melodiesoflife | Event || Cluedo [Conclusion]

[Everything went into slow motion as Sephiroth intercepted Deadpool's attack, uppercutting him and tripping him up, causing him to fall back.

Back to normal speed, Deadpool pointed towards Sephiroth.]

This isn't over! Smoke Bomb!

[And Deadpool disappears in a poof of smoke and attempts to pounce Rialynn from above!]

Death from above!

Oh for the love of...

[Jade leaves Zelda with the others and makes a dash towards Rialynn. Of all the times to not have combat Jobs equipped... He'll just have to trust that Sephiroth will react fast.]

Ramza, move!

[He makes no attempt to attack the woman. Instead he makes a grab for her hand to try and wrestle the ring from her. He didn't see the attack, but he recognizes Magitek when he sees it.]

[Ramza making off with Rialynn is fine by him. He figures that'll work. Instead, he'll focus on knocking out Deadpool instead. Good thing he switched over to Time Mage this month, because he's got a Stop spell with Deadpool's name on it.]

Dangit, calm down! Ramza, get on Mercury 'n go to the station. Keep her from usin' that ring!

[Mecury was still waiting where Sparks landed on him, a few dozen yards away from the scene.]

[ The Heroes of Light were successful in protecting Rialynn from Deadpool—At least to an extent. Rialynn didn’t allow Ramza to scoop her up, but he would still have been able to get a hold of her, as would have Jade. But rather than let Jade take the ring, Rialynn suddenly and abruptly closed her hand around Jade.

When Deadpool reappeared over her and Ramza, there wasn’t any avoiding of this attack. And truth to be told, she didn’t even try to avoid the attack. Instead she used Ramza for the purpose he had cast upon himself. She used his body as a shield, making no effort to protect him. Quite at the contrary she pushed him back brutally against Deadpool and if her smile was any indication, she was more than happy to let him die at whatever weapon Deadpool had in store. ]

Oh, how noble of you my dear friend.

[ With that said, Rialynn, or whoever was controlling her looked at Jade. Without any warning the ring activated and a beam of dark energy went right through Jade’s hand, only to then pierce Sephiroth’s and Kyoko’s shoulders in the process. As the beam didn’t hit any vital areas, neither of them would die. However, their crystals’ light would start flickering dangerously, as if it was reacting to the wound inflicted by the weapon. She then chuckled. ]

I am afraid Rialynn will have to die too. You are all killers after, what’s one more body on your death count?

[ And “Rialynn” pointed the ring at Sparks. It indeed seemed as though she wouldn’t stop unless killed first. ]

[ Parasraya tended to Zelda still, seemingly keeping hr calm. She then turned to Tazendra. ]

If memories serve well...

[ A pause. There were so many things in the Zelda reports had written. And now she was gone and her legacy was used to help her. ]

There should be Crystal Containers in Palitutu's Laboratory, once used to store the Black Crystals. It's our best bet.

Okay, this was ridiculous. Looks like its time for the double dremteam of pony sibs.

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!"

And on his mark, Shining loosed a area of effect telekinesis spell, to hold everyone except for those gathering the shards in place. He and his sister had timed this seconds into the conflict. The wave burst outwards, grabbing for those who were panicking, attacking and otherwise adding mayhem to the conflict.

THAT IS ENOUGH! NO ONE ELSE DIES TODAY!

[And joining Shining is Twilight, her own magical telekinesis joining her brother's and essentially grinding everything to a halt around the Heroes of Light. Hopefully making sure Deadpool didn't gut Ramza in the process.]

No one else. Dies. While I'm here. Got it?!

[And she jabs at the citizens still gawking.]

Get out of here. NOW!

[By the time he turns from where Deadpool has poofed from where he landed everything is happening at once. Rialynn, Ramza, Deadpool coming down-

Jade was incoming, but there is no way he's going to make it-

Masamune's handle was turned, Sephiroth's balance shifted to attempt to leap over the height at which Deadpool was incoming.]

-RGH

[The flash of the beam was like a purple blink just feet away in a direction he wasn't looking. The force from the dark energy beam ripping through his shoulder forces his whole balance back, loosening all the tension in the arm holding his sword instantly as he's jolted with the impact -almost like hitting a cold brick wall- his back leg buckling-

Then frozen by the telekinesis-]

[As the chaos grew and stirred, Cloud passed Zelda to Parasraya and had gotten to his feet. Teeth gritted and eyes zeroed in on Rialynn or whoever it was, he was only seeing red as he drew his sword and ran at her. He didn't care what happened to him. His friend was dead. He wasn't going to simply let her get away with this. He wasn't going to let the others take care of this. He had as much stake in this as the rest of them.

And that's when the telekinetic wave from the ponies came down, slamming down on his shoulders and throwing him to the ground. The blonde Hero gave out an anguished cry as he hit the ground and skidded a few feet, his sword clattering away from him.]

Rghhh! LET ME UP!

[No one else dies.]

And I'm gonna make sure of it!

[Still close to Rialynn, Barkeep hadn't made a move to influence either side of the battle, a tactic that seemingly spared him from the telekinesis spell. With all the strength his old legs allowed him, he lunged the short distance remaining between him and the bard's finger. Whoever was controlling her made too many graver errors.

