Tales of Alidaire: The Struggle

Mai raised her blade tentatively, feeling the rush of power come before her and swirl about her protectively. She could already hear the archers of the group fire off their weapons, and in the corner of her eyes saw Alexandra's form light up with an unknown glyph. She glanced over, looking about to see pillars of ethereal information suddenly erupted about the room, causing her to swiftly look over, read the text given by the Skillblade. Quickly she took in the information, swiftly taking in what this thing was, and what was needed for its quick destruction-

"Dodge!"

Immediately Mai's eyes ripped from the pillars of information, focusing on whatever the essence willed her to look at. Instantaneously, a massive mass of purple flesh was swinging right at her, dark energy encircling its strike. With little to no time to react, reflexively Mai unlocked her knees, her whole body buckling down and hitting the ground with a thud within the split second. However, just as doing this, she suddenly realized what was about the group's feet: more darkness. The vicious energy began to overlap and tear at her own energy, causing her to immediately begin shoving it away, pulling herself back to her feet with a single jump from the ground. Immediately she recovered the massive earthen blade she had dropped momentarily, turning on her heel to face the gargantuan mass of evil. It was sentient enough to defend itself, something Mai wasn't too happy about, for it showed on her face. 

"Damnit..." Mai hissed under her breath. It was expected, sure, but she did not expect it from the heart. It was self-preservable, something she did not like. However, as she deduced quickly, it was better it be the only target than multiple. Less thinking, more killing the evil out of this pumping mass of disgust.

With a massive swirl of energy, she felt the assuring power of the dragon spirit that aided her, making her smile as she felt the gush of power overflow from her very veins. It was spectacular, and although the others wouldn't be able to see it, she could feel the power. The power she wished to unleash, to say the least. "And here comes your demise, you abomination," she growled to the beating heart of evil, although she had a feeling it would never respond. At least, not in language. Quickly, Mai surged onto the stage, immediately feeling the world slow as large azure flames began to encompass her arms, climbing up her blade and mixing with the earthen energy. With a determined yell, she fell onto the purple mass, and began to rip at it.

Mai uses Blazing Entourage! 5 hits! 26 Damage per hit!
[33/60 MP]

Mai uses Blazing Entourage! 5 hits! 26 Damage per hit!
[19/60 MP]

Mai waits...

 

{Helena moves to F6 [H6 - G6 - F6]}
{Helena uses Auric Blitz on Shadow Heart (C6)! 3 Hits! 17 Light ATK Damage (first two hits)! 26 Light ATK Damage (third hit)! Chance of Blind!}
<MP: 33/50>

Just as quickly as she had made her preparations for battle, she could feel some of her energy deteriorating. The Mana enhancing her vision seemed to waver slightly, causing it to falter only momentarily before righting itself. The vision was staggered, only augmenting her abilities for brief moments. Moments, she quickly recognized, that were fully synchronized with the beating of the Shadow Heart in front of her. A grimace took its place upon her face, as she slowly came to the recognition that it was sapping her power... and likely those of her allies, as well. "S'a little... draining, being down here." She said, aloud, to nobody in particular, though she acknowledged the sapping capabilities of the heart. Ahead of her, the entire party seemed to be launching into an all-out assault against mass of decay. She wondered... what if the creator of the magic was not, in fact, far off? Would he or she come back for them, to finish them off? Was the heart itself just a façade?

One comment in particular had grabbed her attention away from her thoughts. "Blinded... but not confused," Helena repeated Stry's comment aloud. It seemed like the answer was staring her right in the face, which caused a small grin to form. Even in the darkest of hours, so always there would be light. There was no sense in dwelling in the darkness when she had the power of Light Mana at her fingertips. Though things had taken a faulty start to the side of the grim, Helena hoped that they would be able to make it turn itself around... and with everyone working together on one collective target, the huntress was confident in the abilities they could work with. This fuckin' insanity has to meet an end sometime... she thought to herself. It did not do her well to think this over too much, especially while she examined the heart for weak points. The exposed flesh was doing nothing for her concentration... it threw her off, slightly, but she knew that if the others could see her, it would not do her well. She tentatively took a step forward, preparing herself to get closer to the overpowering stank of decay... and definite evil.

