towards her. Not taking another moment she pushed off the stone and weaved around, her feet gliding across the stone floor tossing up petals. Dancing through the descending destruction she quickly dodged a heavy rock as it ricocheted against another piece and shot towards her head. Harmony kept low to the ground circling the rubble.

Her body weaved through the destruction, evading scrapes and stones as the rubble fell, however, her focus had shifted from catching Dwynn to staying alive. I have to catch Dwynn, otherwise he'll end up as a pancake. Scanning the sky she saw a familiar faint white color blink into view in the dimming ring of light Harmony couldn't second think this chance. Dodging a block of stone she ran towards a slanted stone, running up it she bounded off of it and grabbed the figure as it fell to her. Landing on the floor she slid across the mossy rocks. With a heavy thud a large rock fell right in front of the girl's feet narrowly crushing the both of them. "Ok. That was way too close for comfort, right starboy?" Looking down at what she caught it took her a moment to gauge just what was in her arms.

"Ah sh*t." She exclaimed as she finally got a good look at the thing she'd caught. It was certainly large enough to be a grumpy wispy figure with a long tail, however, it was certainly not what she wanted. Standing up she held the large root out in front of her and inspected it from top to tip. It was hairy, had some of Dwynn's ivory blood splattered on it's middle and in the confines of its folds did seem to look like a eerily familiar scowl. Tilting her head she added. "Though I guess it does look like him." Inspecting it again she wondered what kind of flora would have a hairy root so large. Leaving the question for another day if she had one, she needed to find Dwynn.

Shouldering the root for later, she began to look around in the rubble. The long cascade of rubble finally coming to a end she could hear the screams of the other wisps far off. "That doesn't sound good." Scanning through the rubble, nothing seem to overtly stand out. It was likely that he was under some of the overlaying rubble and she couldn't help but wonder if Dwynn was dead. Falling from such a height and impacting onto the hard ground would probably kill most. I pushed him to fight like that... Biting her lip she scanned the rubble again, she couldn't affirm anything without a body.

"Dwynn! Call out if you don't want to die!" Harmony yelled out to the crackling sounds of shifting rubble. "Dwynn!" She called out again, whistling in a sequence as if to call back a lost dog. Waiting for a response she took a few steps in the direction she thought she heard something.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

Vystari stared into the frail eyes of her companion as the invisible hand of gravity laced its indomitable hand around her waist and yanked her. But perhaps she was more fragile in this moment. Her face was struck with fear. A fear of the darkness that opened up like a mouth to swallow her whole. A fear of losing the things she knew. The only things she knew. She didn't want things to end like this. Her chest pattered and shuddered as she pushed air to emote her feelings, tears forming in her eyes.

"Niatiel, please... Don't let go... I don't want to die... I want--"

Thin, soft fingers combed one another when their grip separated, and her last cries were drowned out by the sound of the crashing stone rain.

The light flashed and dimmed as she fell, blinking as the glimmering flowers blinded her vision. She screamed to the shadow of her friend, but her voice cannot be found. It was pulled from her lungs. And she would've fallen to her doom. However, a sharp pain and loud bang caused a change of fate. A simple and effective solution, some might say. But those are often the ones that overlook smaller details and end up causing more complications.

She didn't know what happened. It was all so fast, and her body suddenly ached and hurt. Her head felt like it was about to fall off. It was as though she had been spinning round and round until she got so dizzy she became sick and fell. But Vystari couldn't say for sure what it was. Somehow, she was laying on solid ground again. Was she safe? What saved her? These questions swam through her head like a scrambled bowl of soup. Her whole body quivered from the sheer pain that now dawned and overwhelmed her. She tried to lift herself, to curl up in agony, but her body wouldn't respond to her command. Were her bones broken? Surely something was broken. Her lips bubbled as she coughed up a pool of blood. She blinked weakly, her eyes lulling inside of her skull. Her vision began to turn pale and wet.

She turned her head, still focused on finding her friend. But the pounding pain quickly caused her to lose consciousness.

-- Vystari was pushed out of the growing hole by Kietlav, sent rolling to the northern side of the platform. She was saved. But not without a price. Kietlav has now taken her place, and she is now knocked out for the remainder of the battle.

Furthermore, Kietlav, Brielle, and Mordred are given one action in order to try and prevent themselves from falling to a point of no return. Kietlav, having put himself into this awkward position is put at a disadvantage. Anyone can decide to use their turn to aid them, which will increase the chances of their attempt. But you cannot aid more than one at a time. Kyo has not yet fallen, but will if she remains in place.

...

Harmony's whistle was met with only the echo of itself. The only sound that responded was the howling of the beast far above.

The creature, the three legged monster hung from the shattered pillar like a tick sucking on the skin of a dead corpse. It bellowed and screamed, arching its back as it raising its head high. It seemed to be charging power once more, blackness and light swirling up towards the ungodly being from the glittering flora stretched across the expanse. It was no doubt the same very spell that was interrupted earlier. The wolf, or what was left of the thing that once was, became engorged by this energy, growing into something different. The air seemed to shake alive as the shroud that bellowed from the beast's back grew in size, violently whipping through the air as it curled into itself. The forgotten snickering sounded once more, tingling your very skin as it passed. The end was drawing near. You have no doubt about it now. 'But for whom?', that is the true question.

Dwynn's voice can suddenly be heard. A faint cough. Kyo and Harmony are in range to hear it. If either, or both, were to follow it, he would be found close by. Buried underneath an avalanche of stone, ruin, and dirt. He was dying. But his bloodied, smashed, and torn appearance spoke that for itself enough. All that was left was his upper body, his legs nowhere to be found. It didn't seem like he had even another moment left. Yet, he continued on with his focused, perturbed glare.

His last eye stared up at the monster, the rest of his head buried underneath a mound of mud and blood.
The pale and black liquid, mixed into a nasty, bubbling pot, swirled from his ripped abdomen and more. It seemed impossible for one man to bleed so much.

The sounds of the party can be heard, their struggle easily seen from where he was. Given just numbers alone, not all of them would make it without their added input. But a voice would interrupt their thoughts. Dwynn fought, sputtering as he forced his mouth to form words, spitting out the blood that filled his throat to choke him.

"Urk... Forget them. Don't... allow them to make you fail..." he says, urging them with his eye, "Kill the beast. That is all that matters... Now is your best chance. While it is concentrating on its final attack. Don't let all of this be for nothing... You have power left, do you not? Just use that power... one last time..."

Harmony and/or Kyo would only have time to make one action.

...

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

The silence that followed her whistle was deep as the echo of the high tone ranged through the still air. Her head was cluttered, the pulsing beat of a song meshing with her racing heart. The sound was overwhelming making it harder to hear anything above the concert of her soul. The howl of the beast cut through the confusion as she looked over towards the sound. The twisting broken visage of the beast hunched over its body pulsating as if it were preparing for something. Curiosity and fear took over her as she took a step forward, from the corner of her eye she saw Kyo taking the same steps towards the creature. Gripping her sword tightly she could feel the tension of the finale to this battle. Her breathing steady she tried to muster the energy she felt before, this fight was going to end.

Suddenly breaking through her concentration was a faint cough from the rubble around them. Back straightening she looked around for the source. It had to be Dwynn. Her heart was racing as she thought about what she should do. The beast was growing steadily, but if there was a chance to save him, Harmony had to try. I'm responsible afterall... she thought to herself. Clenching her fist around her blade she turned to Kyo and called out. "Kyo hold him off for a second. I'll go get Dwynn!" Feeling a rush of energy course through her, the music began to flitter with energy, as her body began to warm.

Dashing over to him she skidded towards the source of the coughing and began to pull away the stones. Breaking through the deep rubble she finally was able to see Dwynn and he wasn't looking so good. "Wow this is crazy. You look just like this root, see." She said as she lifted up the root to show him. The attempt of levity over the situation wasn't a complete failure, but setting the root beside Dwynn in his current state, made her grow even more worried. He looks really bad. Seeing him still glare at the monster she let out a sigh and placed it back down. "Ok sorry, no jokes. But I'm here to catch you now starboy." Removing the rest of the rubble she noticed his missing lower half, her chest tightened a bit, but she pushed her uncertainty away and looked at Dwynn. "You're not dying like this."

