Guardians of the halls of Heart, when we from our home depart...

[wrfm-mods.livejournal.com]

Who: Everyone who wants to fight or help
What: The Denizens of Light have broken free and are now faced with the First Darkness itself. What will be the fate of the World?
Where: The Keyblade Graveyard

The Door opened, and Light rushed forth.

"NO!" the Keybearer screamed, the sound fading as he was engulfed. Light, True Light, washed over everyone in waves, coming and coming and never seeming to end until all of Alexandria was covered beneath the shroud locking it in. Chernabog, met with an enemy he could not easily stand against even without his current wounds, shielded his eyes and vanished. There came a cracking sound, elevating in volume until it became thunder.

Weakened by the Ten-Chi Ken, under the pressing weight of its true enemy at full strength, the cage of Darkness shattered.

True Light cradled its children, lovingly soothing and rejuvenating any who might need it. There came a gentle pulling sensation, and all were taken to where they belonged, where their Hearts wanted them to be. As one, the worlds were covered in Light, and Denizens deposited in exactly where they should be. One such world, a desolate land of lifeless keys, experienced much the same, but only those who were ready and willing to fight were left here, faced with an enemy decided by their very nature.

The First Darkness looked on in outraged revulsion, Light prickling at his skin.

They will decide their own fates. The words simply appeared in his head with no voice to speak them, not even Patrick. You cannot do that for them, no matter your power.

And so the Light faded, lingering only a moment longer to fortify those left to oppose the Darkness. The Keybearers stood at the forefront, each grasping their key in hand. Their allies were gathered behind them, some looking confused and scared, others excited and determined, with every emotion in between. The forces of Darkness looked meager in comparison, with only the debilitated First Darkness himself and his handful of Keybearers. Jagannatha's expression twisted into a grotesque sneer, gold eyes blazing with something like elation as he whispered quietly to himself. Mere moments later, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Heartless and Nobodies were appearing at their sides, quickly outnumbering the Denizens of Light.

"You found it then," he growled, addressing all of them at once. "I find that I am hardly surprised. Your kind were always stubborn, weren't you? Small matter. Once the lot of you are crushed, the remaining Denizens of Light will have no one. It will be so much simpler to keep them caged when all that's left of their fighting spirit has been destroyed beyond hope. They'll be the perfect little pets for us. And it will be so much more enjoyable to watch them break."

In a moment, he was a mere step away from Sora, brandishing a blade of pure Darkness in his face. The boy rolled in a dodge, and Jagannatha agilely turned to follow. That was all the indication his Keybearers needed.

The final battle had begun.

OOC Notes:
- Everyone coming from within Alexandria has been fully healed by the Light.
- Those Denizens of Light outside of Alexandria may be touched by the Light if they so choose, meaning you will be healed and transported to where you need to be, as well.
- Light magic is fully restored. Reverse Cure is no longer an issue.
- Dark magic has been weakened by the Ten-Chi Ken, but is still fully accessible.
- Refugees will be fighting either one of the five Dark Keybearers, members of the Academy of Shadows if they join the fray, or Heartless and Nobodies. Keybearers have the distinct advantage here in one-on-one combat.
- If you have any questions, please take them over here.

Comments

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau knew what was expected of her, and she almost scoffed at the thought of it. There was little doubt that Mabry was preparing for one of those dramatic, fantasy novel conflicts, full of bold, meaningful words shot back and forth until one or the other folded. It was tempting, really, but Medrau had been listening to Hex's rambles about the ways of this universe - the predictability of Good versus Evil. On a fair field, Mabry would win, nomatter how much confidence Maleficent's student had in herself. It was, after all, two against one.

She'd just have to make the field unfair.

Still smiling, she twirled Song's glaive casually in one hand and then held out the other, curling her fingers in a gesture of beckoning.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry held her staff in a defensive position and resisted the temptation to close with Medrau. It had been too long since she had sparred with her sister and she had little idea of how their skills compared. While her body was healed, she herself was out of condition. Physical combat was not her friend. Her allies would be words and magic . . . and perhaps trickery if it came to that.

