Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"Nethicite...you mean, Deifacted Nethicite?" Nadeline asked, once more getting into deep thought. To think the Dawn Shard was here was surprising to her, at least. "The Dawn Shard, a relic of the Dynast King himself...remarkable. The legend says that the Dynast King had three pieces--The Dusk Shard, given to the rulers of Dalmasca, the Midlight Shard, given to the rulers of Nabudis, and the Dawn Shard...I can hardly believe it is in our hands." Nadeline stared at it in awe. "When they said the treasure was incalculable, I never dreamed that it would be nethicite." She nodded to herself mostly, watching it glow in Jaakuna's hands.

Neither of the blondes were reacting to it the way Emiri was. Was she going mad? She wanted to say something, but decided to keep quiet, lest they believe she was going crazy. Still, she didn't like that thing at all, and made sure to stay away from it. But once again, they knew something she didn't, and so she asked, "What exactly is nethicite?"

"You know how Magicite is said to hold the power of the elements themselves, right?" Nadeline asked back. Emiri nodded--that much she knew. "Nethicite is on another level, so to speak. While the two can hold a great amount of Mist, nethicite differs in that it can absorb Mist and expel it...well, that's what manufactured nethicite does, anyway." She corrected herself. "Deifacted nethicite is said to outclass anything we could ever hope to make...but we must be careful lest we unleash a power too great."

Emiri nodded. She knew she didn't like that thing. "But how do you use it?"

"That's the golden question." Nadeline shrugged, though she sported another wicked grin. "The point is that it's in our hands now."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri let out a sigh of relief, sheathing her weapon, only for a high pitched shriek to surprise her. Nadeline nearly toppled her over as she hugged her, the girl jumping up and down in celebration. "We did it! We pulled it off! Oh, if only Master Raynier was still around he would have been so proud!" Nadeline squealed, gripping Emiri's hand tightly as her eyes shown with excitement. "Oh, what a great victory! Truly!" Nadeline further surprised her by grabbing Jaakuna, pulling the trio into a very weird semi-hug, though she quickly released them as she jumped around, laughing, still celebrating. In all truth, Emiri was just as glad as she was, but she was still somewhat concerned over her power failing. Perhaps the beast had been the source of the interference? But as she tried willing it, time did not stop for her. No, it was still gone. What could be causing this?

Nadeline had become very quiet, very suddenly as she gaped at something. The brunette looked to see a statue revealing a brightly glowing stone. She walked towards it, but as she reached to grasp it, felt a rather eerie burning sensation. She backed away on instinct, holding her hand as if she were burned, and made sure to keep her distance. Nadeline blinked at her, though she walked right up to the statue and plucked the stone from its grasp. "The spoils of our victory, I presume? Although...this doesn't seem to be Magicite, does it?" Nadeline inspected the stone carefully, watching its glow in her hand. Emiri had no idea what it was, but she knew she needed to stay away from it. It was eerie, foreign, dangerous...But she couldn't say why. It was just a gut feeling, and she could swear she felt the Mist around her frazzle about, clearly disturbed by the stone. She almost told Nadeline to put it back, but the blonde had already started to show it off to Jaakuna. "Look here, what do you think it is?" She asked him, and Emiri looked to the statue. She wished it hadn't appeared at all.

"Why don't we get to somewhere safe, first? We've accomplished what we were here for, right?" Emiri asked, rubbing her arms. She didn't like that stone one bit.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The pair watched the beast soar through the air, both equally impressed. Now Emiri could see why Nadeline wanted Jaakuna to have the Demonsbane; he certainly knew how to use it effectively. Nadeline let out a low whistle, nodding in approval, and letting out a cheer as the beast fell. "Amazing! I've never seen anything like that!" She yelled happily. Emiri shared her enthusiasm, but was in more of an awe then anything. Truly, it was a spectacle to behold, but the fight was not quite finished yet. It was down, and now was the time to finish it off.

Nadeline nudged Emiri, and she nodded, the two charging to the beast before it would get up. Nadeline went first, her sword glowing once more as she let it trail on the ground. Emiri mimicked her movement, the tip of her blade causing a spark as it hit the ground. Nadeline's power extended itself to Emiri's weapon as the they readied their attack. The two ran alongside each other, then crossed paths, each one bringing up their weapon for a united strike. Once-twice-three hits, and then, with a burst of magic, the two swung, the path of their blades forming a cross shape (x) as they did so.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

She couldn't think. She was panicking. She didn't understand. She held her hand out, but nothing happened. Nothing happened. Nothing happened. She didn't understand and for that one moment, she forgot all about the battle as her mind was swimming with confused thoughts. A hand appeared in her field of vision, and she saw Jaakuna offering his hand. She was losing it, really, she hadn't even seen him coming. Emiri gripped his hand tightly, letting him pull her up. He reprimanded her for going in without an idea. "Of course I had an idea it just--my power, it's..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at her hands. They weren't working. For the first time in her life she couldn't use her power and it was absolutely terrifying. Why? "Right. I apologize." She muttered, not able to properly explain herself.