She began to try to move him, but stopped as he began to talk. Letting him have his chance she shook her head and stared directly into his fading eyes. "You matter too dumbass." She said giving him a exasperated smile, she wasn't sure if he was going to survive this, she was didn't know what he was or she was for that matter. Maybe he could heal from this, maybe they can't die in these formless shapes. Whatever the answer was Harmony knew for a fact that she wasn't about to leave him like this. Reaching around for him she lifted his heavy torso up and against a stone as she continued. "Besides if you've got the strength to complain you have the strength to survive even this. Come on.." He's so much heavier than the root, she thought as she pulled him up and over on the stone slab. Trying her best not to let her worry of the black goo show on her face, she gave a half smile. "There. Now keep ahold of that stubborn nature of yours and refuse to die. We'll make it out of this."

Hopefully.

 

[Juju]

Before Niatiel could reach out, something happened. Something terrible. She knew it not by the sharp crack, but by the sinking feeling in her gut. It stopped her in her tracks and drew her eyes to the ground between she and Vystari, just in time to see the jagged line spread from the shattered pillar towards her friend, hungry and quick like a claw. She opened her mouth to scream, shout, or anything to warn her friend but she choked on it. The ground had crumbled, swallowing up the woman with the pink hair, and as she fell so too did Niatiel's heart.

Out of desperation, fear, or whatever it was, Niatiel threw caution to the wind and dived for the hand just before it vanished from sight. Her arm jolted violently from the sudden weight, but she didn't have the time nor care to notice. All that mattered was that she had caught Vystari, though the victory became a battle all in itself. She looked down at Vystari, eyes sharp with wild fear and tears stinging the corners of her vision.

She was panting, channeling all of her strength into this one act. "I...got...you" she grunted, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth in the effort. Even though she swung her other arm down they both trembled violently in her desperate attempt to save Vystari from the endless dark below. It was all her willpower, all her strength, and yet she could feel gravity's merciless pull.

No, no, please no. I... have to... hold...on...! Don't let her fall! Nera, anyone...please. I can't do this!

She could hear Vystari's plead above the roaring of fragmented stones, but no matter how much Niatiel willed them to, her hands were slipping. It began with her wrist, then her palm, until finally her fingers slid out from between her own. Her eyes flashed open, wide and shocked. All at once everything seemed to come to a halt. The entire world receded until all she could see was Vystari falling into the darkness, her outstretched hand vainly trying to grasp the one that had failed her. "Vystari!" Niatiel screamed, the last vision of her friend blurry with tears. They fell down uselessly into the void, past her now empty hand to join Vystari.

This was her fault. She had failed and at the cost of her weakness, Vystari would disappear forever. Vystari with the pretty laugh and worried eyes when her friend had been hurt. Niatiel's head swam, sickness rising in her belly. A painful cold gripped her chest, constricting all the air out of it and making it hard to breathe. She couldn't even move, just cry uselessly.

In her state of shock, Niatiel only became faintly aware of Kietlav's shouting. It wasn't until he leapt across the gap, knocking Vystari away, that she was shaken from her immobility. Her eyes followed Vystari as she rolled across the solid ground and stopped before a pillar. Was this her imagination? Vystari was safe?! Her head whipped back towards Kietlav, her eyes brimming with tear-filled reverence. Only the relief didn't last long. She gasped, noticing that Kietlav was also struggling against gravity's call. Vystari was still lying beside the pillar but she couldn't leave Kietlav. He put himself in danger because of her mistake, but she wouldn't let him die because of it.

Even if doubt gnawed at the back of her mind, Niatiel grabbed hold of Kietlav and channeled all of her remaining strength into pulling him out of the hole. "Come....on..!" She growled between breaths, desperate not to let down another friend. Could she do it? Niatiel glanced over her shoulder, trying to spot anyone who could help, but the others were either out of sight or caught up in their own struggles. She had to.

Kietlav was a lot heavier than Vystari but strangely she had the feeling that the heaviest thing was the grisly weapons chained to him, in particular the shield. It was so close to her now that she could see each individual fang, notice some of the eyes stare at her like a hungry animal. Had it breath to draw she would surely feel it upon her arm in a hot sticky wind. At the thought a sudden urge to let go overcame her, a fight-or-flight reflex, but she wrestled it away. It's Kietlav....It's Kietlav, she chanted to herself, forcing her eyes away from the twisted thing. She had to focus on Kietlav. It was hardly the time but she couldn't help but realize she never asked him why he looked so sad, back before the judge fell into darkness. At the time she didn't want to cause more pain but now she regretted it. If he fell she would never know who he was.

"I-I'm getting you out of there!" she said determinedly, a spark of renewed vigor spreading into her arms.

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Kietlav reached out, seeing some chunk of the floor still there, although jagged and rough, it hung distended from the rest of the floor, even as the hole gaped and grew ever larger. It was still something to reach for, and although Kietlav longed to see some visage of home again in death, he wouldn't stop fighting. He reached out, and his hands hit that edge with great force, his body swinging up into the stone with a sharp crack, sending pain roaring crackling through his body as if he had been struck by lightning. He let out a cry of pain, and he could feel that rough, cracked edge of the stone cut into his palms and fingers, and watched his wispy, white blood fall past him into the yawning void below.

He could feel his legs below him, dangling above the void, and attempted to move them forward, to cling onto something, anything with which he could keep himself from falling, but it seemed all in vain, for he could feel his grip weakening, and he had not the strength in his ruined hands to grab hold of something else. For a moment, his heart stopped as something touched his hand, and his first thought was of the beast, having come to finish him off, to pry his hands from that ledge and hurl him down to the dark below, but he looked up and beheld the antlered woman, grasping his hands and tugging, though she did not look so strong. He nodded to her, cracked lips parting to form words, but his collision had taken the breath out of him, and he could only manage some broken, wheezing gasp.

He merely hoped that the look in his eyes could convey his gratitude, and tensed himself up as he attempted to help her, by pulling himself up with his wounded body. He looked to the weapons he held, those dark, grisly, demonic things, and willed them up. "G-go... grab... ledge, bite stone, pull up, or we b-both die," he commanded, forcing words out although it pained him greatly. The shield had bitten into the demon earlier with great force, and he did not doubt that the shield could bite into this stone for leverage to keep them both from falling to the abyss below. The weapons had a mind of their own, and that mind had to have survival instincts of it own. It would work with him out of its own desire to survive, it had to, or else the damned thing would end up killing them both. Although Kietlav would not mind dying to ensure these demons attached to his wrists were slain, he would prefer to be able to slay them himself, instead of throwing his life away for it.

He merely clung on, hoping that the weapons would obey his will, and that the woman above had the strength to haul him and those cursed weapons from this pit, and back onto the crumbling stone so they all could survive. However, with all the stone falling from above, Kietlav could not help but feel that lives had been lost to the beast today, and that many wisps would no longer stand beside them to fight back the darkness.

 

[seasonedcat]

'Kyo' let out a little 'tch' as she noticed the beast had cancelled the position of it's descend and was now clinging to one of the pillars like a pathetic monkey. Lowering her stance Kyo prepared to launch another attack at the beast.

A simple change of direction was not going to stop her from making the fowl creature suffer. Nothing was going to stop her. Not even the cracking floor that was falling around her along with her allies. None of that was going to take her away from her task. This was the only thing that mattered. They could all come second.

'Kyo' didn't bat an eye at the floor as large cracks began to form around her, she simply focused on running towards the beast, not registering the sting from her wounds and bruises that now covered her body from her current owner's carelessness. It was nothing that was going to stop her. Not the large gash on her right arm that had blood dripping down through her finger tips. Not the large bruise and small cut above her right eyebrow that if she payed attention to would be giving her a horrible migraine.

None of that mattered. She wasn't important. She had to make this beast suffer. She had to make it pay. There was no second option. No one mattered at this moment. Only the blood of the beast that she was about to spill. The cries of her teammates fell on deaf ears as they struggled to survive this battle, many suffering worse than her from deadly wounds.

As she stopped a little away from the base of the pillar she gazed up at the beast angrily. It's back had grown in size, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing what she was about to. If she was in a more rational state of mind she might have considered this a warning sign of something big coming, but the mind of the person currently looking up at the beast had no rationality behind it, just bloodlust.

Smirking to herself Kyo once again readied her scythe, ready to destroy the beast in front of her. But she wasn't going for the beast right away, no she had the desire to make it suffer and plea before her before it got the death it would lust for. So the scythe was positioned towards the flowers on the side of the pillar.

