[The Arcana Is The Mean By Which All Is Revealed] || [Semi-Open]

[great_king_of_evil]

Characters: A lot of characters, check the tags!
Setting: Various floors for gathering the seeds; the battles will happen on the Roof of Towerception (Floor 75).
Format: Prose or action, whichever you prefer!

Summary: That's the log for everything related to the Nyx Avatar player plot! The OOC post is here if you want more information about it! You can also use it if you want to plot about how the battles will go. The log is going to be divided into five main threads: a first thread for Ganondorf to gather the "seeds" who will be used to make Ryoji go into his Nyx Avatar mode. Essentially, he's just going to trap them into nifty, colored crystals while they're distracted. The second thread will be about Ryoji reaching the roof of towerception and subsequently being kept there alongside the four seeds till the heroes arrive.

The third thread will be about the 'heroes' arriving to Towerception-- If they took part in the Sephiroth battle, they will have received a seemingly friendly letter asking them to come, otherwise either they will just happen to pass by the tower and feel a strange presence / hear weird noises. Finally, the fourth thread will be about the battle against the seeds with a sub-thread per seed, and the final thread about the battle against Ryoji. As a reminder, the four "seeds of grief" are: Diarmuid, Lancer, Patrick Dawn and Yukiko Amagi.

Because of how the log is divided, you can start the battles without having to wait for the three "lead-in" threads to be completed.

Warning: Evil gloating. Unending lectures about the tarot arcana. Lots of sad all around. Of course, anyone participating in the battle against either the seeds or Nyx takes the non-negligible risk of being killed or grievously wounded.

Seeds of Grief Gathering
Ryoji's Arrival at the Tower
Villain Speech & Nyx's Awakening

Seeds of Grief Battle
Nyx Avatar Battle

Comments

[Seeds Gathering || Various Floors]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ This thread is for Ganondorf (possibly helped by Nesir) to find the to-be seeds and trap them in crystals while they're being distracted or while they're busy doing something. ]

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne - Floor 73

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid doesn't generally spend a lot of time on this floor when he's patrolling. There is snow and there is the ruined castle. Not a whole lot to check in comparison to a lot of other floors. However, today is different. He received a note the other day asking him to check into rumors that ghosts sometimes appear in the castle itself and are very violent. While the letter was unsigned and Diarmuid himself has never heard the rumor, he can't leave it unchecked. Should it be true, it's something he needs to add to the Tower Guide so others will know.

He steps into the mall hall of the ruined castle and looks around. It would help if the person who had left him the note had some idea of what might trigger the ghosts appearing, but they had said nothing on that. It looks like all he can do for the moment is wait...

...and think. After what happened with Reno and his discussion with Waver, it's not like Diarmuid doesn't have a lot to think about...]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ Ganondorf was obviously nearby, waiting for one of the to-be seeds to show up. He had never confronted Diarmuid before, but this didn't matter. What mattered was his bond with Ryoji, and he knew well enough how deep it was.

However, because he recently swapped the collar fluid, Ganondorf's powers were still very weak, he barely had the strength to pull off this plot. His powers diminished, it meant he couldn't risk jumping straight into battle or use monsters to do the job for him. As such he waited, patiently until Diarmuid looked lost in thought enough... This place was fairly boring anyway.

This was at this moment that Ganondorf would strike-- Or rather, crystallize. Indeed, the spell he would attempt to cast on Diarmuid from his hiding place should trap him within a crystal, large enough to breath and look around, but not to move or use any of his powers. If this worked, Diarmuid would find himself prisoner of it and Ganondorf would come out of his hiding place. Obviously it wasn't strong enough to keep him contained indefinitely, but he only needed him contained until Ryoji awakened to his true power. ]

floor 32 - the floating island

[puppy_lancer]

[Ever since Lancer got the horse, he's needed to find places to graze her. Since she has such a big appetite, he alternates floors every day to keep her from stripping places bare. Currently, he's on the floating island, letting her eat her fill of grass. It might seal off powers, but at least there aren't many things that might poison her.]

[Meanwhile, he's just going to lie down next to Liath Macha and nap.]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ Well, Ganondorf had expected to meet some difficulties to capture some of those 'seeds', notably with Lancer, as he had seen him in action before-- But never had he expected it to be so easy.

This being said, who knows how the capture went? Probably that they moved the poor guy while he was sleeping and only put him into a crystal as soon as they reached the staircase-- What with powers being coming back as soon as the floor was left. And very calmly, after all they didn't want to bother the horse. And Ganondorf actually liked horses, even if this one wasn't to his tastes.

And lo, lancer would awaken prisoner in a pink crystal, floating above the roof of towerception. There were no other crystals around, as he was the first one Ganondorf had gone after. Speaking of the devil, he on the roof and apparently about to leave, mumbling to himself. ]

... have to wonder how they even survived that long. Pathetic.

Yukiko Amagi - Floor 48

[slightlyoblivious]

[Yukiko can be found in the graveyard. It's the second time she's come here since her return to the tower, but now her arms are filled with flowers. She's pausing at every grave marked with a name she knows, leaving some flowers and whispering an apology and a promise to save them this time.

