rikunobodyxiii

Nox listened carefully to Rabiyu's explanation with the familiarity she had shown towards the Imp earlier. She was not pleased by the explanation. It sounded like a pitiful cover to divert attention. And if it wasn't...well, that was almost worse. That meant she was part of some sort of cyclical history that the Realm of Light faced. She wished she could just say that no other Twili was sent over since the Twilight Princess, but with the secrecy she had been sent, it was hard to be certain that another queen hadn't tried the same thing. Raj walked briskly after the guard, paying little attention to his surroundings, until they made to the hall of portraits. As he moved through the hall, his eyes would linger on the different depictions of Ganon that appeared in some of the art. The villain's affect on history seem to haunt his people to this day. A black mark that may have faded from direct memory, but still resided in the minds of other races. It was a mark Raj hoped to bury. Nox likewise didn't seem all that interested in the palace, but did take interest of the art work depicting the Hero of Twilight. Legends of how Queen Midna had been aided by the Hero and by a Princess Zelda were told often amoug the Twili, both as a tale of heroism and as a warning. Despite their separation, the realms of Light and Twilight could still influence one another. And that was why she was here. With the opening of the doors to the Princess's chambers, both Prince and Imp put their thoughts behind them. Though others were taken aback by Princess Zelda's attire, Raj stepped boldly forward and executed an elegant bow. "Your highness." He greeted solomnly. "I am Prince Raj of the Gerudo. I am honored to be invited into your presence." "Oh, please." Nox muttered, rolling her eyes.

Lacuna Nix attempted to create a nullification field around herself to block Harry's attacks, but it wasn't enough. Hit after hit blew off chunks of the crystalline material that made of up most of her body and cracked the china like material of her original self. The ball of Xad Energy hit full force, taking out the partial nullification field with it. The Vile and Wicked Void Witch was left smoking and blacked, but still alive. With one eye gone, she looked at the Pirate gang's "firing squad" and cackled in the instant before the Xad Energy barrage hit her. As the Energy faded, what was left of Lacuna Nix looked like a pile of debris. Pieces of crystal were intermixed with metal shards that were once the Keyblades Annistha had used to pin the Witch down. The original part of the Void Witch's body still looked largely intact, though blackened with a few holes showing a hollow inside and a few melted places. The effect was of a burned mannequin under rubble. Annistha walked over to Lacuna Nix's remains, feeling a weight on her heart ease. "At least you are now aven-" she thought, though that thought was froze in her head as movement of the crystals heralded that the Witch was yet alive. Lacuna Nix raised her remaining arm up weakly at Annistha. "Just die." The Survivor growled. Rearing back, Annistha sent a downward punch at the partly melted Void Witch. As her hand formed a fist, a greenish crackling Void Blade formed around it. Stabbing through Lacuna Nix's remaining torso, the blade unleashed a powerful beam of Void Energy. It shot up towards the sky, causing Annistha to stagger back, her eyes glowing blue briefly. The beam stopped suddenly as it slammed into the barrier that trapped Lacuna Nix here in Limbo. A huge dome of black and white energy chains appeared around the area Annistha, Harry, and his crew were. The light show lasted a second, then both magical energies canceled each other out. The beam faded away as the dome slowly melted away, showing the reddish patterns of Limbo. Annistha watched for a second, then crumpled to her knees, her Void Blade disengaging. The adrenaline and power that had got her going was fading and her injuries were demanding attention again. She could feel every burn, cut, and bruise she had gotten in this extended fight. It made her acutely aware what she was feeling with was a stranger's body. That power coursed through her she didn't fully understand. But that was quickly eclipsed by a rush of relief. Her family...Marcus...Drave...Lacuna...they could rest in piece. They hadn't died for nothing. "I finished it." She breathed, tears welling up her eyes. Half turning, the Survivor looked at Harry. As the last reminants of the Nexus power drained away from her, her aura changed. It still seemed like the woman he married, but there were some added bits and maybe a speck missing. "Hi, honey." Annistha said in a tired tone, with a small smile to match. Her eyes were red rimmed and tears flowed down her checks. "I'm home."

Sorry, dude. The weekend got busier than expected. I'll have a post up later this evening.