"Eugh..." she gagged, slightly, stifling it as much as possible so as to not show any sign of weakness again. Though she was a huntress, the pure overpowering smell of decay was causing her eyes to water. It was almost unbearable - even for one accustomed to inflicting vital-exposing wounds such as herself. Yeah... gettin' outta here would be bloody swell. An arrow was in her hand instantly, however, not at all reflecting her resolve towards the vicious heart. Mai had done an excellent job at diverting its attention - and staying out of harm's way - but how long could the dragon warrior keep up such radical dodging? At the same time, Kat was also close in proximity to the centre of all of the chaos... just what was she playing at? What was the strategy she had in mind...?

Nonetheless, the arrow was quickly strung to her bow. And with the fletching of the arrow resting against the string, Helena took aim, allowing for the tip to glow brightly once more with the overwhelming brightness that it had taken in their last battle. If the heart could only see her now...! It had another thing coming for it, as two preemptive bursts of Mana extended themselves to illuminate the room - and the pulsing mound of shadowy flesh, much to Helena's chagrin - before plunging deep into the writhing core of the mass. The room dimmed slightly, before being lit up once more by the brighter attack - the igniting, piercing arrow released from its grip in Helena's bow's clutches. It flew with a deafening 'F-TAANG' towards the heart, before expanding its glow brightly to signify its contact with... something. Helena averted her gaze, allowing for her eyes to readjust to the relative darkness. Seeing whether or not she had hit would have to wait a couple moments...

 

Mai leaped from the heart's disgusting flesh, landing nearby just in time. She had felt the shift of some energy around her, and luckily she listened to that feeling; within a moment's notice, two vortexes of light ripped open from the atmosphere and began to tear away at the large, pulsing organ. Mai's eyes watched, the bright radiance of the vortexes reflecting off her irises as the small spectacle shredded at the heart like no other. Mai smiled, grateful someone had something against this disgusting abomination. She swirled her blade, suddenly feeling the loss of the spirit she had at her sight just moments before. Had the darkness cast it away? As she looked about, it was evident she already knew the answer to that. Well, there goes what assistance I had.... Mai cursed within her mind. As she raised her blade for a couter-attack, her senses immediately caught her. Something else was brewing, some other energy... and it wasn't good.

Within the next moment, her senses were correct. A dark mass encircled under Mai, and in a moment's notice, a pillar of darkness erupted, obscuring Mai's form within the mass amounts of dark energy released. In the very same moment, however, a sudden surge of blue flame erupted out the side of the pillar, Mai landing with a powerful thud against the ground before regaining her stance. She was panting, her eyes now re-opened and warier than ever. However, as fast as the pillars had come, so too did they expand rapidly, sending a massive surge of darkness outward before finally dissipating. Mai raised her blade immediately, striking and ripping the energy with large slices of azure flames, causing it to disperse and flow around her, leaving the Dragon Warrior unharmed. As the darkness settled, she finally began inhaling to calm herself, her eyes looking about to view the damage quickly. Her eyes focused on the momentarily incapacitated newcomer archer, her situation more than dire as immediately Mai noticed the woman's stigma. Dark bits flowed in and out of the woman's body, purging her life and spirit right in front of the group. A horrible plague that made Mai immediately shudder slightly. If she were stricken by that blast....

"Hang on there," she called to Kat, turning immediately to face the surging heart with a stern gaze. It was no longer just a mision to destroy this thing- it was now to finish it off for their survival. If any of her allies were to take these afflictions, what would they do? Would they survive it? Not that alone, but now Mai's mind expanded to the whole of this city. Would this place survive? Is the heart already destroying things as they were battling it now?...

"No more shall you corrupt this city, so long as I stand!" Mai finally called out, a mass of bluish energy swirling and surrounding her in graceful swirls and helix formations about her. The blue light magnified dramatically until the energy finally burst out from Mai's form, a large stripe of bright flame following her path as a large blur of energy surrounded and began striking the heart from all angles. Bright, bright energy one could only discern was the being Mai as she rocketed from point to point on the organ's form, slicing and ripping through the organ with powerful ferocity. Finally, the bright energized form of Mai stopped above the beating mass of dark magic, lighting up the room for that split moment with elegance before the light blasted down like a cannonball, piercing straight through the heart and out one of the arteries, leaving a mass of injured flesh pumping and pulsing out darkness as if blood.

Mai landed a few feet away, the same position she was at, skidding to a halt as a trail of energy flew past her before dissipating. The light about Mai slowly faded to a calm glow as she stood, swinging her blade with calm gratification.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mai uses D-Ability: Drakine Judgement! 4 hits! 100% ATK Damage (3 hits), 150% Piercing ATK (4th hit)! Chance of Severe Burn! Chance of Instant Death!

Mai waits...