It's easy to tell that she's distracted, lost in her own thoughts as she carries out what she feels is her duty. Her guard is down and she really isn't paying attention to anyone else that might be there.]

[culbutiri]

[Yukiko had taken a little time to track down, considering that Nesir had never met her in person. She knew who she was though, and knew that she had been away for a while, and now was back.

She had followed her to this floor, and was stood in front of a grave, Rise's grave. She still thought that graves, and what they symbolised was strange and blasphemous but she understood that it was not that way for others. She looked up when she saw the girl coming her way.]

You did be having a grave here, it do be being gone now. So you do be being the same Yukiko who used to be being here.

Patrick Dawn - Floor 26

[bashfulshifter]

[Despite all the excitement dealing with the power suit he'd received being repaired, there were still more menial tasks to take care of in the Tower. Rick was beginning to wonder if, with Aria and the retrieval units taking over, he and everyone else even needed to do these jobs. Surely the administrators had more pressing matters to attend to?]

[Still, it was a task that Rick would do regardless of its necessity. Cleaning the morgue had become a regular staple of his week, a way to make sure everything was normal, relatively speaking, a way to ground himself in routine and sort his thoughts. Diligently scrubbing the inside of one of the cold lockers with his back facing the stairs, he hardly suspects this ritual to be interrupted.]

[culbutiri]

[But interrupted it will be. Nesir doesn't know Patrick, but she knows he was one of those involved in attacking Sephiroth, and that is enough for her to dislike him. She found the morgue strange, but found him pretty quickly and stood near the doorway.] This did used to be being my job. I do no be missing it.

[Ryoji's Capture || Towerception]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ This thread is for Ryoji's arrival to towerception, where he will wind out the four seeds of grief and the villains.

To be more specific, the four seeds of grief are kept within crystals at this point, each of them floating above the roof of towerception. They are all be high enough so that Ryoji cannot reach them, but low enough so that he can distinctly see them as soon as he reaches the place. And below them firmly on the ground, three notable douches are waiting for him: Ganondorf, Nesir and Sephiroth. ]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji certainly wasn't completely trustworthy of the anonymous letter he received, but when he arrived at the designated meeting place, he wasn't expecting anything like this. Not his friends and family trapped in crystals. Even from a distance, he can see them, and it sets a panic into him that has him climbing the stairs without even pausing to catch his breath; it's almost as if he doesn't need to breathe. He's too busy worrying about everyone. If it was just Diarmuid or maybe just Yukiko, he could worry and then focus on saving them, but with four people there that he cares about, he's just switching between all of them in an incoherent stream of fear for their safeties.

He has a feeling who is behind this before he makes it to the top, but it doesn't make it any easier to see them. He almost runs forward, but it's clear the crystals are out of his reach, so he just glares at the villains from a distance.]

Let them go right now. I don't know what your plan is, but just leave them alone and you can do whatever you want to me.

[Bargaining probably won't work, especially with that group knowing he'd rather die than see any of his friends suffer, but he has to try.]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ Ganondorf smiled when Ryoji came in-- As expected. It was a good thing too, if the boy hadn't showed up, he would have had to go through the trouble of hunting him throughout the tower, and he was much too weak at the moment to hunt yet another person after having done the four seeds already.

He shook his head at Ryoji's words however, his smile widening. He looked pretty amused, if anything. ]

I thank you for your kind offer boy, but I am afraid their presence here is as necessary as yours. Surely you must have guessed that.

[ He waved at the crystals' direction, but said no word just yet about why they were necessary. ]

[Nyx's Awakening || Towerception]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ This thread is for when the heroes will arrive at towerception and find Ryoji as well as the four seeds floating above the roof, about to become Nyx Avatar.

At this point the four seeds of grief are still be kept within crystals, floating above the roof of towerception. High enough so that no one can reach them, but low enough so that anyone looking at them can easilly see who the people in the crystals are: Diarmuid, Lancer, Patrick Dawn and Yukiko Amagi. In the middle of the four crystals another person is floating; Ryoji. It appears as though some sort of dark energy is flowing from the crystals to Ryoji, slowly awakening the Nyx within him and starting the transformation process.

And of course, on the roof below the floating crystals and Ryoji, there are three notable villains of the tower awaiting for the heroes: Sephiroth, Ganondorf and Nesir. ]

[fionnuisce]

[Waver knew better than to answer mysterious letters unarmed. When he arrived, it was with a pair of daggers within reach and a girl made of mercury following a step behind.]

[Whatever he'd been expecting, this was the furthest thing from it. It took a moment for him to wipe the genuine shock off his face, and a moment longer to process whatever was going on as it turned to anger very quickly.]

What the fuck do you lunatics think you're doing?!

[Naturally, he didn't understand what was going on. No amount of logic could follow the circumstances through to whatever conclusion the three of them were heading for. But he could comprehend what mattered: several people he gave a damn about were in clear danger caused by Sephiroth and his league of sociopathy. That was enough for Waver to understand this was going to turn messy.]

