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

[silencesfate]

Minato had adjusted strangely with his sleep's "revisit" to his old world and back to this one, wishing he had the opportunity to have brought forth the power of his Personas. His meager defenses--along with the reduction of effectiveness in his healing, meant for now he'd have to stay back and play it safe as one of their medics. He checks over the ones he deemed were feeling the worst of wear, and began casting individual Cura on them, he'd go Curaga, but he needed to conserve his potion usage, as well.

[gorgeous_sin]

Lust put a firm hand on Mikleo's shoulder to pull him back while she stepped forward, her slitted violet eyes narrowing. She didn't trust the situation either, though she'd been willing to pause just in case speaking with him truly did work. Foolish as it might seem, she'd witnessed the powerful influence that humanity could raise in another person.

But with people slashing and shooting at Garland while he was down, she doubted he was going to be doing much listening one way or the other.

She could see that Mikleo was preparing his Focus as well, so she didn't bother telling him to stay back. Instead she waited, fingertips stiff and arched. If this went south, she wouldn't waste any time casting Ultima.

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud grit his teeth as he watched the tensions rise. He hoped but never expected Garland to surrender, but this talk about Chaos was just pushing it all too far. Something was coming, and he understood why a few at the front were trying to kill him before it could. Clutching his sword a bit tighter he readied himself, continuing to focus on Runic. He had to be ready when this truly began.

[shepherd_prince]

Chrom's arm lifted on sheer instinct as some of the attacks started coming in. He was too late to prevent Ales's shot, but the Crystal Shield ability was at his command to let him absorb blows for allies. Second form or not, Garland was down.

I know, Lailah. Be on your guard just in case.

He grit his teeth, staying close to Ramza's side. If there was going to be an initial blow, he wouldn't let one of his own face it alone. "The cycle must end. Think of your son, man! What will happen to his future if you reset everything?" There was passion in his voice, edging on anger and desperation. "I have a son too, and he's waiting in crystal for the day we defeat and heal the Calamity. We have the means to speak with the Calamity through the Avatars. We just need the time!"

Silently he urged Garland to take Ramza's offered hand. It could go very poorly, he knew, if Garland did take on the form of Chaos and strike them while their defenses were down. But in his mind this was no different than visiting the Heran empire last winter. Risks had to be taken if understanding would ever be within their grasp.

[novacrystallis]

“Splendid. You were able to convince your elders of your worth.”

Garland ignored Ramza’s offered hand, and the attack used against him actually worked, causing him to let go of his sword before saying his last words.

“You have gone further than any of your predecessors… But I cannot—and will not—stop now.”

With that said, Garland fell dead on the ground for a few seconds. Before anyone could react though, a pillar of flames erupted from the ground and seemingly incinerated his corpse, pushing away brutally anyone who had made the mistake to remain too close to him. The pillar of flame grew in intensity for ten seconds until…

Boss Battle: CHAOS

[novacrystallis]

Job: N/A
The very core and essence of Garland, that which has allowed him to be born times and times again to enforce the cycle. In spite of being an entity possessing phenomenal powers, Chaos isn’t immune to most attacks as his alter-ego was, nor can he use Chaotic Wave to disable the Heroes of Light’s abilities. So long as Chaos lives, the cycle shall remain eternal.

When the flames receded, they revealed an atrocity three times the size of any ordinarily-sized human and looking like a devil from the tales of old: Chaos. Any humanity was gone from the creature’s face and all that was left seemed to be a primal need to kill all those that would oppose the cycle. The creature clenched his right hand in a fist before punching the ground, which had for effect to initiate his first attack:

> Earthcrusher
Pillars of flames erupt all over the floating platform, causing severe damages and burns. Will instantly kill any character weak to Fire.
Simultaneously a wave of burning wind erupts from Chaos, pushing the characters backward and closer to the platform’s edge.
As the pillars erupt everywhere on the arena, this attack cannot be avoided.

Damages dealt by Knights of the Round: 70%
Damages dealt prior to Transformation: 02%

Chaos Remaining HP: 28%

Re: Boss Battle: CHAOS

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji needs to bite down on a swear word as fire erupts literally everywhere. He was already on the back line, putting him dangerously close to the edge of the platform. They were inside, weren't they? Why is there nothing there now? Yeah, okay, Kaji, don't fall off and find out what's out there.

