Into the Dragon's Lair, So to speak...

[mooglenews]

WHO: Everyone.
LOCATION: The World That Never Was.
TIME: RIGHT NOW!
WHAT: An attack is finally being launched on Maleficent's turf to try and take her down.
RATING: We'll see-- probably a PG-13 at least for lots of violence.

Here is how this is going to work!

• There is NO TAGGING ORDER, especially with groups so large. It's important that we keep each thread rolling, so don't worry about sticking with a particular order. Post whenever you can!

• Each group is going to be lead along by the mods. We have particular things planned for each group, which means the threads should be kept moving. We're not going to rush anything, but we will move things along ourselves if a group hits a snag.

• There is a OOC plotting post for this. Use it! Coordinating between players and your group-mates is a very good thing. If there's a certain post where people have planned to go next, mention it in an ooc note on the comment preceding it.

• If you missed the chance to sign up for a group, want to participate but didn't want to be in a group, or in general just want to show up and participate in some form, never fear! There's a comment section just for you. We'll figure out something for you.

• For reference: there will be no formal healer group. Instead, the healer group has become support. Each group will have ONE support character who will be tailing their designated group and hopping in to assist and/or heal whenever they deem it necessary. They are as follows:
GROUP 1; Kairi, GROUP 2; Lenalee Lee, GROUP 3; Winry Rockbell, DEMON GROUP; Zelda.

Also! Bear in mind that this attack will last longer than just tonight! Everyone has several days to keep threading. We have specific dates for when each portion of the fight will be taking place. These are just references for when things will be done IN-GAME so that things are fairly spaced out, NOT how fast you have to get them done! Please keep threading even after the date it happens in-game.

Comments

Demon At The Gate (DEMON GROUP)

[mooglenews]

Evening has set, the sun only a sliver upon the horizon as night cements its hold of the world. The castle looms ahead, the one entrance into the castle seemingly unguarded. By now, it's common knowledge that this is untrue, the experience the residents of the worlds have had with the monster that guards the castle all too real and hard to forget. A breeze swirls by, rustling the bare trees that stand behind the heroes chosen to face the monster for the final time. In the distance, the howl of the beast is heard, the only ominous sign that the monster has not simply disappeared completely.

But where is the monster? Allen, Dante, Nero, Obi-Wan, Oz and Qui-Gon are left to puzzle this out. Upon approaching the gate to the castle, instead of a monster, two young women appear from the shadows. What will our heroes do?

[albinoidiot]

There was adrenaline rushing through his veins as they stood there waiting for the next step. Unfortunately for everyone, Dante had somewhat made himself the unofficial leader, at least he liked to think he was. There was clearly an elder amongst them and probably the wisest, so Dante knew well enough to drop an idea if he didn't agree. The rest just had to live with his cocky self.

"Not bad, guys, not bad." He called out, swinging his sword on his shoulder before giving the place another once-over. "Now I wonder what they'll throw at us ne-"

And their next targets appeared from the darkness: women. Very good looking young women. You know what, the mere fact that their silhouette proved they had amazing female bodies was enough to have Dante chuckling.

"Something tells me that's not our prize for our good work. If it is, I'm not sharing."

[mynameisallen]

Allen had his innocence activated and he was generally going to be wary for the time being. There was no time to be distracted by anything, so his reaction to someone being distracted by girls all the young man could do was sigh and run his free hand through his hair.

"Well, they aren't anything that I know, but I can't say whether if it a friend or foe, but my guess would be foe."

[exsistingismysin]

While Oz would usually at seeing beautiful ladies such as the ones in front of them right now, they were meant to be doing a job and that alone. So glancing at the others and listening to what they have to say, Oz thought to keep a grip on his sword.

"Maybe if one of us talk to them, we can find out, right?"

[castle_npcs]

"I hope you're not expecting victory to be handed to you," the first young woman said, stepping forward to reveal herself from the shadows with an icy smile. "I am Anemoi, ruler of the winds."

And as if to demonstrate her control over this element, a sharp gust of wind snapped up in the immediate area before dying down in a low howl.

"What a shame. It seems we have ourselves a group of dim-wits and muscleheads, sister," Anemoi remarked, sizing up the group with a look of great disdain. "I wonder if our stipulations are even going to be necessary. It will make this dreadfully easy."

[NEXT RESPONSE: SECOND NPC]

[castle_npcs]

The second shadow emerged from the shadows, her green tinted skin and tattoos appearing muted in the evening light. She calmly regarded her sister for a moment before allowing her golden snake-like eyes flicker over to the people gathered before them. A small smile tugged at her red hued lips.

"Oh, is that all they sent...? I would have thought they might have been smarter." She giggled, lifting her hand to bite down playfully on one of her fingernails."But they are good looking, at least. That's sort of fun, isn't it?"

She paused, her lips curling into a more sinister expression. "I'd love to see their faces twisted in anguish."

