melodiesoflife | Event || The Night of the Thirteen Moogles

There should be horror in his eyes. There should be the vacant stare of a hollow man where fear had emptied his rationale thought to give way to nothing but abject fright. Any normal man would shake and shiver, quake in his boots at the sight before him of the towering apparition. Any normal person would have turned in the opposite direction, made for the hills and hope that the lumbering white giant would disappear just as suddenly as it had arrived.

Luffy does not remain for some noble charge, or some purpose that would be for the benefit the city and its fair citizens. There is another reason for why he stands vigilant, his feet remaining still against the ground while the rest of him shakes with excitement. Balled fists raise above his head, waving back and forth as he tries to catch the attention of the massive marshmallow now looming before him.

"YES! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! DELICIOUS MARSHMALLOW! ALL FOR ME TO EAT!"

The sanity in his eyes is gone, taken over by the need for devouring the delectable dessert he selfishly assumed had been summoned for him. Had it been a gift for his courage against the Ghost Ship, or perhaps this world celebrated the time of Halloween much differently than he had remembered. Either way, his stomach cannot keep him still as he makes for a dash at the creature, opening his mouth and plunging head first into the closest gam he can sink his teeth into.

Edited 2015-10-29 17:48 (UTC)

Zelda was heading towards the hospital but at the sight of the lumbering moogle she paused and began to fly towards it. She spotted Jade on the ground after a few passes. Using her skills to determine what it was that they were fighting against.

"Jade!"

Large gusts of wind issued from her birds wings as she landed and those around them seemed to part to let her through.

"It's made of sugar..." Not that Zelda knew what a marshmallow was. "And it's also dead."

That was what she was able to gather while flying around it though she was sure that there was more to be said about the large moogle. "Have you seen Cloud?" It was worth asking since he vanished.

[ Sheena isn't too far behind, and once they exit the building, she'll be casting Haste on both of them. Hopefully, they'll still get there in time. ]

Edited 2015-10-29 18:13 (UTC)

[ At first he'd wanted to help Rukia defend the Crystal of Fire. With what was ongoing at the Observatory, it made sense that something would go there, and thanks to the towering ball of fluffy marshmallow headed in that direction, he could tell he'd been right to think that.

That was then, and now... there was one other thing he knew couldn't come to pass.

As he headed toward the mayhem, hoping that he wouldn't see someone familiar but with the violet-red eyes he'd come to recognize by now. Yet at the sight of a familiar mess of spiky brown hair, Ira stopped short a few blocks away from the third district. It was the one face he had dreaded seeing, yet knew that he wouldn't be able to escape from doing so.]

...Sora. [The name of the first person to treat him as a normal human was nearly choked out, and he almost expected a response in hopes that he wouldn't be like the others. That by some twist of luck, the real Sora would be in there and he'd just give a dorky grin and mistake him for the real Riku again. That he would have to correct him, and admit that he was nothing but a copy of his best friend and they could fight together once more. Even if he was a poor substitute for the original. When "Sora" turned around though, he could see the pale blue instead of slightly tanned skin and violet-red replacing the bright blue he remembered.

Ira looked away as his cursed friend approached.]

To think that all this time, you had been the one who wasn't faking it. [Hard as it was to admit.] Guess there's always a first time, huh? [Ira shook his head. He knew this wouldn't really be much help to either of them, but maybe it did help him rationalize what he was about to do. Though even just the fought of fighting Sora again left him feeling nostalgic for the days where everything was so simple.]

Almost like the good old days, except this time... [He drew his sword, a dark-but-broken grin crossing his lips.] This time, I can't afford to let a fake like me be destroyed.

[There were people counting on him, even those he didn't know. And if he could buy time for Rukia and the others to fend off Moggle Mog the XIVth with one less of their cursed allies being used against them, then it was alright.]

As the Heroes that remained behind fought valiantly against the Marshmallow Mog (or attempted to eat him, in some cases), a lone airship rose from the twelfth district. Ales manned the wheel, frantically shouting orders to the Heroes stationed either on deck or at the canons. His puppet is standing next to him, and as he could not afford to divert his attention away from steering, it did everything else: flipping switches, adjusting dials, and standing watch at the window. If anything, it would protect him from enemies that climbed on board, not that it was a possibility. One had to be careful of infiltrators no matter what.

The ship turned directly to the giant Moogle, its pure white body clear against the dark sky. Ales shivered from both the cold wind and the monster they were up against. There had been sentient confectionary in his world, most which would attempt to attack others, so he understood that they couldn't treat a giant marshmallow with any less seriousness than a flesh-and-blood enemy.

"Prepare the canons!" Ales shouted at those nearby.