He drops to a knee again to steady himself, but instead of starting with an attack, he casts his own Gift of Crystallis. Now that the debuffs are gone, everyone please enjoy the full effects of Barrier, MBarrier, Haste, Regen, and Aura.

[ninjainviolet]

Once more, the ninja was driven to her knees. And once again, she ignored the pain as she stood, the burns on her exposed skin screaming in protest as she felt Kaji's spell take hold.

Using her sword for support, she leaned on it a moment as she took a Potion and debated with herself on what to do before lifting it in a familiar and comfortable gesture. Just as she had when she summoned back home, she held her hands in front of her, the sword clenched between them instead of the pact floating before her, and using High Summoner, called upon Shiva And Ramuh.

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

There's a second of utter confusion and sympathy on Jack's face in response to Garland's last words. "Does he...does he want us to stop him?" There's no answer to that question, as the only man who could answer it dies.

The transformation is unlike anything even Jack has ever seen. He's facing down something- worse, more powerful than Abbadon, more hateful and antithetical to life. Fire explodes everywhere, in such a wide range, that there may be no taking this attack for anyone, but it will not stop Jack from trying to protect Nanami and Parasraya behind him. Even in his heavy armor, the attack pushes him back, back, towards the edge. "No!" He abandons his stance to check behind him, no one is falling off?

One Cura to each of them, Nanami and Parasraya. "I've got nothing that can hit him from here, take your shots while you can." He's going to have to leave them behind if he'll go on the offensive next turn.

[arcward]

Jaune lets out a cry of pain as he is blasted back by the flames. Damn, he was really hoping he could convince Garland to switch sides but it looked like the others were right about Chaos. Before he can hobble back for some healing or check on Chrom, he's pushed back again and, yup, that's more fire on his already burned body. He's not doing so great. On the plus side, he can feel some sort of power in him he couldn’t before.

He glances around and spots Pyrrha. He can’t see how he’s going from where he is but he can see she’s at least up and moving. He gets into a fighting stance as best he can - there’s no way he can dance right now - and makes his way over to her, ready to Deflect any blow that might come next.

((ooc:Limit Break: Deflect: Attacks dealt to Jaune are automatically parried with the damage being dealt back to the attacker. Limit one turn.))

[worstintheworld]

"Aaaaahhhh!" Natalia recoiled as the flames washed over her, forcefully knocked back several inches with the sheer force of the terrible blow. So much for that Camouflage! How foolish, she should have focused on using Protect and Shell instead. It was far too late for that now, but thankfully it seemed that protection had been granted to them with the Gift of Crystallis ability.

"Thank you," she huffed a small breath, straightening as she lowered her arms and concentrated. A flash of divine light settled over her and Kenshin Himura as she cast Curaga twice. He was new, she figured, and probably more susceptible to the ferocity of these attacks then the more seasoned Heroes of Light. Would that she could do more, but she hoped that would be enough to keep the two of them standing for now.

[bag_has_snapped]

Tsubomi screamed out in pain as the flames and wind washed over her. That really hurt. Getting to her feet, she let out a pained sigh, even as the Gift of Crystallis effect struck. "He was never going to surrender..." she admitted.

She could feel the effect of In the Red trigger and the sword in her hands feel different as she made her move, attacking Chaos as she got close. Piracy kicked in, making her attacks even stronger as she used Plunder before following it up with Melodies of Life.

[jadethenecromancer]

Even though he'd expected it, the sheer force of the transformation very nearly sent Jade plummeting to his death. While the burning wind didn't quite get him, the edge of the platform was too close for him to back away from the nearest pillar of fire; he had no choice but to brace himself and take the damage. Healing magic or no, that was going to leave a mark.

After casting Curaga on himself, he searched the battlefield for someone else to heal and found himself instinctively seeking out Rukia. There was probably some soppy reason for why his eyes were drawn to her first, but he wasn't about to contemplate it now. His second Curaga was targeted at the shinigami.

[acceptedoblivion]

Something about how the others had reacted, and their insistence upon what was to come, left a bitter taste in his mouth. While he didn't agree with giving the man a chance to switch sides (he wouldn't), lest they repeat the mistakes of the past, they refused him a chance to even speak.

"Darkness," he muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the flames, activating Dark Mode and lunging forward, ignoring his pain as he searched the crowd, Dualcast Cura on Saori and Lydia. If he could find Mary, he'd heal her and himself next turn.

