soul_logs | [OPEN] Mission 157

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[OPEN] Mission 157

Characters: Open to participants who signed up here.
Location: Nocturne Bazaar
Rating: Gen.
Time: April 5th.
Description: The battle to destroy the last of the three Madness Emitters is upon us.

It happens early in the morning: a strange and lingering air of disquiet, almost imperceptible even to those trained to recognize it for what it is, quickly rising to a mind-shattering crescendo. On the floating island above the city, black liquid bubbles up from the cracks in the cobblestone streets and materializes into tall, thin, clown-shaped creatures. Oversized carrion birds take wing from the rafters of buildings, trailing dust from their dirty wings. The screams of civilians are clearly heard even from Death City so far down below, waking its citizens up from fitful, nightmare-filled slumbers.

The Witches are here!

It doesn't take long for the defenders to rally: Kid sends out the call to arms and, after admonishing all but the most skilled pairs to stay off the island, instructs those attending Mission 157 to prepare to get on the gondolas which still remain the only way to and from the Bazaar.

The streets are not as packed as they were the past two days, but there is no less commotion. The carnival workers and residents, fleeing from the marauding monsters, clearly have no hand in this deception. In between trying to save their lives, striking down the Black Blood-formed clowns and avoiding the talons of swooping bird familiars, the pairs certainly have their hands full.

At the epicenter of the battle is the yellow-bricked fortune-telling building. Waves of Madness emanate from it with an almost physical force. If you aren't careful, you may run into the black-feathered Witch guarding it…

By the end of the conflict, the island is incapable of supporting its own weight. With the help of volunteers shuttling civilians and fighters alike from the Bazaar to the ground, everyone must race back to the gondolas before the entire rock crashes in the sands.

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He would have done such a tactic if he'd been in their position. Well, perhaps his might have been on a wider scale, and with the use of his cells, but the general idea would have remained the same. Perhaps that's why he was so suspicious behind a deeper meaning of the actions of the Witches.

'Indeed. They would be fools not to attempt such a thing,' he said in return while Cloud took care of yet another familiar in the area. Obviously by the amount of black birds in the area, that the main Witch here was one of the feather. 'It's no wonder that all you're seeing around us are meals on wings then.'

Cloud moved to engage another spider chasing a woman who was quite crazed from the madness, but it was more fear than anything. He stepped in front and stabbed the creature through, even as it tried to claw its way up the length of the Masamune. He drew one of his katanas as the creature got closer and stabbed it through the head.

He lifted the Masamune with the spider still deeply embedded on it and narrowed his eyes at the teasing. "I wonder if I left this hear and you transformed if it would be around your waist. At least I eat anyway."

Cloud moved well through the enemies in the area. Every target that got in their way was easily dealt with, and he wondered if they would find themselves a challenge during this fight. Perhaps they would be fortunate enough to be able to test their strength against the one creating these familiars.

Then Cloud was impaling the spider before raising his Weapon form up. His mind snapped back to their conversation, despite being able to feel the body slowly sliding down his long blade, as he chuckled. 'Would such a sight give you amusement, Cloud?" He asked with amusement colouring his tone. Sephiroth, of course, ignored the jab about eating.

He flicked the dead spider higher on the blade, watching its dead legs jump with the motion of his actions. Well, it was humorous to him at the very least, but he knew that his partner wouldn't risk transforming with the madness so heavy in the air. He wasn't willing to experiment either, but he amused himself regardless swinging the long sword so that the spider slipped up and down the length.

"Would I ever take amusement from such things?" He was pretty certain that his current motions showed how amused he could be by such things. He walked away, letting the spider serve as a warning to others as he moved deeper into the carnival grounds.

It seemed that his partner was having a rather entertaining moment with the dead spider on his bladed form. That was if the movement of the dead legs and the humour he sensed were any indication. Cloud could be so child-minded at times, but in return, he often felt some level of amusement at the display.

'I believe that we both know the answer to that,' Sephiroth said in return. And it was true, they both did know what answer Cloud would have even if it was never said.

Well, Sephiroth was right about that, and he left his own observations unspoken even as he continued on through the line of tents. He heard the sound of a commotion, raised voices to be certain, and he approached silently in the shadow of a tent. He spied three humans kicking and hitting another, no doubt over the madness wavelength.