{Mariel: Mystras Rebellion; Center Flank - vs Shiva} Mariel's face hardened at Shiva throwing the Great War at her. "Don't talk to me about the war!" She yelled, her voice thundering in the enclosure. "My friends and fellow Legionaries died for your lands and people. And then your father abandoned what was left of us to die with the humans when he made that barrier! He let his fear override his honor, just like the humans!" In her fury, Mariel ignored the gathering ice storm. The first few pellets hit her before she reacted by forming a new shield from Bright Guard. The barrier managed to take dozens of hits, holding up better against blunt force trauma than the piercing nature of the ice spears, but it was still weakening. But by then, the Guardian Angel was ready. As the barrier failed, she let out a war cry, her swords spinning at blurring speed around her. She began to glow as she slashed pellets out of the air, trails of fire from Heaven's Flame melting ice that got close. Despite her tactics, she was still taking hits, but managed to keep full sized pellets from getting a direct hit. As the storm died down, Mariel didn't slow down. She kept swinging her swords in arcs as light collected on the blades. When the storm completely stopped, she turned and in rapid succession sent four slashes of light at Shiva, the two from Heaven's Flame were wreathed in fire. "The blood of thousands of angels are on your father's head for abandoning them to a needless death!" The Fiary Haired Angel thundered, finally coming to a stand still. "I have met generations of humans who had more honor than that!" Steam seemed to come off Mariel as the ice around her started melting. Though she continued to glow, her injuries were starting to show up. Blood came out of her nose and a large bruise was forming on her jaw. There were a few bloodstains in her white wings and her armor had a few new dents. "This is your final warning, your majesty." The Guardian Angel said in a lower tone, but one that promised a storm was not far off. "Prove yourself to not be your father and end this now, or accept the vengeance due him!"

Lacuna Nix made a dismissive sound. "That tramp didn't know anything worthwhile." She said in a mocking tone. "She was a loser who got tied up in lessor beings. And her existence was the price for her stupidity. So go ahead. Warm up your big bad attack and expect love to save you. Cause it won't." The Void Witch cackled uncontrollably, making no move to stop Harry's power build up. The Survivor struggled up onto her hands and knees. Her use of light had opened old conduits in her mind, connecting her to power she thought lost. To the remnants of ties once strong. There was only echoes left, but it had to be enough for one last time. Lacuna Nix noticed Delilah's movements and smiled evilly. "Of course it would be a shame to waste all that power." She said in a gleeful tone. Teleporting over to Delilah, the Void Witch grabbed her by the neck and drew her in close like a living shield. "Here's your choice, lover boy." She called out. "Use your power to kill me now, but also kill this 'innocent' in the process, or wait until I've killed her and have the Heart of Blue for myself. Then all you can do is make me stronger with your attacks." She nuzzled Delilah's neck. "Either way, you die quick this time, Delilah." She said softly into her victims ear as her hand moved in closer to take the heart. In a flash of light, the Keyblade True Light's Flight appeared in the Survivor's left hand, severing the Void Witch's crystalline hand. "That's not my name!" The Survivor said in a strangulated voice. Darkness and Light exploded out of her, blowing Lacuna Nix back. In that moment, The Survivor's aura changed to one Harry was intimately familiar with. "You took three of of the most precious people to me away." Annistha said hoarsely, turning to face Lacuna Nix. "You are not taking the last one away from me!" Walking forward, the remaining third of the Nexus summoned the Keyblade Total Eclipse to her right hand, and the Keyblade Rejection Of Fate appeared spinning around her, joining the orbiting particles of Darkness and Light. "You" She leapt and landed near the Void Witch, bringing True Light's Flight and Total Eclipse down on the Witch. "Can't" As she rose up for another strike with the Keyblades in her hands, Rejection Of Fate arched around and slashed at Lacuna Nix. "Take" With a massive swing, Annistha took Lacuna's Nix remaining original arm with Total Eclipse. "My" She stabbed the Void Witch in the stomach with her old Keyblade and raised her tormentor up. "Husband!" Annistha finished, fury and tears in her eyes. Lacuna Nix looked beat up. The crystal parts of her body were cracked as were even her "normal" skin, which looked like porcelain. With only one eye left, she looked at Annistha. "Guess again." She whispered, then teleported away. True Light's Flight was split in half, most of the blade in Lacuna's stomach while part of the blade and handle stayed with Annistha. Dropping the broken Keyblade, The Survivor whirled around looking for her target. She spotted Lacuna Nix a couple of meters behind Harry, lining up a shot. Roaring, Annistha put all of the remaining Nexus power she had left and threw Total Eclipse at Lacuna with the orbiting Rejection Of Fate spinning after it. Both Keyblades slammed into Lacuna Nix, pinning her to the ground and spoiling her aim. the last of the Nexus's power kept her from teleporting. "HARRY!" Annistha shouted. "NOW!"