Edited (typos and tenses) 2015-10-29 18:25 (UTC)

"Aye captain!" Kidd was quick to move about the deck, doing whatever she could to help. Since much of the grunt work of the airships was below deck in the engine room as opposed to in the sails of a proper ship, she opted to remain where she'd be more of use.

She made a mental note to ask Ales about airship engines again sometime so she could learn more about them. For now cannons were the thing. Even if designs were different the basics were still the same. She ran among them, helping to ready them for the coming assault.

[Ven was among the first to turn and bolt across the city at the noise, but lacking the wheels, wings, and hooves that the others had at their disposal put him among the second wave of Heroes to reach the district in question. Between that delay and the confusion of running into Rae on the way over -- she'd heard the commotion and come to find him; after asking her to change out his clothes for his armor, Ven ordered (yes, ordered) her to go home and stay inside, and she hesitantly obeyed -- by then, word had started to spread already. The giant moogle, something about the crystallized Heroes at the hospital...

Assuming the worst, Ven rounded the next street corner at top speed--

--and then stopped so quickly that he nearly tripped over himself.]

Ira--! [And then his voice did the same stumbling act that his body just had, catching in his throat as he noticed the other figure. At first it was simple surprise as he tried to identify the threat -- clearly a threat, if Ira's posture alone was any indication -- but then the way Ven's tension eased up and the grip on his Keyblade went slack said more than anything else.

Wrong, wrong, something was wrong this was very wrong--

His free hand came up to quickly tear his helm free -- the darkness and his visor were messing up his sight, that had to be it -- but that only confirmed what he was looking at; and the mix of shock, concern, and disbelief on his face wasn't the expression of someone ready and willing to fight. Not this time.]

Sora...

[Not again, not another Cloud--]

Sora--! [His gaze shifted quickly to his roommate instead.] Ira, wait!

[If this was the real thing -- not a memory, not a vision, not a fake or a spirit or anything else that this world had already thrown at them -- if this was like Cloud -- then...]

Mm. Yes. I wish I knew what they wanted.

[She pauses for a moment, before she wrinkles her nose.] ...I think. The restless dead may not want anything we can know.

"Time to go!" Robin yelled. With Ventus's haste, she could run fast -- right for the castle. "I'll head there!"

Robin ran up, rushing after Rukia. She still had no Ghostbuster Job; she felt a little glad for that. Time Magic had come in much too handy so far. She didn't know, exactly, when she fell in behind Rukia... but they worked well together anyways. She caught up, and raised a hand, as she stared at the woman.

Then she cast a spell: Haste. Her movements sped up, as the time magic did its work. She nodded, then, before she looked up at the gigantic thing -- and then off towards the Crystal of Fire. She took a deep breath, then readied her sword.

"I'll support you!" she said. "And cast what spells I can -- and move us away, if need be!"

Rukia nodded to confirm Ira's statement. It was stated more simply than she would have done, which was probably for the best. "Last year, on the same day, the Crystal of Fire was targeted. We believe they may come for it again, so we're stationed here as a precaution. You're welcome to join us, if you wish." She knew Graham was strong, and incredibly tough. He'd be a welcome addition.

Even so...it seemed he'd been pushing himself the same way she had.

"You look tired," she said, her expression softening into concern. "Will you be all right?"

"Robin!" Rukia was glad to see her. So far, it was just her and Graham left to defend the Crystal of Fire. The giant Moogle hadn't specifically validated her belief that this was what it was after, but Rukia was sure of it. The more help they had, the better.

She felt the familiar rush of a quickened mind and reflexes, washing away her weariness. Rukia smiled.

"That is better. You have my thanks!"

Graham stared at the giant moogle, not even sure what to make of it. But not being a Ghostbuster, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he run after it to attack it, or should he stay back here to protect this crystal that Rukia said was important?

He almost takes off, but he only goes a few feet before he stops. The streams seem to have a to have a weird affect against it, as if the moogle was rippling when hit. Graham cocks his head, confused.

"Is it... What in the world is it made of?"

"I'm not sure," Rukia frowned. "It's definitely reading as some sort of spirit."

And she could swear that, even from here, the air smelled thick and sweet. But this was a holiday of candy, so that wasn't so unusual. Surely such a formidable foe wouldn't be made of sugar as well.

She looked at Graham, then back at the Moogle. She could see how conflicted he was; his expressions were as plain as day.

"Go," she advised with a nod, then smiled. "Just be careful. I have no desire to see my ally become a pancake."

