EVENT: Heartless Swarm

[fatedhearts]

Things have been fairly peaceful for a while now as everyone has settled into their current lives on this new world. But one day towards late summer, that all comes to an end.

One of the portals in the sky suddenly opens again, an odd glowing light surrounding it as it ejects creature after creature. Then it closes, followed by another glowing portal elsewhere in the sky emitting the same creatures. Small and black, mostly, with odd antennae and glowing eyes. Some here will know them. The Heartless, creatures of the darkness who seek hearts. Those they attack, if they give in to the darkness in their hearts, will become Heartless themselves.

Where is a Keybearer when we need one?!

OOC INFO

Heartless can be encountered anywhere! They're pouring into Edge, the Midgar ruins, Kalm, Wutai, and everywhere else. Balamb Garden won't be spared, but if they're able to seal everything off in time and take flight, they may be safe from the majority of the creatures and be a safehouse for anyone desperate to escape them.

Anyone familiar with Heartless is encouraged to try to defeat them (or control them, if they're lucky enough to possess that ability). But they may find something else will push back if they try. Did someone deliberately send the Heartless through the portals? Who, and why? Does someone on the other side of those portals know what's happening here? And why are the portals glowing when they open? Is there any important significance in that?

(And yes, this is a very significant event that will have a deep bearing on the overall plot!)

Before anyone asks, having your character become a Heartless is probably not a good idea, given that it would be very difficult to get them back to their normal selves at this point in the game. But we welcome intense situations of Heartless trying their hardest to claim hearts before they're stopped!

The event is scheduled to run through August 10th, but backdating and backtagging is encouraged for as long as everyone wants! Post toplevels to this post or create new posts!

Comments

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

The cloud broke apart as a tightly woven blanket of electricity dropped on the remaining heartless, ending them.

Tris started to fall but Daja and Briar caught her and helped her sit on the ground. Both of the small braids that framed her face were completely unbraided and already curling around her pale face. She was breathing hard. Sandry leaned lightly against a wall carefully.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth was again impressed, but quickly turned his attention to the girl. "Is she alright?" he asked in concern.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"She'll be fine," Briar said. "She's just tired out, so she'll be a little grumpier than usual. Not that most people would be able to tell."

Tris glared daggers at him through her spectacles, he seemed not to notice.

"Hopefully there will be another storm soon, a natural one."

"I'll recharge just fine, thank you," Tris snapped.

"Ah, Daj knows, no need to bite her neb off, Copper curls," Briar said, pulling lightly on one of Tris' now loose curls, laughing as she swatted his hand away. The little glass dragon trying to bite his hand, did the trick though and he stuck it on his pockets. Though possibly not before Sephiroth would be able to see that the tattoo he has of leafy vines on his hand... moves.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth stayed silent, watching and listening to their antics. Then he stiffened. “… Did your tattoo just … move?”

That was not something he often saw.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

Briar winced then shook his head. "Copper curls stores lightning in her hair, we wove that lightning into a net then she and Sandry wove it into a fire suppression blanket, Chime is trying to nuzzle himself into Tris' neck and your question is about my tattoos?"


He sighed and pulled out his hands. Both of them had tattoos wrapping around his wrists, over the backs of his hands and then around to under his nails, and both sets of vines and leaves moved. The leaves under the nails even seemed to be growing. "I have plant magic, and Sandry is a stitch witch."

Tris snorted.

Briar ignored her and continued. "I was foolish enough to borrow a needle from Sandry's mage kit,"

"Borrow?" Daja said, a brow raised.

"I gave it back," he muttered, then shook his head. "Anyway, I nicked the needle with out asking and used it with a plant dye I made and..." he shrugged and put his hands back in his pockets. "Lesson learned. Never touch another mage's mage kit."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"I have elemental magic myself, so that isn't exactly new to me," he replied. "Moving tattoos are much more unusual."

He quirked an eyebrow in concern. "You're stuck with that now because of a small mistake?" Magic was dangerous, but there was generally a way to reverse it.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

He shrugged. "There is probably some way to undo it eventually. But given how odd our magic can be, I for one have no intention of trying without at least Niko and Rosethorn present. and trying to pin Niko down to any one place these days is..." he shook his head.

Sandry smiled softly. "We were honored by the time he gave us when he was our teacher." Then her expression hardened as she looked at the person to whom they had been speaking. "Sir, you said that you have worked with unmagic before. You will explain now, thank you," she said suddenly sounding and looking like a noblewoman who was used to her orders being obeyed without thought.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Hm. Yes, I would agree that having experts in that field be present would be critical."