Sand Strewn Answers (GROUP 2)

[mooglenews]

The heroes who faced the demon at the gates have been successful, allowing Elizabeth, Link, Sailor Mars, Tidus, Saleh and Xion to proceed toward their trial. As they open the door to the room that they hope will lead to one of the guardians keeping up the spell to Maleficent's room locked, they are greeted with a sight that is beyond anything they could have imagined in a room that is supposed to only be so big. They appear on a ledge overlooking a massively gargantuan labyrinth, the only entrance to the maze far below them, at the base of a winding and perilous path of stairs and ledges. There is no time to loiter at the ledge, and there is no option to turn back, so the group is faced with the fact that they can only move forward.

Once the group arrives at the entrance they can see an inscription over the door, below which reside 6 gems of different colors. One each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. The inscription reads:

Intrepid heroes beware;
the monster that lies in wait
angered, can disastrously end your fate
unless you provide answers with care.

the color that suits you
is the companion you must take
the seal, the orbs will break
make quick and travel through

What will the heroes decide? Their choices will affect what they must conquer when they find their way through the labyrinth.

[triforcewielder]

Link wasn't exactly sure what to do about this new problem but he leaned in and read the description on the door (thanks to the handy translator in his communicator!) He didn't particularly have a clue where to start but he'll manage this somehow. He turned around to his fellow partners.

'What do you all think?' was painted rather plainly over his features.

[offrillsandswords]

Elizabeth wasn't exactly one for puzzle or riddles, she was more of a dressing up and tea party sort. She knew Ciel would have done better with this than she could, but that just reminded her that's who she was doing this for.

She leaning closer to the gems, she was going to attempt to study them and what was written. Trying for once to seem as smart.

"Color that suits you. Do you suppose they mean something that looks cute?"

[memoryreprieved]

"I... don't know."

Xion seemed to be a little more than distracted though. She had gone in expecting to be pretty familiar with the castle. She'd lived there for almost a year, after all. So, this latest, uh. Installation. Was pretty new. She studied the six different colored orbs in front of them before her eyes went back to the riddle. She wanted to just take one and get going, but if they did this wrong...

[blitz_acing]

"It's not what's cute. It's something else."

Tidus wasn't sure if he really understood what the riddle meant--this wasn't Spira's Cloister of Trials--but if anything, he was comfortable with going with what seemed right and hoping for the best.

In this case, hoping no one got hurt.

He shook his head, and let his hand hover over each gem.

"I think we take the one that we think represents us."

No use in hesitating now. He snatched the yellow one, looking around for some sort of trap.

[mountain_sage]

Saleh also looked over the riddle and the gemstones.

"So each of us is to take one of these stones, is that it? The one that best suits us...the one that catches our eye."

In Saleh's case, that would be the green stone, which he reached for and picked up carefully. He held it gently between two fingers, studying it closely.

Hard Fought..... Hard Won? (GROUP 3)

[mooglenews]

Veering off far from the other groups in a portion of the castle that seems impossible due to the shape of the castle, Aqua, Edward, Fai, Kresnik, Mai, and Terra will find themselves wandering through a winding corridor. It's hard to predict where you'll end up. After some traveling under unnerving silence and no enemies, the group will eventually come to a crossroads: one path to the left, one forward, and one to the right.

The left path is marked with a sword. The middle path is marked with a shield. The right path is marked with a magic staff.

What do these marks mean? Who knows? But you all must pick one path and follow it. Attempts to split up will only bounce the characters back into the center of the room. There is no turning back after you decide. So which one will it be?

[savesjerkbenders]

"Just great."

After who knows how long of silent walking, their endeavors led them to a three-way fork? No, Mai was not amused. Her fingertips were tingling in anticipation for a fight. Who knows how the other teams were faring but she felt useless knowing that more they walked and the less monster's they took out, someone was going to have to deal with them. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Any ideas?" Because she was just going to go right if anyone didn't choose soon.

[darkerearth]

Terra feels like maybe he's been through something like this before. He's always gone with a sword and he's always battled with a sword, it's just...what he prefers.

Maybe Maleficent knows that they might go after something like that. He knows Aqua would most likely pick the magic staff too, so he decides to voice his opinion. Whether they'll all listen or not, he doesn't know.

"The shield. We go that way." he was pretty confident in voicing his opinion. Looking serious, he decided to go ahead and start walking that way.

[iscursednomore]

Fai on the other hand stayed where he was, they each represented something. Sword for attack, shield for defense and the staff he figured for magic, but Fai was for right now uncertain on if what Terra said could be considered correct or not. So for the moment he chose to just simply close his eyes, and try and see if he could sense any kind of magic. That would at least be a start.

"If people could wait a moment, I could check to see where magic might be, if there's magic then maybe there's a trap or something down there."

