melodiesoflife | The Temple of Wind

[The large wood doors to the office creak open, revealing the inside of the room. On the opposite end of the Heroes, a raised desk with a cushioned leather chair are framed by the wide window overlooking the plains. The walls are covered in blueprints, memos, and scribbled drawings of what appears to be Ales standing on top of an airship. The only lights come from the window and several circular lamps hanging from the walls.

The ceiling is dark, cross by multitudes of wires, and there are bits of metal protruding from smooth tubes.

Ales stands on top of his desk, typing on his laptop. He wears the same hat, but his jacket has been replaced by a deep black cloak longer than he is tall..] I'm busy right now, can't it wait?

[Which mecha had bothered to interrupt in him the middle of his work? Ales peeks over the top of the computer.]

Wha--?! You're already here?! [He jumps up, shoving the laptop onto the floor. Brushing his hands on his purple shirt, he then holds them up and takes a deep breath.] Whatever. I'll have to revamp the security when I'm finished with you.

Edited 2017-05-17 18:35 (UTC)

Ales?

[Reno is just... disappointed. Not because he expected somebody better, somebody taller, or whatever -- in fact, he'd kind of had an idea at this point that whoever was behind this had to be incredibly technologically savvy. That was Ales.]

[Reno just wanted to believe Ales was better than this.]

Well. If that's the case, yo, then you know yer in for a real fight.

Edited 2017-05-24 02:06 (UTC)

[Reno wouldn't be the only one disappointed. Saori has her suspicions as well as to this Archfiend's identity but she didn't like where all the clues lead to. She pulled back her hood.
His actions betrayed what the Assassins were meant to follow.]

Damn it, Ales. I thought you were smarter than this.

[There's a rush of wind around the Heroes as an invisible person runs past them. Mary was ready for this, and since a solo infiltration was out she uses the cover of the others to activate her Crystal of Invisibility. Perhaps biding her time and waiting for the perfect moment to strike would be smarter but her patience is running thin. That he appears to be unarmed and unprepared spurs her on as well.

She rushes up but finds his placement on the desk itself an interference in her plan to vault off of it and kill him in his chair in proper Assassin style. Instead she's forced to come up short and throws out a palm strike, but her hidden blade unfortunately catches on his cloak and her blow is muted merely to the ability to shove him back into his cushy chair.]

[Ales doesn't have a response yet for Reno and Saori, though the eyeroll should be obvious enough on the direction the answer would be going. Before he can speak, he feels something catch on his cloak and shove him into his chair. There's a rip, as if something is tearing at the fabric.

A knife.

He slides his arms out, lands on the floor, and runs away from whichever invisible Assassin is there. Mary? It doesn't matter.]

Look at what you did! Do you know how expensive one of those jackets are? Now how do you expect me to work like this... [He mutters to himself and presses a button on the wall. A small coat rack swings out of the wall holding other cloaks in various shades of purple-black. He grabs one and ties it around his neck.]

If you want a proper meeting with me, I have to look the part. Now, what's this about being smart?

No one ever said anything about you being smart. She said smarter. Which means...you're stupid.

[But Dylas is stupid, too. He doesn't know how to fight Ales at all, especially with a Monk and a Vampire job set, but at least he's awake for this.

And he has one skill he's never tried before, right?

He undoes a few of his jacket buttons, revealing...chest fur, obviously, which is enough to trigger his Vampire Charm skill. It probably won't work.

...but yeah, he's going for it.]

Is it working? Be charmed, dammit.

I'm glad to see you have your priorities in order, Ales. [Jade looks around the room with a raised eyebrow before eyeing Ales' getup and shaking his head.] What is this, the lair of a fairy tale villain?

[While it may seem like he's taking the betrayal of his former coworker pretty well, truthfully Jade is not happy at all. He's merely choosing to express his disappointment through a rather nasty, cold smile.]

Well, I suppose this was to be expected. If your head were any smaller, there wouldn't be much to look at.

Edited 2017-05-31 21:10 (UTC)

[ Wow. Everyone's really hostile. Which, okay, yeah, they guy was a Hero once and betrayed them, but Jaune never really met the guy so he's a little lacking in the vengeance department. He shuffles a little awkwardly before speaking up. ]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure talking to him like that isn't going to make him stop being evil. Bad? Whatever he is.