Lacuna Nix laughed at Harry's retort. "Ah, look who's in the first stage of grief." She taunted with a gleeful smile. "Denial is always the first step." Forming two Void Blades in her hands and holding them like swords, the Void Witch bounced on her feet as Harry gave his speech, looking like she impatient for the coming clash. When Harry charged, she charged too, meeting him with a blade lock. She managed to block some of Harry's flurry of blows, though took a couple of hits. As Harry and Lacuna Nox clashed, Delilah looked up from her misery, stirred by Harry's words. As memories flooded back in her mind, familiarity with how Lacuna Nix attacked surfaced. She was petty and vindictive. She wouldn't want to kill Harry right away, but crippling him so he had to watch what she did was right up her alley. When Harry disengaged from Lacuna Nix to fire another Xad beam, Delilah had a pretty good idea what Lacuna Nix was going to do. She struggled up into a runners starting position, flecks of light appearing around her. Her tears began to dry as her face hardened with determination and anger. Lacuna Nix stood swaying a little as Harry pulled back to fire Xad Energy at her. Her crystalline body had some cracks and nicks from a few of Harry's blows that made it through, though she didn't really seem bothered by them. She looked like a junkie high off a fix, a lazy smile across her lips. When the beam of Xad Energy was almost upon her, she disappeared in a crackle of Void Energy, reappearing behind and to the side of Harry, throwing her Void Blades at his back. The instant the Void Witch disappeared, Delilah was off with a light empowered dash. She wasn't sure where Lacuna Nix was going to turn up, so she go to the other end of the attack. The target. Delilah slammed into Harry's back with enough force to knock him out of the path of the hurled Void Blades. One missed Harry by a few inches. The other grazed Delilah's side, causing her to grunt in pain. As she fell to the ground, a familiar blue glow emanated from her eyes. With the force of the blade altering her course, the Survivor landed beside where Harry ended up, clutching at the wound in her side. Lacuna was at first stunned, be recovered quickly with a "tsk tsk" noise. "Still trying to spoil my fun, Delilah?" She asked in a mocking tone.

Lacuna Nix whirled around in a blur and batted the energy Harry fired at her away with her hand, using the power of Nothingness to redirect the attack. "So, the lover boy has some brains after all." She said, a mad smile spreading across her lips as she looked around at Harry's crew. She was giggling as the Pirates all fired Xad Energy at her, disappearing an instant before it hit her. "Though still a bit dim." The Void Witch said, appearing by Harry with an arm around his shoulder. "First" Teleporting again, Lacuna Nix ended up to the pirate crew's left. "Your girlfriend was a freak. Accept that. Second" Another teleport, this time appearing sitting on Delilah, who was still in the throws of newly remembered despair. "You teleported your merry band of misfits into a prison designed to keep me in, thus stranding here for all eternity even if you managed to kill me. You can thank the freak for that. and thirdly" In a blink, she was back where she started from. "You still think your lady fair is still alive. Sorry to break it to you chuckles, but I erased her body, heart, and soul from existence. You don't come back from that. Not even that oh so sappy power of looove can change that. And now" With a snap of her fingers, Harry and crew were surrounded by a dome of Void Blades, like the one Xemnas entrapped Sora and Riku in during their battle inside the Realm of Nothingness. "I'm gonna kill your friends off one by one and the only one to blame for their deaths is you." She blew Harry a kiss, unleashing the Void Blades to fire off randomly at him and his crew.

(Eh, still not as lazy as me, so you're doing good. ) "That will work." Raj said, agreeing with Pixi. "Your...energy and prowess will be needed else where." The Gerudo Prince hoped that would mollify the Kokiri boy. He didn't doubt Kai had something they would need during this quest, whether skill in arms or something else. Fate's hand was all over this, thus the boy must have a purpose. With proper guidance, perhaps that potential would be revealed sooner rather than later.

