melodiesoflife | Event || The Night of the Thirteen Moogles

Deliverance through destruction. Most of the figure's rambling didn't mean much to Ven, but that line, at least, had earned a dark look. He had nothing but good impressions of moogles for the most part, but that didn't deter him from accepting how bad things were looking.

Before he could mouth off with his own retort, however, that lightning blast came -- and as worked up and tensed as he was to move, he teleported quickly to the side with Flash to avoid it; but overcompensated, it seemed, since it wasn't a very high-level spell. His guard faltered a second later, however, when he finally saw the figure clearly and did a double-take.

It couldn't really be...?

"Cloud... Cloud! What are you doing?!" And there went his anger, traded instead for confusion and disbelief.

Yuna stepped next to Ven, moving her body so that she could stop the familiar figure should it choose to attack again. The lighting had surprised her but she had been ready for an attack.

This all felt so familiar.

"That isn't Cloud." Her voice was steady, her eyes glaring at Cloud and then the moogles. "They are using him." Yuna wasn't about to let her friend be used. She looked over at Celes who nodded in return. He then cast watera back at Cloud testing the effects of magic against the person in front of them.

Jade's gaze fell from Cloud to the Black Crystal. "A new toy from Kalki, is it?" he remarked as he prepared to cast. It seemed he had made the right choice to switch Jobs the day before.

What Cloud said did nag at him -- those of you who haven't become one with Narayana -- but interrogation wouldn't be easy with all these Moogles around.

Sheena had kept quiet until now, watching both the figure and the moogles, while Corrine did the same. She was looking for anything that would give her a clue as to who they were truly dealing with, and was focused on the shadowy character when she saw the hand lift.

Instinctively, she pulled on the person in front of her with a "get back" while stepping in front of whoever was behind her.

Lightning and Sheena weren't the best of friends, so it took her perhaps a moment or two longer than the others to truly recover, snapped out of her stupor by the mentioning of her friend's name.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she stepped forward, glaring at the figure.

"Let him go."

People being taken over by others--especially maniacs--just didn't sit too well with Sheena.

There was never a question in Ashelia's mind that this would come to blows, but the lightning - handily evaded thanks to Excellence - seemed to set things off far too quickly for the young Queen's tastes.

"Yuna is right - that black crystal is capable of controlling and killing Heroes outright. Be on your guard, everyone!" Ashelia called out as she began to levitate, telekinetic power crackling at her fingertips. "Focus on the summoner, and then the mages - they will draw this battle out the longer they live!" As she rose higher and higher, in the air, Ashelia swept her arm in front of her, creating Copies of her allies in order to draw some fire away from them.

Meanwhile, as everyone's all serious and tense, there's one guy whose doubled over in laughter.

Deadpool.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You... you couldn't capture an actual girl, so you... you... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He could barely get it out. "Oh, my god, someone get me a camera! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

And after awhile, he calmed down, looked at Cloud...

...and burst out laughing again.

"Tis Turn 9 all over again!" Exclaimed the Adventurer as he nodded at the commands given.

His body glowed as the Warrior of Light did the best that he was good at, and he rushed headlong into battle.

"YOUR MOTHER WAS ADDICTED TO KUPO NUTS!" Shouted the Adventurer at the Moogle White Mage in a provoke as he Jumped at the Moogle, intent on drawing aggro first.

Cause that's what he was, the tank.

"Healers, focus thy healing power upon the Eikon-slayer, he doth take hate!" Shouted Moggle Mog as he started playing a boss battle on his music box.

"We've got to find a way to help him!" Robin yelled.

She stood here, too, wearing the tactician's coat she liked. It hid her Jobs -- Warrior and Time Mage -- and she glanced sideways to the Adventurer. She wrinkled her nose once, before she nodded, and raised a hand. She cast a Haste spell on him, speeding his actions up -- and making time move faster. Then, she looked at Cloud.

"Cloud!" she yelled. She tried -- and only barely succeeded -- at ignoring Deadpool's laughter. "Cloud, remember who you are!"

[In the shadows, D watched the confrontation. An amused tic fluttered over his brow when the enemy revealed themselves to be Cloud, the boy who mistook him for Vincent. In a dress of all things... Seriously, either this boy was a glutton for punishment or he took the crossdressing way too personal.

Still, this wasn't looking good. Lefty fluttered around D settling on a shoulder only to fly off again. The Moogle darted glances from D to the group of Moogles and Heroes then back.]

Kupo...

I know...

[Slipping out of the shadows, D entered the throng. Warmth glowed from his palms just in case any ghosts decided to join the fray. His fangs grew and he readied himself to call to his blood if it came down to that. He hoped it didn't.]

Only death will prevent us from fighting you. Cloud or not, death is your destination.