 

{Helena uses Auric Blitz on Shadow Heart (C6)! 3 Hits! 15 Light ATK Damage (first two hits)! 23 Light ATK Damage (third hit)! Chance of Blind!}
<MP: 22/50>
{Helena moves to F7 [F6 - F7]}

The beating of the heart seemed to react heavily to all of the brightness that had slammed into it at once. The strobelike light given off by the ragtag group of assassins as they fought valiantly to purge the kingdom of its scourge, the mocking organ of darkness. Helena gave a grim smile as all three of her arrows plunged deeply in... though the beating of the heart sped up to match her increasing state of concern. What if what they had wasn't enough...? Again, Helena struggled to shake her head of the thoughts that seemed to plague her brain. Maybe the evil that was released by the heart was affecting her outlook on things as well. It mattered relatively little. She just needed to keep going... Keep fighting. And pushing through; there was a future to look forward to...

...Though the results'll be grim, too. It was a grim thought to be thinking, but the crystal ball wielded by the late prophet Nanila hung heavy at her waist. She was still trying to convince herself that she was no graverobber, but it was odd to explain how the orb had come into her possession. She would not be able to explain it to her allies if they asked... and all still, Kat had her own demons to confront at the end of the night, as per her question of Nanila. And speaking of her fellow archeress, the young woman did not look well. She seemed to keel over just after releasing her arrow barrage, duplicating itself in a fantastic display illuminated by Alexandra's magical attack that she had seen only a couple times before. Helena winced at the daggers of light piercing her corneas. It still hurt trying to get her eyes accustomed to the deathly darkness of the storage room, while it was lit brightly by her allies.

And then, the voice. The one that made her skin start to crawl again.

Stry almost seemed concerned when he made a snarky comment about Kat's well-being, but it was worded in such a way that made Helena remember what pissed her off before he had started becoming remotely helpful. "Back off it, foxboy," she growled off, preparing to add some more to the statement... but she ultimately chose not to sink to his level. She inhaled deeply... unfortunately letting more of the tainted mist into her system. Immediately, she sputtered out "Fack..ing shit..." in between coughs. The impurity of the air was growing progressively worse as the heart began to beat faster, Helena was sure of it. As her fit of coughing subsided, she could not help but feel even worse for Kat; she had caught the brunt of the attack while Mai had dodged unharmed through, as usual. Helena had thought she had rendered the heart blind, somehow... but apparently it had not been enough to spare Kat.

"Get outta the way, Kat!" she called out, genuine concern in her voice. Mai launched a powerful licking of flame all over the organ, masterfully striking where the weakest points seemed to be. It impressed Helena, to be certain. In spite of everything, Mai was still on their side. Her resolve never wavering in whatever she saw as just... it'd do her well to see the truth in their actions, Helena supposed. It was time that Helena herself let loose an attack; the brightness of her arrows returning to their tips as the two beams of light shot out into the depths of the heart. As Helena loosed the final arrow explosively, she stepped off to the side, moving out of the immediate range of the heart, and hopefully to a place where it could not strike at her as easily. All she wanted was to help Kat; but it would do her no good to move into the foray as the young woman had... not when her specialty lie in the art of ranged weaponry, as opposed to the magecraft that her opposite struck with.

 

Mai danced along the floor slightly as she powered up her next set of strikes. This organ wouldn't dare stay in existence while she was around. She could still feel the remnant feeling of the energy she used to perform the powerful fire attacks which left the organ to spit the dark energy profusely. It was indeed slowly losing its grip on its own energy, causing Mai to smile. This thing can't last long..

Mai was about to look to the others before her gaze began to slowly dwindle, feeling a considerable lack of energy that she had had beforehand. Gripping her blade tighter as if to hold onto the energy that was slowly being stolen from her own form, she readied herself for another strike of considerable damage. She was going to rip this thing into nothing but gooey purple remnants. As she then bounded up for a leap, her body was suddenly knocked backward by a heated shockwave, causing her to hit the ground with a thud. With an agonizing grunt, she began to feel her skin burn considerably, causing her to grip onto the cold floor for any relief. As she looked at her skin for the damage, she was astonished to find no traces of any burns; dark energy hovered over her skin, forcing her skin to bake within it.