It could remember that at least, of the stupid fool who had tried to take the beast on earlier. It had collapsed the pillar by taking out the flowers that for some reason powered it. With swift swipe it would decapitate all the flowers in the row before she would follow suit with the others in reach.

She could only hope she would get as lucky as the fool before her and also succeed in making the pillar collapse and knocking the beast down. Once down this beast was going to get all the hell she was lusting for. All her anger and desire for revenge was going to be thrusted on it like hot coals and it would have to take it all before it finally took its last breath and left this world. Or, what is left of it.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Dwynn cursed in a strange tongue, a thimble of vowels and hissing. You do not understand it, but you can surely tell the word he used was foul.

"Let me go...!" he protested, "Stop wasting time!"

Fight as he did, swinging his head weakly back and forth, snarling and snapping his jaw, there was no strength left in him. Begrudgingly, he fell silent in the arms of Harmony, barely breathing as oily white blood began to overtake the blackness that flowed from his severed torso. The black, blinking weapon that sat beside him did not protest. In fact, it almost seemed to enjoy watching him in this state. A low gurgle came from the weapon, one that can be taken as a sort of laugh. Of sorts.

And as he was swung upright and over across the stone, his eyes gazed over at one whose eyes were just like his. No.
Maybe theirs was even fiercer, lost in a bubbling ire that drowned out all reason. Her weapon seemed to be overjoyed, the eyes going wide and the teeth of her scythe even extending in anticipation at how far her rage will bring towards bloodshed.

He watched as Kyo stepped up from the side of the arena, ignoring all the hazards that toppled around her. The entranced wisp merely moved forward. Not even when her allies clearly needed aid, nor when a rock clipped her clean in the face, did Kyo budge a step from her enduring path. Her eyes simply gazed upwards at the wailing foe, unblinking, never changing course. One can mistake her death-trance as a fatal mistake, a spell owning only doom for its beholder. But the more he stared at her, the more he understood. The way she gazed, the way she positioned herself, and the way she leaned the scythe back. She had connected the dots on how to bring down the terrible beast from its lofty nook in the sky.

Yes, aim true... You, who prance like a drunk fool, might just be what they need...

But as much as he wanted to, Dwynn was made unable to watch anymore. The curtains were falling on the finale, leaving him only to wonder what would happen next. He tried to peer on through the slimming scene, but to no avail. His eyes grew heavier and heavier... until they were shut.

Again, the strange sensation of snow and floating...

...

The weapons merely glared their black eyes, hissing in irritation at the commands Kietlav issued, metered and weak as they may be. They almost wished to defy him, at the cost of their own survival, simply in spite of being treated like the lesser of the two. The submissive, the commanded. And with their eyes closing now, it seemed like they were set on doing so.

But as the void began to open up, swallowing Niatiel and Kietlav in an avalanche of stone and rock, a bright light shone.

The blossoming stigma on her chest began to flutter again, in her desperation, her willingness to save her ally at her own risk, the magic within seemed to resonate with her virtuous feelings. Niatiel will feel a boost of strength. Her strength will be increased by (1) point for the remainder of the round.

With the ground disappearing around them, there was no time left. Nearly everything was crumbled by the time Kietlav would be pulled up. The last bits of the stone flooring snapped from behind and the connection with the rest of the platform was lost. Was there even anywhere left to run? Perhaps it was futile, in the end. Then, marking the impending demise, the sickening pull of gravity began to yank upon their insides. The last bits of light began to fade, as the plants that once surrounded them plummeted far below.

From what can be seen, truly; this void might have went on forever.
But...

Just when the darkness began to swell up before them, ready to snap them up and swallow the poor souls forever, something unexpected began to react. The ominous, living weapons, the gnarled axe and shield had sprung to life in Kietlev's hands. Curling up and around his forearms, and biting once more onto his flesh. The largest eye, where the shaft met steel, stared at him disingenuously as it drank upon his blood, appearing displeased with the outcome. Suddenly, the twisted black axehead snapping forward, flying far above and sinking into what's left of the stable ground. Kietlav would feel the final stretches of his strength being sapped away as the weapon extended and created the long chain. The black vessel rattled violently until it went taut, ending with a powerful snap as he would be prevent from falling any further.

But what of Niatiel? Then, just to make matters worse, Brielle can be seen falling too. A little ways away from them.
Kietlav would only have one moment to figure out what to do. But with his weakened state, what can he really do?

...

Meanwhile, above ground, there were not many left standing. In fact, all that could be seen were Kyo. She stood alone, surrounded by the carnage, unflinching and unyielding. For nothing else mattered, to her. In her drunken eyes, there was only one thing.

The Judge-Beast.

And so her weapon, which had been gleefully absorbing all of her dark emotions, readily offered itself to her desire for destruction. She probably didn't even notice the blood it was already siphoning from her wrist, in which it engorged and became empowered. To say she welcomed it, would not be far from the truth. With it's eyes wide and alert, the weapon was ready. With just one swing, the scythe's head snapped off and careened far upwards, like a fishing hook, nailing into the side of the pillar above. And truly, it was like reeling in a scared fish.

The pillar, weakened already, beginning to struggle against the power of the weapon. The scythe ravenously chewed and tore more of the pale flowers powering the strange magic that kept it in place. Forces that fought to keep afloat, and forces that tried to pry away that power, caused the stone pillar to shake and teeter. Back and forth it caved. Until eventually, the structure crumbled underneath all of the stress. The massive pillar nearly split in two, exploding with dirt and stone and petals. The beast let off one wailing cry as it finally snapped out of its trance, climbing now, trying to fight against the pull of one of nature's most powerful forces. The black cape of dark essence that bellowed from the wolf's back swept outwards, appearing like a gyrating balloon. With it's last legs it pushed forward, aiming to get to another pillar. But as it desperately lurched to launched itself, the beast was caught by one of the outstretched roots that jutted out from the side of the overgrown pillar. Blood splattered as once again, dust obscured the monster into an unknown fate.

-- The Central Pillar is now falling. It will make contact with the platform in one turn. Then another piece the next turn. With much of the center of the platform gone, most of it might just pass through. But there is no telling what sort of destruction might really result.

...

 

[Siren77]

How useless one becomes after a feeling of Unstable Dread overtakes them. The black fog that had once wafted through the air, did overtake his mind and return Iro to a state of decay both in mind and body. Consumed by fear and fright, the lost soul steered clear on the edge of the arena. After all of his attempts to fight back and aid his comrades, it only resulted in nothing but pain and a loss of strength. Blood littered the ground, and the smell was putrid and maddening. Yet almost familiar to the broken soul. Yes truly broken he was, his once confident mind snapped in two and his will to survive Shattered.

‘This can’t be real, how can it be that we’ve been here mere moments faced against this beast and yet I feel like I’ve been battling for my pathetic life for an eternity! This is madness! Purgatory! An insufferable Hell in which I am damned to suffer and die in for an apparent second time! Perhaps even more! Who knows how long it’s been that I’ve been left behind as a mere soul to weep and wail with a gnash my teeth! Could it be that with every passing death my memory is scattered across every realm of existence and I become less and less of a person?’

The broken soul looked at his pale and wispy hands, which held no color or distinct marks in the slightest. Just a blank slate with everything taken away from him save his ability to think and act. The name Irosane wasn’t even his own, but a mere construct given to him from this wasteland. A mere trinket to hold onto in vain that it might save him from being cast into outer darkness for time and all eternity. Oh the relentless agony!

The anger swells...

Irosane slammed his fist into the ground, but it was unsatisfactory to the frustration he felt in his soul. It was then that his faithful weapon caught his eye, reflecting back to him his own lack of a reflection. Nothing but a white figure stared back, an empty vessel void of any face or complexity. Truly he was no better than the very beast they fought, only a grim remnant of somone that used to exist. Irosane’s eyes drifted upwards to view his allies still struggling through the conflict. They had not faltered as many times as he had.

‘How many times must you pull yourself from the dirt, to realize that they suffer the same as you. You’re nothing special, only temperamental and inherently weak! If they can fight through this struggle then so can you. So stand, stand and do not kneel once again.’ His rage burned at his very core, but this time it was driven by determination instead of hatred. A drive to fight for those next to him, those same souls that wished to survive.

“I’m not going to die here.” Iro looked to Kietlav, who was hanging by what remained of the crumbling arena. “And neither are any of you.”