Edited 2015-10-28 19:02 (UTC)

Deadpool's thoughtless stunt earnt an icy glare from Ace, but he refrained from commenting seeing an opportunity in that kind of distraction. It was almost pointless to try and limit oneself to conventional means, it seemed, for the vessel that bore the face of their friend reacted to none of their pleas and cries; what they needed was some - any display of emotions that the dangerous entity had drowned out.

Perhaps death was the only way for Cloud to be freed, a possibility which the cadet had come to acknowledge against the hollow sensation in his chest. For once, he felt oddly relieved about falling back on his supportive skills rather than the offensive ones he currently lacked, though he still stepped to the front, holding a sword at the ready. If it came down to it, he could still defend himself and others that way, as well.

However, with no musical instrument at his disposal, he could only rely on the strength of his own voice as he began singing the first Bard's song.

[ Skill used → Boss Theme, boosts all allies' stats by 30%! ]

Needless to say, the real Cloud didn't react to the Heroes of Light as they tried to reach out to him. Whether or not he was still alive within this body, it seemed getting to him wouldn't be easy, if it even was at all possible. And for a second it looked as though the water spell hit him—But it faded and instead was cast back to its sender, indicating Cloud was probably protected by a Reflect spell or something similar. And so he looked at the Heroes standing before him one after the other, slowly shaking his head.

"Thither is nay Cloud. Only Mogespeare."

Following this, the ten Moogles raised a hand, the light behind them strengthening by the second. The lifeless moogle Cloud was holding onto slowly raised the Black Crystal, as if to present it for an offering. In the meantime, the Moogle donning a White Mage attire snarled at the Adventurer. Unfortunately, before he could land his attack on the Moogle, he would find himself interrupted by yet another lightning attack from the possessed Cloud. Whatever they were planning, it seemed as though the Moogles had no intention to fight the Heroes of Light—At least not in a manner they expected.

"Motley-minded creatures. Thoust reject'd our offereth for a halcyon death and argal forfeit'd thy right to square us individually." The Black Crystal began to shine, a dark and purple glow surrounding it. "We shalt becometh as one and revive our lord, as taught by our imprison'd vaward Mograma and the late Lady Kalki!"

That shine! Nay, this wasn't Turn 9. This was something different.

Something fierce, and terrifying.

Something... godly.

"Ascian summoning," realized the Adventurer as he landed, skidding to a halt in front of the group. He smoked a little as he stared up at the Crystal of Darkness that was held. "Like the Ascians before, they mean to bring a Primal upon our heads! Pray, the signs are here! Ware the tempering, it naught bode well for those without the Echo!"

He might be a bit off, but the same idea seemed to be there.

Logen finally recovers from the lightning attack, and uses his sword to lever himself upright. He grunts, and looks at Tazendra and Robin, giving them a brief nod of recognition.

"I don't reckon anyone has any ideas on how to stop this thing?"

He's clearly having a hard time following the archaic language, being more likely to understand a vernacular filled with swears and innuendo.

And Deadpool is still laughing at what Cloud said. "And... and... HEE-HEE-HEE! Oooh! He thinks he's Zuul! HAHAHAHA...hahahahah...haaa..."

Wait a second...

"Zuul... ZUUL! AUGH! WE'VE WALKED INTO A GHOSTBUSTERS PARODY! How could I not see it?!"

And he starts headbutting the ground in disbelief.

"Will you shut up?!" Sheena demanded. Or so help her Martel, she was going to use Deadpool as a weapon.

Sheena was trying to follow what was being said and what was going on. Reaching up to calm the shaking Corrine on her shoulder, she went up to the next Hero and spoke softly.

"That Crystal. What does it do? Control souls?"

Edited 2015-10-28 21:28 (UTC)

Sephiroth hadn't been within the first gathering of Heroes but having taken to the streets tonight the foreboding way that the clouds had spiraled over the top of where the Observatory was, coupled with that first blinding flash of lightning had been direction enough for him to sprint in.

"That crystal, is one of four that had been recovered from the Magitek Facility more than a year ago." A somewhat out of breath comment from behind the gathering is heard as Sephiroth strode towards the battle lines, his katana-like sword out on his left-side already- though hardly the size of the Masamune which still remained at home atop it's wall mount. He hadn't the Jobs to wield that sword right now.

"Last year, the moogles used one of them in an experiment for Kalki, to gauge how she might be able to control Heroes of Light...their goal to resurrect their long-dead King. In the months afterward, it was discovered that the black crystals yield an unknown amount of power where it comes to resonating with our own crystals; by extension...our very states of being."

He took a long look over the situation before him as Sephiroth slipped into a battle stance, almost grimacing as he identified the Hero caught within the middle of all of this.

Cloud. He would have shouted, had he any hope that the words might reach the other man from his world...one as interconnected with his own future as surely as JENOVA might be.