"Son of a- it cursed us!" Mai shouted, pulling herself to her feet and turning to the heart once again. Her blood began to boil, drowning out the burning of her own skin as she gripped her blade tighter. It was then that she sensed another oncoming strike, an imminent burst of energy boiling just under her feet. In a reflexive panic, Mai suddenly blurred, the predicted pillar of darkness launching from the floor just moments after. Mai reappeared a foot from her previous position, catching herself as the burning sensation about her whole body was throwing off her awareness. We have to kill this thing as quickly as possible... It'll destroy us, then the rest of this place once it gets the chance..

Steadying herself and gripping her large earthen-based broadsword carefully, she aimed it toward the organ as if to challenge it to a stand-off. Her piercing gaze ripped into the flesh itself, burning at the same intensity that the heart had bestowed upon her. "I've had enough!" she called out, suddenly surging forward in a blue blur. Catching on the edge of the stage, Mai rocketed herself into the air, flipping forward a few times before landing on the pulsating organ once again. Her analytic gaze quickly spotted all the gashes and horrific wounds completely exposing the innards of this heart, only drowned from view by the blackened mist which smelled of dread. Mai raised her blade, her body quickly being covered in a fierce azure energy.

"Control this!" she yelled out at the organ. She didn't really care whether it could hear or not, but it definitely made her feel satisfied. "I'm going to rip the demented soul that purposed you from existence just after I'm finished with the dismemberment of the abomination that is yours!" With a powerful stab, Mai thrust her weapon into the organ, gorily tearing the flesh and causing spurts of dark haze flustering out in all directions. She then suddenly blurred from view, a blue light surging around the organ's exterior at blinding speed. Several gory tears ripped the heart in an explosion of purple chunks and black clouds almost instantaneously as the blur faded nearby, Mai skidding to a halt and wielding her blade to her side horizontally. She seemed to be shaking ever so slightly as she panted, the arm wielding her weapon slowly but steadily shaking and succumbing to gravity.

She could feel her energy losing fast.

--------------------------------------------

Mai uses Blazing Entourage on Shadow Heart! 5 hits! 17 ATK Damge per hit!

[5/60 MP]

Mai waits....

 

{Helena uses Auric Blitz on Shadow Heart (C6)! 3 Hits! 15 Light ATK Damage (first two hits)! 23 Light ATK Damage (third hit)! Chance of Blind!}
<MP: 10/50>
{Helena waits...}

The flesh ripped and tore with the surges of the bright lights that penetrated its purple, rotten exterior. The way the purple, mocking, contorted flesh wriggled and writhed under the pressure of the ongoing onslaught almost made Helena come ever closer to her breaking point. She turned her head, gagging slightly at the disgusting sight in front of her. She really could not stomach much more of this... but she had no choice. The miasma inside of the small, nondescript storage room would cause her to succumb to it if she didn't aid in finishing off the monstrosity... and the desperation seemed to draw more and more nigh. The shadows replaced the dying light of her arrows, consuming it whole. Extinguishing it like a water-doused flame...

But she could feel in the air, vibrations of the sheer hatred emanating from the core of the heart. The paced heartbeat had once more sped up to a sickeningly quick pulse - no, a cacophony of concussive beats. Consuming her mind with madness. She covered her ears in her hands to try and suffuse the beat... she could feel it invading her mind. Telling her that she could not win. It was futile to keep going... but she knew, in the smallest corners of her private self that she could not give up. Not now. Kat needed her, Alexandra needed her. Even Hikari, Stry, and Mai needed her, no matter how begrudging they were to one another. I can't... I won't. Giving up is NOT an option... A quiet, though determined thought. It seemed like such a distantly kept thought... would she be able to live up to the lives that she had claimed? Striking down the prophet, Nanila? What futures had she seen in Helena's eyes... the Heart's pulse seemed to consume her mind as she fell to her knees, letting out a horrifying shriek. It'd be so easy t' just give it up now... A choked sob escaped her lips as the miasma began to claim her, tendrils of the sickening gas and pulsations of darkness sourced from the Heart... and equally as suddenly, an overpowering heat. Helena braced herself against the cold flooring, trying desperately to cool her flesh. She felt as though she was on fire; the wave surging forth from the Heart as though its burns were to be shared...

But her thoughts were suddenly elsewhere. The ring in her pocket, growing to burn against her side from the heated blast from the Heart. Look at yourself, Helena. Bloody cowering on the floor. What would he say if he saw this? You are so much better than this. A new-found vigour inside of her. The ring's presence seemed comforting... reassuring. Despite its symbolism, she could feel it as though it were kicking her. Trying to revive her spirits... Look at Kat, for Chris'sakes. Girl's fighting desperately for you. She isn't givin' in here. And you can't either. She felt like a fool, as she tried to clamour to her feet. Trying to stand was a struggle as her seething flesh howled at her to return to the comforting chill of the flooring in the chamber. Somewhere in the distant echoes of her horrifically addled brain, she could hear Alexandra making a call for their final stand. "Hah... Wouldn't have it any other way, majesty." She grimaced in a contorted sort of pain, whispering to nobody but herself now, "The final stand... kind of like that. Gives it a bit more meaning..."