He hesitated in getting involved as he always felt that human fights were not something he bothered to engage in anymore. Still, the odds were in the one's favour, so he used the amusing dead spider and threw it into their midst, startling two enough to feel immediately, and he drove off the third by stepping out with his singing blade and looked menacing.

"I see wielding you tends to make people think twice about attacking me. It always was a terrible thing to be so far away from you in a fight, yet at the same time, I dreaded being too close since there was no escape."

He would have simply allowed those three fools to fight it out if it had been his decision, but Sephiroth knew well that Cloud wouldn't have allowed for such a thing. No, he was far too kind in that regard, and his Meister proved him right as he used such tactics in order to scare off two of the three men. The man that remained, however, took off the instant Cloud stepped into the tent with the large weapon in hand.

'The Masamune was perfect at keeping all opponents at bay,' Sephiroth murmured softly in agreement. There was almost a wistful sound to his voice, as if he did miss handling his beloved weapon, but the ex-General never spoke of such desires, instead he said, 'Most opponents were of the assumption that the blade's weakness was to move in and fight closer. They got far too distracted by the weapon to realise that the danger was actually the wielder.'

He knew that Cloud was just as dangerous in that regard while the blonde was wielding him. The blonde was a skilled fighter, and Sephiroth held no doubt that the younger male would be deadly in both close and distant fighting.

He picked up on the fond tone that Sephiroth had when it came to referencing the blade that his Weapon was famous for back on Gaea. He didn't know the origin of the Masamune, but he had heard the rumours that only the silver-haired man could wield the blade. Holding it now, he believed those rumours; only Sephiroth had the skill to pull off such a blade... though, he supposed he was adequate with it too.

"To be fair, most people didn't live long enough to really consider which was worse, the blade or you the wielder." His words were dry but accurate as well. He knew that Wutai was defeated because Sephiroth had been released there, and the highest body count when to the General of ShinRa.

He waited to make certain that the beaten man would get up before moving on, cutting down a familiar spider lazily. He sent a air slice down the path in front of him, catching a few other smaller spiders that had been waiting for a person to attack. "Does it bother you being the Weapon and me the Meister? Your skills are better than mine after all."

Cloud had a point, and he huffed lightly in amusement in return. Despite the tone it was spoken in, what Cloud said had been accurate, and many of the opponents he went up against didn't last long to find out. There had only been a select few who had lasted any length of time against him.

The following question, however, caught his attention and he fell quiet in thought. He didn't even sense the world around him as Cloud continued fighting. Instead his mind fixated on the how he felt about his situation here in this world.

'It did in the beginning... the thought of having to rely on another and not be the one in control angered and terrified me...' he quietly admitted. The loss of control was why he had threatened the lives of this world so that he could regain some of it in their initially forced partnership. That was a thought that he didn't withhold from his partner, and with an undeniable certainty, he thoughtfully added, 'Now I know that it was the right choice, for if BREW had not brought me to this world in such a way, then we would not have all that we have now.'

Everything they had built had been because he had been stripped of almost everything that had made him him, but in doing so, he had gained something far more valuable. How could he ever find himself bothered by such a thing? While he had never been bothered by being 'used' by ShinRa in the past, it had never been like this. Now he had a reason, and that was all Sephiroth needed to continue forward.

Edited 2012-11-08 07:05 (UTC)

He walked on, trying to ignore the strangeness that came with Sephiroth thinking long and hard about his question. He supposed that it was out of the blue and probably not something that he should concern himself over. However, he knew Sephiroth well enough and trusted the silver-haired man deeply enough to ask such a question. They had gone further than any other guest partnership after all.

Ah, he supposed that it was true that someone as in control as Sephiroth would hate to lose it and be powerless on top of it all. He picked up on the ex-General's thought, humming softly as he stooped to check a fallen person and finding them alive. He briefly texted to have someone come and help from the medical area before moving on.

"If BREW had not done what it had, you would not be living a second chance like this, one you seem to be embracing well enough." He didn't hide his pleasure at the idea of Sephiroth taking steps to be a person who could explore the world in ways that ShinRa had always denied. Back then, Sephiroth had been alive without knowing what it was to live. Now, his partner had both. "I like what we have."

There was no sense of doubt or hesitation felt within in regards to his thoughts. To Sephiroth, everything he had said and offered the younger male was the absolute truth he felt. He simply did feel fortunate to have been brought to this world in such a state, and he couldn't help but feel a level of pride in knowing that he could still protect what was most important to him.