They killed Zelda. They hurt Ramza. And now they want to kill Sparks Nevada. Not on his watch.

Shoving against her body, he grips onto her finger and attempts to pull of that damned piece of jewelry like it was the world's worst wedding ring.]

[A bit of family legend: Tazendra's parents died rescuing their Duke's son and heir from attack, despite the fact it meant running from battle. It was a lesson that, once she learned the truth of it, she took to heart. now, she had to focus on getting Zelda's crystal to the lab, in hopes that... well, it would do some manner of good for someone, that the woman's death would be worth something.]

Clear the way! I will return... I will return.

{Or head to the police station if the crime seen was empty. She was aware she owed a debt as a result of her actions, and Chrom wouldn't be able to reclaim his portion until seven days ahd passed.]

[A sharp cry escaped Jade's throat as the beam tore through his hand. Thankfully since he hadn't been attacking anyone, the telekinesis didn't take hold of him.

Gritting his teeth, Jade backed away from Rialynn and stuck the injured hand under his arm in an attempt to stifle the heavy bleeding.]

Careful! You don't know if she needs to be mobile to activate it!

There might be no sign of the man in the leather jacket, or the one with the fabulous hair and a coat only rivaled by Jack's own. But the Doctor is with them today. Jack's silent prayer gets answered, and somebody finds a non-violent solution. He should've known. These ultimate save-the-world plays have a tendency to come from the quirkiest packages possible.

Jack isn't daring to move against his captivity, trying not to put any more strain on Twilight and Armor's concentration. "Little longer," he encourages. "Just until the crowd finishes scattering." This can't be easy for them.

"Who's got a Sleep spell? Gunner, for a Stasis Bullet? We can save her." There are some in their number who want blood, so the voices who don't just have to make sure they are louder.

GRT!

[A hand presses to her heart near the placement of the red crystal as it flickers from the attack, and Kyoko places additional distance between herself and the ring.

Her own weapon's length extends to make up for it, shooting into the sky. Tip looking down at Railynn like a cobra ready to strike.]

Stop wetting yourselves and take her down!

She'll just wake the hell back up again!

Not like..., Not like anyone she hits! Are you all suicidal?! Or so afraid to get your hands dirty, you're all incapable of protecting anyone?!

Hisui -- Sheena's housemate! Albel grit his teeth. This only proved to him that he was right in staying with her for her protection. And Zelda... Zelda!

"No!" he roared, following after Sephiroth into the fray, katana drawn in a flash. But his target was Rialynn.

"I'll gut you -- rrgh!" And he was promptly frozen by the ponies' powers.

"How dare you?!" he railed, fighting against it to no avail. "She's killed Zelda! We have to -- nngh! -- stop her!"

He was panting for breath, sweating, pushing as hard as he could with no progress. It was infuriating. He could do nothing while Rialynn and her ring could still do damage, even if she couldn't move! The ring! That was where the power was!

"If you can't get the ring off, take her hand off!" he snarled. "She can't be allowed to kill anyone else!"

Hearing the screams, Sheena had arrived only minutes before Albel and had barely registered that Hisui was one of the victims when Zelda was attacked. The ninja hadn't seen the actual attack, but the searing pain that passed through her was enough to cause her to turn around, just as Zelda staggered. Time moved slowly as she watched someone she considered a friend fall before her--only to be snapped out of it when the sound of breaking crystal reached her ears.

"No..."

Then time seemed to speed up as everything happened so quickly, Heroes attacking and defending a woman she didn't know, but was obviously a Hero. Putting aside the similarities to what happened in their Lunar Gate vision, Sheena turned towards Rialynn (?) just as she fired her "weapon". And saw another similarity to something she was very familiar with.

The element of Darkness.

Jade's cry brought her to his side, and she ripped a strip of cloth from her cape to help bind his hand. "Sorry. I have no healing magic," she told him quietly before raising her voice.

"Yes, the ring! If anyone has any Light-based spells, try to aim them towards the ring! Not her!"

Sheena just hoped she was right.

[ The citizens of Aqures Ixen, of course, didn't wait for the recommendation to run away when Rialynn shot again. But there were so many running away, and so many curious just arriving or trying to observe the scene from a safe spot, it did nothing but add to the confusion.

And while she could probably have been stopped by now, the efforts of the Heroes of Light did nothing but nullify each other-- Those trying to stop her being frozen by others.

And "Rialynn" looked at those who had used their powers in an attempt to freeze the scene. With over a dozen Heroes of Light gathered around the scene not to mention the NPCs around, it would be impossible for Shining and Twilight to maintain such a telekinetic pressure without exhausting all of their energy. And so she smiled to them. ]

Of course, it is much too painful to try and move against such telekinetic attacks. Should one try to fight it, surely they would risk ripping their limb apart.

[ Sluggishly, her hand moved again. There was pain beneath the smile, but also cruelty. ]

How fortunate I am that Rialynn is the one feeling all the pain.