{Mariel: Mystras Rebellion; Center Flank - vs Shiva} Mariel got some grim satisfaction from Shiva's reaction. So, she was doubting her own position. Her overreaction to Mariel's words said that loud and clear. "I know enough!" the Guardian Angel cried out. Eyeing Shiva's constructs, Mariel tensed her muscles for her counter attack. When the ice statues threw their spears, she leapt into the air, her wings beating mightily to keep her aloft. She took a hovering position for a moment as she slashed with Heaven's Flame, sending a wave of fire at two of the statues. She then dove for the other two, hitting one with a sonic scream, making sure to up the frequency to try and shatter it. the final construct the Fiery Haired Guardian Angel cleaved throught with both her blades. "I have protected and watched people for longer than you have lived, Queen Shiva!" Mariel yelled to her opponent, her voice sounding odd again after the scream. "And in that time, i have found whether human, Fey, or even angel, there are behaviors shared by all." Landing again, the Guardian Angel observed Shiva's tactic, but didn't try to stop her. If she wanted to trap Mariel in here, so be it. Mariel fostered a hope that Shiva wasn't beyond reason. And even if she was, keeping the leader of the enemy force occupied and away from her troops was a worthy enough goal. "I've seen leaders make decisions they regretted, ignoring their doubt instead of heeding it. Can you truly tell me that you do not have doubts? That every soldier out there dying in your name is doing so for a cause beyond question?"

The Survivor froze when she heard the name "Delilah" spoken. It was familiar and important. Was it her name? She got a moment to ponder this and catch her breath when Harry teleported away, but it didn't last. Moving at almost unnatural speeds, she dodged Harry's punch, moving back as her mind raced. "Look, I don't know that you're tal-" she tried to explain, but Harry unleashed the Xad Energy. The Survivor dodge rolled out of the way, but was still hit by some of the backlash of the Xad Energy. She ended up in a heap a few yards away, stuck in an awkward position. Her eyes snapped open in time for the tail end of the telltale blue glow. What ever this energy was, she got a taste. "ENOUGH!" Lacuna screamed, snapping her fingers. As soon as she did, the shard she had given Harry exploded, and started to expand around him like a second skin. "I can't have you hurting my prize after all I've done to get it." The Void Witch spat. Manipulating the growing shard prison, Lacuna threw Harry at the Survivor. Still recovering, the Survivor didn't have time to dodge and was hit full force by Harry. The Shards grafted to her too and both combatants were made immobile. "Now, let's take this somewhere private." Lacuna said, a nasty smile forming on her face. With another snap, the shards glowed red then exploded, blinding all observers. When the noise and the light died away, Lacuna, Harry, and the Survivor were gone. {Limbo} Limbo, the space between realities, looked like the interior of a blood vein. Reddish colors coursed all around, but with no discernible distain or scale. Harry and the Survivor hit a surface. It lacked any features that would have identified it as stone or earth. It was simply a surface. The Survivor and Harry were freed of the crystalline substance that had trapped them before. The Survivor groaned and struggled onto her knees, and was instantly kicked in the ribs by Lacuna. The Void Witch laughed as the wounded fighter went down. "I'm not even made anymore, Delilah." She said with a giggle. "It was actually pretty brilliant." She began to pace around Harry and the newly renamed Delilah. "Of course, your little mind couldn't have come up with it. Even before I wiped it completely, you were a dunce. No, I'm talking about this reality's version of me." As she spoke, Lacuna's image flickered and warbled till it disappeared entirely. What was left looked like Lacuna in the face, but that was about it. Only her head, right arm and roughly half of her torso looked close to human, though from seems here and there, she resembled a patchwork doll. The rest of her was made up of the crystal shards, making out a rough sketch of what a human body should look like. There were holes in the crystal that you could see through riddling her body. "She must have stashed the Heart of Blue in your empty husk after I killed lover boy here's freak of a girlfriend, or what ever it was for trapping me here." Lacuna Nix said, smiling evilly. "Too bad I killed her too, or I'd want to shake her hand." Delilah lay still, the only motions were the occasional shudder of a sob. "I remember." She said, almost too indistinctly to hear. "I tried to save them, but it was too late. I could hear their screams in my mind." Lacuna Nix laughed again. She was enjoying this. Maybe she wouldn't kill these two right away.

