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.

[3wingedangel]

"That is not cryptic, but fact," Sephiroth said. "Anyone giving in to their darkness could draw them out."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"What does that even mean?" Tris snapped.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Frankly, it means even you could attract them," Sephiroth said matter-of-factly. "They feed off of any kind of negative feelings or emotions. If two of you got into an argument, you might be swarmed by them."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Whelp, we're doomed, it was a good run, guys," Briar said.

Daja snorted. "We'd have died before we ever met the empress if that was enough, there has to be more."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

“The darkness can be overcome,” Sephiroth said. “You’ve already seen you can defeat the Heartless.”

But hopefully they would not have to immediately fight more of them.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"I don't think we can go a whole five minutes without arguing," Daja said, blandly. "I suppose we could use ourselves as bait once we prepare."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Perhaps," Sephiroth agreed. "But it would be better if you didn't have to immediately plunge into another battle. You should recover at the hotel for a while first. I have a protection spell over it and so far the Heartless have been unable to get through it."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Then we should go to areas that aren't under the protective shell," Sandry said, frowning, her lips pressed thin with tension between words.

Briar shuddered subtly, but nodded. "As soon as we can resupply."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Yes. After you resupply and rest," Sephiroth said, heading for the hotel and looking back to make sure they were coming.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

Seeing the direction they were being led, Daja cleared her throat. "We're that way, actually. We've got a house."

"Figured its better for everyone if we weren't on top of everyone else," Briar said with a shrug.

"Because some people might bot want a barefoot street rat scampering around," Tris said with a snort.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Copper curls...." Briar said.

Tris looked ready to strangle him.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Hm. Very well then." Sephiroth came back from the hotel entrance. "Show me your house. I will cast a protection spell on it until you're prepared to fight again."

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Will your spell interfere with ambient magic?" Sandry asked.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"It shouldn't, but I'll make sure before I seal the spell," Sephiroth said.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"And the spell can be removed if it interferes with our own magics?" Tris asked.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"Yes," Sephiroth said.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Then we thank you, sir," Sandry said, pulling free to give a curtsy.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth nodded in acknowledgment, staying alert for Heartless as they headed for this house.

"Have you been in this world for some time?" he wondered.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

"Not long, maybe a month, perhaps?" Sandry asked, head tilting as she considered.

"Don't ask me, I've just been weeding," Briar said, shaking his head.

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"That's impressive you were able to obtain a house," he said. "Although I am unaware of the prices of the housing market here."

Perhaps they were even given one free if they promised to help build things up again.

Re: Yeah.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

Sandry huffed. "We weren't allowed to pay."

"Not that our money would have been much good here," Daja said, running a finger absently over the metal over the back of her hand.

"Some of us don't have money anyway," Tris snapped.

"Anyway," Sandry said, "We're here to help as long as we are stuck here."

Re: Yeah.

[3wingedangel]

"You weren't allowed?" He raised an eyebrow. "Were you given a house for free then?"

Or were they technically not supposed to be there?

That was what we arranged, right? If not I'll edit.

[4_lumps_of_thread]

Sandy nodded. "Our requests were.... a bit much for the inn, apparently."

Daja snorted. "The one place where Sandry's needs were perhaps the least spoiled of all of ours. I needed to be near a forge, Briar near the ground where he can garden, and we all needed roof top access. Tris especially. And she needed room for all the books she is somehow going to be able to buy."

"I'll get a job," Tris snapped. "Until then that is what libraries are for."

"She's usually halfway closer to charming at least," Briar drawled.

Yeah, it was.

[3wingedangel]

"... You didn't get into the hotel but they found a house for you that had what you wanted?" He still wasn't clear on if they had the house free or not. He hoped they were there with someone's blessing so there wouldn't be a chance of being kicked out.

Awesome. Ty

[4_lumps_of_thread]

Sandry nodded. "We would help anyway, mind."

"And we'll find a way to pay back, we don't need charity," Tris snapped.

"And we're back to this," Daja muttered, shaking her head.

Re: Awesome. Ty

[3wingedangel]

Sephiroth suddenly smirked a bit to himself. Tris had an even worse temper than Cloud.

"Is it much farther?" he asked.