"We're not going to be able to help him. There is only one thing that's to be done."

Edited 2015-10-28 21:46 (UTC)

[D's gaze flicked through the scenario before him in what looked to be a bored state. This was going nowhere fast. Faster than he warranted proper thought. Death was certain. Thank god he didn't know Cloud enough to feel pity. More like he pitied Cloud having to live in such a state. Should he still be living.

However, something Deadpool said, triggered in the recesses of his mind... Ghosts, Ghostbusters... Perhaps.

Taking a few more steps toward the Moogles and Cloud, D raised his hand and shot the Proton beam he used on ghosts at the figure and his Moogles.

As a Necromancer, he didn't need the pack or device. However, he knew that depending on the strength of this potential spirit, he might end up using his life.

Sometimes being a hunter sucks...]

Anyone who has the Ghostbuster Job, train on them... Maybe this new Job can stop this.

Edited 2015-10-28 22:29 (UTC)

And whatever shall the rest of us do?

[Mogmi wasn't here; so it wasn't like Tazendra could change jobs at the drop of a hat.]

Sheena looks from D back to Deadpool. Had that Idiot actually given them the clue they needed? She still has the Ghostbuster and Time Mage combination she had used on board the Ghost Ship equipped and immediately readies herself to fire.

Hearing Tazendra, she turns to her.

"What jobs do you have?"

Yuna reached for Celes just as the reflected watera spell hit her moogle.

"Celes?!" She looked up at Cloud her eyes narrowing slightly. "He has a shield, don't use magic!" She shouted in case no one else noticed the pain her little moogle was in. She quietly healed the little moogle using her beastmaster skill, her magic sinking into the creature in the form of bright silvery light.

When that was finished she smiled at the brave moogle. She knew that he wasn't the sort to want to fight. "You go. Be safe. I'll get this." Celes looked shocked at Yuna before nodding and leaving the top of the observatory for the safety below. Yuna then pulled the gun latched her proton pack and aimed. She didn't however aim at the moogles or at cloud but at the dark crystal in the dead moogles paws.

Other would focus on Cloud but it was the moogle and the dark crystal who were dead and most likely doing something to harm Cloud.

"Gods!" Robin called out. She glanced at the adventurer, then forward again. Tazendra's question hung in her mind.

"We have to stop this. Whatever's coming, be ready for it! Meteor can get its attention--those of you with the Jobs for it, support him!" she called out. "And do as much damage as you can. Cloud... we'll try to help him if there's a way."

She didn't like to think that.

"But we must be alive -- and it's as Major Sephiroth said!" she cried out. "There's one thing we can do here. I don't think Cloud would want any of us to fall here!"

Sheena shuddered as she was reminded of what Sephiroth said. She didn't want to have to go that route, but if there was nothing else they could do...

Wishing there was another way, she hefted her gun and joined D and Yuna in aiming towards Cloud and the moogles, her beam focusing on one side as the other woman concentrated on the Crystal.

Hopefully, others would soon join in and provide both a distraction and additional firepower--as it were.

And as soon as she thought it, the words were out of her mouth, shouted to those around her.

"If you can, distract them, keep them unfocused and confused. Get their guards down!"

Ramza felt his anger rise to see Cloud so cruelly used against his friends. If he could not be freed, Ramza was willing to do the young guard the mercy of ending it.

But if they could take back the Black Crystal and eliminate its power of Cloud, their friend might yet pull through. It took great fortitude to throw off mind control, but Ramza did not put it past Cloud to do so for the sake of those he cared for.

"We should separate them, if we can. Do not allow the moogles to act in concert as they desire." Divide and conquer was the tried and true method to achieve victory.

He drew his sword and started to maneuver himself so he could engage a moogle, taking the hits from the spells as he went.

"Stop this." Jack steps forward with the clacking of heels, fluffs his wig back into place from the ruffling it's taken from the lightning attacks. Still in Performer garb, but all of the joking mood that he had aboard the ship is gone.

"What's this about the Lady Kalki? She's fine, she's alive." Isn't she? Jack would be lying if he said there wasn't a deep fear right in the pit of the stomach at the idea that maybe their trip back in time has affected more than he thought. Didn't she disappear without a trace when they had gotten back?

"Tell us! And maybe we wont destroy you."

"Wait--" Ven's voice broke, and he had to repeat himself, louder, to be heard above the other conversations going on. "Wait! You all don't mean -- we can't just--!"

The relief he'd dared to feel upon noticing Sephiroth -- he knew Cloud, he was a friend, he could help set this right -- hardened into a knot of dread in the pit of Ven's stomach nearly as quickly. Why? Why were they all assuming that there was only one answer? That wasn't an answer at all!

His poise -- and resolve -- wavered as he looked around at the others. "We can't! If it's the crystal, or the moogles, that's what we need to go after!"

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