Endgame || Apocalypse

[melodiesmods]

Characters: Anyone
Where: Pandaemonium
When: March 05th
Summary: The first phase of endgame begins! The Heroes of Light are on their way to deal with Garland as they’ve left their unfinished businesses in the hands of their friends amongst the NPCs. How will it end? The mingle threads shall not be modded, only The Guardian will be modded. Please do not start individual threads for The Guardian, reply in a single thread. Starting from now on, the game is officially in endgame. Please do not post any new posts on Mognet or in the Log Community, unless they’re backdated to before this event. The second phase of endgame will be posted once The Killer Of World thread will have been unlocked and completed.
Warning: ̩̼͋ͬͅ.̷̳̗ͦͣ͐ͭͣͬ̈́ ̤̙ͫ̉.̨̯͖̗͓̥̭̣̂̄ͣ̏ͯͫ ̶̼̻̳ͫͧͥ̆.̭͎ͮ͂ ̳̤͓̖̫͌ͪͥ̄͗̐̌.͚͍̀ ͈̻̠̥̜ͦͦ̆ͨ͋.̼̹̹̠̟͚͎ ͙͇̲̘͖̉̌̒͂̈ͮ.͇͙͑̍̽ ̪̭̹̤͓̯̜ͦͣ̒̾͆͗ͦ͟.̝̯̲͗͊̽ ̛̙͌̈ͤ̚.̪̮̰̘͚̏ͦͤ ̲̼̺͓̣̝̐.͗ͨ͜ ̧́̑̄ͥ.ͬ͊̋ͣ ̝̠͍̭̯̽.́ ̊̽̈.̡̥̖̣͓̬̠̰͗͑͂ ͍̭̩̝̉͊̑̃̓ͤ̇.͆̔̀̈́̐̋ ͇̬̤̲͉̜͙̓̍ͦͯͤͥ̔.̯̻̺͔̰̞̙͋͡ ̻̼̣̮͖̮̋ͬ.̖̝̞ ͕̦̙̞̹̲̖̓̃.̌ͯͯ͟ ̺̘̪͊̊.̲͖ ̧̼̙̋ͦͧ̂́̑͑.̷̼̬̭͔͙̹̫ͦͧ̔̄͐̏ͫ ̱͎ͥͥ̈͝.̲̣͖̪͓̯ͩ̓̈̿ͧ̅́ ̪͈͚̺̦̝͎̒ͦ̇̚.̂̆ͯͦͩ̃̀̀ ̬͕̼̆.͎̃́͐̄͒̑ͪͅ ̠̳͎ͬ.̛̭͓͗͌ͪ ̴͉̱͉̘̯̟̔͐.̫̣̥̔͑͛́ ̝̭̤̜͖͎̙̈ͪ̿̓ͯ͂̚.̟̲̥̥͈̭̳̈̋ͥͦ ͔̩̈͋͐͗̚.͓̝̼͍̈ͧ͊ͅ ̥ͥ.̷̬͍͙ͥ̓͋ͅ ̪̯̠ͨ́̂.̱̙̘̫̰͕͈̎̓̊ ̧̻̃̎.̬̇̄ ̘̣̺̼ͯ͋̀.̯ͬ ̆͗͆̆̋͝.̴̞͖̫́ͬ͌̉̍̿ ̪̹̥͙̑ͅ.̵̻̮͓̉̃ͯ͑̊̈́̚ ͚̽̒̚͘.͇̮͇̻͍͈̠͂̓ͣ̀͡ ̩̠̖̋.̺͎͈̦̺̈́ͮͬ͌̋ͧͩ ̳̠͕͙̎ͩ͜.̛̆ͥ̒͑ ̘̠͓͚̱͗͜ͅ.̢̠̠̥͍̬̂̊͋͊̂̄̐ ̦͛.̰͚̫̱͙̩̅̓ ̲̜͌̒ͭ͑͠.̠̆̈̏͆̉ ̰̹̳̻̥̮̬ͨ̍̐̆͗ͫ͜.͕̥͔̳ͩ͞ ̣͓̥̑̍͊̽̄̀.̳̘̭ͭ̔̎̍͜ ̟̞̯̏.̙̯̦̞̱̘ͬ͐ͩ ̯̠̣͉̪̅̅ͣ́ͅ.̡͗̍̿͊͐͊ ̲̙́̽̽́.̝̟͇͈͚̿͝ ̑͜

Mingle Thread
The Guardian
The Killer Of Worlds

Comments

This was posted before sonic. Threading got messed up otherwise he might have heeded his warning

[arcward]

Damn, just when he was getting the the good part of his dance, too. Jaune stops dancing when he sees Garland go down and stares dumbfounded for a moment, never having seen a summoning before.