[umslay]

Ales had remained standing by Garland after he shot him. He did have the speed of a Thief, but he wanted to be around in case a follow-up shot was needed. That ended up not being a concern considering how everything was suddenly on fire. The pillars struck the Teensie and his puppet, and before they could hit the ground, stormy winds blew him right into the wall. Ales bounced onto the ground, with only his cracked puppet to serve as a cushion. In a sense, it wasn't a cushion at all.

"Nothing's ever going to give me an easy time, eh?" He muttered to himself in his attempt to get back onto his feet. He pulled out his wrench and proceeded to Repair the puppet before returning to battle.

[shinrasfinest]

Even through the Shell-effect of ShinRa Guard, those fire pillars and the accompanying searing wind which left no safe ground was something else in it's intensity. As Sephiroth felt his boots slide -they might have the bottoms molten for all it felt like- in spite of his wide and strong stance he was left having to tuck his head down into the space that his raised arms have made, in an attempt to shield his eyes from being burned just as the front of his exposed chest was starting to feel.

It's likely he's never been so glad for the Gift of Crystallis buff, and any heals that he just happened to be in range of.

A small look down and back behind himself some saw the edge of the platform approaching and so Sephiroth forced more strength down into his legs to try and slow that push-back towards oblivion. He seemed to crouch a little more in his stance and took a breath as he cast Deathblow first, his energy flaring and coming together in making Masamune take on that other-worldly gleam. A squinted glance back towards that monster that was Chaos-

At least the dash that came with Octaslash would powerfully put him back within melee range and deliver his signature eight-chained attack all in one move.

[zodiac_brave]

“No!” Ramza cried as his allies struck a killing blow on the fallen man. Kurma would not get to say goodbye to his father. The surviving Herans would have no body to bury in their royal tombs. Garland would never be allowed to see the world he had protected delivered from the Calamity’s shadow.

And then his world exploded in fire. The wind-elemental weakness of his newly acquired bending job made the rushing gale of flames throw him even further, and it was probably only the friction of his armor against the platform that slowed him enough to not fall to his death.

He lay on the ground, stunned for a few moments, unable to hear the roar of battle through his ringing ears. Opening his eyes was a monumental task, and it took a few halting, blinking tries before he could make it stick.

“…Delita…?” he slurred. The feel of skin cracked with the heat, of the rasping burn of smoke in his lungs, the ache of having crashed to the ground…these had all happened before, the day the pillars of his life had crumbled around him. It took a moment of bleary searching for a fortress that no longer existed before his muddled mind returned him to the present.

He had so little strength left, even with Kaji’s spell, but he could not surrender, not until his heart stopped pumping his father’s blood through his veins and his soul crystallized. He spent his turn forcing his beaten body to rise up. Ramza managed to get to his knees.

[forcegalactic]

"Hey!" All things be damned, the young man that the Barkeep personally took responsibility for was near death, and that was not allowed. With part of his robes sliding off his shoulder, he Levitated himself above the ground to get out of the way of other Heroes and flew across towards Ramza.

There wasn't time to speak, so with one hand, the Barkeep gripped Ramza's shirt too pull him up and away from Chaos, and with the other he snapped his fingers. The index finger pointed at the monster's head. That instant, a Combustion spell went off.

[neverfirstclass]

As the flames went up Cloud began to move. His fingers flicked a catch on his sword and he pulled away a blade that did not resemble any of the ones pulled from it previously. If he was going to use this weapon he had to make it his own, and this was the first modification he had planned. There was no telling if there would be time for more but this blade and his shield were His Own.

He slashed the blade at the flames, Runic failing to absorb them it seemed but the effort made him feel better about running into the inferno. Another slash and the jagged blade whirled about, taking the rough shape of a gun. He opened fire with a salvo of Ice element magic bullets, shield still raised as he ran against the flexing wave of the ground and the fanned flames.

When the distance finally closed and Chaos loomed ahead of him he didn't falter. He swept with both arms now, the shield telescoping back into his bracer while the gun unfurled into a blade again. He leaped up and delivered as strong an Amped Strike as he could muster, pulling the trigger on the gunblade as it hit.

(ooc: hey, Lightning ripped off his style in LR, turnabout is fair play)

[21stcenturyguy]

“Ow! Hot hot hot hot hot!” Santa hissed as the flame pillars turned the whole platform into a blazing inferno. This Garland guy was really pissing him off now. Singed hair and pink scalded skin was going to ruin his dark overlord aesthetic.