[When he heard someone else call Sora's name, he glanced over his shoulder. That's right, Ven knew him too. Had been forgotten in a sense like he had. Yet his roommate didn't know, and while part of him knew he wouldn't be able to keep the ruse of a 100% good guy up for long, he had hoped that his roommate would be spared knowing of his nature for just a little longer with what he had told him. Perhaps it simply wasn't to be, he mused, as he refused to falter.]

It's not Sora. [Not anymore, not like this. He adjusts himself enough to keep an eye on what Ven was doing while still facing Sora, noting the telltale sign of a Keyblade summoning. Wait what?] I thought our old skills didn't work here!

[Bemoaning the lack of foresight, he shifted his weight to cast Spirit Surge on himself. He'd prepared for a melee range battle in hopes of keeping their friend's body contained, but a long ranged battle would make this even more difficult.]

We have to keep him away from the others! If we don't stop him and the other cursed, then they will overrun the city and-- Look out!

[As Ira had begun explaining, "Sora" had taken the opportunity to throw the Kingdom Key in a Strike Raid towards Ventus while his guard was down. Ira moved to intercept, but was not fast enough to parry it.]

Robin flashed a grin at Rukia. Then she looked over her shoulder, at Graham, and she nodded for a moment. He raised a fine point.

"He appears to be made of some confectionary," Robin said. "I heard of it, in a couple of texts..." She meant cookbooks. But texts sounded more important. Then, though, her eyes widened. "...that's it! Rukia, Graham! We need to cook it!"

It made sense to her.

"Cook it? If it's sugar, just get it wet!" The thought of it melting away made him laugh. This was ridiculous!

"Don't people here have magic? Fire spells, water spells? Why not both! It needs to stop moving first, and I know what to do!"

With Rukia's encouragement, he grinned wildly ear to ear, an idea on his mind. But instead of running off towards the moogle king, he darted off in the direction of the Twelfth District, taking to the rooftops and bounding away.

Just as the air ship was getting to the rooftops of the 12th District's buildings, there was a sudden thud on deck as Graham Specter lands less than gracefully. It's thanks to his Parkour ability that he made that jump at all, so sticking the landing wasn't necessary.

He runs up to Ales, a bundle of excited energy. Wrapped around him, shoulder to waist, is a very long length of thick rope that he holds on to with one arm.

"Ales! Ales, how close can you get me to that thing?! No, wait, how long do you think you can distract it with those cannons?!"

But--! [We don't know that -- something happened to the Heroes in the hospital -- it could be Sora, just being controlled--

Any of those arguments were enough to keep Ven hesitant, but the all too familiar flash of a Keyblade's light cut him off in a heartbeat.]

They -- they don't! [Was something giving him his power back temporarily -- just like in the memory realm? Was it the same force at work here as back then? If so...

The memories of those events were still fresh in Ven's mind, even now, particularly the grueling, tedious battle with Nebilim. This could be similar, except their... opponent... was the only one with his true abilities, and a Keyblade, no less. Regardless of Sora's skill level -- something Ven couldn't attest to -- the presence of that weapon alone, presumably at full power, was enough confirm that Ven and Ira were in over their heads.

And yet, even the sudden and enormous jump in danger level couldn't override the trusting instinct that ran too deep -- Ven took his eyes off of Sora to glance Ira's way, and no sooner had he done that did the verbal warning coincide with a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. He jerked backwards, his Job picking up his psychological slack to make him trigger Flash on reflex -- and while he did disappear from the weapon's trajectory in a blink, the movement had been sloppy and the activation delayed.

Ven reappeared yards over, his free hand gripping his right bicep -- one of the openings between the plates in his armor, where Sora's Keyblade had managed to slash through both material and skin alike. Nothing crippling, but blood was pulsing through his fingers and he could already tell that it would add a painful strain to his movements. Either that was a very lucky throw, or whatever controlled Sora wasn't stupid.

And, of course, Ven had no healing Jobs equipped for once.]

We won't be able to get it away from him! [As Sora caught his Keyblade on the rebound, Ven quickly cast Haste -- first on Ira, then on himself -- and spoke just as quickly.] If we can't snap him out of it, we'll just have to wear him down!

[Exhaust his magic, if nothing else -- but even as Ven thought it, he immediately had his doubts. There was nothing to say the controlling force wouldn't push Sora beyond his limits and kill him, if it came to that, and odds were good that the two of them would hit their limits first.]

Zelda is flying over head on her loftwing when she spots the airship. She's using her scholar skill to try and gather as much information as possible about the lumbering moogle which has left her with only a few facts.

Her birds wings sends gusts over the airship she lands on the ship's deck.

"Ales!" She looked over at the captain with a serious expression. "It's made of sugar and it's undead. Use the ghostbusters that you have as well as anything that might work against sugar."

