Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Jaakuna seemed to recognize the voice but was either in shock or disbelief. He seemed absolutely frightened by this person. Emiri was not sure who it could be, though as the conversation between the rest of the group proceeded, she had to agree Jaakuna just wasn't in a state to continue. Still, she didn't like the idea of splitting up, not after what happened last time, but they had little choice. She pulled him into a hug, lightly petting his hair. "It's okay, Jaakuna. I'm right here. I'll protect you, okay?" As she spoke, Nadeline looked at her. The brunette slightly nodded, signaling her agreement with Wesley's plan. So long as they remained here, once the group obtained the Esper, they could just come back and they would all leave together.

Nadeline nodded at Wesley and Savayna, and looked at Grant. It seemed he was the only one who opposed this plan, but he was clearly outvoted. He then nodded. Nadeline looked forward. "Onward then. We will be back soon. Just stay put, and don't go anywhere. We don't know how big this place is and it isn't worth the risk for you to get lost." She told them, this time taking the lead. Grant looked back at the pair with uneasiness, though he too followed suit.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As Jaakuna spoke, the group looked to him. It seemed the deeper they went, the more troubled Jaakuna became. This time, however, it looked like it was too much for him. The blonde haired man was brought to his knees, though from what was the real mystery. Wesley and Savayna each tried to snap him out of his state, but to no avail. Nadeline couldn't help but put the mysterious voice to blame. Obviously someone or something was manipulating Jaakuna from here, where they were. But who? As she tried to think of any possibilities, Emiri walked over to Jaakuna, kneeling down before him. The brunette lightly took both of his hands off his head, grasping them tightly beneath her own. Once she was able to hold both of his hands to her with one of hers, the other gently touched his face. "Who said your name, Jaakuna?" Emiri asked him softly, looking directly into his eyes as she spoke. She wasn't even sure if he would hear her, and she did have another idea in mind, but she hoped this gentler version would work first. "Who was it that called you Jackson?"

Nadeline looked at Wesley. "At this rate he'll become catatonic. The further in we go, the worse Jaakuna gets." She stated, placing one hand on her hip.

"What, are you suggesting we turn back?" Grant asked her, narrowing his eyes. "The Esper is still here."

The blonde shifted her weight off one leg and onto the other. "If we still want to go after the Esper...he cannot continue." She spoke slowly, though what she was suggesting was obvious, even if she didn't want to say it. "The voice is obviously becoming a problem now."

Grant shook his head in disbelief. "So we leave him behind, is that it?"

Sword Art Online: One Hundred Levels Up

I kinda like Iron Assault, sounds kickass.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"That was amazing!" Emiri found herself in complete awe at Savayna's power. She wasn't the former general for nothing, it seemed. Grant joined Wesley in applauding Savayna, clearly impressed by her display of power. Truly, she was an ice queen in every sense of the title. Nadeline grinned from ear to her, though she joined the rest of the group, letting out a shrill whistle. No doubt the woman deserved it after that spectacular show. Emiri felt herself truly grateful; fighting over the platform was just not something she was comfortable with at all. She supposed in a sense she owed her one--not that she would ever let her know.

Once all the cheering and clapping died down, the group gathered around the Waystone. Much like the one outside, Mist was already gathered and a light was lightly glowing from within. Nadeline frowned to herself. The deeper they went into Giruvegan, the more she had the feeling that they really weren't alone. But who could possibly have beaten them there? Giruvegan may not exactly be a secret, but who else would be able to solve all its puzzles ahead of them? She was troubled at this point, but without any clue as to who it could be, she couldn't quite point any fingers, could she? Once again, Emiri activated the Way Stone, and the group was whisked away.

Once the light had cleared and their surroundings revealed to them, Emiri closed her eyes. A surging headache pulsed through her skull. The Mist was so different here, and she knew why. As she opened her eyes, what could only be described as a crystal paradise surrounded them. Colors glimmered all around them, magicks could be felt without needing Viera blood. "We...we are inside the crystal...?" Emiri half wondered, half realized.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"You have my word."