Santa used a Drain spell to siphon some of his lost health back from Chaos, and then follows it up with Blind to see if he can hinder the big guy with it. He doesn’t have any spells to protect his allies, so he’s gonna do what he can to pester his enemy instead.

[rialynn]

Whoops. Guess who was just dancing around back there by the edge! Guess who just went over the edge with a startled squawk?

Hint: It starts with an 'R' and ends with an 'ialynn.'

Frantically she scrabbled at the floor as the hot flames washed over her, and the pain was so intense that she almost lost her grip and dropped. Gasping short, shallow breaths that tore at her raw and dry throat, Rialynn grit her teeth and swung her legs, trying to pull herself up onto the platform once more. She could see that several others had been hit hard as well.

Singing was somewhat difficult, and in her state, she didn't think she could manage layering two songs at once. One would have to do, and the one it seemed they needed most was 'You're Not Alone.' It would allow them to use their Limit Breaks at a higher level of health.

Coughing, she just clung to the platform and started to sing. Pulling herself up would have interrupted the melody with her breathless grunting and straining, and it seemed imperative that they hit hard and fast before another attack like that wiped them out entirely.

Fae you're such an enabler.

[bloodypast]

Vincent, though invisible, had also been near the edges and back given he was not suited for melee and it did not affect a gun's range much. The wind and flames were decidedly unpleasant in his already weaker state--and if he hadn't been aware of Chaos within him stirring before, he very much was after the Bard's song.

He knew that voice; Lucrecia was not here but there were others of those he counted as friends and allies in danger. Driven to his knees and knocked from his Stealth position by the attack, Vincent curled in on himself further as his Limit Break took over. Darkness seeming to engulf his figure before two great wings burst from it, lined in red. A demonic figure emerging that bore a faint resemblance to the foe they were now facing, though not nearly so large nor as dangerous.

Not to the other Heroes of Light anyway, as they were counted allies. Crimson-eyes that were familiar and not surveyed things as a different Chaos took wing. Guided loosely by Vincent's will, the first priority was gliding and swooping to gently grasp and help Rialynn, currently singing, back up. Holding her carefully, placing her away from the flames but near the others, before heading for the boss, Chaos, to attack with Chaos Saber.

[im_pancake]

Twilight let out a yelp as she was blown away and off the platform - the heavy wind being quite powerful against her little frame. Thankfully, her wings allowed her to catch herself and fly airborne. This was going to be a rough fight, that's for sure.

With a grunt, Twilight opted to do something desperate. Concentrating, she ended up making a golden tiara form on her head, a jewel shaped like her Cutie Mark forming, accessing the Element of Harmony: Magic. With the power boost, Twilight took aim as she charged up and fired a Magic Bolt at Chaos.

[rialynn]

Rialynn's eyes widened in panic. Oh no! Chaos was targeting bards?! It did seem to be one of the few jobs that would prove to be effective, so it was no wonder. Her gut tightened in fear, and her throat nearly closed entirely as a shriek threatened to rise and choke her song to a guttural stop. But a panicked glance to where Ramza was weakly climbing back to his feet strengthened her resolve, and she kept singing. She had to! She'd sing even after she was dropped into that cold abyss, until--

--Wait, Chaos was helping her?! Wildly she glanced around, her muscles tensing. Perhaps he thought to fling her off the precipice as a show of strength to demoralize those who were watching, but...

...oh. Chaos was over there. Way, way over there. Then who was this?

Rialynn squinted. There was something very familiar about those red eyes. ...Vincent?! Where were his clothes?!?!?!

Slowly she forced herself to relax. These were her allies. She was safe, if singed. Looking up at the winged beast once more, she let the corners of her mouth twitch into a little smile and she nodded. Vincent or not, he was on her side. Her boots touched down on the floor, and her song continued.

[silencesfate]

Oh Ramza, once again, they had come to this situation of despair, like the vision they had of the future long ago. Minato too felt a pang from the death of Garland, wondering if there was no other way; he was bound to a fate that made him unable to truly live, as a human being--Minato had seen this in two individuals back home. Minato wasn't as obvious about it, but he was as much as an idealist in Ramza. He didn't want it to escalate to this. But it was too little, too late for giref, he had to look out for the people who were beside him now.

Casting Curaga on himself after sputtering from a cough--fortunately, his magic resistance was at its peak with his job combo, he then casts another on Ramza. Though he wasn't of a leadership role in Crystallis, Minato wanted to do his part in keeping their morale.

"I've got you. Everyone... keep going!"