Fighting Headstrong in our Final Hour: Ongoing

[voidtreckermods]

Here are the ongoing threads for the final mission: Fighting Steadfast in our final hour.

For both the Purple and Blue threads please respond to the NPC thread in one thread together like a boss fight. Please only respond once per round, a round change is indicated by an NPC tag. Please bold any questions or important speech to help us!

For Orange and Red it is more freeform and tagging amongst yourselves as they make the connection and deal with the energy surge.

Comments

[paopuofyourlife]

Kairi currently was one of those who was keeping back and keeping an eye out. But at least she had at least one thing to say.

"And if I did say I missed you? But I have to ask have you been good since we last saw each other?"

Yes it wasn't getting to the point, but she had noticed at least that someone else had already said something about it and didn't feel the need to add more. So instead she was just going with a tiny bit playful.

"But as a couple of the folks here mentioned we may be needing your help. SO please listen to them, okay?"

[jan_ken_hacking]

It is long, and yet Kiyoiri doesn't feel that it drags somehow. There is a certain energy and anticipation that carries each step- like any good movie, show, story, the journey there does not slog and plod along.

It simply moves.

Who knows, how long it has been since she made her offering and shared her stories to Chaos. But when the opportunity rises to come and speak at last, she practically 'hops' from where she was, to where she stands now- joined by the form Takechirou has chosen for the trek.

(The first hero for any child, for all children- 'Nursery Rhyme'.)

Kiyoiri lands- and gives a small curtsey. While unintended, her mystic code armor looks very much like a ballroom knight and princess all in one, which perhaps matches with the theme of such a stage. The girl takes in the sights, and then looks forward and smiles.

"....I did," she begins, but her smile is sad. "...I wish, that a visit was all we could have come for. I was honest, when I brought my gift- I didn't expect to see you again in this way.... ...And now, like changing tides, even if some old friends come, there are new friends here with me as well."

The smile is perhaps a bit amused as she says that- for after all, a few others in such a category have already shouted- and LOUDLY. But...ah. The others are more to the point.

The smile is sad indeed. "....They say the truth. ....We found the things that took Diagad- the things that will, and are, taking others in the same way. ....We need your help."

But perhaps more than that, it is Chaos' right to have a say in what happens to those things, as well.

[monkeyinthewrench]

Jake honestly has very little context for what's going on here. He'd picked up his gun, tried to stick to smaller fights, and joined in the noisemaking on the way here (with perhaps an encore performance of the Bird Song) but. Here they were. Arguing with something big and ominous.

He's quiet as he listens to the others' appeals, nodding along.

"Yeah. We don't know what's going to happen if we attack the big ol' mean purple world eaters, but we've gotta try something. And you look big and beefy enough to take 'em on!"

...flattery works, right?

[nutkrusher]

"I mean, unless you're not feeling...chaotic enough anymore. It's no problem if you aren't, it happens to lots of guys, but we were hoping..."

Cassie crosses her arms and shoots a sharp, narrow smirk in its direction.

[voidtreckernpcs]

YOU ARE ALL SO SMALL, HOW SHOULD I KNOW WHICH ONES I HAVE MET BEFORE. SOME OF YOU YES YES. THANK YOU FOR THE GIFTS. The colours shift and twist on the stage, almost seeming to turn to each one as they spoke or yelled or smirked in their direction.

SO THE BIG STRONG HEROES NEED MY HELP? AFTER LEAVING ME HERE. ALONE! ALAS ALONE ON THIS WORLD BUT SUCH BEAUTY I CREATED. DO YOU LIKE IT? DO YOU LOVE WHAT I'VE DONE WITH THE PLACE.

Laughter ripples through the lightning.

BUT WHAT WHAT OF THESE SHAPES. FIENDS! DESTROYERS. THEY TOOK EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING. YOU NEED HELP. OH HEROES. WELL.

WELL.