She shook her head, clearing her mind as she took out her sword from the ground. No, it wasn't important why her powers didn't want to work. Right now they were in the middle of a battle, and they needed to win. She took in a deep breath and clocked her head for an idea. Nadeline waved at the two from across the room, and another idea clicked into her head. "Nadeline and I will occupy its attention, you go and strike it once you see a chance, okay?" She waved her sword back, patting Jaakuna's shoulder. "It's worth a shot, anyway."

Nadeline picked up on Emiri's cue, whipping her rapier around as she ran to the beast. Emiri charged again, this time anticipating its attack and sliding underneath it, joining Nadeline on the other side. "Alright, together now~" Nadeline sang happily, being the first to dart forward. Emiri followed suit, raising her sword to defend herself as she blocked one spear. It was a strong attack, but she managed to hold her ground. At the same time Nadeline dashed forward, spinning in place as the beast swung its other weapon. Her sword glowed as she swung it, and a Protect spell sprung from her sword as it attacked, parrying it.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"It is the treasure? Absolutely fascinating..." Nadeline went deep into thought as Jaakuna went charging in.

"Now is the time for action, not for thinking!" Emiri yelled out, letting out a gasp as the beast revealed a second weapon. "Of course." As Jaakuna was sent flying back, Emiri bit her lip, dropping down to him as he landed. "Nadeline, didn't that book say anything about this?"

"It has much power." Nadeline spread a Curaga over Jaakuna, though looked at the beast. "To gain it we must show it our power...in other words, defeat it, but I don't think the tome said anything on HOW to defeat it."

I guess I can give it a try then. Emiri thought, standing up. A direct attack wouldn't work, but maybe she could at least get a hit in. Taking in a breath, she ran to the beast. She brandished her sword to the side, freezing time as she jumped into the air, preparing an aerial attack. At that moment, however, that strange feeling from Bhujerba returned, albeit this time it was much stronger. What's happening? She could feel the her power seeping from her, but as it slipped from her fingers she realized it much too late. Time resumed, much to the girl's surprise and horror. What?! No! Emiri gasped as she saw the beast's weapon swung at her, and she too was sent flying. She landed on the ground with a thud, her sword landing a distance behind her. She was in a state of shock: her powers had completely failed her. Why? Why now?

Nadeline blinked in confusion as she had watched Emiri. "Did she not see that you just did the same thing? Why in the world would she do something so foolish?!" She said, watching it carefully. "Perhaps if we all attacked at the same time, one of us could get a hit in, at least...but really, Emi seems to have taken a page out of your book! Is she mad?!"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri let out an irritated sigh, shaking her head. Well, Jaakuna seemed fine, static really. She turned to Nadeline, asking quietly, "Technically since you slayed the monster, shouldn't that be yours?"

"And ruin his fun? I think not." Nadeline whispered back, though she followed it up with a giggle. "Let him celebrate, I'm sure he will find more of a use for it then I will."

At this the brunette gave a defeated shrug, though she decided to continue down into the tomb. She prayed there would be no more demonic entities like the one they encountered, but she highly doubted that they'd get out without another battle. She sheathed her own Longsword, following the path down into a room with another Way Stone. Once they had all gathered around, Emiri activated it, and they were whisked away. When they reappeared, they were deeper into the tomb. Nadeline let out a low whistle as she studied the room, noting its many markings.

"Scion of darkness and guardian of the Holy Realm..." Nadeline read aloud, her hand to her chin as she pondered. "Whatever could that mean?" Emiri shrugged in response, as she expected Nadeline to know more then she did. As she stepped forward, however, two pillars of fire erupted from the other end of the room. She nearly fell back but managed to remain on her feet, though she quickly backed away. Nadeline patted her shoulder, unfazed as ever, "You know, I just had a thought...the inscriptions could be referring to the power here in the Tomb."

"Meaning?" Emiri asked as a glyph appeared on the floor before them.

The blonde haired girl frowned, though she took out her rapier once more. "I believe this is it." The glyph erupted into a figure of flames, though the fire spread out to the entirety of the room, effectively trapping them in. From the flames emerged a great Gigas, it was colored like the flames surrounding it. It almost looked like a man and beast fused into one, sporting four arms and a great spear as its weapon. It towered over them, and Emiri suddenly felt very, very small. "Could this be the Dynast-King's power? But it's guarding something else...Oh well, I suppose we won't find out until we defeat this thing." Nadeline mused, raising her rapier in the air.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Of course Jaakuna would end up getting blinded, too. Emiri silently cursed their luck, but she could hear the demonic wall advancing once more. She tried rummaging through her bag for some Eye Drops, but as she was walking, she tried over something. "Ow!" She felt around for her bag, though got in contact with some skin instead. A stomach? They weren't abs, so it wasn't Jaakuna. Who was this? Only a second later did it click into her head who it was. "Nadeline?! Nadeline, are you alright?!" She asked, shaking her. Was she sleeping? At a time like this?! She hoisted her up and violently shook her. "Nadeline! Wake up!"

The blondes blue eyes fluttered open briefly, and she looked at Emiri. There was something black over her eyes, but she wasn't sure what it was. The wall's roar quickly reminded her that they were running out of time. She scrambled to her feet, pulling Emiri up as she held her sword. Emiri backed up somewhat, and felt the wall behind her. Uh oh. She thought, holding her sword at the ready, even if she couldn't see what was going on.