Before she could even nock an arrow to her bow, she saw the form of Mai, silhouetted by the destructive shadows that had just about claimed her sanity and the light provided by Alexandra's explosions of Light Mana. The girl was on a rampage, ready to destroy the Heart. She seemed ready to shred the Heart in half with her own bare hands if it were to keep surviving. Helena admired her sense of determination... something she had just about been denied of moments prior. She heard Mai howling, raging at the Heart itself. She almost laughed, in spite of herself, but sputtered. She called out to the self-righteous purist girl, "Give it up, Mai. Bloody thing can't even hear you." It was a waste of her breath and what little precious, breathable air there was left in the compacted storage room to continue her mutterings. There was no longer a place for battle chatter, only action. Only the final stand...

And it was her turn to finally contribute to that.

Her own Light Mana coursed through her veins, as she channelled some of the last of the energy within her to release her two preemptive bursts of light, striking and piercing the Heart as they had so many times prior... perhaps this would be the final time she would need to strike it down. She relished this thought, drawing back on her bowstring. The gleam of the arrow's tip grew ever brighter as she prepared to release it. I'll need a right long rest after this night... she cast a sidelong glance at Kat, who had been rightfully quiet for the majority of the time since their run-in with the demons. Can't imagine how she'd be holding up... She decided that this last shot of hers would be attributed to the girl. Her first true friend since the fateful night of meeting Alexandra.

She released the arrow, and it flew true. Directly into the centre of the Heart.

 

Mai looked to the others as a minute had passed by after the spectacular burst of light that ended the dark heart's existence, one of calm peace and a smile of satisfaction overcoming her. "Hah!" she scoffed aloud, the empty chamber echoing as Alexandra returned form the stage with the vial. Mai seemed to be standing much taller, as if she had been completely healed of this whole ordeal as soon as the organ exploded into nothingness. She had her large blade downward, hand gripping the butt of the weapon confidently as she swirled it around ever so slightly. However, as the situation seemed to turn back to the outside world, she furrowed her brow as she began to feel what everyone else thought. What is happening outside, I wonder?... What has become of Masquerade and the serpent?...

Alexandra seemed to look to them all before beckoning them onward, Mai responding instantly by kicking the blade upward, simultaneously twisting her hand around to catch the handle and swing it behind her. The handle guard caught on her shoulder, stopping the momentum of the blade as it rested on her back. Mai closed her eyes, willing the energy within her to heal her wounds during their trip. Immediately a slight essence of azure encompassed Mai and disappeared instantly from sight, although one could tell it was still about her. Mai sighed as she felt a burning, healing feeling overwhelm her wounds and stitch up her spirit. Looking to the others, she nodded and took off with them.

Once outside the castle, Mai's eyes were overflowed with crimson and chaos. The clink of weapons, the sparkle of metal that reflected the moonlight, the flying of bodies as many began to fall. Mai looked in all directions of the castle area, awed at the mass of battles. Monsters and rogue soldiers had overrun the place, guards and knights that defended the kingdom holding their ground to the best of their abilities against the onslaught before them. Her gaze then flickered over to the gates, seeing no hope of escape through it. Even if she felt she had enough energy, it was deterring to see the horde of beasts that were flowing in. Her attention then drew back to Alexandra, who had gone down a different route. She followed hesitantly, keeping good pace with the rest. She could draw ahead much further, but figuring the others weren't in the mood of catch-up, and the fact she was still healing, Mai kept to a calm dash, a thin trail of blue seeming to follow her form even if barely noticeable. We need to find the source of all this... the heart was mere fuel. Who is the feeder?

Mai's thought cut short as a familiar being was striking down multiple beings at once. Her memory swiftly pulled up the name before the recognition as they neared. Midas was quickly felling as many beings as he could as they rushed him, forcing his energy low with their onslaught. Mai swiftly dashed ahead of everyone in a blue blur, coming to Midas's aid almost instantly. The remaining mercenary soldiers he was fighting suddenly screamed out as blue energy surged from their midsections, sectioning their upper and lower halves into two before their upper halves flew off by the small explosions of blue energy within them. Mai pulled herself around quickly and dashed over to Midas, coming to a stop as she heaved her blade back to her shoulder.