'...it pleases me to hear that,' he softly murmured. Yet as he said that, a flock of ravens came swooping towards the pair. There must have been hundreds of them with their beaks gleaming against the light as they attempted to cause as much damage as possible to the Meister.

Cloud stopped walking when he heard a great cacophony of noise that sounded much like a bunch of birds yelling at each other. He had heard it a few times in chocobo herds that he had kept, so he wondered where the heck such a racket was coming from. He hummed pleasantly at Sephiroth's words before he too caught sight of the large flock.

"Isn't that called a murder of crows? I guess we know what they've come to do." It was a bad joke, but he drew the Masamune in as he gathered his energy and felt along their connected wavelengths for the resonance that he needed for the attack that he wanted.

He let the birds in close, feeling the scratch of their claws before he threw his hand up into the air and released their resonance in three large pillars of flames and ate through the ranks of the ravens that surrounded him, listening to their death calls and smelling roasted and burnt meat. "This might be a more appropriate dinner, huh?"

Sephiroth instantly felt himself on guard the moment the cries of those birds were heard. What moment they were having between them slipped to the background as the more pressing situation took over. He didn't have to pay too much attention to kishin eggs, not anymore, but the ex-General never underestimated sources of such large numbers of familiars.

'At least this one is already cooked for you,' he lightly murmured as the large pillars of fire burst up around Cloud to protect his Meister.

As things were, the crows didn't cease with their swooping even as large numbers of them were turned to cinders by the power of the flames. The assault continued and seemed almost unrelenting before a voice drifted through the madness of the attack. "Little ducks come lining themselves up in a row. You may as well have just gift-wrapped yourself to me."

He held the pillars of flames for as long as he could before letting it drop away. He eased himself into a good spot in order to continued to defend himself as he used the full length of the Masamune with each swing to cut down more ravens that were still attacking. Black ash floated around them, but he turned his head at the sound of the voice.

"I get the feeling we'll all be making a lot of bird jokes in this fight," he remarked dryly to his partner as he sent an air slice up through the thickest area of ravens. He kept swinging, even bringing out one of his normal katanas to defend himself at the shorter distance.

"Like doves like us pack bit more of a punch than you're used to," he called out, still cutting through the ranks of birds assaulting him. Numerous small scratches appeared on his arms and one on his cheek from claws, but he felt like he was holding his own given the odds.

The flames died down, allowing the birds in close once again, but he trusted in Cloud's ability enough not to worry... even if he wasn't all that impressed with the injuries being sustained to the blonde's body. 'I cannot say that I'm all that surprised,' Sephiroth murmured with a light huff to his tone.

"Maybe we know about you two," the Witch called out, her voice seeming to come from all directions as she remained in the shadows. The crows ceased their attack, and instead began to funnel and fly around the partnered pair as their master continued speaking. "The guests of Shibusen who are nearing full power."

Cloud kept his swords at the ready as the birds ceased their dive bombing at him, and his blue eyes flicked around to search for the source. She was pretty good about echoing her voice after all, but he was waiting for the time when he could gather up their resonance for another flame pillar attack. It seemed far too effective on groups in such high number.

"I think she's the first one to recognized how powerful we are." He looked around, but the funnel of birds kept him blind beyond it. He didn't like that one bit, but he kept himself ready, aware that the Witch could attack at any time, and he had to be ready. "So come to test out our strength for yourself? Or do you have something else in mind?"

How many guests had been stolen from such missions and subjected to tortures. The ravens were big enough to pick anyone up, but the spiders might.

The birds continued to spiral around the fighting pair as Cloud stood strong against their subtle attack. What attempt they were making to psychologically wear the pair out may or may not have been working, but it didn't matter to the familiars either.

'I believe so,' Sephiroth murmured while watching for any surprise attacks by the witch.

"My my, you think much of yourself," the Witch said. Her voice seemed to change direction with every second word she'd spoken, making it appear as though she was moving around them if it hadn't been for the random directions the sound had come from. If Cloud listened carefully, he might have noticed that the voice was coming from the birds themselves.

The Masamune never stopped moving as he used another air slice to take out a few more of the birds circling before he was cutting others down as they swooped in to attack him. The little scratches were annoying, but he ignored them in favour of keeping an eye on the group as much as he could. There were still many of them.