"Do you remember when we found Pixel?" Mabry asked in a softer tone of voice than was usual for her. "And after we took him back to your house and fed him, I told you a story from Robert Heinlein? From The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress?"

Words, she thought again. And if this fails, there was always plan b.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

She did not remember nor did she care, and she was not about to let herself be led down this path. Nostalgia was a ridiculous weapon to be defeated by.

However... this would be easier if Mabry thought she had a chance at winning with only words.

A quick glance around confirmed that Medrau was still well clear of the other combatants. Keeping her eyes on her sister, she reversed her grip on the glaive and thrust it into the dry ground, then took several steps back, leaving it to stand like one of the sentinal keyblades. Disarmed, she once again smiled and beckoned Mabry closer.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

". . . actually, it was The Cat Who Walks through Walls, my apologies," Mabry went on. She continued to hold the staff in a defensive stance. "I told you how, in the book it was stated that if you take in a stray kitten and feed it, you're responsible for it." She edged slightly forward, feeling as if she were walking into a trap. "It was our excuse for why you should keep the kitten."

When Mabry was about a foot away from the glaive she stopped. "The name Pixel came from the cat in the story. The Cat who walks through walls . . . who is able to do it, because it never occurred to him that he couldn't."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

The memory came back, signaled only by Medrau blinking and wrinkling her nose slightly. What did it matter, anyway? She had a thousand other silly memories about Song's stray cat collection.

"I don't know what point you're trying to make, though I could guess a few." She reached into her hair as if brushing it back, but when her hand came into few again there was a small dark thing cupped in her palm. She stroked it with the fingertips of her other hand, still wearing that sickly sweet smile.
"Who is it exactly that you are suggesting should walk through walls?"

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry raised an eyebrow. "You, perhaps. In psychology the mind is often envisioned as a house with rooms and furnishings: our thoughts and memories. In your mind, there's a room with a locked door, isn't there? And in that room is a woman who's made an art of doing the impossible--in fact, of not believing that anything is impossible. Makes you think."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau sighed in bored exasperation and raised the tiny, unformed creature to eye-level, as one might do with a very small pet. "Your auntie just doesn't give up, does she?" she cooed. "What will she want me to do next, huh? Sing a song to make it all better? Or maybe she's hoping for a hug and a good cry." She met Mabry's eyes again and bared her teeth in a grin. "Go on, 'auntie', keep talking. We're both very curious by nature."

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

At the sight of the fetus in Medrau's hand, Mabry's previously cool gaze became a glare. "Congratulations, you've accomplished what you sought to accomplish. You hurt me." She drew in a slow breath. "But you should know . . . ." Now she did move in closer, and her voice was just a whisper. "You've also failed, because I'm out to save my sister, not the possibility of her child. Showing it to me changes nothing."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau made a show of coddling the odd little proto-Heartless before letting it climb back onto her shoulder. As it clung there, the faintest ribbons of some dark energy could be made out, flowing from the creature to coil around Medrau and no doubt into her, joining mother and child.

"You can hardly say I've failed when you don't yet know my intentions. Hurting you is just my way of keeping it fun. You know how it goes with us entities of Darkness..." she waved a hand in a broad gesture as she drawled on, "evil is a joy, pain and suffering a treat. Horribly cliche, I know, but who am I to argue with what works for me?"

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

"I hope you haven't been forcing her to watch this," Mabry said softly.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau gave her a wide-eyed look. "You think I'd let her miss out? You know how she loves to be a part of absolutely everything. Fingers in all the pies, you could say. I can assure you, she's got a front-row seat."

She looked to her left and right, checking the battle field once again, seemingly unconcerned this time about taking her eyes off her opponent. "You know, this is really not the best place for a good long chat."

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

That was just what Mabry wanted to hear. Songbird could hear her. She was reaching more than just Medrau.

Medrau was right, Mabry realized. It wasn't the time or the place. "Well, you could always surrender, go home, and we can discuss this in-depth over a cup of tea later."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

"Ala Demetria, daughter of Shabaranigdo?" It was Medrau's turn to be nostalgic. "I am not her, though she might have been an early source of inspirational development..."