Mai took quick ear to the conversation between the man known as Midas and Alexandra, her thoughts answered with great satisfaction as to where the source of it all was. Mai gripped the handle of her blade tightly, her legs now pumping with energy to continue the run. "Sounds like fun," she commented as the man told of the current predicament on their hands, and specifically to the comment of a need to fell the commander of this revolt. She obviously expressed her interest immediately, the pain of fighting completely wiped from her face as if she had never been injured. It was becoming quite literal as her wounds were much smaller now, significantly so. Mai then thought of the others, looking at their own wounds and even Midas's wounds as well. Quickly summoning what power she could, she forced it into the others to seal their wounds and increase vitality significantly. Hopefully it would help Midas cope better as well.

Mai's attention was then directed behind her by the barks of strange, mutated beasts that she could discern as wolves, swiftly pulling her blade from her shoulder and swinging it in front of her to an offensive position. If they had to fight now, so be it. Suddenly, the alleyway of which the wolves were charging lit up dramatically, a large pulse of radiance that struck the ground and caused a large explosion. Mai covered her eyes the moment it happened, immediately turning her attention back to the alleyway and keeping an ear to her allies behind her. As Midas beckoned them onward, Mai nodded in agreement. She looked back at Her Majesty, calling out, "I'll make sure we get there as well."

As they took off, Mai swiftly dashed ahead farther than the others, swinging her blade and swiftly felling one of the mutated beasts that recovered from the explosion, earthen energy glowing as it sliced the wolf's head clean off. Mai then charged ahead further, quickly slamming her blade through everything that would and could be a threat to the group. There wasn't much to defend from, however; the alleyway was half-deserted, a straying beast here and there and a mercenary soldier looking for anything to take a life from. But Mai wasn't taking any chances by slacking back and letting the rest of the group run into an even larger pack of beasts.

As Mai cleared the end of the alleyway and saw the others begin to catch up, her attention was swiftly drawn to the gates up ahead. She told herself it might've been the buildings ablaze, but as she noticed a figure revealed within the gates themselves, she knew what she sensed. It was a man that took her by pure surprise, stopping her straight in her own tracks. His complexion was like nothing she'd ever beheld; long, flowing, gleaming black hair ruffled ever so slightly as the physical features of this man glowed with his own essence. His body and face were defined and perfected by some unknown maker of celestial glory, making Mai marvel for a moment at what this man was.

That was answered within a moment.

Kat had dashed right ahead of her, stopping and suddenly bursting into shocked tears although, as Mai sensed from her, she expected this man to be here. "Lucian!!" roared from Kat's mouth, suddenly causing Mai's body to be shocked with alarm. Midas said they'd find the source here, the one running the destruction of this city and the kingdom, and here he was. But what was causing her blood to run cold in shock was the fact that Kat knew this man, knew this... Restocasian, as she recalled. Her body seemed to be shivering, quaking in this sudden change of events. She didn't think much of their new comrade Kat, but she didn't in the slightest expect this. This is what she was to expect, she supposed, with newcomers to their new group. Her feelings raged as immediately she felt biased toward all others that were not of this small group from the beginning, feeling paranoia immediately toward the other newcomer- the kitsune. Was he of affiliation to an enemy as well?

However much she wanted to look back and glare at the being, her attention kept to the immediate scene at hand; it was more important in the first place. The intentions of the kitsune were good for now, she supposed... it was no time to turn against one another with the current situation. They were facing the one that was destroying the world around them. It was no time to turn on each other when there hasn't been a reason from the kitsune to give suspicion. It was Kat, the one in front of her, that was making her quiver with unease.

Mai then narrowed her eyes even more as the shock of Kat's origins came out almost instantly in the conversation between the two. Kat was... a cat. It would've made Mai almost chuckle were it not the severity of the situation. The fact that this being, Lucian, had the capability to create someone like Kat, to conjure a human being from an animal, only caused Mai to shudder. The capable power of this being was making her freeze in place. It was now only more evident of how dire their mission was; as Mai thought of the possibilities and extent of his abilities, it only churned her stomach. It was then that Mai burned with passion, feeling her own rage overcome her. This man came around with the expectation that he was the strongest one about, that he could use his power to "experiment" with innocents and that everyone was nothing but a game. She'd about had enough.

"No."