The Survivor notched another arrow and shot at Lacuna's image to the same result. "What is this?" She demanded, lowering her bow. "Fire!" The fire spell came from her extended hand and went through Lacuna, lighting something behind the Witch's image on fire. "You shut up!" Lacuna yelled at the Survivor, anger in her voice. "Not another word!" The Void Witch was trying to understand who this person who appeared to Harry was and what exactly this new way to stop the weakling would be. The Survivorwas too focused on a new way of trying to harm the Witch that she didn't register Harry's charge till it was nearly too late. Dropping her bow, she caught Harry around the neck with one hand as she grabbed onto his hand that held the jar, believing it to be some sort of weapon. It seemed she was right when it started to suck her in. She kept a tight grip on Harry's hand and throat, but was being pulled into the jar. When she wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this, she felt a familiar rush as magic the Jar was using on her was partially absorbed, causing her eyes to glow blue for an instant. Thinking fast, she used the powerful wind she had absorbed to pull Harry's arm with the Jar out of line with her. The instant that the Survivor's eyes glowed, The shard Harry had pulses violently and Lacuna's face lit up. "That's it!" She cried out. "That's the Heart of Blue working! That means it's right...here..." The Void Witch stared at the Survivor for a moment, a bewildered look on her face. Then slowly, it cracked into a look of pure rage and hatred. "YOU HAD IT?!?" She screamed. "YOU STOLE IT FROM ME, DELILAH?!? YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF FILITH! HOW DID YOU GET IT?"

"She's one of Mr. Null's agents." Lacuna replied, still talking fast and frantic. "She attacked us before her boss did. Hurt your Anni-something really bad. And if you don't kill her right now, she's gonna tell Null and you can kiss your sweetheart good bye, only you couldn't, because she'd be eternally trapped in limbo until Null decides to torture her to death!" The Survivor risked a glance over towards Harry to make sure he wasn't preparing to attack. Her eyes locked on the image of Lacuna, a mix of familiarity and panic flooding her mind. A heavy sadness settled on her heart, but she wasn't sure why. All she knew was that the woman with Harry filled her with dread. "Witch!" She snarled, snatching an arrow out of its quiver on her back. She had her bow drawn and was aiming in a flash, then fired an arrow straight for Lacuna's heart. Or at least, where it looked like it was, but the arrow passed through the image, causing the projection of Lacuna to flicker.

Nox gave Zip another grin. "Good boy." She said in a mock encouraging tone as he handed Kai's letter back. She turned and gave Rabiyu a suspicious look. "Oh really?" The Imp asked. "From where?" "Table it, Nox." Raj said in a firm tone as he brushed past the guards. As his shadow fell across Nox, she switched over and went with him through the gate. Nox partially melted back into the Gerudo's shadow, but her blue eyes continued to watch Rabiyu. "When meeting the Princess, Kai, it may be best to let I or one of the others do the talking." Raj suggested to the Kokiri boy, a little at a loss about how to deal with him. "This will be an important meeting, to be handled with honor and respect."

The Survivor got her feet under her as soon as Tarzan was driven off. She had no interest in the Ape-Man. He was a native of this world, so not one of the Witch's direct agents. Still, he bought into the lies. "Freeze!" She called out, casting an Ice spell to incapacitate Tarzan. "It's lumpy!" Lacuna said as she faded into view. "Like a real heart looks like. Look, the shard got a scent which means it is close." She paused as the shard pulsed again. "There! Another faint trace! It's gotta be-" The Void Witch's voice trailed off as she looked at her and Harry's surroundings and saw the Survivor fighting Tarzan. Lacuna's eyes went wide for a second as bafflement and fury seemed at war for her face. "Harry, kill her now!" She said, speaking at a frantic pace. "Kill her right now. Has she talked to you? Is she alone? Don't listen to her. Kill her now!"

While characters like Terra, Ven, and Riku have some ample reasons to be considered as deserving candidates for the final blow, I'm betting Sora due to his connection to everybody. A theme that keeps coming up is "my friends are my power". So Sora, representing everyone Xehanort has wronged and drawing on them for power, should take the final blow.