She closed in, but made no move to retrieve her weapon.

"No, I was thinking instead we might try walking through walls."

She made a familiar gesture, arm outstretched with palm forward and fingers splayed. The Dark Portal opened so close behind Mabry that tendrils of its purple-hued darkness licked the back of her neck.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry edged away from the portal, bringing her closer to Medrau. "No thank you. I think this is right where I need to be for the moment."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

"I could make a deal with you," Medrau offered. "You and I step through the portal, away from this battle, into a perfectly safe place where you can talk at me to your heart's content... or I leave now, stay far away from Radiant Garden, and Darkness knows when next you'll get a chance to rescue your sister."

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry laughed. "And thus you fall into the persistent trap of the villain: offering the deal that cannot be accepted, the unthinkable choice." A gentle smile touched Mabry's lips. "And my answer must be the same that we all make."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

The portal snapped shut and Medrau reached out to retrieve her weapon, sneering. "Now, I know all you Refugee have keyblade envy, but do you really think you're up to fighting me with that stick?" Violet-tinged electricity crackled from her hands to coil around her glaive and fan out in an arc over the two of them before fading away. It was energy wasted on a display, but she was confident.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

"I didn't tell you my answer," Mabry said. Her hands tightened on her stick. "And you're right. It's only a stick. No magic, nothing special at all. And I'm not much of a fighter." The moment was coming, she knew, the time when she would have to give up this fight for the moment, end the battle, and leave this conversation for a better time.

After all, she had all the time in the world.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

A little voice in Medrau's head suggested she might want to back off a bit. Mabry's words were those of someone with a trick up their sleeve.

She did take a step back, making it look as if she were only adjusting her footing. She had to remind herself that her intention here was to stall the healer as long as possible. It was a battle with her own impatience, but if any of the Refugees got badly hurt or killed, it would be well worth the inconvenience.

"Go on then, if you must, and explain exactly what your answer is. If it doesn't result in an exchange of blows, I'll be impressed."

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Now it was Mabry who set aside her weapon, reaching her hand into the first aid kit that hung by her side. "My answer is . . . Stop."

It was her only combat relevant spell, but if she moved quickly, it might be enough.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

And Medrau froze, stiller than death, her expression caught somewhere between quizzical and contemptuous. The half-Heartless of her unborn child, also caught in the spell, was still clinging to her shirt like a disgustingly large insect.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry drew the item from her first aid kit, a syringe filled with a relatively powerful sedative. When she had packed the kit, she had intended it for the possibility of having to stitch a wound together. Then when she had anticipated trouble, she had prepared it as a possible last defense of her safety.

She had not wanted to use it on her sister. While in the second trimester, the risk would have been minimal, any unnecessary medication could cause complications. But Medrau had removed that concern, turning Song's unborn into a Heartless.

So she plunged the needle into Medrau's harm and injected the sedative into her system, before replacing the syringe in her kit. It would take a few moments before the effects would be felt and more before the Shadow lost consciousness, but once she was asleep, she should sleep for several hours, long enough for the battle to end.

With this done, she retrieved her staff and made a deft sweep at Medrau's legs before the spell could wear off.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau regained awareness on the ground, the throb in her shins making it fairly clear how she'd ended up there. The apparent black-out was another mystery - she had no memory of the brief time spent in the Stop spell. There was a chance, she thought, that Song had regained control for just long enough to give Mabry an opening.

She scrambled to her feet and expressed her irritation through mockery. "Tch. Just as I thought, and I am not impressed. You might come to regret turning down my offer..." She acted lazy about bringing her guard back up, hoping that Mabry would try for another hit and she could catch her once she was committed to the attack.

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry hung back, cautiously maintaining her own defensive stance. It was time for the waiting game, and she couldn't afford to take any risks. "Whenever I'm offered a bad choice, I refuse the choice. My sister knows that."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Medrau tossed her head to shake long bangs away from her eyes. It was a very Song-like gesture.
"I was being generous. You'd have had a decent chance of succeeding, I think. After all, it's worked in the past." She blinked a few times to clear her vision and focus.