The utterance seemed to blare out of Mai like it was a communed voice of the whole group in general. Mai slowly paced forward, body firmer than ever as her eyes burned with fury. She was pissed off, a feeling she hadn't felt for a long time; she hadn't felt it to this degree, at least. She pushed past Kat, gripping her blade tightly and lifting it up bravely to the man slowly. "As I see it," she started, "You think you have this in your full control." Mai gripped the blade's handle tighter, feeling a burning sensation within her. "But there's just one thing that's flawed about you: your thinking. You underestimate everyone here and we're not letting you 'experiment' further with all this. Look at the destruction around you, look at the pain and death you are causing. This is not greatness."

 

The light from her arrow plunged into the fleshy, tainted organ writhing and pulsating vigorously at the centre of the room, as though the darkness was consuming it whole, swallowing it and leaving nothing but an absence of the light. The rhythm of the battle had matched the appearance and disappearance of the Light Mana that the mostly-reluctant allies had been conjuring to purge the heart of darkness from the kingdom. As it swallowed this last bit of light, however, the demonic organ began to slow its beating. Unnoticeably, at first, but gradually slowing down until Helena could only hear her own heart beating loudly and angrily, fuelled by adrenaline in her chest. She widened her eyes slightly as the mass of twisted flesh simply sat for a moment, pedastalled on the wooden stage in the largely-unsuspected storage room. The only thing that could be heard for a moment was the sound of heavy breathing as a result of the battle, though there were no signs of it now. The thick miasma filled her lungs as she sputtered momentarily, covering her mouth with the crook of her arm. She sunk to her knees to try and avoid breathing too much of it in, as it felt like she was slowly dying... This isn't th'end... no... but as she lay there, she could see the cracks of the floor slowly illuminating - as gradually as the heart had stopped its beating, so too was it replaced by all of the light that it had devoured from the city of Archaea. It stung her eyes to look even at the floor as the mist seemed to recede into nothingness. As the brightness faded, Helena looked up at the others. It was not unbearably dark now, but it still reeked of decaying flesh and mold. Helena stared, awestruck at the re-transformation that had just occurred before them. It was certainly not the end. Not yet.

Mai let out a sound of celebration, though it was clear that the night was yet young. The foxboy had even fallen silent, as though he knew better than to even hazard a forward thought to the group at this point. Wiser that way... wouldn't want him runnin' his big mouth after a night like that. To Helena, though, even her mental jeers at Stry would not suffice to ease her plagued mind. They hadn't found the conjurer of the heart yet, and there was still Nanila's prophecy to consider. The words of the prophet still blazed in her mind, at a fevered pace. They had not once left the mind of the archeress... It will not be a happy reunion, I am sorry to say. Not a happy reunion. Of course not, after all of what had happened tonight? It could not end well for Kat now. Helena cursed herself for not having inquired further about Nanila's hazy vision... though the woman was on her deathbed, what more could she have truly offered?

Without so much as another word from anyone after the dragon warrior's exhalation in relief, Alexandra gestured silently, as though asking for the rest of them to follow. "Guess the running ain't over," she muttered, though only Hikari was left in the room with her to hear. Everyone else had already dashed out of the room, and Helena took off running, easily catching up and following the rest of the group out of the ominous rooms of the castle, through the narrow corridor, and out into the fresh air. Helena shut her eyes as she came to the open door, hesitating a moment before stepping out with her arm rested on the frame, and inhaled the open air deeply, soaking it in and allowing her lungs a moment to recover from their endurance bout with the heart of shadows. But as soon as her eyes opened, their red irises would observe nothing but more strife. The calm on the streets just before their infiltration had been replaced by madness - with meshes of monsters and soldiers striking away at civilians and true guards alike. "Shiiiiit." Helena whistled at the sight. It seemed that they hadn't had a thing to worry about when fighting the 'guards' earlier in the night, after all... She only wondered what distinguished those on the side of the city from the renegades attacking it. Best keep that to myself fer now. No time.

Her thoughts fragmented, she felt considerably less fatigued now that the air was no longer saturated by a mist threatening to choke the life out of her. She followed absently the rest of the group, keeping pace just behind the lead of Kat and Alexandra. This put her directly beside Mai, and though she didn't want to agitate the warrior's sudden bout of earlier self-consciousness, she still wanted to match her in pace if nothing else. She stared down the labyrinthine alleyways, and wondered why they had ever let Nara and Nerra leave their sides to guide them through the city... certainly the others knew the area better than she, but she wasn't overly surprised to see Alexandra taking the more customary direct route. After all, she had nearly gotten herself into a fair bit of trouble when they had first met the noble... It hardly seemed like that was a mere few nights ago. The past few days had been a whirlwind... thoughts such as these occupied the still-racing Helena's mind, as she ignored the chaos until a burly figure seemed to block the path, fighting off a great number of the oncoming assailants. A telltale call from Alexandra herself confirmed her immediate suspicions.