{Mariel: Mystras Rebellion; Center Flank - vs Shiva} Mariel's eyes narrowed as Shiva offered her explanation of her goals. Something was...off. Her voice rang hollow. Was she lying? Surely Fey royalty would know how to lie better than that. The Queen's remark on sacrifice caused the Guardian Angel's glowing eye to flare briefly. How dare she- With Shiva's cool mist expanding, Mariel got a hold of herself. She had to think with her head not her heart. "Every Guardian Angel knows sacrifice." She said in a strained voice, ignoring Shiva's call to surrender. "From the cradle, we have to accept that our fate is to sacrifice ourselves for another." Spinning Heaven's Flame in her right hand, the curving blade of the sword seemed to twist and pop before the blade burst into flames. Mariel held it out in front of her to ward off the cold. At least this enchantment hadn't lost any power. "But we are also taught that some sacrifices are too costly." The former Archon continued. "If you sacrifice what is good in you, you taint what you seek to protect. Too often I have seen people use your reasoning to justify any kind of atrocity, including genocide. Would you sacrifice the young? The old? The weak? Even you sound unconvinced of your own path. End it now, before this war taints everything you seek to protect in blood!"

{Mariel: Mystras Rebellion; Center Flank - vs Shiva} Mariel listened to Shiva's response with a stoney expression. Such an easy thing, clinging to what worked in the past. But it was a trap when things changed to this degree. "Maybe not." She responded to the Queen's question. Despite the conversation, the Guardian Angel was prepared to the Queen's charge. Side stepping, she used her duel blades to deflect the monarch's sword rather than block it straight on, along for the charge to go past her. After it had past, she took a deep breath and screamed a cone of sonic energy, aiming for the horse's legs to trip it up. "So let's cut to the heart of the matter" Mariel called after the queen, her first few words sounding odd as her throat adjust from producing a sonic scream to speaking normally. "What happens to the humans in your grand plan for peace?" She returned to her guarding stance, preparing for Shiva's verbal and physical rebuttal.

Raj came up behind the others, but didn't advance further. Crossing his arms, he used his tall stature to loom over the guards, a look of stern disappointment on his face. He had seals and letters to prove his identity as Gerudo royalty, so could leverage that to intimidate the guards with the consequences of turning away a royal visitor. But he wanted to let Rabiyu and Kalifa's attempt to get in time to work. How the guards reacted to the letter could be telling. Lack of knowledge could indicate an element of secrecy. If their lip suddenly stopped, then it might show the crisis Princess Zelda was calling them for could be even more serious. As Raj provided some silent intimidation to the groups effort, Nox rolled her eyes. Stupid guards were stupid guards in all realms. She could have sworn that there were two guards almost exactly like this at the gates to her Queen's castle. Not bright. Not particularly brave. Slithering from one shadow to another till she popped up in a shadow between Kai and the guards. "That's right, chumps." She said, grinning to show Zip and Squat her sharp teeth. "We're heroes here to help a princess. Know what happens to people who try to stop heroes from helping a princess?" Raj rolled his eyes.

The Survivor realized her mistake when she noticed that she couldn't see the ape-man anymore. That blasted thrall and his sob story! Told to distract for a sneak attack. She pivoted as she heard something over head, seeing Tarzan leap at her. Moving at blurring speed, the Survivor brought her bow up and around, deflecting Tarzan's spear. While able to keep from being skewered, she was unable to prevent Tarzan from landing on her. Flat on her back, the Survivor shoved the Ape-man off her as best she could. "Thunder!" She cried out, calling down magical lightning strikes around her to drive Tarzan back. The moment the Thunder spell formed, the shard Lacuna gave Harry began to vibrate. "Harry!" Lacuna's voice came out of thin air, at first sounding faint but getting stronger. "I felt the Heart's energy near by. What's going on?"

{Mariel: Mystras; Center Flank vs. Shiva} As she finished the last elf, the Fiery Haired Guardian Angel looked around for her next target. She forced the battle haze down to think clearly. She had to pick her targets better. She wanted to break up this formation with as few casualties as possible. That meant leadership. And that usually meant horses. She looked around to see someone on a horse turn towards her. From the armor design and some vague facial similarities to the late King Alexander, Mariel guessed this was Queen Shiva. Even better. The Queen's first attack came in the form of ice spears. Reacting on instinct, Mariel held out her sword Bright Guard and summoned a barrier ahead of her to block the spears. The magical shield took the full force of it, though it cracked horribly with the tips of the spears piercing through in places, but not close enough to Mariel herself. "Great." The former Archon thought. "The Magic has faded since the war." With a kick, she shattered the barrier and ice, leaving the field open between the Guardian Angel and the Queen. "Your majesty!" She called out, her voice ringing clear even through the sounds of battle around them. "Pull your men back! This will end in the destruction of everything good in both this world and the one below. Save yourself and your troops and sue for peace! Raiden will listen!" Though she pleaded for peace, Mariel took up a defensive stance against Shiva, her swords raised in a guard position. She also watched the flow of the battle, ensuring no one else tried to sneak up on her.