[unrecovered]

Chaos isn't exactly happy to see them, and honestly, Wash can't blame him. He was never particularly to see his jailers either, and solitary fucking sucked. And here they are asking for his help...

Well, it's not like they have another plan. It's this or nothing. "Love it," he says lightly, because if Chaos is going to make jokes then fuck it, why not. "Let me call Home and Garden and set up a tour."

He gives that a few moments to settle, and shrugs. "Yeah, turns out you have a very specific set of skills, and we think you could help. You brought a whole bunch of people here from all over, and you kept us here in your new Diagad. You want revenge? Do the same thing to the shapes." Another beat. Another moment or two for the proposal to sink in. "They took everything from you, so do the same to them. Take their freedom. You can build a new Diagad and use them to populate it, or you can just keep them in a fucking box and let them rot. Either way, you get the last laugh."

[jan_ken_hacking]

Kiyoiri just beams. Radiate optimism and it'll probably come back. It fades again though- she doesn't doubt their loneliness. Ahh, but she should acknowledge Chaos' question, shouldn't she? Does she like it? Of course. "...It was very fun to make our way here," she answers honestly. "...Thank you for that chance."

And now...the rest. "We couldn't stay- that was why we said our goodbyes. We promised to meet again as time allowed, and not to hold the other back."

A swallow- the girl nods. "...They took everything. They want to take more. We need help- but this is your right too. To choose to help, to choose what to do to them. What they took, they decided wasn't enough- they have already ruined many others, some beyond more than memory."

[they_call_me_sonic]

“We kinda need you on this. I mean, I wasn’t here for what happened, but I get your side and theirs.” Sonic said. “I might not condone the idea sticking people in places that they don’t wanna be in, but the idea of taking the fight to those who took your home and maybe getting it back is right up my alley!”

[monkeyinthewrench]

Jake listens to everyone's pitches and nods along, and then...wait. Maybe he should---hm.

"Come on, you don't want to let 'em outdo you, right? You're the biggest and most powerful! And possibly the most attractive, but only if you're into that. We'll clear the way for you, and you light the fireworks? Sound good?"

[voidtreckernpcs]

I LIKE YOU That to Jake as laughter rippled through the lightning once again.

MAKE THEM PAY. GIVE THEM HELL. BRING THEM HERE. TO MY WORLD? TO MY PARADISE? SO THEY CAN EAT THAT TOO?

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ASK? Yes Yes OF COURSE YOU DO. YOU COME AND ASK AND TAKE AND LEAVE BUT YOU DID. YOU CAME BACK. JUST AS YOU SAID.

There's a silence for a moment, just a rumbling through the world like distant thunder. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE TRAPPED. TRULY TRAPPED. YOU PUT ME IN A BOX WHEN I HAD THE WHOLE OF EVERYTHING. YOU TOOK IT. MAYBE I SHOULD PUT YOU IN A BOX. WITH THEM. ALL TOGETHER. YES. WOULD YOU LIKE THAT LITTLE ANTS?

[they_call_me_sonic]

"Oh, give me a break..." Sonic uttered before shaking his head and speaking up. "We've all been trapped! A lot of us have been stuck here for months if not years, stuck on that train! We know that feeling. Believe me, I hate it. I like to run free, roam free! Nothing holding me back, no master but the wind that blows!"

"We're not here to send those things to you, we're going to bring you to them! You want to keep this world after we're done? Fine! Maybe the ministry or whatever'll let you go and have this! I hope they do!"

[unrecovered]

And this is where the conversation gets dangerous. It was hard enough to get the hell out of here the first time, and Wash isn't sure the Ministry can manage it again if Chaos decides he wants to keep them in his fucked up little dollhouse.

And he'd come here anyway. Go figure.

He lets Sonic speak his piece and steps in, flat and controlled in stark contrast to Sonic's passion. "Yeah. I know what it's like. And I'm not talking about the train; I mean a fucking box, because you did something and someone else had opinions on that and enough power to put you there." Solitary confinement had been a very specific type of hell, and he'd lived there for months - longer than Chaos had been trapped here by the ministry, though he's not about to bring that up. "So I've been there. I know how this feels. And yet we're still here with a proposition for you, so what does that tell you?"