That, uh, is why we're here, isn't it? [He thought it was, but someone had already tried to shank the guy once, so now he's not so certain anymore.]

[Mary is all frowns as she fades back into visibility. Having botched her initial strike is bad enough but that he's dealing with the threat to his life so flippantly is even more irritating.]

Ales. When you joined the Assassins I made clear what their purpose was. We're a blade in the dark that serves the light. I had my suspicions about you after the Sage's vision but I hoped you'd be smart enough to prove him wrong.

[She raises her hand, blade deployed. Jaune has the right of it, as far as she's concerned.]

The Assassins don't take turncoats lightly.

[She lunges at him again, this time having a better angle on the desk to keep it from getting in her way, sliding across it herself if need be. But this time he can see the attack coming.]

[Dylas' Charm does have an effect, though not the intended one. Ales stares at the wendigo with a mix of disgust and discomfort. He just. Unbuttoned his shirt in the middle of his office. He's distracted long enough that Mary slides across his desk before he notices her.

With a yelp, he rolls forward and dodges between her legs. He crawls under the desk, and when he emerges, he's carrying an upside-down T-shaped rod. From the top and sides are small propellers, and it carries him onto the largest pipe on the ceiling. He lands, still alert from the most recent assassination attempt, but he's not expecting another attack just yet.

He disengages the Minicopter 5.3]

Yes, priorities. Like the future of the the worlds. It's called having an large, open mind.

[Those small jokes were getting to him.]

Turncoat? Turning against what? Doing nothing and hoping for the best? In case you haven't seen, sitting around and waiting for an answer accomplishes nothing. I've seen what happened in my old world when the natives decide to leave things up to chance. They suffer. They don't take the initiative.

So you kissed Kalki's ass to save your own hide? Well, you are just the right height for the job.

[Saori would normally be all for second chances but this couldn't be ignored. Even though she looked at him with disgust, she took note of all the pipes around them.

She threw Smoke Bomb down, only to hide among the pipes to the right where Ales was.
Granted, she had no crystal to give her stealth but it would be enough to Throw a knife,
aiming for the Minicopter. Even if it didn't hit its mark, she hoped it could provide an opening for the others to attack.]

Uh...

[Reno couldn't help stare at the wendigo man who was apparently baring himself for attention...? Was that a job skill, or was Dylas just stripping? Reno wasn't sure, but it sure distracted him for a moment. Until Ales said something stupid again.]

[He scowled and shook his head at Jaune's question.]

Assassins have their own way of dealing with traitors. Ales knew that when he decided to do this.

Besides -- it doesn't sound like he really wants to change his mind, does it?

[With a flick of his wrist, Reno's magrod was extended.]

There'll be no future of worlds if the Calamity continues t' eat 'em all, you dumbass! An' I sure as hell ain't sittin' around waiting for it!

[He charged forward, hoping that he could at least unbalance Ales and leave him distracted and open to Saori's knife.]

Edited (had to acknowledge Dylas because lol) 2017-06-05 22:29 (UTC)

Were you on her side this whole time? Before all'a this shit happened?

[Johnny waved an arm to indicate their situation at large. The questions were mostly rhetorical at this point, though. In this small space, with several sneaky-type fighters, Johnny decided to be the opposite. So in order to let his allies be their sneaky selves, he used Black Flag to make his loud self be the center of attention for Ales and any potential robotic sidekicks.]

[Rather than chase after Ales directly, Mary keeps going with her own momentum. Clearing the desk she runs for the wall and then up it, turning and leaping back to try to catch him in midair. It's reckless and hot blooded but so is she right now.

But she's not so fargone as to not think ahead. Her hands flash in a few seals and she lets loose with Ninjitsu: Hyoton, breathing out a frosty wind with the hope of freezing up his little flying device.

You like being the king of wind in a frozen wasteland? Have some yourself!]

Maybe if you guys didn't start off with trying to kill him he might have! You guys breathing down his throat isn't going to solve anything.

[And now everyone is attacking? That's not cool. The guy hasn't even done anything yet, and he hasn't even raised a weapon. Damn it, guys, now Jaune has to do a dumb.

He sprints over in front of Ales and raises his shield in an attempt to protect him from his companions' attacks.]