On solid ground once more, Emiri finally released Grant. The man let out a sigh of relief; no doubt if she wanted to, the girl could have possibly ripped his arm off. He wasn't going to say he didn't enjoy it though, but it also made him feel somewhat...conflicted. He wasn't really sure why. Hell, he was glad enough when she said she wanted their friendship. Gods knew he didn't deserve it. Perhaps maybe there was a very small part of him that wanted to be with her. Very, very small. For the moment, however, it would have to wait. He would deal with it later, as the rest of Giruvegan awaited them.

All the twists and turns led to a more secluded, yet higher portion of the place. Oh how Nadeline wished she could stop and properly document the place! The architecture was unlike anything she had ever seen. They were making history as well, who else could say they had actually traversed though a legendary land? Alas, the opportunity to properly study simply was not now. She did, however, make sure to examine everything as much as she could between their battles. She would make sure she wrote everything down when they got back to the ship.

A door marked a path for the group. As they approached it, its doors swung open, awaiting them. In the distance, another Way Stone could be seen at the end of the path. Much like before, this path was purely magical. Emiri let out a low groan as they walked over it, and she tried not to look down as they walked. She did notice, however, that it almost looked like they were right under the giant crystal. She couldn't believe its size! As they approached the Way Stone, the sound of flapping wings distracted them. "Oh, not here..." Emiri whined as a rather large dragon landed in front of them. Nonetheless she readied her weapon, as did the rest of the party, the Tyrant letting out a rather savage roar.

Emiri shot forth an arrow, and it pierced right through one of its wings. It didn't quite appreciate that and prepared a flame attack. Nadeline stepped up this time, her white glyph appearing beneath each one of them. "Shellga!" As the dragon's flames hit them, her spell negated its attack, protecting them. "We must be cautious, lest we fall off!" She said as she dashed forward for an attack.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Now Nadeline was actually worried that Jaakuna really was losing his mind. Sure it was funny before, but now she was genuinely concerned. Still, there was little that could be done to help; the Mist that had been inside Jaakuna may have made him react differently to Mist around him. It would explain his behavior...to an extent. The voice still made her rather weary of, well, everything. And even though the Mist wasn't as wild as the Feywood, it was still plentiful. So she would chalk it up to that...for now, anyway. She made a mental note to keep an eye on both him and Emiri. Who knew what being around this place would do to either of them.

Said brunette had wandered over to what looked like a dead end. She could see the other places in the distance, but how in the world were they going to get across? Against her better judgement, she peeked over the edge. The place seemed entirely endless, like if she fell, she would probably be falling forever. She quickly got up and backed away, shuddering from the thought. However, as she backed away she bumped into Grant and staggered forward. She thought she was going to fall, but to her relief and horror she found herself stepping on air. Literally. She froze in place, afraid that any movement would make her fall. Nadeline let out a gasp at this, though it was one of intrigue than anything.

"How are you doing that?" Grant asked, completely serious.

Emiri looked like she was about to faint. She was absolutely terrified, and she unwillingly looked down. She let out a small, chocked scream of horror, though as she stepped back, a green light appeared and revealed a platform. Several platforms then appeared and linked the previous place to the new one. Nadeline let out a small breath of wonder, and she too stepped on it. Though she was much more confident than Emiri was. "Well, that's one way to get across." She replied, nodding.

Grant went over to the still frozen Emiri and shook his head. He offered his hand, and she practically jumped on him. The group would then cross.

Sword Art Online: One Hundred Levels Up

"Did you hear that?"

The pair stopped in their tracks, having heard the scream from behind them. Apparently, they were in between the cocky solo player and a damsel in distress. The pair looked at one another for a moment. They didn't know what kind of person was ahead, but they did know the person behind them was in trouble. Maybe they had run into a trap; Artemis wouldn't be surprised if an ambush lay in wait for them. She suddenly felt very regretful that she brought Apollo along now. That regret came full blast when Apollo decided to run back, towards the scream. "Wait!" She called out after him (again) and she let out an irritated groan. It's not that she had never encountered PKers before, but if anything happened to her brother...She quickly shook that thought of and took off running after him.