Coming to his sense, he pushes his way to the front when he hears the other Heroes try to talk their opponent down. Jaune may be new to town, but he's a fairly likable guy. At least, he thinks he is. He stops next to Ramza.

"Garland, it doesn't have to be like this. You're fighting because you think this is the way it has to be, but you're wrong. Destiny can be changed. Look around you; all of us are fighting together to stop the cycle and the Calamity. You know more than anyone here about the way it all works. Work with us, become our ally so we can stop this once and for all. Together."

[grandsummon]

There was something heart-warming about Chrom's protectiveness. Yuna had assumed a defensive stance as well when he had stepped in front, though her eyes lowered with determination. She wouldn't just stand by and be shielded either, and the Shepherd likely knew that.

"Don't worry about me, I— I'll summon too!" her footing changed, shifting to the offensive as a glyph beneath her began to glow. She was a summoner, the one thing that had been consistent in her life from Spira to Crytallis. Seeing the Knights come alive before her was nothing short of inspiring, but what came after... threw her completely off-guard.

The mighty emperor... was defeated? Lowering her father's staff, the glyph she had started to command faded, as she stepped up alongside Chrom, not yet lowering her caution entirely.

"Garland..."

[ninjainviolet]

Once the Knights had started their attack, Sheena had stopped hers and turned to Albel next to her to give him a knowing smile. She hadn't seen his hand reach out to her, but she knew it had been there. That he had been there, and that's where her strength and determination had come from.

Now, her smile faded as she turned back, her sword still held in readiness and guard way, way, up. Garland was on one knee, sure, but how many times had she faced a foe that seemed defeated--only to not be?

"This isn't over, guys. Remember other battles fought." Remember Palitutu--the one who raised Garland.

[jadethenecromancer]

As satisfying as the summoning had been to watch, Jade was alarmed by how quickly others were dropping their guard. Of all the times to offer mercy...!

"All of you--! Don't forget Palitutu's reports!" He should have reminded them before the battle. Damn. "This isn't his true self! Before he became Garland, he was akin to an Eidolon -- we have yet to see his true form as Chaos!"

One of the ending lines in Palitutu's final report came back to him. Chaos will never let the cycle end and any that should oppose him will become an enemy of Crystallis. There was no doubt in his mind. Something very, very bad was about to happen.

[just_want_normal_knees]

"What?!" Ruby was shocked at that news. As much as she hated to do this, there was only one thing to do and, as a Huntress, she had to do it.

"Jaune, get out of the way!" she called out, charging towards Garland, scythe swung back and ready to strike down at the fallen Emperor. "I won't let you hurt my friends!"

[red_planet_blues]

"Ehhhn... Nah. Don't trust this for a second."

Sparks didn't make a move towards or away from Garland. Instead, he used this moment to drop a Cura on himself to make up for the damage the Chaos Wave did. Better be ready for anything.

[partofthecycle]

"Oh, right!"

Aang added in the Victory Pose dance. It couldn't hurt if there was more trouble.

[dammit_flynn]

"Let's not get too hasty, Jade has a point," Yuri replied remembering the reports that he spent his time reading. This was not his true form. He could probably hit them all if they let their guards down.

"Focus. We don't want any surprise attacks," he seriously added holding onto his sword, "Garland, this is the last time I'm going to say this. Let us help you. We don't need to kill you, but if you resist, I won't hesitate."

Because his friends' lives were on the line and his world. There was no doubt that he was going to protect it it all.

[umslay]

It's not over yet.

Ales could not manage to get near enough to Garland to attack before the Knights descended from sky. It was all too easy for the guardian raised from birth for this sole purpose, far too easy for the being Palitutu called Chaos in her reports. For a moment, he smiled. Toiling for so many hours over her work was worth it.

"We aren't letting him get to that point, Jade. Out of my way." This is was Palitutu meant when she referred to the ability to make sacrifices. His skill to temporarily put his emotions aside to achieve what was needed. In this case, it was the end of the cycle.

He slipped through the crowd of Heroes standing a few feet away from Garland, eventually making his way next to the ones that advocated mercy. Mercy would do no good here. Thanks to his small size, he was able to squeeze through and have his Engineer's Puppet aim its gun arm directly at Garland to fire an Arm Shot. It was quick, made a point, and while Ales didn't know how magic worked - he assumed it could affect his transformation in Chaos.

Not that he'd let it deteriorate to that point.

[sesenta]

"I can't believe it...!" Akane hadn't even had time to finish casting her spell. She stood there awkwardly, the energy pooled in her fingertips and waiting to be dispersed, but now completely unsure about what to do.