[ Of course, she had neither the time nor energy to target the next victim. And so instead, she shot randomly straight before her. There were so many people around this scene, her short was sure to hit someone and indeed they could hear more screams from the NPCs around, indicating at least one person had been hit. ]

[That was another...! Blast it! Twilight's feeling the strain here. This wasn't like holding back the Hooffields and McColts - there were a group of humans all looking to either kill or protect a woman who is obviously being controlled. Think, Twilight, think...! That's it! If only Rialynn's just feeling pain...]

Everyone - I think she's being used... like a puppet! Which probably means the one who's using her is still here! I can't keep holding all of you like this, so if you want to turn your blasted bloody vengeance on something, go find the person controlling her and stop them!

[K'pandolu growls, clenching her fists, tail lashing out as her eyes dart between all the parties. It's too close to what's happened before- with Lahabrea-

But not exactly. If they're apart from Rialynn…

She addresses the person behind Rialynn first, ears flattening.]

Who are you, then? Why take Rialynn?

[and then there's the people still in the area. Assuming Twilight's right-]

Isn't there somewhere we can take them? Some boundary, perhaps? [more quietly, so hopefully the Heroes will here and this other won't-] Could there be some sort of range on this ability?

[The ponies spell held the Heroes in place, but it did not stop the blood from streaming out where Deadpool's swords had pierced Ramza's armor before they had all been frozen. Right now, the wound was being stemmed by the blades, but once the spell faltered, Ramza would crumple to the ground.]

Rialynn...please, fight this....Do not...let yourself...be used...by this monster...

[And Deadpool... is grinning sheepishly underneath his mask]

Whoops! Eheheh, sorry about that! Didn't expect our little traitor here to invoke the Human Shield trope! You should be good as new with a healing spell, er...

MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC HERE!

I KNOW THAT DAMN WELL!

[Barkeep shouts right at Deadpool's face. His housemate is dying, no one can move, the puppeteer is hurting Rialynn, and thing will only get worse if no one can act.]

Stop freezin' everyone and help me grab her!

[He isn't going to kill her, not his kind employee, not Ramza's friend. Barkeep was never one to resort to violence at the first sign of danger, but for now, that rule will need to be ignored. He temporarily lets go of her hand and latches onto her body in the hopes he can make her lose her balance or knock her to the ground. He may not be strong, but everyone in this city is in danger.

He's going to apologize for his actions once Rialynn wakes up.]

[Jade lets Sheena bind his hand, but doesn't respond to her apology. He's staring at the ring on Rialynn's finger. Maybe it's just Zelda's death reminding him of Kalki's experiments, but he's pretty sure he knows what that thing is made of.]

A black crystal... That's what Kalki used to develop weapons to kill us for good. And we've been mind-controlled with them before, too.

[That would explain how Rialynn is being controlled. However, it doesn't really solve the problem of getting the ring away from her without someone else dying. At Sheena's suggestion, Jade clumsily takes out his light tome with his good hand. But to target only the ring? Talk about high precision casting...

Well, he has spent every year of his long life perfecting his control of all magic. If he can't do it now, he might as well just retire.]

Heads up!

[The pages of the tome shine bright, and a carefully aimed beam of light strikes the ring with unerring accuracy.]

Getting in to the center of this mess? Is completely impossible, at this point. But Kaji's priority is never to act, it's to see. So why does he need to get to the center, when he just wants to see the center? Kaji isn't going to charge through a crowd, when he could take a different vantage point.

The buildings nearby, the shops and restaurants, are all either emptying out, or filling up, with people trying to get off the streets to the closest shelter. There, a restaurant with second-floor outdoor seating, usually a spot to one of the most beautiful sights in the city. It's taken Kaji some time to get to where he can even see to the Crystal of Fire, to the middle of the chaos. He casts the Archer skill Aim. He still can't hear over the din of screaming, but now he can see.

Shame that it's such a pretty girl that's the cause of all this. Kaji could cleanly hit her from here. One shot could end this. But instead, he takes a long drag of a cigarette and looks away, searching the other windows and balconies of buildings, the rims of the crowd. Is there anyone else who is doing what he is doing? Someone watching too intently, someone dispassionate at the death below them?

[Sephiroth remains a few feet away, knocked back to a knee as the first drops of crimson from the hole through his shoulder drop to the floor. Indeed, being under the effect of such telekinetic pressure had stopped him moving but as a back-edge to it; he couldn't just move to apply physical pressure to his wound. If only the telekinetic hold would just let him rail a little more against it-

It's at about the same time that Twilight implored them to find another way, that the pressure seems to hiccup around him. Enough for his balance to fall in and his long sword to finish it's crash to the floor.]

Of course-

[It gave just that little more, to enable his right hand to cross over and grip around the top of the damaged area. Holding it together while at the same time attempting to stem the bleeding. That regeneration accustomed to his Job should start to stop the flow soon, at least.

But Sephiroth's eyes are all for the events unfolding before him between Jade, Barkeep, Rialynn, Ramza and Deadpool. The screams somewhere behind him, back in the crowd, make him wince more than the injury does.]

Edited 2016-07-05 19:44 (UTC)

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