(Thanks, Iam. I'll do my best to get through what I have planned quickly.) The Survivor gave Jane an odd look. What was she prattling on about? Surely a creature couldn't survive without a heart. She could feel her pulse point through her veins has she held the bow taut. She had to have a heart, right? As Harry pleaded with her, the Survivor found her aim was wobbling. She felt like her heart was in her throat. His desire to reunite with his love was stirring something up inside her, but she couldn't remember what. But she could remember what Mr. Null had told her. The Witch was a trickster. She lied and entrapped the weak of will. The name Lacuna was said, and an anger welled up in her. What ever she was feeling must be the Witch trying to enthrall her mind. But she wouldn't go down without a fight. "Enough." She growled, her eyes narrowing. "I gave you a chance and you continue with lies." She let loose with an arrow, but she hadn't gotten full control over her aim back yet, so it went sailing over Harry's shoulder and harmlessly into a tree.

{Mariel: Rebellion of Mystras: Center Flank} Mariel had wanted to ask Sifrei about his companions, but King Alderon's attention kept her from it, saluting to him like the normal soldier she was suppose to be. As others charged in, Mariel did what Agatha Brightwater would do and raised her bow to proved range support. She could use her true form for a surprise attack later. At least, that was the plan. The sounds of battle rang in her ears, her enhanced hearing making out individual shouts, metal clashes, and last breathes. This was what she was born for. A calling she had suppressed for too long. Dropping her bow, Mariel began walking out of the lines and towards the melee. She ripped her quiver off her side and tossed it away. She was done pretending. She drew her swords, Heaven's Flame and Bright Guard. As she brought her arms back to her sides, the blades losing their glamor, becoming the shining full swords they truly were. Taking a deep breath, Mariel let out a war cry filled with all the rage she had been carrying inside since the loss of the 7th Legion. She began to run, light enveloping her and growing larger. Out of the light, two white wings extend and beat the air. The light disappeared as Mariel in her true, Guardian Angel launched herself into the air. She swooped up before coming crashing down on a trio of elves from Kilkis Seres, impaling one with one of her swords. Moving fast to take advantage of surprise, Mariel half turned and screamed a cone of sonic energy at one of her remaining combatants, causing internal damage and sending him flying. Using her free blade, she parried the final elf's blade as she kicked off her first kill from Heaven's Flame. "You had a chance for peace." Mariel growled, her glowing eyes piercing the final elf. "But destruction was chosen instead." Using both blades. She attacked again.

Raj waited politely for the two ladies to proceed a head of him before following after them and Kai. The relationship between Pixi and Kai intrigued the prince. It was almost symbiotic. Was this common for the Kokiri and their fairies, or was this a unique facet of their relationship? It was starting to remind him of his relationship with Nox, though he did more of the level headed reasoning than her. Pausing, Raj turned and looked back towards the square, wandering where Nox was. He noticed a shadow that was tilting unnaturally in the light, lengthening till it touched his own. It darkened briefly then snapped back to normal. "Find anything interesting?" Raj asked, turning to follow the rest of the party again. "In this town?" Nox's voice came from his shadow. "Hardly."

(Now, depending on what Iam has in mind, I can put the story on "pause" so the rest of you can focus on the next section of the main story. If there is a more "free time" afterward, I can pick up there. Also, with the speed I post, I might not be that big of a distraction from the main story. Sorry to be a bit of a fly in the ointment, guys.)

(Due to my limited schedule, wrapping the personal storyline I have going isn't going to be easily done quickly. I've been working on it since the last game, and to rush the ending is something I really, really don't want to do. I understand you want to move the story forward and I understand I'm the slow poster, but that is where I am right now.)