That they're desperate, honestly, but he's not about to bring that up either.

He debates for a moment or two before adding, "And like you said, we did come back." He doesn't remember that promise - he gets the feeling it had happened sometime after he'd left - but if Chaos remembers it well enough to mention, then it's well worth keeping it fresh in Chaos's mind. Hopefully it'll help.

[jan_ken_hacking]

With a breath, Kiyoiri steps forward, her 'Servant' watching dangerously from her side.

"...Does what we said mean nothing then?" she asks through the stage. "...We parted peacefully with those words- because we understood each other. Because I think, we understand each other now. I told you the truth. ...You know from my stories, that I've been trapped, and trapped with worse. A planet that was there, and then gone. We both plan to fight for them, no matter the cost. Either to recover that place, or to avenge it."

Beside her, 'Nursery Rhyme' creates a book from their hands. Kiyoiri keeps going, glancing back only briefly. The real Nursery Rhyme's words come to mind, from a time before-

The story lasts forever, like thin fingers going back to the first page, or reaching for the second volume. As long as the sad reader refuses to accept reality.

(...That's Chaos to a T, perhaps.)

"...We would never have asked you this, if we thought you would lose. I would never ask, if I thought we would lose you."

Standing more resolutely, she steps forward. "....I would not have come in armor, if I was not willing to help you too."

It's one thing when they come and ask for Chaos to help.

What if they ask to make it mutual?

[paopuofyourlife]

"I don't know if I can say my experiences was like being trapped" I mean given her situation where her heart went to Sora's when Destiny Islands got taken over and then the whole having to wait there for him to come back, staying day in and out there. To her that was very different kind of trapped.

"But... we can come to some kind of deal where it's fair on both sides? Would that work? That way you know we aren't just using you or anything because you will get something out of it too."

[monkeyinthewrench]

"No, they're not gonna eat your paradise. All that void energy you've been drinking up? Turns out you're strong enough to finish it for good if we funnel them through!"

Jake takes a breath. He really isn't sure if this is the right thing, but...

"Everybody's hurting...I'm sorry, I really am. Wish we could go back and fix things for you, but it turns out this whole mess was caused by a group trying to undo a huge loss to begin with. Time travel's incredibly dangerous, actually."

He waits a moment, then continues: "All we're trying to do is stop things from getting any worse. Right now, the world eaters are pouring in nonstop and eating more and more. We're trying to stop that. If you let our team finish their prep, here's what's gonna happen: We seal the rift and keep any more world eaters from getting loose, funnel the rest to you, you show off your super awesome power and eat them, and all the destruction stops. If you let them eat us...one, that's not cool, bro, and two, they keep pouring in, and I don't think that's good for anybody."

[voidtreckernpcs]

TRAPPED. ALL OF YOU. ME. ALAS ALAS THE WHOLE WORLD EVERY WORLD WE ARE ALL JUST IN BOXES.

TINY BOXES BIG BOXES BOXES WITH SPIKES.

EAT THE WORLD EATERS. WHAT A CHANCE. WHAT IRONY.

SO THEY WILL BE DEVOURED AS WE WERE DEVOURED. DROWN IN PURPLE SKIES.

The colours shift and whirl. FAIR IS FAIR. PAIN IS PAIN. TELL ME. TELL ME YOUR GRAND PLAN VOIDTRECKERS.

[weifinder]

Wei Wuxian taps his flute against the palm of his hand, adding his voice to the rest in a mild manner. Quiet until now, listening and watching. Chaos is a contradictory being; it's not a surprise.

Chaos had chosen, by its own wording, the kindness of letting him go the first time, hadn't it?

"To consume the consumers?" Traps are like mouths, swallowing their quarries. "Hold open the breach, and light the beacon. Draw them in, and close the breach. To musical accompaniment, if you'd have it."