What are you guys doing? We're supposed to be Heroes, not murderers! You can't just attack him like this; he's completely defenseless!

Edited 2017-06-07 05:55 (UTC)

[Saori loudly smacked an open to her face before she used another Smoke Bomb to teleport behind Jaune. She snatched the young man by the ear. Sadly she couldn't throw him back to where the others were so another Smoke Bomb was her only option to bring him back to the safety of the group.]

Sometimes Heroes has to make sacrifices, Jaune. The first rule to staying alive on the battlefield is to never take an enemy's lack of initiative at face value.

[She let go of Jaune. That was too close for comfort. The flash of anger in her eyes was brief before softening. Her attention went back to Ales as she let a suiton ninjutusu loose. Maybe the several spouts of water heading his way ought to cool him down.]

Edited 2017-06-07 08:32 (UTC)

[Good thinking, Saori. Jade's not in the mood to give lectures on the pitfalls of unwarranted idealism.]

Completely defenseless... I wonder about that.

[Jade casts Gift of Crystallis on everyone. It might be overkill, considering Ales has never been a very combat-oriented Hero -- but then again, it might not.

Who knows what sort of tricks Kalki has taught her Archfiends over these past few years?]

Jaune!

[What was that idiot thinking, getting in the way? Reno used a Smoke Bomb last minute, pulling in his attack and poofing to the other side, behind Ales. He barely had time for a breath. It was a good thing Reno had quick reflexes, otherwise he would have attacked the ~~idiot~~ Hero.]

[Jaune shoots Saori a dirty look. His attention is on her, but he's addressing the room.] Is he really an enemy though? Because so far as I can tell you've all barely let the guy say two words, let alone give him a chance to defend himself! Did he betray us? Sure, but did it ever occur to you that maybe he had a valid reason or that we could settle this peacefully? He hasn't even mentioned working for Kalki once!

[He clenches his fist around the hilt of his sword and lowers his eyes.] If it comes to that... We can deal with it then. But we should at least give him a chance first.

[He's not super hopeful, but he's really not about the killing lifestyle so it's worth a shot in his book.]

[Saori paused before turning back to Jaune, quickly letting a clone go back into the fray while she spoke to him. The clone climbed up the pipes and rushed in to use Master Thief.

His idealism reminded the goddess of her own, so she didn't get hostile with him yet. There was no shouting from her over the sounds of combat,
but there was a firmness in her voice.]

Jaune, don't forget he's the creator of the Snow Beast and this fortress. His actions have caused suffering on a large scale we can't ignore. If he was going to let us settle things peacefully, he would've done so already.

I know it doesn't look like it but I'm a believer in second chances, Jaune. Not to mention, if he really is an archfiend, he should be able to say his two cents while fighting.

I'm not--[While the Heroes are still exchanging words with Ales and before they begin attacking him, he attempts to retort to each of there accusations. A somber look crosses his eyes. He can't tell them the deepest reason for this betrayal if it's so personal. Yet...isn't this what his Shadow was about? Revealing that he has his own insecurities, that he's lonely?

Yes. Yes, it is. They wouldn't understand. Ales takes a deep breath.]

Kalki was my friend ever since I spoke with her as Parasraya.

[He is unable to say any more, as multiple spells and knives fly in his face. The minicopter is knocked out of his hand, he's pushed off-balance, and the water spell throws him onto one of the spikes protruding from the darkness in the ceiling. In addition, Saori manages to swipe 1 Crystal of Wind from his cloak.

Ales pushes his face off the metal.] Activate.

BOSS BATTLE: Archfiend of Wind and Mechanical Dragon

music
Ales Mansay, after five years working for Kalki, has grown stronger with the power of the Crystal of Wind. Wielding the Onion Knight, Calamity Knight, and an army of robots, none can ever hope to defeat him...until the Heroes of Light returned. The Mechanical Dragon is one of Ales' largest projects, coiling up in the upper area of the central office until it is called. It can float around in the air, strike enemies with the spikes on its side, and fire a powerful laser from the crystal in its mouth. It acts as a defender for its fragile owner.

[As the robot uncoils, the room is illuminated by a powerful light source from above: The Crystal of Wind, floating on the very top of the flying fortress. The few pipes that cross the ceiling are few and far between, clearly put there only for necessity. The actual office is far bigger than what was seen before.