[nameofexorcist]

Crossroads... well, that's something that Kresnik is used to, even though he doesn't necessarily like it. Despite being a commander, he doesn't have any problem following other people's suggestions. After looking at Terra and Fai and listening to their input, he decides to speak up.

"There's no sense in rushing into a path. We can wait for Fai to check for magic."

[wavesinherheart]

Terra would be absolutely correct in his assumption that Aqua would pick the staff. Although she could certainly understand the reasoning behind going for the shield, none of them knew what would lie behind each of the paths, much less what would happen if they picked one over the other. For all they knew, it could just as be meant as a hindrance over a help, not that this would stop her from picking the staff all the same. She could manage without magic, but it wasn't something that she would look for.

"I agree. It'll be easier if we have some idea of what we're getting ourselves into."

The Final Countdown (GROUP 1)

[mooglenews]

Once inside the castle, Leon, Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Ventus, Kanda, and Tuxedo Mask will find themselves traversing a treacherously long staircase upward. It's as if it was built to purposely drive its travelers insane. Perhaps it was, given the current owner of the castle. The hallway seems awfully dark and dank given the pristine white exterior of the rebuilt castle, warped by the overwhelming darkness that's resonating from within the throne room that Maleficent claimed as her own personal lair. Lining the stairway are torches, lit with green fire, and with each step, the stairway under their feet seems to crack and crumble a bit.

Once the top of the stairway is reached, the group finds their selves in a round empty room with another hallway leading up directly in front of them. It's covered by a gate, however, and no amount of force or cleverness will break it down. Instead, a mob of generic Heartless begin seeping up through the ground to attack the group.

It... almost seems too simple, doesn't it?

((NEXT RESPONSE: SAILOR MOON))

[moonbeams]

The sudden appearance of the heartless caught Sailor Moon off guard, but not enough to prevent the materialization of her tiare with which she managed to knock several of the heartless back into the walls of the room.

"Look out! They're... they're appearing everywhere!" Sailor Moon turned back to her companions, her blue eyes wide with concern -- at the very least she had Venus and Tuxedo Mask here with her. She knew they would be okay -- she only hoped the others would fare well also.

"The gate....!"

[notsquall]

So much for the path up to Maleficent. The dark fairy knew what was coming up after her, so Leon doubted it would be simple, but he tried swinging his gunblade down on the gate anyway. He was promptly met with resistance and not even a glimmer of success. He staggered back, turning around so he didn't have his back to the heartless.

"No luck! Anyone got a better idea?" he prompted, cutting through two of the heartless that were lunging at him.

[salvagedlight]

Maleficent was evil, cruel, and torturous, but one thing she wasn't and had never been was stupid. They'd been fighting her for over a decade, and that was the one thing that hadn't changed.

"Let me try!" Wayward Wind left Ven's hand with a vengeance, the Strike Raid maneuver sending it flying in loops around the area, striking one, two, three Heartless in succession - not hard enough to kill them outright, but hard enough to take a good chunk out of their health. But he left finishing them off to his companions, already on the move when his weapon came back to his hand, high jumping over one Heartless that reached out to try and grab his pants as he sped by it. If there was a gate that was locked, he was their best opportunity of getting through...

Dodging one more Heartless, Ven planted his feet outside the gate and pointed his Keyblade directly in front of him. Light started to gather at the tip, building quickly, and a second later shot from the end of his weapon at the gate in front of him, a clicking echoing in the air...

...And nothing happened. What?!

"It didn't work! I don't get it, why didn't it-" And that was all the leeway he was afforded, as he had to stop talking to duck another Heartless attack and go back on the offensive and defensive at once. At this point all they could do was fight what was in front of them.

[decaying]

"We didn't get this far to be blocked off by some stupid gate!"

Kanda wasn't here to waste time, there was something big causing havoc and he was very determined to put it out of its misery with his very own blade. His fingertips were itching for a fight and quite frankly, he was not in the mood to deal with a stupid gate. Two people had blasted it and nothing. Clearly, this witch knew they were coming.

"You said this was supposed to be a surprise attack, you didn't tell us the damned witch would react this quickly." He grabbed his blade and brought it over his head. There next objective was the door, better that they all put their attention on that and not worry about the heartless.

"First illusion: Netherworld insects!" His blade caused a light-blue gash to appear suspended in space where creepy worm-like creatures escaped and began to attack at the heartless. It was keeping them preoccupied. Good.

Everything Counts in Large Amounts (ODDS AND ENDS)

[mooglenews]

[[ There is no setup required here, throw your characters in as you coordinate with other players or moderators. If you wish to have moderators NPC monsters for you, please contact a moderator through the OOC post, plurk or AIM ]]

[caseofthetruth]

Naoto had decided by herself to explore while the others were busy and hopefully gather as much information as she could possibly get about the world, it's dangers just anything that might be considered useful later. With her hand staying rather close to her gun holster, she walked around, knowing that it was best to keep on guard than to ever let it down.