Taking up his blades that gleamed with a light of newfound hope, Iro snaked them across his back and gripped them in his hands before dashing forward to his comrade. Just as it seemed the ground he clumg to with his axehead was going to crumble, Iro hooked his blade onto the weapon and held on tight before casting the other blade backwards to dig into the ground and hold Kietlav up.

“Fear not my friend, you will not perish this day.“ With every ounce of strength he had, Irosane began dragging the chain up from the bottomless pit and hoisted his ally up in a slow and agonizing process. But he would not satin until Kietlav was drug to safety.

 

[Lekiel]

Woe and ruin crumbled around her, but the wisp refused to follow them into their lightless depths. With deft footing, she spun and twisted, retreating out of danger as quickly as she could; a mere step ahead from each loosened stone. Huge chunks of rock rained all around in a seemingly endless torrent. And what the lone solivagant couldn't evade, she struck at with a vehemence that belied her boldness against the odds. The blackened bladed staff in her hands reverberated with every swing, and her eyes gleamed with the intensity of her growing frustration as rock and debris exploded in an array of dust and wilted petals.

To be given breath again, to tread on the shifting soil of this doleful existence, only for it to be wrenched away. Such a meaningless chaotic anathema she would be damned if she let it remain that way. But alas, even with a will that surpassed all that were called mortals in her time she could not keep up the frantic cavorting with fate. A misstep was followed by a sharp pain that exploded at the back of the wisp's shoulder, a blow so hard it nearly knocked her off her feet. Her cry of pain caught in her throat as she stumbled forwards, teetering sideways towards the edge of the void. One arm flailed desperately for balance but found no purchase as the edge was far too wide. But even as she felt herself beginning to plummet, her other hand seemingly moved of its own accord, spinning the staff deftly into a reverse grip. She heard the silvery peal of metal against stone a second before her fall came to an abrupt jarring stop.

Brielle was stretched out over a gaping hole in the platform.

The divide was wider than she was tall, as only her feet and an iron grip on her outstretched staff extending out behind her kept her from falling. Knuckles white from bracing with the effort of maintaining her grip against the unnatural posture, she thought she could feel the waft of air from the depthless beyond.

Perhaps she should've called for help. But even if her innate pride permitted the thought it would've been for naught. For there was another roar, perhaps of the judge-beast. Then another tremoring rumble shook the platform. It was the final straw. The ruptured edge of rock at her feet dislodged, and then she was falling.

It felt like an eternity. Voices she'd not heard of before in this new-life grew into a crescendo, sibilant in her ears.

"Brianna... Brianna... Brianna...!"

Brianna? A name? Whose name was that?

"Why... why-- why couldn't you... let go of the past... past.... pas..."

Heavens afire... ground stained with perylene reds... screams of the dying... her doing... why...

"I--- I... I can't... I will not..."

I will not let go! She would be damned if she did.

The staff was clutched to her. She was falling. But a primal cry of defiance keened from within her core. She would not end like this. Not without knowing why.

Not this time.

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Kietlav let out a low, shaky breath as he watched the axe extend from its haft, the blade reaching out, and biting into the rock above. The weapon bit into the rock like teeth, and he braced himself, the resulting whiplash as the chain went taught nearly tore his arm from its socket, and he let out a shot of pain, steadying his breath. "Good," he muttered to himself as the weapon obeyed his command. Such obedience certainly wouldn't last, but at least the weapon wasn't willing to kill them both. Perhaps such a will could be taken advantage of later on, but for now, that was not his focus. His focus, was survival. The rock above them was cracking, and beginning to fall to pieces, the yawning void below almost ready to devour them both.

He grimaced, feeling the weapon bite into his flesh, consume more of his blood, take its terrible toll for the task he had asked of it. The thing was a parasite, a disgusting leech, but for now, it was keeping the northern warrior alive, and for that, he could certainly be thankful.

The rock above them had collapsed, and Niatiel, who had tried so hard to save him, was falling. In the distance, he saw Brielle falling as well, and knew neither had any means of salvation. But Kietlav, Kietlav had what essentially could be thought of as a rope, and enough of a mind to come up with a few really bad ideas. Kietlav's main goal was survival, to survive and endure anything thrown at him, but he was well aware that such a task could not be completed alone. He turned his gaze upwards for just a moment, hearing a voice from above, to see one of the other wisps, holding his axehead with the wisp's own blade. Kietlav made eye contact for just a moment, his icy blue eyes holding the other wisp's, before he gave a simple nod, and a muttered "Hold". Kietlav grit his teeth, perhaps his worst idea yet forming in his head.

The warrior planted his feet against a piece of falling stone, and took note of where both Niatiel and Brielle were. He tensed his legs, before launching himself from the stone, gripping his axe-handle in one hand, and extending an arm as the warrior soared through the air, using the chain to keep him from falling as he moved. He glanced down to his shield with a grimace. "I do not know what you can do, demon-shield, but you must try. If you can, do something to grab Brielle," he requested, breath heavy on his throat, limbs weak. Regardless, he reached out for Niatiel, aiming to catch her with his shield arm, and use the momentum of his swing to get them up to the opposite side of the hole, and hopefully to the edge, where they could get themselves up and over, and back onto the part of the platform that wasn't falling into the abyss.

The plan was suicidal and stupid, but after Niatiel tried so hard to save his life, he wasn't just going to let her, or anyone else fall into an abyss. That was hardly an end for anyone, just falling into some dark fucking hole and dying like that. They were better than that, and the judge beast wouldn't kill them so easily. They were determined, resolute, strong-willed, and they would see this batlte through, to victory or loss. Regardless of the outcome, Kietlav would ensure they did not die to some stinking, never-ending pit.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

In the screaming chaos of body and rock and all that can be seen, there was a hush and a cry.

Those with Stigmas would come to notice that there was a lull between them, as they screamed out their desires. Emotions would run wild, in that fragile moment a voice called out in response. A kind whispering from beyond. And in this voice, a familiar cold feeling would present itself. But the wave of numbness flushed into something much more. They would feel strength. It was like a flood that erupted from inside, flowing from their blessed markings. It almost threatened to overwhelm them, and they would flash in a flash of stellar luminescence. As this power grew, they would notice it would not stop so easily. It was like a tide overflowing, ripples flooding from this deep place. Then, just when it would begin to tear into them, almost threatening to rip them to shreds, their weapons glittered and fluttered with the ancient magic bestowed within.

By sharing the same goal, it was as though they made a connection. One that divided the power amongst them.
Then, the voice that whispered so softly had made words. If just barely.

"By sharing the burden... may the pain be eroded... into just a memory...
But for me to give... I must also take... in order to keep the balance of this fragile reality..."

And just as those words were spoken, the silvered weapons of Niatiel and Irosane began to warp and change. A crack formed, then just like that, the weapons burst and fluttered from their hands as specks of light. Only a small shard was left, a handle or a hilt, but only a piece of the once beautiful objects. These shred of brilliance began to flutter around, swirling and swirling. As the pale dancers twirled, the shower of pebbles, boulders, and great swatches of dirt suddenly become slowed, puttering through the darkness until they actually became visible.

A faint chain can be seen extending from the two wisps, signifying the temporary bond.

-- Movement was being great slowed in this magical field, which extended from between the two stigma-bearing wisps. Who knows how long this will last, so they must make this moment count. All previous boons granted still remain in affect, until their individual duration expires. All actions made will be made easier, but care not to forget the physical state of your character.

Meanwhile, despite his last command, the shield would not act nor budge. It gazed at Kietlav, the eye and the black mass strapped around his arm making a suckling sound until it seemed there was nothing left. Maybe if he had more to sacrifice, it might have acted. But this seemed the extend of his power. All he could rely on now was the fleeting strength left in his body.

But it didn't seem to matter. Brielle appeared to have a complication of her own.
To outside observers, there was a shift in her and the black vessel nestling against her. It was almost as if the two were conjoined.

Within her mind, Brielle was suffering from a temporal complex different than the one that stopped the falling. A voice had called out and she was pulled from reality for a moment, one that pushed past the echoes that were tormenting her mind. Maybe more so than any other, it made sure of it. It felt like she was falling, however, for a different reason altogether. Burning orange hues mixed with indigo welcomed her when the sudden darkness broke into a smoky fissure. Flames. But one different than the ones in her memory. A new place. And with it, a new voice. A distant shadow, towering over the crimson backdrop of this hellish landscape stared down at her with eyes of hollow light. It pushed through into her mind with a sickening plop, as though a cold finger pressed against her forehead until it bore through.