She'd never really wanted to kill anyone, not in the past, and definitely not now. It was better to let the wicked reap the seeds of destruction they sowed themselves. But she hardly knew Garland, and he was down. Attacking now just seemed...well...very unheroic.

Her head turned at Jade's warning, and she looked at her shoes guiltily. It wouldn't hurt to be careful just in case, she supposed. So...Divine Caress for her brother and Sephiroth? Sparkles?

Yes, sparkles.

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji slowly gets back to his feet after witnessing the most incredible summoning of all time. "We are really the echoes; we are just playing at the power that they had." The observation is more for himself.

But he hesitates when he sees that some of his fellow heroes are not getting ready for something else to come. "Did anybody do the assigned reading?" Jade did. How are you doing, Jade?

Kaji's hands go together again, a white light appears between them. He traces the shape of a bow and the light solidifies as he moves. The spell finishes as he makes the motion to nock an arrow. Divine Materialization, again courtesy of the Lady Zelda.

[shinrasfinest]

Just like with Palitutu. Sephiroth could hardly believe his eyes as those with similar moral compasses that had resulted in the preservation of the life of that great deceiver, that villain to all, eagerly went about extending the exact same terms to Garland as he was lent against his sword. Garland, their enemy in every way, who they all knew could never exist in cooperation should the end of the cycle be the ultimate goal.

It was too soon. As all powerful and spectacular as the Knights had been, exactly as promised, Sephiroth hadn't moved or even lowered his sword much; narrowing his eyes like tiny green daggers into the form of the apparently fallen Emperor. Expectant to the last.

Finally, some sense!

"Jade is right. Finish it and fall back." Sephiroth's voice was short, bordering on impatient but sharp as well in it's urgency. He wouldn't bet on his gut instinct which was screaming for everyone within mid-to-close range around that man to get back, but at the same time it was almost sickening in what he expected to happen now.

"That man is only the shell, not the real enemy. A soul that's been re-used again and again. The real fight -Chaos- has yet to begin."

He re-tensed his frame, holding Masamune tightly still to his shoulder with the blade arched forward like a giant pincer, and re-cast ShinRa Guard now that the debuff hell was over. A very slight nod to his head at Akane as her buff further readied him for battle.

[acceptedoblivion]

He'd been ready to charge Garlond, Soul Eater in hand, when he'd been knocked out of the circle like a dog slamming face first into an invisible wall. ...Mother of Holy spells, that was a thing.

Once the dust settled, Ira took a moment to cast Cura on himself; before moving to stand with Saori, blade at the ready, before stopping in his tracks before reaching the front line. This reeked of multi-phase boss fight, and the very thought alone brought back memories.

He glanced at Mary. The others may not be ready to attack someone apparently on his last legs, but he was. Though if that Chaotic Wave told him anything, it was to wait before he followed Sephiroth's example and use Dark Mode.

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena wasn't going to wait to see what happened next. Using her Dual Cast ability, she used Hylia's Prayer on herself and Albel.

"Everyone back! Chaos tends to erupt when you least expect it!"

[needsteaplz]

"No need to tell me twice!" Still, she wasn't going to leave without a parting shot. Not to mention, there was a matter of getting some of the other heroes out.

She created a Clone, who lunged forward to swipe her sword at his throat while she aimed for one of his hands. Once the blade found its mark, she turned around to grab Ruby and use a Smoke Bomb to teleport as far away as possible.

[not_most_days]

[Mary would be lying if she said that she wasn't tempted to strike. She was weighing their options and while she was sure that this battle would end in his death one way or another, he wasn't guilty in the same precise way Kalki and Palitutu were.

But then Saori moves with speed and precision, not the first time she's surprised the pirate. She lets out a curse and grabs Ira, throwing down a smokebomb of her own, leaving her clone to deal with things in their place.]

[damn_juicebox]

Rukia reined in her dual summons, but didn't dispel the casting just yet. Garland had dropped to one knee, but that did not necessarily mean that he was helpless or willing to listen to reason. Still, the others seemed willing to extend an offer of peace, so she restrained herself for the time being.

Jade's warning was heeded, acknowledged with a faint hardening of her jaw. She still didn't unleash the Eidolons -- not until she heard Garland's response, not until she knew whether he would choose to throw down his weapon and step aside, or assume this terrible second form that the reports had mentioned. If it was the latter, then she hoped Hades and Odin would be swift to answer her call.

[bloodypast]

Chaos huh? Invisible but on the outskirts, Vincent's mouth turned up very slightly at the corners. His mind and memories recalled his encounter with his Calamity-self. That Chaos, Omega's squire, dwelt within him too.