His flute, tassel brilliant, bleeding red, held up, smile on his lips.

[zigajoule]

"YOU HEARD THEM! THEY OFFER AN ALLIANCE WHERE YOU CAN BRING FORTH THE VENGEANCE YOUR PEOPLE DESERVE! HOW MANY HAVE A CHANCE TO UTTERLY DESTROY THEIR ENEMY AND BRING THEM TO FACE THEIR WILL? THEY HAVE DISHONORED YOUR WORLD AND ALL YOUR PEOPLE!"

Sebek shouts still just as loud. The air seems to vibrate around him, and he's surprised it has taken this long to convince Chaos to join them. If Master Malleus had been slighted by these shapes, Sebek would jump at the chance to avenge him. Not that Master Malleus would ever be destroyed by the likes of these strange shapes. In fact, Sebek will suggest that they try to reach one of the Master Malleuses (or all three) to help defeat them.

"AND YOU GET TO DO SO TO MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT! YOU WON'T EVEN HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO COMPOSE A PLAY OF THE BATTLE AFTER!"

[voidtreckernpcs]

YES YES. THERE MUST BE MUSIC MY FLUTE PLAYER. PLAY FOR ME.

ALL OF YOU READY THE STAGE. LIGHT THIS BEACON. SUMMON THESE BEASTS.

I SHALL READY MY ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE!

The energy swirls and begins to rise to the sky. If they have anything more to add, now is the time.

[unrecovered]

He keeps his mouth shut for two seconds and suddenly it's a musical.

...you know what, why not? It sounds like that's what's pushed Chaos over the edge into helping them, and he's not about to argue with it. Not if it gets the job done.

(Plus, his time in Faerun taught him that bards will fuck you up just as quickly and thoroughly as any other class. Hopefully that holds true here.)

He shrugs and grins. "See you on the other side." Because he's not sure Break a leg will translate and he's not about to risk it.

Theater kid. Honestly.

[weifinder]

"Thank you," he says first, soft and meaningful, eyes not so much gentled as appreciative of what he can't encompass beyond that. Wei Wuxian's smile is a thing of teeth and a flash of red lips, his flute twirled around his fingers and then caught, brought up to his lips.

And so, he begins to play: a challenge, a call, a commanding not for Chaos but for those which will face Chaos. The weight of emotions that had been, of nightmares and memories, imparting what strength, what compulsion, what demanding and the arrogance of calling out into the darkness and saying: here I am. Come.

It may not be the beacon, but it is a beacon, and it is a song that sparks with Chaos, as much as anything produced by one man could ever be. Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, if they were looking for a human embodiment of chaos, Wei Wuxian was arguably a great one.

Right now, however, he's Chaos's live soundtrack to its existence, and to whatever may come.

[monkeyinthewrench]

Whoa. A smile threatens to split his face at this awesome turn of events. But Jake really wishes he had a guitar right now. He could've joined in for some screamo vibes, really made it roar! But nobody wanted to hear that, really.

So he settles for grabbing some pens from his pocket and tap-tapping them like drumsticks. It's not much, but it's in the spirit.

[jan_ken_hacking]

Nothing to add- save one small thing. "...Thank you," Kiyoiri says honestly, and of course- "...I'll make sure to show you a comic for this after."

This sort of story demands to be immortalized after all.

[motherofresistance]

Leia has stood back til now, giving others an opportunity to speak. But before Chaos moves off she does offer a few parting words. "Thank you," she said. "And my apologies for what I said to you- and believed of you- the last time I was here; rarely have I been happier to be proven wrong."

She offers an elegant bow in the direction of the swirling colors. "May your performance be magnificent... and your revenge sweet." A Jedi didn't take- or condone taking- revenge. But Leia wasn't, strictly speaking, a Jedi. And for all their vast differences, she and Chaos had one thing in common. And for that alone, if nothing else, she wished them well.