Apollo ran as fast as he could, his sister's quicker footsteps indicating that she was right behind him. It didn't sound too far off, so that much was good. As he turned the corner, he spotted the problem: a swarm of winged creatures had decided to make a young looking blue haired girl their next meal. Boy, there were sure a lot of them. Apollo stopped in his tracks for a moment, though Artemis ran right past him. As both the girl and the monsters got closer, Apollo braced himself for what was probably going to be a difficult fight. Artemis had the same thought, though she made sure she was going in with her sword ablaze. Said sword glowed its usual light blue, and once she was almost face to face with the girl, she side stepped and whirled around her, cutting down the first monster in sight.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The gates opened, and the group entered. The gate then closed behind them as they walked. It was as if they had been transported to an entirely different place: there wasn't the slightest trace of snow, and the Mist was much, much calmer. The road before them was decorated elaborately with pillars, the ground beneath them showing water running under them. To say it was amazing was just a complete understatement. Grant found himself in complete awe of the ancient capital. Still, there was just the slightest feeling of eeriness. Obviously the place was deathly quiet, and that, for some reason, was just plain unnerving.

“Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that it holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth. Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries...until now.” Nadeline spoke as they walked.

Eventually, they had reached what looked to be a dead end--except for the Waystone before them. As Emiri approached, she noticed it had already been lit up. Perhaps when Belias opened the gate, he had also activated the Way Stone. The group gathered around it, watching its magicks within the stone. Emiri nodded to everyone, and she touched the stone, teleporting everyone within. The feeling inside wherever there were was vastly different from outside. There was a lot of Mist, sure, but it was not like the Feywood. There the Mist was heavy, thick, and wild; here it danced around them. It was such a weird feeling for her, though she wasn't sure if anyone had noticed. What she did notice, however, made her gasp out loud. What could only be described as several floating platforms and a giant crystal hovering some distance away from them. Its size was absolutely massive, to say the least.

"Be careful, everyone." Nadeline would state as they began to move forward.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline narrowed her eyes at the fallen monsters. She didn't like this one bit, more so that there was no sign of whatever it was that conquered these monsters. Were there others seeking Giruvegan? If so, where were they? Had they already gotten in? As they approached the gate, she swore she saw the symbol on Jaakuna's hand glow. How suspicious. She would tuck her thoughts on the monsters into the back of her head for now. She approached the gate, running her hand over it. It was well designed, and absolutely massive. It was also somewhat smooth; Jaakuna's climbing suggestion was out of the picture. It didn't react to her touch, either.

"Emiri, come here." Nadeline told her. The brunette did as she was told, though nothing happened. Nadeline took her hand and placed it on the gate. Nothing still. So much for that. Though she did notice something where she had put her hand. It was somewhat hard to read, but it resembled the texts in the tome. "Gate...Gigas...?" She read slowly, and it hit her. "Gigas, as in Belias? Then..." She looked at Jaakuna. "Belias will open the way for us. Summon him." She said to him.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Great, Jaakuna was hearing it again. Unlike Emiri, Nadeline was not too keen on following orders from some strange voice inside his head. Frankly, she found it odd that she was not more concerned. Still, it was about as helpful as anything...provided its so called hints even made any sense. No, it did make sense. Shadows of the fallen only meant that whatever beasts they were supposed to slay for the path to be opened had already been slain. Question is, what exactly had slain them? Could it have been the voice, perhaps? Grant raised an eyebrow as Nadeline thought, though she caught the hint.

"No. The tome pertains strictly to Esper lore." She replied though she did look at Jaakuna. "Shadows of the fallen...in other words, look for the bodies of the slain."