Pandemonium

[tntoverlords.livejournal.com]

Characters: Mikoto, Warrior of Light, Firion, Refia, Edward, Locke, Genesis, Blank, Vivi, Rikku, Mjrn, Serah
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: The group finally confronts Garland.
Location: Pandemonium
Date: August 15, 1804
Warnings: Violence
Notes: Additional information on this week's segment can be found here. To see the entry walk into Pandemonium, you can watch here.

Out of the bleak starkness of the ruination that was Terra, there rose a dark shape. Entirely whole and ominous in mere design alone sat Garland's fortress. Large enough to compete with Lindblum Grand Castle for size, its shadowed approach led to a hulking edifice that defied destruction. The paths were disconnected circular stepping pads that would require deftness in leaping to navigate. Its owner had no visitors and no need to make for a welcoming walk. As the group approached, the heavy iron gates opened of their own accord. It was an invitation to enter. If they dared.

Comments

[for-cosmos.livejournal.com]

Warrior of Light could feel the Stop affecting him from the moment it was cast, and he tried in vain to struggle against the magic and continue his attack. This close to Garland, it was deadly to be left so vulnerable, but he could do nothing but wait for the attack to come.

The Wave from Garland caught him fully and sent him tumbling back, since the Stop kept him unable to brace himself against it. He hit the ground awkwardly, his armor doing little to protect him when he fell. His head slammed painfully against the ground, and he nearly blacked out. By the time he had cleared his head and was attempting to get to his feet again, Mikoto was casting Night, and he collapsed once again, asleep.

[smallmage.livejournal.com]

The Stop hit her full on with a yell and Refia was frozen in place, able to see and react mentally but unable to do anything physically. She was trapped with her hands up before her face, still with about three or four Reflects cast - including her own.

So the Wave, when it came, knocked her completely over and threw her back further from the group and she wasn't able to do anything about it. It hurt like blazes, she could feel her health falling away, but she couldn't do anything about it and that had her starting to panic.

And then Night came. As a healer in two worlds now, she'd learned to fear that spell, and the one effect she always took care to prevent was that one. The sleeping spell was warded off by her preparations, but she was still mentally struggling to break free of that Stop before Mikoto could do something they'd all regret...

[nomerevessel.livejournal.com]

Firion meant well in approaching her, of course, but all he had done was make himself a target. Mikoto lunged forward, aiming a jab at his stomach. He was in her way, and she intended to move on and slit the throats of the others who were asleep as soon as she had struck him.

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

Firion drew his own dagger, rather than his sword, and blocked the jab at his stomach before pushed against it to push her away. "Mikoto!" He needed to find a way to stop her! If Garland possessed control over her, than would knocking her out be effective? Firion didn't want to harm her.

[nomerevessel.livejournal.com]

Her attack blocked, Mikoto dodged and ran past Firion in search of an easier target, one that would not be able to fend her off.

That target just so happened to be Rikku.

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

Firion was surprised at how fast Mikoto was and turned to follow, his eyes widening as he saw that her next target was the unconscious Rikku. Quickly, he grabbed his second dagger, a rope now hooked onto the hilts. He let his Rope Knife attack fly, hoping to catch Mikoto and yank her back.

[morehatthanmage.livejournal.com]

Vivi stumbled to his feet again, turning to Mikoto once more. He really didn't want to attack her but was left with little choice.

"Stop!" He shoulted, pointing his staff at her.

[nomerevessel.livejournal.com]

Firion's attack met its mark, pulling Mikoto back before she reached Rikku. She managed to break free, but had barely taken another step before Vivi's spell Stopped her and she froze. Mikoto was now temporarily out of action.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

Seeing the ferocity with which Garland was attacking their party, Locke realized that he'd be skinned alive were he to maintain his position in a direct onslaught. Despite the raging pain in his burning legs, he gained morale and strength from the work that Refia and Edward were performing.

He knew it was time for this little sleep to sneak around and backstab Garland from behind. Climbing up the wall, he turned himself ready to pounce when he felt the effects of Mikoto's night. With nary a peep, he was caught in the daze between morning and night as he slid down the wall into a slump, bruised and battered.

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

Firion reeled the daggers back, slipping them in their sheaths and nodding to Vivi. The others were safe for now. He leveled a hard stare at Garland and ran for him, this time pulling out his lance. He wouldn't leave room to be flung around the room like a doll this time and once Firion drew close, he swung the lance around to initiate a devastating combo of sword, lance, and arrows.

[melodiesoflute.livejournal.com]

Once Vivi stood, the bard took his leave. Garland was on the attack again, and so was Mikoto now. They needed to end this nightmare, and he knew just the person who could defeat the sorcerer. The Warrior of Light, he was definitely their only hope now.

Literally running as fast as he could, Edward made it to the fallen warrior's side. "Wake up! This is no time to sleep!" Reaching for a potion, he used the X-potion on the warrior in hopes of waking him up. When that didn't do the trick, Edward remembered the remedies that Rikku tossed to them.

"Ah, there!" He raced over towards the small phial. Snatching it off the floor, he tossed it towards the Warrior of Light after uncorking its top.

1/2

[cycleofchaos.livejournal.com]

The moment Mikoto departed his presence to attack the others, Garland was left once again open to attacks. He took a moment to survey the combatants and consider what to do next. It was a mistake.

Firion's onslaught of incoming weapons hit and hit hard. The ancient sorcerer stumbled backwards, pain wracking his body, then sank to his knees.