"To get this far, one has to," he replied to no one bird in particular. No doubt she was trying to confuse them, but he was really just waiting until some of their strength returned so he could burn the rest of the ravens to a fine ash. "I don't see you coming out to face us directly, so maybe you're scared."

The familiars continued to fall by Cloud's long blade as he fought against them. Whether the Witch knew that he was biding time or not didn't show in the tone of her voice, or the actions of her familiar. Instead she kept watch of the pair through her conjured birds while the blonde attempted to bait her.

"Scared? You couldn't be furthest from the truth," another two birds said before they all seemed to start cackling at the mere thought.

Cloud waited, feeling the warmth of their resonance building again as he called up the spell that he wanted. She apparently wouldn't appear for them, so he would simply make her by destroying all of her familiars. He had no time for this toying game that she was playing as there were battles to be fought, and he had no interest in wasting so much time here.

"Well... you should be scared," he replied with a smug confidence as he lifted his left hand to the air and summoned the fire pillars around himself directly in the path of the flying familiars. He held the flames for longer too, pushing their resonance to get longer than five seconds from the burst. All he did was smirk. "You're weaker than I imagined anyway."

Fire seemed to burst up from the ground all around the Meister. The hot flames did their work with burning any of the familiars that came into contact with it, and without anger or regret, all of the black birds seemed to turn to cinder as they were consumed by the heat of the flames.

Laughter was all Cloud got in reply initially, and despite the fact that she didn't bother to conjure more of her familiars up, the shadows in the area seemed to shift and shudder in time with the laughter. Then they were moving all towards one particular point a few feet in front of where Cloud stood. The shadows gathered just beyond the immediate reach of the Masamune, before they began to rise up from the ground to take shape of a tall and slender Witch.

"Your arrogance will get you both killed," she murmured while the shadows seemed to cloak her in a perpetual cloak of darkness.

He held the flames around them until most of the familiars were gone, and then he slowly dropped them as he watched the shadows move. So, she controlled the element of shadow, did she? That would be an interesting task to deal with, but he was prepared for anything. He might not be to the highest level with Sephiroth, but he felt like they could hold their own against her.

When she materialized, he didn't give a very impressed look for her display. Instead, he leapt after her, moving to drive the Masamune into her chest, even if he was certain she was just a conjure of shadow. He preferred the offensive in times such as these.

"We haven't died yet," he replied. "And we don't plan on it happening today."

The Witch watched as Cloud suddenly leapt towards her. She couldn't say that she was all that surprised, but in some way, the Witch could at least admit to the fact that she was impressed. Most would attempt to waste time 'talking' things through. How long had it been since she'd had a good fight?

When the overgrown sword came barrelling down on her, the Witch seemed to flicker out of existence as the shadows moved with lightning speed. She was gone only for a moment as she reappeared behind Cloud. Using the Meister's shadow, she didn't hesitate in manipulating the shadows around her to strike at his exposed back as she hurled the blade-like shadows towards Cloud.

His singing blade passed through shadow and nothing substantial as he had suspected, and he twisted in the air to find out where she had gotten off to. He spotted her but was more concerned with the way his shadow was used against him, and his sword moved to block and cut through the shadows as he dropped back to the ground.

He settled on the ground, eyes flicking around to an area where it was completely and utterly dark. If he remained in the open, it was her element that would do harm, but if he trapped her entirely in darkness, there was nothing shadowed, just dark.

Still, he launched at her once again, air slicing first and following with the long reach of his blade in his attempt to slice across her abdomen.

The blades she struck out towards the pair were blocked by that long and slender sword. She knew it would be folly to remain in close to the blonde, and the moment her attack failed, the Witch leapt away from the incoming attack. Had it been one of the weaker guests, she wouldn't have hesitated in capturing the Weapon in mid-swing, but even she was aware of the damage that could be caused by these two. It might not be enough to defeat her, but it would be enough to make the battle difficult.

The slices of air hurling in towards her had the Witch summoning the shadows up from the ground to consume the air within their black void. With the distance now between them, her abdomen narrowly missing the slicing attempt, the Witch sent out a volley of ravens towards the pair as she manipulated the shadow at Cloud's feet to rise up and strike him down.

[OPEN] Mission 157

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Sorry I thought that I'd replied to this

Re: Sorry I thought that I'd replied to this

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