Still he took careful aim with the Death Penalty rifle, Charge Shot readied before as he fired. Following that with a Burst Shot, Garland in his sight for both. Even if the man was down, this was no time for mercy...

[boomchucka]

Selphie's been involved in way too many fights that could go south at the drop of a dime to lower her weapon entirely. She was screaming inside that this was way too easy but she adopted an impassive look and looked at Ramza. Jade's warning about this battle being far from over are met with a quick nod.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered before firing off a Dualcast of Cura for herself and the person closest to her.

[fearlessherosheart]

Tazendra had fight her own instinct to protest attacking a man who was down, even if he was an enemy. Because... well, until Garland yielded or died, he was a threat to her homeworld, and he was doing neither. That was larger than the group assembled here.

"At this rate, he will be less Chaos than a mangled corpse," she observed. Still, she had her sword out and had thrown on a Shell spell. Protect would come next. It felt cowardly... but Garland had hit hard as simply himself; who knew what Chaos would do?

[21stcenturyguy]

Santa was a punk, but he wasn’t gonna wail on a guy when he’s down. He rolled his eyes at the various sappy friendship speeches and threats of violence. Lame.
He was standing closer to the back of the party, and he took a moment to run his fingers through his hair and make sure the static electricity from his last attack didn’t mess anything up before he risked drawing attention to himself. Once he was sure he was looking cool, he called out.

“If you’re still feelin’ like fightin’, come show us guys in armor what you can do.” He put the compulsive power of his Overlord’s Corruption behind his words. If Garland was on the metaphorical ‘dark side’, he was hoping it would steer him to focus on himself and the other tanks, instead of Akane, Duster, or his two teenaged housemates. Santa had to keep them all out of danger, no matter what.

[im_pancake]

"Ugh, you guys, back off!" Twilight called back. She prided herself on reading everything, how could she forget about this?! "Trying to kill him or trying to show him mercy, he's going to strike out anyway! Especially at you guys close to him!"

The Heroes of the past never defeated him before because they couldn't defeat him with a power like the Chaotic Wave. But, how could King Arthur and the Knights defeat him now if they couldn't...

"Of course! It makes sense now. Palitutu claimed that Garland - Chaos - is the enforcer of Crystallis' will. It is, but not what Palitutu thinks. Its will is the desire of the Heroes of Light to save the world and the Ancients' desire to continue the cycle no matter what. Those who oppose Garland are the bad guys because of this desire. Arthur and the Knights couldn't beat him because they were only just thirteen, everyone else was dead."

Twilight shivered as she let the thoughts rattle through her head.

"Which means the Heroes of the past couldn't defeat Garland because they weren't worthy or they didn't know. And Chaos... Chaos is all that's left of a desperate bandage with a worthy desire corrupted by the souls of many."

[rialynn]

From the very back row there came an embarrassing squeak of someone's dancing shoe coming to a very abrupt halt on the smooth floor, as a certain Performer realized things had come to a standstill and dancing probably wasn't needed at the moment.

That's what Rialynn gets for being behind too many Heroes that are taller than her, she can't see what's going on. But she got the hint eventually, right?

[water_meebo]

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," he replied giving Lust a small smile. If he was worried about himself then he wouldn't be here. He was worried about his friends, and those he cared about. They were important. He'd be fine as long as they were safe and unharmed. There weren't many words exchanged between him and Lust, since the battle itself came to a crashing end, much like the one with SOUL CAGE. Somehow, the feeling he had in his gut was still bothering him.

When Jade spoke, he remembered the reports. The enemy isn't this shell of a man, but Chaos, but Chaos hasn't appeared yet. Mikelo understood the reasoning behind why they had to kill him and it certainly would be the outcome they might be looking for but all of this just didn't sit well with him. Did killing really mean saving? He knew what the right response was but he couldn't bring himself t attack Garland, because he could understand but at the same time Garland had already made his resolve so he should honor it right? He wasn't going to attack the man but he certainly wasn't going to wait for him to kill him and his friends either.

"This isn't right. We can't just end it just like that! We don't even know if he'll actually turn into Chaos right now! I know what we must do but this isn't right!"

He's not going to attack and he's going to get in the way if he had to. They didn't know what would happen next. Making assumptions could only lead to bad outcomes. He believes that and he's going to cast Focus on himself just in case anything happens. He could counter if Garland struck out.

[cockblocker]

"Would people calm their tits already?!" Hisui growled, backing Mikleo up. He wasn't one to think before acting, but the way most everyone was acting was ridiculous.