"Hah, the guard too lazy to arrest us," Helena said, nocking an arrow in preparation to fend off anything that would come near. "Guess they really heard ya when y'said that you were helpless at night," she spoke as though she and the hulking Midas had gotten off to an amicable start. Though she didn't exactly enjoy his presence, the big man sure knew what he was doing with his mace. He was very clearly far from helpless as he knocked the wolves coming to attack him aside with powerful blows... but Helena wasn't about to guard her tongue. The night in itself was ridiculous enough so as to not need any further stresses coming with it. She let loose an arrow to eliminate one such oncoming wolf, as Midas informed them of the invasion, and exactly where they were needed. Clearly, for a bunch of wanted assassins, they were still trusted enough to handle the fate of the city. Seems a tad backwards, but hell, after all we've been through tonight... Helena shrugged, turning away from wolves she had not seen emerge from the depths of the night. Midas seemed more than capable of handling it, as a bright light bathed the area, exploding onto the scene, and eliminating the threat of more enemies. Alexandra gave him some futile advice as she turned to run to their directed position, and the rest of them could do nothing but follow the noble as she haphazardly ran through the city, choosing a side road arbitrarily to take.

When the running finally stopped, it was clear as to why. They stood below flaming buildings, overwatched by the moon and the gaping archway from whence the invasion had inevitably surged. The single figure, standing impassively amidst the wreckage that - predictably - he had been the cause of. A male form. A beautiful, perfect male form. Suddenly, the carnage of the night seemed to quiet itself as the group took a moment to gaze upon the specimen in no less than awe. The man stood in silence with a slight smirk crossing his flawless lips, framed by hair that both seemed of the night, and nightless at the same time. The spell was broken by a choked sound of surging hatred, of scorn, and of emotions that Helena was not unfamiliar with was ripped from Kat's lips. She cried out, his name emerging into open air finally. It was clear that this was all of her bottled up emotion since Helena had asked her final wish of Nanila on her deathbed.

...It will not be a happy reunion, I am sorry to say...

Happy was the furthest thing from what Kat was right now. She lashed out at the man with a verbal assault, as though her words would change whatever terrors he had caused to fall upon her in his leaving her. But he merely smiled more as she carried on. Helena could do nothing but watch on in spellbound terror and confusion. Finally, he spoke in response. His voice cloyingly thick, rich. Almost nauseatingly so. Helena immediately knew to dread the coming of that voice... for it was the bemused tone at all of Kat's emotion that caused her to grow hostile, as she drew an arrow slowly to her bow. She didn't know what he was capable of, but she feared for Kat. Whatever came next would be a surprise to her, entirely...

But suddenly, a revelation struck her. The sweet voice turned as he announced to them, triumphantly, the relationship that he and Kat had. Lucian spoke of how Kat was nothing more than a 'domestic house cat' before him... and Helena let out an audible growl. "Kat, is that..." she began aloud, "Cat or no, you're far more than scum like this," she tossed her head towards Lucian to emphasize her point, "who think they're just bloody better than everyone else, especially with their flashy coats and shit." Oh man, Helena was right pissed now. The archeress could hear just how furious she was, and an overpowering empathy came as Kat's own bow ignited, because that was identical to the feelings that Helena outwardly felt now. Beautiful or not, the fucker was not one to be reasoned with. Mai knew this, but Stry seemed to resist it, as though he was uneasy about fighting the man for some reason. The kitsune tried to reason it out with them, straining a grin and forcing himself to try and keep things light. Helena could barely stand for it. She almost threw her hands up in sheer exasperation. "Bloody HELL, foxboy. Prettyboy may as well have you under his spell. Fight now, or fight later? He's said all that he needs to." A menacing glare was shot at the man, but he quite plainly radiated in power that secretly made Helena feel very small within herself, as though all of her spirit had gone to the exact other side of her body, pulling her back from the fight.

She didn't shoot, but she kept her arrow trained on the man. He seemed to relish the position he was in, as though he truly could crush Kat's life force away instantly. Was that something they could truly risk in an invasion where they would soon be outnumbered by whatever forces still lay beyond the city limits...?