2/2

[cycleofchaos.livejournal.com]

From that vulnerable position, a blast of light and energy burst forth, blinding for one to look upon. When it faded away, a knight clad in dark armor stood where Garland had. This one brimmed with fresh power and health, freed from the shell of a life now left behind.

Garland had been reborn by his own will into the form he once held.

From behind his dark helmet, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the Warrior of Light. Yet again this one rose up to stop him. Yet again, he would cut him and his companions down.

"Foolishness. You cannot kill me. I am the Master of Time. I will always be reborn to bring chaos into the world. The cycle cannot be stopped. I will destroy you all, until nothing remains."

Reaching out his hand, he bent time and space creating a portal. He stepped through it and was gone, as was his creation of escape.

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

Firion grunted when the light burst forth but they widened abruptly when Garland, the one he knew from the Void, was revealed. "Garland!?" He exclaimed. "You... you've upon this world as well?"

He had been in disguise all this time? Firion was quick to shield the Warrior of Light from Garland, raising his bow to strike down the man who was also known to become Chaos. But the man in the armor disappeared just a moment too soon, the arrow flying through nothing as the portal quickly dispersed. "No!"

Firion rushed forward but there was nothing remaining. "Damn."

[for-cosmos.livejournal.com]

The remedy hit him, and was enough to eliminate the effects of the Night spell so that he awoke, and began to raise his head, and start to push upright. Almost immediately, he looked toward the enemy and grabbed for his sword, which he had dropped to the ground near him.

Warrior of Light had no chance to join in the battle once again, however. As soon as he had grabbed his sword, before he could even begin to get to his feet once more, the old man was struck down by Firion’s attack, and with a burst of energy, was replaced by a much more familiar figure.

“Garland!” he shouted, pushing himself upright as the man spoke and Firion stood to join him. When his enemy disappeared through the portal, he stood on guard for only another moment, before relaxing his guard.

“We will end this cycle of chaos for good.” He swore. “No matter what you may say, we will never waver from our purpose.”

Vow made, he turned away from the center of the battlefield to see the other fighters scattered about on it. He put aside sword and shield for the time, and moved to help wake the rest of the group.

[morehatthanmage.livejournal.com]

"No!" Vivi yelled. For a second, it almost looked as if after all that he was going to throw a tantrum. He stomped one foot and yelled at the place where Garland had been. "Come back! Come back!!"

And then he gave up, shuffling over to the stopped Mikoto quietly.

"She can be fixed, right?"

[knowshermachina.livejournal.com]

Rikku was still sound asleep on the lower platform as the chaos ended and Garland escaaped. She muttered to herself in Al'bhed but otherwise showed no particular sign of waking up.

Zzz.

Just gonna combine both Genesis and Firion here since I'm doing homework~

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

Firion sighed heavily before turning and following the Warrior of Light. "We have defeated him once before. We will do so again," He nodded to Light and parted ways to make his way to Genesis, shaking him gently to awaken him. The warrior was also a mage and the effects of Night should be wearing off soon.

Once the man began to open his eyes, he nodded to him before going to Rikku, kneeling down to gently shake her. Genesis groaned softly and held his side. He was going to need a potion soon.

[nomerevessel.livejournal.com]

The effects of Stop wore off while Vivi was still looking up at her. Mikoto made a sudden gesture as though she was about to stab him, but the movement wasn't completed. She let the knife swing back to her side.

Without Garland's instruction, Mikoto's gaze became aimless again.

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Mjrn was sprawled out not too far from where Garland had been having succumbed to the Sleep spell. Whenver she was awakened, the young Viera stirred--and abruptly sat up, reaching around frantically for her spear. It was found within arm's reach, but....

She glanced around, brow furrowing. "Where is Garland?"

[smallmage.livejournal.com]

And Refia, too, came back to herself as the Stop wore off of her at last. Inside, she was cursing herself and Garland and everyone for him getting away, but there was no hope for it now - things were they way they were, unfortunately. The very first thing the mage did was cast Cura on herself to help her get to her feet - that Wave had not been pretty.

But that was it. The Regens and the Reflects had drained away her resources, and with Garland escaped once again - and changed, somehow - she wasn't about to use one of her precious Ethers to recharge when rest and potions would help just as much.

"Wh-What was that?" she asked in a shaky voice as she tried to steady herself with her rod, looking between Firion and the Warrior of Light. "Do y-you know him?"

[for-cosmos.livejournal.com]

"He is gone," The Warrior of Light said tersely, walking closer to Mjrn and offering her a hand. "He changed to his own form and disappeared from the battle."

He glanced up toward Refia and nodded grimly. "We have faced that man many times," he told her. "I had thought him defeated, when we first came to this place to see that old man, but it would seem that he is the same as when we last faced him."

[thisdesertrose.livejournal.com]

"He is from the Void," Firion also confirmed. "A place where the cycle of conflict kept us there for quite a long time. We ended that cycle and defeated him. But it seems even on this world he has found a way to start it all over again."

He wanted to hit something. Garland had terrorized Light's world and then the Void and now he was on this one. Why could the conflict never end?!

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Mjrn frowned as she listened, accepting the help up from Warrior of Light. "So it will continue, unless we finds means to make it cease?" She sighed, disappointed that the battle ended as it had. The Viera glanced around, looking for anyone else that might need healing or status-effect relief.

[morehatthanmage.livejournal.com]

Vivi flinched back when Mikoto moved to stab and didn't try to move forward again for few seconds after it was clear that she'd stopped.

Gingerly, he took her by the hand that wasn't carrying a knife and tried to lead her toward the rest of the group.