"If you want power... To fight death itself... All you must do is ask, my dear beholder.. But beware the price of my gifts, my fragile kin of blood, of olden memory. Are you prepared to sacrifice all that can be, everything of who you can be...?"

Suddenly, Brielle was snapped back from the smoldering realm, back into the cold reality of the world that was returned to her. She would see that everything was pulled to a crawl, except for her own movements. The reason itself would be unspoken, but maybe she will figure it out before her vision of everything was then taken from her. The twisted lance-weapon itself began to warp and change, shuddering and convulsing until it resembled something breathing. For a moment, she could see a strange, life-like form, huddled and fragile. Almost like a beating heart. But the scrunched, frail form splattered into a spray of blackness that lifted her before light can catch the mysterious truth that was hidden beneath.

This dark vapor was a chilling presence, a dreadful thing, that encapsulated her and surged her from the depths.

-- Brielle will be taken to the edges of the now stable crater by this strange presence, across from Kyo and nearby Harmony. Her great weapon will resume its form after a moment of lingering, although all of its eyes would be closed and unresponsive to her. But the idea of safety would be quickly squashed as she would be made immediately apparent to the falling of the Central Pillar above. What will she do now?

...

 

[Siren77]

A spray of glinting metal littered the air as Irosane’s hooked blades shattered into oblivion. For a moment, he thought that the worst had happened that would send Kietlav tumbling to his doom. Fortunately, the shard remaining of his own weapons was that of the handles which still held strong with their expansive chaining. Though it appeared from his attempt to valiantly attempt to save the others from meeting their fates in the pit, he had exhausted himself and was now barely able to support his own wait. Irosane knew a lost cause when he saw one, and sharply called out to his ally.

“There’s no use Kietlav! We’ll need to find another way to save the others, your strength is already fading fast!”

Whether the whisp was willing to comply with Iro’s plead, he didn’t wait to find out. Instead, keeping himself supported with the handle embedded in the earth, Iro began using every fiber of muscle in his abstract form to pull the figure up from the bowls of the black out below. With every instant of pain and a desire to rest, Iro’s stubborn soul only ignored it and pressed forward with growing vigor and determination. For too long had he sat idle during this fight, so now it was his turn to give back to the individuals who had defended and fought along side him. The clatter of chains only continued to ring as Iro continued to jerk and pull, link by link passing as he worked through it hand by hand.

Soon enough, Irosane was able to reach his hand down and take ahold of Kietlavs before pulling him up all the way onto the solid soil around him. Panting and gasping for breath, Irosane knew he couldn’t rest long and stood up peering into the crater below.

“Rest for now and father your strength my friend, and give your black vessel time to cooperate with you. I’ll do my best to take care of the others.”

Much to his surprise, in an odd turn of event Brielle was now standing on the edge of the crater as well, having been brought up while Iro was focused on saving Kietlav. All that was left now was...

“Niatiel...”

Irosane whispered, recognizing the little whisp whom he had saved previously during the first contact with the beast. Now she was in danger once more, and Iro needed to be quick in father his strength if he wanted even a chance at saving her. Unfortunately no amount of strength would suffice in this situation, as she was much too deep into the earth for his chains to reach. Either she’d have to climb up higher, or Iro would have to take a dive in after her. The latter option was rather ludicrous and implausible, so climbing was their best option.

“Nia! Listen carefully, you’ll need to climb a bit higher for me to reach you! Once you’re at a proper proximity, I’m going to dispel my chain and you’ll need to grab ahold of it as soon as it comes by!” Irosane looked up to view the Central Pillar beginning to lose its strength. “We don’t have much time, work with haste!”

While he awaited Nia to attempt climb higher, Irosane began swinging his chain in a circular motion to build up momentum, that once the time was right he’d be able to get the maximum distance out of the metal linkage. There was not telling if this plan would worked, and all he could do for now was sit patiently and wait and see if his smaller companion could fulfill his instructions. Then it was a matter of either throwing the chains or jumping in after her.

 

[Juju]

Just when Nia was sure her strength would fail she felt a surge of light shining from her stigma, flooding her body with a strength she never knew she was capable. Despite the significant weight difference between them, she was able to single-handedly drag the northern warrior from out of the growing pit. Yet, her victory was soon snatched from her. Just as she got him out the floor beneath them crumpled and instead of one, two souls were falling to their doom.

"nonono..." she stuttered as gravity took hold, the previous strength she felt now draining away like the color in her face.'Kietlav, i'm so sorry...' she thought. Why couldn't it have been her instead of Kietlav or Vystari? She bit her lip and let angry tears form in the corners of her eyes. But before hopelessness could set in, she saw something fling from Kietlav's hand and dig itself into the underside of the platform. Was it one of his weapons? A grisly chain trailed from the twisted thing, growing taught under Kietlav's weight. He'd be okay!

Above the rush of wind on her skin, Nia could feel tingling relief. So happy was she that she almost forgot she was falling. Kietlav would be safe! And to make it better, she saw a familiar form lean over the edge to grab onto the chain. He was a welcome sight, but at the same time Nia couldn't help but feel guilty... after all the effort Iro had gone through to keep her alive from the maw of the damned judge. Maybe this was her fate after all?

Niatiel watched the forms of her friends grow smaller, wondering how long it would take until they were too small to discern. That's when she spotted it, in the distance above Iro and Kietlav. The dust and carnage was obscuring it, but as she squinted her eyes she could see one of the pillars slowly descend upon the platform. It would soon hit, but they would have no idea. "No!" she breathed. There was nothing she could do to help them.

They had to live. They couldn't be snuffed out. Yet there was nothing she could do! She felt sadness, frustration, and then... nothing. There was an odd sense of clam, followed by a radiant burst of energy, of strength. The light flooding out from her mark was binding, so much she could no longer make sense of which way was was up or down. The only thing she was aware of was this incredible force her wispy form was trying so hard to contain. She was certain she was going to be torn into a thousand pieces, until she heard a distant voice.

"By sharing the burden... may the pain be eroded... into just a memory...
But for me to give... I must also take... in order to keep the balance of this fragile reality..."​

She let out a gasp as the blade of her silvery dagger burst into a swarm of bright, twisting motes of light. They rose up like so many fireflies and to Nia's disbelief everything they passed by or touched began to slow. The boulders, rocks, everything! There was something else too, a chain as translucent as a single beam of moonlight stretching between herself and where Irosane was.

A second chance?! A sacrifice. She couldn't stop to wonder, she had to use this miracle lest it be wasted. Spotting a nearby fragment, she quickly caught it before she fell to far and found that it was semi-stable in its suspended state. From above she heard Iro's voice and looked up, nodding her head at his words. Could she do it? Her arms were shaky and her body fatigued. Holding on was a struggle in itself... "No. You can do this." She told herself, gritting her teeth as she pulled herself up to stand on the frozen rock. No time for second guessing. She braced herself on the wobbly surface and jumped onto the nearest rock, then the next, and the next. A few times she almost lost her grip, or her foothold was too fragile, but she kept her eyes trained upwards, determined.

She was almost there when she felt a shifting below her, the call of gravity reawakening. There was only a few more steps to go but was there enough time? The safest route would take too long. There was another way, but was it too risky? It was now or never and she couldn't second guess herself.

Using as much momentum as she could gain by springing from stone to fragmented stone, she granted herself a running start before making one final leap, arm outstretched for the incoming chain...

[quick time event]
[...!]
[Press X!]

 

[kasigi]

Unconsciousness is unawareness and peace of mind. It's like you don't exist, any amount of time could pass and it would still inevitably feel the same. This was his state of mind, a piece of stone colliding with his head and forcing him into it. He laid on the ground unmoving, though with warrior's spirit still had his hand held tight around his sword.

The beating of his heart and the immense headache is all he felt for a few seconds, before the yelling and sound of debris colliding caused adrenaline to start pumping through. He was aware again, and brought his head up from the cold, stone ground that he was seemingly suspended upon. He looked up at the chaos. He had not died again, thank god, his rest was short and not so sweet. The collapsing floor seemed quite alarming, and many looked like they were completely out of it and drained. Mordred steadies his breath brings himself up from the floor. Balance returned and he felt prepared once more, he would not die yet. His focused gaze looked at those who were near the edge, they didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. If so, he knew he had to return his attention to the beast, if it was still alive.