The Dragon takes it turn to release itself from its slumber and tower menacingly over the Heroes of Light. Ales, aided by Narayana's Blessing is able to make two actions. First, he fires a Heavy Shot much more powerful than what most Heroes were capable of at Mary as revenge, and then an Arm Shot at Jade. Fortunately for Jade, luck was on his side and did not remove his casting abilities.]

Edited 2017-06-11 15:24 (UTC)

[Mary does falter a step at Ales' reasoning. She always had her...suspicions about Parasraya, but while she understood the benefit of a masking identity there was still the issue of the actions that were taken and the secrets that were kept. Using that identity to guide them to her own means, to try to win over others, rather than working WITH them for a victory they could all call worthy, Kalki had thrown away the chance to be friends with them all when she performed her experiments on the captured Heroes. All beyond that were thrown away chances at redemption.]

Damnit, Ales! And then what were we to you? And what is even the point of all this if you're only able to turn it against former allies?

[She uses Ceiling Climbing to run up the wall, half dashing and half climbing until she can get herself above the descending dragon. Once she feels ready she pushes off and leaps out to get onto its back.]

[Lydia had remained near the back, her large eyes going wide once she saw the office, recognized who it was. It...it couldn't be. It had to be a mistake--he was her friend! He'd been her friend through it all, even in their vision of the bad future, he was the one regret she'd had about hurting.

Sinking to her knees, ignoring most of the fighting and the talking, as another part of her heart shattered. So many people she'd lost to this damn calamity, this void. This horrible limbo hell that was worse than death called Crystallis.

She was no hero...no matter how she tried to help. Maybe there really were no heroes after all, given everything that had happened. What was a Hero, or a villain, after all?

Lydia wasn't sure, but she was sure of one thing--Ales had been her friend. This hurt... That thought finally gave her strength to get to her feet.

Even after five years, she was still smaller than most--and she was quick and light, with her most familiar job of Vampire equipped. Any danger didn't register with her, as she headed for Ales' desk, and then on top of it. Standing, and ready to shout at the top of her lungs, and tears in her eyes.]

Ales Mansay you JERK!

[Trying so hard not to cry, and to pull strength from somewhere in her to do more than just hurt and glare at him, big dark eyes larger than normal.]

[The mechanical dragon roars, its spiked spine undulating as it floats through the air with the aid of the Wind Crystal. It swoops downward until it burshes against the floor. Heroes not standing on the desk must be careful to dodge the metal rods or get injured in the attack.

Ales shoots a Heavy Shot downward at Jaune, then turns to Mary.] Well, I thought you could be friends, but after the Sage's vision, did you think I could just trust any of you if things got messy, hm? That you would stop me from doing what is necessary just because it's not "nice"? You're rather sit back and hope things turn out better instead of taking action?

When Kalki rescued me, she knew how I felt. I had a choice in what to do. I thought about everything she's worked on in her life, I thought about who would do something to destroy the Calamity.

And I picked her.

Now--

[He is interrupted by Lydia. He looks down at the desk, where an old friend stands. She is older, taller, and her face has lost some of its roundness, but the person there is unmistakable. It's the girl that stood by him in the vision. The one who was there for his Shadow.

The one person--]

Lydia, whatever I'm doing is for the good of all humanity. I'm doing this so you won't have to suffer anymore.

For the good of all humanity?

[There was a chill in Saori's voice after she dodged the metal rods. The clone joined her and gave her the Crystal of Wind. She wasn't sure if she could use it, but perhaps it could give them some leverage.]

Don't make me laugh. I wouldn't be surprised if Kalki only values you as a pawn in the end. Some of us realize winning without spilling blood isn't possible. It doesn't mean we weren't just sitting on our hands. To live means to go through life's joys and sufferings. Without suffering, one can't appreciate life's true value. To live an immortal life though, that is the cruelest fate of all.

[On top of the metal pipes, she drew her dragon-scale sword and got into a stance to prepare for Transience to counter the next attack.]

You know, I wished I had reached out to you more. And I truly meant it when I apologized for throwing you back on the Enterprise.

The Temple of Wind

Ales Mansay, the Archfiend of Wind

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i'm sorry

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

So sorry for dying in this thread

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)