He looked to Sandry. "As I told you, these creatures are called Heartless in my world. They are the hearts of those fallen to the darkness. There are very few who can control them. Most who can use them for evil. I make them stop their madness back home. I do not know why they do not listen to me here."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Those... Those were people?" Sandry asked, horrified. Her hands went over to her face as she paled and sank to the ground.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

He hurried over to her in concern. "Are you alright?!" He knelt down beside her.

Had she actually fainted or just grown weak?

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

She had her hands on the ground as she panted. "Those.... Those were people...." she whispered.

Tris swallowed hard, trying not to be sick.

"We need clarification," Daja said, hands holding tight to her staff. "Did we just slaughter a bunch of people trapped within unmagic?"

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"No," Sephiroth said. "The Heartless have to be defeated in order to have any hope of getting the people back to normal. Once the heart as well as the separated body and soul are defeated, they reunite into the person again."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Oh thank Mila," Briar muttered.

Daja snorted. "Look who found religion," she teased, but it was weak.

Sandry pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. She dabbed at her eyes. "I'll thank any and every God myself," she said, weak with relief.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth also looked relieved to think that there was a way to save them. When he had believed Zack lost, he had feared that if Zack wasn't dead, he was a Heartless somewhere. And probably a Nobody too, since his heart was strong.

"Well. I should get all of you back to the city before there's another attack."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"If there are more people that need help, then we should help," Daja said. "But needing to keep our weapons from touching the creatures does make it harder. No matter what Tris wants people to think, her power has limits like the rest of us."

"If I wasn't so tired I'd throw something at you," Tris growled.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"This is a fairly isolated area, so I don't know that more people would be here," Sephiroth said. "There could be plenty in the city who need help. But if any of you are tired, you shouldn't fight. You could easily be overwhelmed."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Until we can leave, this is as best we've got for a home," Sandry said. "We have to help defend it."

"I can brew us some energy tea," Briar said. "And I have some soup balls."

"Food would help," Sandry said, nodding. "And I can weave some bandages while I eat for anyone who might need them."

"I have some oils to work into them, but I'll have to replenish soon," Briar said.

"If we're taking a food break no one had better bother me while I read my book," Tris said.

"I'll help with whatever is needed," Daja said.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"You don't have to stay here," Sephiroth said in concern. "There's a hotel in town where most of the displaced people are staying."

He didn't like to think of them out in the middle of nowhere, especially now that Heartless were attacking.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

They all gave him a look like he wasn't the brightest.

"We ment this country," Briar said, trying to fight a laugh. "Not this exact space."

Daja snorted. "Me and Briar maybe, but can you really see Sandry living out in the open?"

"Hey!" Sandry protested. "I could make it work if I had to, I'd make us waterproof tents with comfortable flooring."

"And copper curls needs altitude and a library," Briar added.

Tris made a face at him. "The few books we've managed to gather here hardly qualifies as a library."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Then as I said, we should leave and return to the city," Sephiroth replied matter-of-factly. Since he had mentioned going to the city and they had seemed to object, even planning to brew tea and make soup, it had certainly sounded like they wanted to be in this space.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

That response had been more to them sitting out rather than them going back to the city. Briar helped Tris up. "C'mon, Copper Curls."

Sandry sighed as she took Daja's help up. "Not to sound like the spoiled rich kid you all think I am, but I do rather wish we had our horses here."

"I'm not a spoiled rich kid and I wish we had them too," Daja said, blandly. "As we don't, we'll have to make due with each other, Saati."

"I'd make a crude joke," Briar said, "But I am physically touching Tris and would rather not get drowned."

"Saves me having to knock some brains into your kaq head as well then," Daja said, shaking her head as she started helping Sandry along.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth opened a portal for them to all walk through. "Luckily, we can quickly get to the city this way," he said. If they would trust him enough to use it. The hotel could be seen on the other side.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"We've done weirder," Briar said. "And I for one prefer weird over walking." He helped Tris through the portal. Daja and Sandry followed.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Relieved they weren't going to make a fuss, Sephiroth went in with them and closed the portal after them. Thankfully, the street seemed peaceful. So far, at least, Heartless weren't attacking this area. People were calmly walking past. Some were going to the hotel.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"How do we find and hunt these things down?" Daja asked him once the portal was closed.