Though, he began to her rumbling, the sound prompting him to look up. A massive part of the stone pillar was beginning to fall. He kneeled lower to the ground and held his body closer to his kite shield, slamming his sword into the ground next to him to provide an anchor for the impact.

 

[seasonedcat]

A wicked sensation of pleasure filled Kyo's chest as the beast struggled to keep itself from falling with the piller. The suffering on the beast gave her much pleasure. The beast would pay for what it did to her, it would not escape her wrath no matter how long it took her to follow through with it. She would hunt it down until her mission was complete. No matter who she'd have to kill to do so.

The beast attempted to jump to another pillar to escape it's fate of hitting the ground, but fate seemed to have cruler plans and pulled it back down to earth with some roots. The splattering of the beast's blood brought a wicked smile to her face off of it's pain. When it's large body hit the earth dust filled the air blocking the veiw of her target.

Letting out an angry grunt Kyo ran into the dust, ignoring the pillar that was descending towards the earth behind her. The dust stung her eyes, not that she really noticed, and filled her bloody cuts with dirt that looked like black ooze. No pain was registered in her face or body language as she angrily slashed around blindly looking for her target.

Spotting a black shadow in the dust cloud she rushed forward ready to strike only to find a hole in the platform, sending her body falling. For a brief moment something like fear filled her chest before it quickly vanished and her scythe caught the ground. Kyo pulled herself up, anger welling up in her as she desperatly looked back and forth for her target.

Whiping the sand off her eyes she set off again towards the figure, this time avoiding the big hole in the ground. Her feet echoed loudly around her as she ignored the sound of her allies struggling. As she reached the figure she slammed her scythe down hard, hoping to hit her mark and end it's pathetic life.

 

[Lekiel]

The gaping maw in the platform from which she dropped shone like a portal to a different reality. A circle of fading light. A hole in the sky, surrounded by the creeping dark. A fragment of her consciousness thought the sight looked familiar. A vision that had once foretold of her future, now her past. She had cast away the Light, and fell into the embrace of the Lightless. Willingly for the want in her chest. To protect One held so dear. She didn't know how, but she was minutely aware of this one thing amidst the cloud of inchoate emotions and thoughts that raced through her mind's eye in that single frozen moment when one realized their life had slipped their grasp.

But Brielle was stubborn. Clawing and clutching at whatever salvation could be gleaned from the empty space that spanned the divide between the living and the forever resting. Fevered mind torn between two worlds, of shattered memory and bleak reality. With the echoes of a different life haunting her ears, a sheer defiance of palpable will burst from the very core of her being. And then the darkness that surrounded her was set aflame.

It billowed out from the depths in hues of orange and manic blues. Plumes of bizarre smoldering flames that was so thick she couldn't tell if she swam in an ocean of fire, or if she was now in the ruinations of a shattered dimension. But before she could make sense of it all, she felt a searing freeze squeeze through the center of her forehead. It came with the looming shadow of a towering being that filled the horizons of the flameworld; if a horizon could be found. It filled her mind with horror and utter revulsion, but like a moth to a flame, she found she could not look away though it remained all but formless. Soundless words reverberated in her ears, arresting her attention even with all the pulsating chaos that was it's realm; for surely it would be Lord of this forsaken domain. The offer was plain in its intents and she was immediately beset by a similar ambivalence that seemed to hound her every thought and motive since her eyes first beheld the Ivory Goddess. But before she could respond, the fires were extinguished and she was thrust back into grim reality.

A reality where she was still falling. Only it seemed like she was suspended in time. A slick warm sensation drew her attention to her arm, and she both realized that she could move and that her stave was now anything but the weapon it once was. A shifting mass that writhed and... breathed was now held in her grasp. She briefly wondered if thus was its true form. But in the same abrupt way from which she experienced her whole current ordeal, the mass suddenly exploded in splatters of suffocating blackness. Instinctively she panicked. Hands trying to cast it away but it was no use and she was filled with dread as it enveloped her. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach, as she clawed at her face hoping to peel away the cloying vapor. But the instant her hands passed over her eyes, she found she could see again.

A sudden sense of displacement and vertigo assailed her, causing the wisp to fall to her knees gasping for breath. Though even as she gritted her teeth to steady the roiling heave of her bowels, the corners of her lips curled into a smile. That little taste of poison was addictive. Though it had ended - as evidenced by the now closed 'eyes' on her stave - she found herself craving for more. All you must do is ask, my dear beholder...

Not now... not yet... soon...

Regaining her feet, Brielle quickly cast her eyes about her, realizing that they were yet to be out of danger. Most of the other wisps were too far from her reach, all except... Harmony. She rushed over to her side, almost immediately noticing the broken form of Dwynn in the girl's arms. She remembered his battle, even if she couldn't see it, the ruins that even now rained around them attested to the intensity of the struggle. It was a shame. She didn't know if he was yet alive though Brielle highly doubted it from his wounds, but from her stance, Harmony seemed unwilling to let go.

"Come Harmony, we must move quickly.... let me help." She touched the girl's shoulder for her attention, indicating upwards with a nod of her head in case she hadn't yet realized that they were about to be crushed. And should Harmony permit, she would help her carry what remained of the horned warrior as far out of the danger zone as possible. Otherwise, she would leave on her own.

Sorry.. I think I did horrible this time :< But just wanted to keep my pathetic consistency going!

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Away from the troubles of the others, Harmony watched as Kyo swung at the beast with vaillant power. A part of her felt that she should be out there with her, but she let that piece drown away in the crescendo in her mind. "She's really going for it." The concert playing in her mind slowly took to the minor keys and changed from the fast pace of the scenery to a mournful tone. It sent chills down her spine as she could only guess the change. Her eyes trailed from Kyo's valiant fight down to Dwynn. Observing the final moments of Dwynn as the painful struggle on Dwynns face fade and his body grow still. Her chest grew heavy as she looked over to the still wispy body of Dwynn. His features far clearer than they ever were before. No. Reaching out she hovered her hand over his nose and felt nothing against it, he'd stopped breathing. "Dwynn?" There was no response. Placing her hands on his shoulders she shook him in the attempts to get a response. However, there was nothing but the dead weight of his corpse.

Her mind wandered to something she couldn't reach but felt heavily sink her down to the floor she couldn't move. She couldn't do anything this heaviness, this strange thought that his death was on her. He can't be dead. Shaking the wispy corpse again, he almost slipped out of her trembling hands. The lights dimmed around them as Harmony laid in the shallow pool of her memories and slowly began to sink a little bit deeper. Chords of her soul began to twist and turn around each other into a jumbled mess. Her wispy body shifting and popping as she opened her eyes. Heat flushed through her as she looked around, her left arm burning yet again as her stigma began to burn with energy. Her body crackling as if it was about to explode out of her, just like before. However this time was different, she felt something pull her further down. Eyes trailing the towards the invisible pull she could sense the others falling as well. She didn't know why but she felt this energy had to get to them. Then in a moment time around them began to slow as her eyes rested on Dwynn. Is this what happens when someone dies?

Body frozen in place she was only pulled out of her trance by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Whipping her head around she met Brielle's eyes and then past her to the stones falling around them. It was growing closer but at such a slow pace Harmony was unsure what was going on, all she knew was that Dwynn wasn't moving and her body felt as if it was ablaze.

"Come Harmony, we must move quickly.... let me help."

"Why?" She asked her mind still distant as she almost looked through Brielle as the stones began to fall a bit quicker. Wincing in pain as her stigma shot a jolt of energy to her mind her clouded eyes cleared to face reality. Shaking her head she looked at Brielle, meeting her eyes she nodded. "Right! Don't let me hold you back! Who knows how long this will last. Just go to the others Brielle! I can handle this!" Pausing for a moment she added. "Thanks." Giving a sorrowful smile as she grabbed Dwynn's torso and spear and began to roll out of the way of the closest collapsing stone. The black goo and white blood of Dwynn plastering her body Harmony watched as the stone crushed the ground where she once was.

No time to take in the near death experience, the ground below them began to shake with a fury as pieces of the stone work began to crack and crumble around them. Hearing the cries out from the others Harmony only had a few minutes to react. Gripping Dwynn's spear in one hand she slammed it deep into the stone work as she she wrapped her other arm around Dwynn's lifeless body. Her blade in her hand tilted to rest against his back as the ground crumbled around them. Having met the abyss around them once before the etching of fear crept up her body as the last bits of the platform crumbled around them.