Nadeline took a breath in, whipping her sword around, and she jumped high into the air. She brought her rapier up over her head, and as it glowed an ethereal white, Mist gathered around it. She slashed downwards, summoning a pillar of brilliant light. It hit the wall, hard, and it let out another mighty roar as it crumbled, pieces falling off the eges as it dissipated. Nadeline landed cleanly on her feet and sheathed her rapier before turning back to her teammates. "Well, that was fun. She commented as she walked over to Jaakuna, lightly placing one finger before his eyes. "Blindna." She casted her spell, literally lifting the darkness from his eyes. She grinned, and wandered over to Emiri. She repeated the spell, and Emiri rubbed her eyes as she looked around.

"Wha--We won? You defeated it?" Emiri asked as she blinked several times. Being blinded was not something she liked, at all. Still, she could hardly believe Nadeline was the one to finish it.

"I do have to pull my weight somehow, right?" She beamed happily, hopping on the balls of her feet as she continued to the door. "Let us move on, shall we?"

Emiri shook her head in disbelief, but turned to Jaakuna. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Well, if the wall couldn't be slowed down, then perhaps they simply needed to be faster. One more Emiri held out her hand, and the clock appeared underneath their feet. This time, the hands spun forward, faster and faster, granting them the Haste status. Nadeline sported a wicked grin, darting forward as Jaakuna came back. She slashed her rapier several times, her attacks numerous as she let out one attack after another. As the wall attempted to bring down a blade to her, Emiri leapt forward, parrying the wall's great sword.

Emiri jumped back, skidding to a halt a few feet back, though in a flash she sprinted forward. She let her sword trail the ground and then brought it up in a crescent formation, causing the wall to roar. It couldn't keep up with their hastened movements, though soon the spell wore off. They had to be close to victory, this much she was sure of. Nadeline paused in her attack as the wall stopped attacking. "Are we victorious?" She asked.

Before anyone could answer, however, the wall let out a spell. Nadeline shrieked as she was afflicted, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she suddenly fell over. Emiri herself literally couldn't see anymore; she rubbed her eyes, but it was as if a dark veil had been cast over them. She tried squinting to see, but she was literally pushed back by the wall. Only then did she realize she was blinded. "Nadeline! Jaakuna! Are you alright?!" She asked, blinking several times and not being able to look around properly.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"My vote is to fight, of course." Nadeline eyed the wall warily, brandishing her rapier, though she did notice that Emiri was glarng at her. "What? I didn't think we'd run into one so soon." She looked from the wall to the passage, then at the exit. "We have a time limit, best be getting starting, lest we get crushed."

Crushed?! Emiri groaned, though she too unsheathed her Longsword. The wall was creepy, something straight out of a nightmare, really. Still, it slowly advanced towards them, and even in a few seconds Emiri backed away somewhat. Emiri held out her free hand, a glyph of a clock appearing underneath the evil wall. Its hands spun backwards slowly, though the glyph soon broke. Not affected by time magick, I see. She readied her sword, watching as the demon clashed its own twin blades together before swinging them both at the group.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As the light faded away, Emiri felt a pang of disappointment. She was expecting...something to happen. She stepped back, though realized it had suddenly got a lot darker. She looked around, noticing that she wasn't outside anymore. How did she get here? Her question was answered by another flash of light, and Jaakuna appeared beside her. The girl jumped back, surprised. The light had warped them into the Tomb, it seemed.

"A Way Stone!" Nadeline exclaimed as she too appeared, clearly excited about the process. "Why of course! They were used primarily during the Galtean Alliance but many found their magicks far too complicated, so they were discontinued and forgotten after some time! To think it still worked...I wonder what activated it?"

Emiri shuddered. She hated the idea of teleporting, though at the very least she didn't get the same odd feeling as she did whenever she was beamed into Jaakuna's ship. She sniffed, and then let out a sneeze. The Tomb was great, sure, but quite dusty as well. The place was lit by several lights matching those of the Way Stone; she assumed they were probably Fire Magicite. Despite the place's size, it seemed there was only one path to go in deeper.

"Shall we keep going?" Nadeline asked, clearly unfazed by the situation.

"Tread carefully, we don't know if there are any more monsters about." Emiri warned her.

Nadeline grinned mischievously, raising an eyebrow at her. "I wouldn't worry much about the monsters, we can slay them. I think we should worry more about any spirits lurking, awaiting those who would dare to trespass and steal Raithwall's treasure." She giggled evily, waving her arms around. "Ghouls, animated skeletons, demonic entities...why, I wouldn't be surprised if we were attacked by one any minute!"

Emiri froze in place, her eyes widening as she listened to Nadeline. Ghouls? Skeletons? She bit her lip nervously, looking around. That was silly, wasn't it? They wouldn't be around here, now would they? She felt her fear taking root and shrunk back slightly. She was just teasing, that was just silly, wasn't it? Just some old tales? Not that she was afraid or anything, no...she wasn't afraid.