She had no idea how this made sense but she was going to inform everyone that she could.

Without taking his eyes off his planned trajectory, Ales listened to Zelda's report. Undead. If only he wasn't busy flying this this, he'd help out, unless he could program his puppet to fly the thing for him.

"I'll see to it that we fire something that'll work!" He shouted back at Zelda, then to Kidd: "Look for something strong against sugar: fire, possibly water will be safer!"

Just then, he felt something hit the deck, but thinking nothing of it - perhaps someone dropped a cannonball - he continued standing at post until Graham's voice popped up out of nowhere. He squeaked and jumped around. "Don't surprise me like that! I could have crashed this ship, then what?!" Dear Polokus, did this man have a brain?

Fah, they had someone new on board. The airship drifted left, and the puppet replaced Ales at the wheel. Graham was a person who required his full attention to comprehend.

"Five minutes is my estimate. I don't know how well regular canons will work against it. Why do you ask?"

Graham patted the rope around him. "Doesn't matter if they work, if they can just distract him! I can't hit him. I can't dismantle him. But I can knock it down! I'm going to go in low and trip him, but I need something up high to distract him. But if he sees me, I might end up suffocating on sugar! What a way to go! Though maybe I could chew my way out? What if we did that instead? Just unleash a pack of hungry kids on him and see what happens? They could just tear him apart at the ankles!"

"I do have both spells--" Rukia began, but Graham was already gone. She was left to hold her particle thrower, still shooting at the enemy, and she glanced at Robin questioningly.

Had she...made a mistake...?

"...He's very energetic," she remarked instead. If shooting the Moogle with the proton pack's energy failed, she could resort to her Red Mage's arsenal of spells, she supposed.

Too many words at one time compound the stressful situation. Ales gripped his hat with both hands, waiting for it to all end. "Sounds like a good idea; I'll be shooting him anyway, and I doubt parents would let their kids out this late at night in this weather."

Eating him was a plausible, but unsustainable solution. They'd need a hundred people to effectively eat that monstrosity enough to weaken him. Or just Luffy. What was he up to anyway?

"Are you tying that rope by yourself? That giant will have to be distracted for a pretty long time if you're doing that."

[In and around the hospital - Open]

[Ventus has seen better nights, but he's seen worse ones, too. One might not guess it from the looks of him -- decked in his armor, minus his helm, with a number of nasty gashes and burns on the plates and more than a few bloody scrapes and scratches on his exposed face. He's clearly tired, but it's honestly more emotional than physical; gone is his usual cheer and optimism, replaced by solemn neutrality at best, heated sorrow at worst.

Even so, he doesn't stop moving throughout the night, having stationed himself in the fifth district to try and help with stemming the tide of cursed Heroes. Given the limitations of his equipped Jobs, it's no easy task -- at best, he can only really play keepaway as a distraction to divert the zombies' attention, flitting in and out of sight thanks to his Time Mage abilities. It's better than nothing, but it's taking its toll -- physically as well as mentally -- and he can only hope that those fighting King Mog defeat the source, fast, and put an end to all this.]

[Streets, vs Kairi - closed to Saori]

[The brutal encounter with Sora rattled him bad, and that's putting it lightly. Ever since then, every step Ven's taken has been plagued with thoughts and worries and questions, doubts and regrets and uncertainties -- but the best he can do is make sure no one else gets hurt, or worse, and if he has to suffer through the discomfort of seeing familiar faces transfigured like this, so be it. It's not as though anyone will shake him as badly as Sora did.

Or so he thought.

When he hurries after the sound of a scream, he's painfully aware that he could end up squaring off against a total stranger or someone he knows -- but he doesn't expect to find a stranger he knows.

The girl is instantly familiar. His age, long red hair and a pink outfit -- but the same dead eyes and unnatural skin when she turns toward him, her head snapping in his direction unnaturally fast. Ven's positive he's never met her before -- never spoken, never even seen her that he can remember.

And yet her name's on his lips before he even realizes.]

Kairi?

[Another scream -- but this time it's Ven's, and it's a cry of pain rather than terror as he's suddenly hurled backwards, slammed full in the chest by one of those strange and powerful spells. It knocks him clear across the street -- and for the second time in the last few months, he's thrown backwards through a window, the shriek of shattering glass loud enough to be heard up and down the block and beyond. He lands in a heap of broken wood and glass, a cafe table having broken his fall. It's going to take him a moment to right himself, but Kairi isn't waiting. She crosses the street in a shambling beeline.]

Event || The Night of the Thirteen Moogles

OPEN

In the streets - open

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Open

Aerial Attack

Re: Aerial Attack

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Bring it!

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Ventus | here and there