Taking a deep breath Harmony closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the spear as they began to tumble in a free fall. Standing up on trembling legs she did her best to stabilize the small patch of stone she stood on as the shock of energy shot through her body. Her hand shaking against the spear she pulled Dwynn's torso closer and felt something pull her further down. Eyes trailing the towards the invisible pull she noticed the others falling as well. She didn't know why but she felt she had to get to them. Body hardening with resolve the chords began to fade away leaving only the continuous base of her beating heart. Twisting the spear in he hand she loosened it from the stone and adjusted her heels to face the group.

A soft vocable echoed against the base of her heart as she felt strength flowing through her. Looking ahead she gathered up her faith and pushed off the stone and towards the others.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

Just when Niatiel touched the extended chain, she was yanked upwards. Like a fish being reeled in. Except it was not just Irosane that pulled her. The force of something much larger than any of them had begun to act. She would see solid ground as she was flung from the hole and over the edge before it all became jumbled.
The party was quickly scattered. All across the floating arena, held in the darkness by the magic of the pale flowers, it was all beginning to crumble.

The sound of the crash was almost too loud. Smashing both the physicality of sound and solidarity. A scream that can be felt, vibrating through the air and into the stonework. A scream of anger, hatred, pain, suffering, hope, it all accumulated into this single moment of destruction. The monstrous judge, and the very black sky itself, was falling down in the slipping glimmers of light. The lost flowers bloomed in the sacrifice of blood. Blinding to those who looked directly into them. A blast spread violently as the pillar smashed into the fragile earthen disk, sending a sharp crack down the center. Everything that was near the center of impact would be caked by a whip of wind and knocked back towards the edge. Loose rocks and roots, recently smashed and settled, were upturned again and sent off the side into the nether far below. But just when dust picked up and exploded from the massive crevice that broke open from the pillar, like the point of a sharp pick slamming down, the flash of light suddenly shook and stilled. For a moment, it lingered there.

Blinking... blinking... blink.

Then everything was enveloped in a storm of darkness. By the time the dust settled, there was no movement. Not even the lights of the flowers were present.

A wisp wouldn't be able to tell what was in front of them if not for the soft glow that emanated from them and from those who bore stigmas. But even with their sight, where was the end? It seemed beginning and end collided and then there was infinity. It spread ahead of them and behind, leaving nothing to anchor their senses.

That was, until a soft cough was heard. A mellow voice.

A collection of flowers bloomed in the smog of black, lifting it like a bubble at the bottom of the ocean. The tangled roots weaved and sprung forward, rapidly growing until it twisted into a large glistening bouquet that welcomed the onlookers. A soft light crept from this beacon. From where it sprouted, was the body of the gurgling monster. The snickering beast, or what was left of it, lay at the edge of the ruined battlegrounds. The smashed form was entangled between loose rock and long roots that ran through the cracked arena. The once hallowed grounds were upturned. The ancient plinths that stored the silvered shards, the grass and glowers, and the upturned stoned flooring were all mostly destroyed. The creature appeared to fare no better. It was bent and gnarled, a crumpled mess of blackened hair, bones, stones, and flesh. It was a grotesque sight that might make even the most twisted minded have a change of heart. A smoke seemed to bellow from the body, but it was quickly dispersed as the light of the rising flowers gained more strength.

For a moment, it pulled itself by its only remaining leg, snarling and snapping at the party in a creepy in-between of death and life. Until its strength gave away and it rolled over. Its bone jaw hung opened for a moment, gurgling vile black blood as the hollow eyes looked at the party expectantly.

A hollow laugh sounded, a weak chuckling that ticked against the air.

The twisted snarling, savage glare was gone. What remained was what they saw earlier, the eerie gaze of the dignified judge. Hollow and calm, as it was.

"Ah... Are you scared? Embrace this image..." snickering weakly, "For this is our fate, you and I... You, the future slayers of the Ancients... and I, the failed offering." coughing as it struggled to continue to speak, "If you're done here... end me... and consume my essence... That is my only purpose now..."​

With its one arm, it tapped a claw at its own beating black heart, "Yes... the essence of Miracles... pluck it from my dead form... and crush it..."

Dwynn remained by Harmony throughout the blast. Whether it was because she took responsibility for him, or the fact that she held onto the spear, which was stuck fast against his limp wrist, it bound them greater than chaos can separate. While he still made no signs of life, at least she had something beside her. the same cannot be said about the others, who were littered around the shattered landscape. Vystari seemed to disappear from mind, and from view. Since no one had protected her in the explosion, her whereabouts were unknown. It was a wonder whether she made it in one piece after it all.

But out on the fringes of the arena, a shadow can be seen stirring. A soft pained moan came from it.

"N-Nia...? Kietlav...? Anyone? Where...Where am I?" followed by a fit of weak coughs. It was clear; that as her senses returned, a panic rose in her pleading voice.​

"I... I feel numb... All around my body... I can't feel... or see anything.... I can't move... Am I alright? Anyone...? Please... Answer me... I don't want to be alone again... Not again..."​

...

 

[Juju]

Niatiel had leapt, yet she never fell. She flew. Even if it was only for a brief moment, and born from dire circumstances, she could feel a rush of unbridled power as strongly as the air rushing against her. She landed feather-like upon the shattered remnants of the platform yet the moment her feet touched the stone, there came a tremendous shudder, crack, and a scream. The pillar had landed with her.

Niatiel doubled over, hands clutched on either side of her head as she tried in vain to block out the sound. Yet all her efforts did nothing to blot out the screech. It raked against her very core, rendering her immobile even as rock and root were flung past her by the resulting gale. The light was blinding, but the darkness that came after was worse. Everything went still in one galloping crash, so sudden that Nia wasn't sure if she was dead or alive.

Anxiously, she cracked open an eye and found only an endless void. At first the only light in the world came from her own stigma, a terrifying realization, but as her eyes adjusted she began to spot motes of light scattered within the dark, which she knew without knowing belonged to her fellow stigma-bearers. All at once the darkness lost it's terror, until the flowers began to take root within the remains of the beast. Ironically, what once gave her courage seemed to now tear it away. They were magnificent and terrible, merciful and cruel.

It was right, she was terrified. Her eyes were wide, glued to the broken form of the judge. Somehow it looked more terrifying defeated than it ever had in the battle, though Nia couldn't fathom why. It felt as if her soul itself was quivering at the words, clawing at the cage of its body in an effort to flee from reasons she didn't understand. The judge flicked a claw towards its exposed heart and directed them to pluck its essence. Niatiel couldn't think of anything she would want to do less. Slayer of ancients? She didn't know what its words meant but unbidden tears welled in her eyes nonetheless.

She was unsure of what to do, still in shock over what just happened. Then she heard it, a familiar voice.

"Vystari?" She muttered, looking wildly around. "Vystari! I'm coming! Just-just keep talking...!" Nia called, stumbling through the rubble towards the voice.

She tracked down the faint sound of coughing until at last her eyes fell upon the broken shape of Vystari. Even if Nia's limbs felt weak she found the strength to run towards her friend, scraping her knees raw as she skidded to a stop by her side.

Niatiel took her hand in her own, mirroring the gesture the woman had done for her. It had made her feel better, so maybe it would help Vystari too? She tried to make her voice strong, like Vystari was, but she wasn't as great at hiding it. It ended up sounding about as scared as she felt. "It's okay, I'm here. You-you'll be fine. The beast is gone now. We did it. Come on, get up! I'll show you!"

She tugged on Vystari's arm, trying to get her onto her feet but found the other wisp limp and unmoving, like a corpse. "Vystari....?" She slowly shook her head, a seed of fear settling in. "...don't worry, I can help you get better. You'll be okay!" Closing her eyes, Niatiel scrunched up her face, trying to call upon the power that had cleansed their wounds from the beast. Please...please... she silently urged, praying that her stigma would grace her with its light once more. All she could see was Vystari's hopeless face before she fell into the abyss. It was her fault that Vystari was hurt. The only reason why she was here was because of Kietlav, and even he had almost died too despite her best efforts.

 

[kasigi]

Mordred was anchored, fortified at his position, as if he was an immovable object. While he prepared for impact, what he had not accounted for was the ear-shattering sound that it would produce. As the massive stone fell against the disc that the wisps were scattered upon, his eardrums were rang like a bell with a grotesque sound, perpetuating the headache that he was just managing to get over after being knocked unconscious. He could not help but let of his sword - which had no threat of being blown back by the impact, due to it being stabbed straight into the stone - to cover at least one of his ears, his other hand being restrained by his shield's harness.

His expression was one of pain, cringing at the vibrations of sound that blew over the area, loud enough that you could physically feel them moving and slithering through the air. Leaning up against the shield with his eyes closed in pain, he noticed the light, but it did not cause strain as he couldn't directly see it. Even so, he could tell how immensely bright and blinding it was.

A deep breath escaped his lungs as the atmosphere almost flipped like a lightswitch. The blinding light turned to haunting darkness, while the excruciatingly painful roar of the stone pillar's impact became a deadly silence that hurt almost as much as the noise had. After the darkness settled around, he tried to look around, but the area was truly covered by a blanket. "Is everyone all right?" He spoke out, calling for anyone. Mordred lifted his shield and felt around in the darkness for where his sword was implanted into the ground, feeling for the handle where he had remembered it being. After taking hold, he yanked it out of the crack that had formed, a comforting sensation creeping up on him as he was returned with the blade. He wanted to move, but there was no way for him to see any edges, cracks, or other dangers that may be present in the darkness. Even so, it seemed as if the beast was dead, the feeling of dread was ever more absent, the beast's presence had practically left. He supposed that he would wait for another voice to call back, before he saw light pour into his vision. Looking for the source, he was quick to find that it was indeed emitted from where he had been stabbed by the plinth. It was the stigma, it was glowing a faint aura that illuminated the immediate area, if only by a small amount. He looked around, his gaze meeting with the other stigmas that began to glow as well. Before he could call out to someone again, he noticed the other voice, now illuminated by the lights of flowers. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and properly perceive what was there, but he realized it was, indeed, the beast. Its mangled, destroyed body lay there. He could not help but approach.

The beasts strength had finally gave out as soon as he had arrived near it's side. Mordred had a feeling of sympathy for the creature. What had this poor being experienced to reach a state like this? It seemed like a living hell. The battle was over, and he knew it, it obviously no longer posed any sort of threat. Mordred watched as the flowers around the beast illuminated it more and more, staring intently at the destroyed creature, listening to what it had to say. The ancients. What the beast spoke was important, he made sure to engrain it in his memory. He tried to question what this "essence of miracles" could be, though he supposed the group of wisps would figure out when the deed was done. As he approached the beast, he heard a voice call out, watching as Niatiel ran to the source. He hoped they would be alright, though knowing that whoever was there had aid, his attention was primarily focused on the beast.

Mordred approached, kneeling down to where the beast had pointed, where its heart was. "I am sorry that this is what you were. I hope that your death eases your pain." For whatever reason, he did not feel scared at this moment, letting his sword lay at the ground next to him as hand went in to reach at it's chest cavity, where it's heart remained. With how mangled and destroyed its flesh was, it was rather easy to reach in and find it, As he held it in a firm grasp, he began to pull it out, looking down at it. He decided he would not crush it just yet, he would wait for the others. He stood up, heart in hand, turning away from the beast and facing any others who also remained at it's side. A thought briefly brushed by his mind, "I wonder what kind of person would be willing to eat something like this?"

 

[Siren77]

Irosane felt his lack of a heart sing with joy as his dear companion was able to catch ahold of his chain that he had thrust with all of his might into the black void down below. Once she had a strong hold on his, he yanked it for all he was worth and felt a power resonate himself that aided him in bringing Niatiel back onto solid ground once more. He did not have long to celebrate however, as he had reeled in the length of chain from its completed voyage, a loud crack erupted from above. The pillar, in all of its terrible might, came crashing down alongside the judge. The marble colossus was his main concern, has its epicenter came with the intent to impact the ground on which he stood. Jumping off to the side just as it crashed and ground its way into the ground below, Irosane was then whipped backwards by the extreme wind that resulted from the chaos before him. Tumbling, he did flail his arms about in a panic as he attempted to grab something, anything ,before he was to be sent it his doom in the black void below. The chains of sin of which he bore proved to be his saving grace once again, as just as the raging whips was sent over the edge of the barely stable platform, the remains of his weapons acted at his behest and dug into the earth meters from his face. Though personification was the only way to describe the incident, it is uncertain if it was a result of this living metal, or wether his pathetic flailing had somehow prevailed in saving him.

Hanging by the links, Iro held strong for a brief moment to retain his bearings. A few deep breaths worked their way through his lungs, until finally he gathered his courage and strength to scale the broken remains of his hooked blades. This proved to be his easiest task yet in the battle with the Twisted Beast. Finally, and hopefully for the last time, Iro places himself on the sturdy ground and rested a while as his chest heaved up and down.

“Praise the Celestial Beings, for even now I still live.” Though wether his life was something to be truly thankful for has yet to be seen.

The Judge, savagely growling and writhing in its own agony, did taunt them with words of fear and fate. He referred to them as the slayers of ancients, a term that rung so deeply in his own soul and yet still remained a mystery to him. The feeling of Deja Vu was truly getting on his nerves at this point. Once the Beast has finished its pathetic monologue, Iro did swiftly approach and knelt next to his decaying form.

“Though your tarnished soul deserves no such thing, we shall fulfill this last instruction for you. I’m uncertain wether we should trust you, but at this point our options are wearing thin.” Irosane did watch as Mordred cut out the vile organ from the bowls of the beasts chest.

Iro looked it over curiously in Mordred’s hands as the words ‘crush and consume’ rang in his mind. This vile thing was to be consumed by one of them? His developing eyes looked about, seeing that all others had refused to approach the heart thus far save for the one who had retrieved it. If no one else was going to take the leap, then it was up to him. Dropping his weapon, the whisp took the black thing from Mordreds hands and held it in his own. Looking unto them all, he sighed.

“We have no idea what this thing might do to any one of us. So I shall be the first to partake, and see if consuming this thing will prove to be beneficial to us.”

He pressed it between his palms, beholding more of the same black blood that now littered the arena floor dropped out. A shaky breath escaped Iro, before he raised the organ above his head and did consume the vile essence. Just as the putrid liquid touched his mouth, Iro began to wretch and gag as it spilled down his throat. It wasn’t long before he’d had enough, and cast the organ aside to fall to his hands and knees. Coughing and sputtering, he breathed heavily through his mouth as his body was no subject to whatever effects of the beasts essence would have on him.

For a time, he actually did worry that he might die.

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Taking a leap of faith into the darkness of the abyss Harmony could feel the fear of the unknown washing over her. Hoping beyond hope that she would reach the others. Expecting a great rush of wind against her as she fell, the air was calm. Surprised she winced in pain from the burning stigma on her arm as the calm breeze began to fade and float around her. Gravity slowed around her yet again as she tumbled through the darkness. Small luminous petals fluttering and fading around her as their light dimmed and was engulfed in the darkness of the abyss around them. Looking down there was a small concentration of flowers from below, as curiosity began to swell within her there was a booming sound of stone colliding with ground. Shielding her face as pieces of the once towering pillar bounced towards her, Harmony glided down to the cracked surface.

Feeling solid ground under her feet she let out a heavy sigh of relief that flowed through her entire body. Looking down at the restful torso or Dwynn her relief slowly soured into something else. Something she'd yet to truly realize, but knew that soon she'd have to either face or forget. Shifting him to under her arm she began to let the sounds around her fade in. To her left was Vystari worriedly calling out and Niantel trying to comfort her on her right were the heavy steps of Mordred. Following the steady sound her eyes trailed towards the small glowing bed of flowers where a large mound of flesh wheezed and oozed.

The broken voice of the dying creature invaded her mind yet again. The broken wheezing only erupting rage from the woman. Clenching her fist she began to walk over to the beast while it leat out it's dying order. Noticing Irosane coming into view she watched at he took the piece of the beast and slid it past his lips. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the scene unfold. Reaching the edge of the open light she knelt down and rested Dynn's limp torso onto the the flowers beside the beast. Turning her head to the dying beast she reached out and took a strong grip on the convulsing mass of leaking leather. Nails digging into its corpse, she gritted her teeth.

"Dammit!"

Letting the creature go she looked at her blackened hand and felt a cold comfort in seeing it. Looking to Irosane and the others she spoke calmly. "So, what do we do from here? Irosane's eaten part of the monsters goo heart, and the rest of us? Even if this doesn't kill him, what next? Are we all going to eat this monster's heart, because it told us to? It killed Dwynn. I personally don't want any part of that thing inside me." Battle not with monster, lest ye become a monster.