[irreverence]

Didn't you get enough of getting fucked up last time?

[Asagi is not pleased. In fact, judging by the way the black is creeping into her eyes, she's more than just a little angry. She doesn't mind fighting. Doesn't mind hurting people. It's hardly ever personal.

But this?

It's becoming clear that this is very personal, considering one of the people involved and the people floating in those crystals. And that? That makes Asagi very, very angry. There's no room for this kind of pettiness when there are more important things to worry about. Still, she takes a moment to calm down. Takes a breath and closes her eyes, and when she opens them again they're back to normal- but her voice is ice cold when she speaks again.]

Professor. Who are these other assholes anyway?

[Seeds of Grief Battles]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ This thread is for the battles against the Grief of Seeds. Following Ryoji's transformation, the four crystals will have shattered into thousands of pieces, resulting in the four seeds landing safely before the heroes.

Each seed with have their own battle thread, with the occasional cross-over to other threads from one seed to another, or even some assistance from Nyx Avatar. The villains however, will have left at this point. ]

Fight SubThread for Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

[oathshackledbird]

[Notes: First, a link over to the OOC post for those who what to know his general state of mind and fighting style/powers for the battle. Feel free to do any question asking or plotting here too. Secondly, it has been decided that Waver is going to land the killing blow, but how we get to that point is up to those involved in the fight.

Obviously, that means it is totally okay for him to die. :-P

Finally, I am going to be using his alter account, boarrowedyourwife for most of the battle, so don't be surprised if you see tags pop up from it.

And speaking of that account, give me one second to post a real opening tag from it and we can begin!]

Fight, Go!

[boarrowedyourwife]

[His eyes have darkened. No longer anywhere near the bright golden flames they usually are, calling them blood colored wouldn't be right either, since eyes the color of blood still have life to them.

There is no life in Diarmuid's eyes anymore. Perhaps, this is what he feared so when he spoke to Waver of losing himself if he was forced to change much more, but there is really no way to tell at the moment. Like this--so lost to his own sorrow and guilt--he fears nothing and seeks only one thing.

An end. Protecting everyone himself has failed. He has failed. But that is okay because Nyx will do what he has not been able to. Protect everyone...in death.

He waits now for the first fighters to make their moves. He recognizes their faces, but feels no sorrow at having to fight them like this. It will be better soon. Soon...they will all be safe.

And then he will join them.]

Fight Subthread for Cu Chulainn (warnings for body horror)

[puppy_lancer]

[OOC Notes: First off, the OOC post for his fighting style. Like Diarmuid, he has an alter account, verybaddog, which will be used for the battle.]

[Lancer had, believe it or not, slept from the time of his capture all the way up to just before the crystals shattered. The first thing that he feels upon waking is rage. Rage and grief that overwhelm him and dig up deeply buried memories.]

[He was angry at himself for being such a failure of a hero. He had abandoned Scatchach and killed Connla and let Misaya die and let Ayaka disappear and get his brother killed so very many times...]

[And he was angry at the Tower for imprisoning him and keeping him alive longer than was needed and hurting all his friends...]

[And he was angry at everyone else standing around and gawking at his misery...]

[He wanted to kill and destroy. Until someone finally came and put an end to him. He has too much pride to kill himself, but he can still make someone kill him...]

[The peaceful expression he had in his sleep goes away, to be replaced by one of absolute anger. He lets out a bellow, more beast than man, as his appearance starts changing.]

[Bone and muscle expand, pulsate, and twist. Veins start popping across his face as his eyes bulge and burn. Fingers lengthen into claws and his jaw dislocates, showing his teeth becoming bloody fangs. Finally, white and blue fur, standing sharp on end, spout all over his body as his armor flies away. In addition, a tail comes out of his backside.]

[The hero Cu Chulainn was famed for his riastrad, or warp spasm, a madness of the body as well as the mind. When he lost his mind to rage, his body followed, warping into the massive wolf-man that he now seemed to be. The only thing that identifies him as Lancer is the ponytail that he has still (which admittedly looks a little silly attached to a giant werewolf/dog thing) and the crimson spear he summons into one paw.]

[With another howl, he smashes his fist into the floor, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. However, he did avert his punch from one direction--that of Nyx and her guardians.]

[irreverence]

[If it wasn't bad enough that they had Cu Chulainn, watching the transformation is two things- worrisome and exciting. Worrisome because she's heard of what happens when she's like this, knows her usual cloneblade abilities might not be up to par with him like this. Exciting because as always, the cloneblade's lust for battle shoots down her spine at the power coming off of him- off of all of them really- trying to make her eager to start the fight.

She can already tell that this is gonna get ugly.]

Didn't think I'd have to go this far...

[The words are an idle murmur, fingers raking backward through her hair, even as her cloneblade armor starts to make its way across her body. Once it's done though, she clenches her fists and grits her teeth as a brief shockwave goes over her from the wrists outward. Her hair lengthens slightly, colors in her eyes flickering from red-on-black to gold-on-red, black armor shot through with glowing violet and shifting around, skin turning a paler shade of blue. It only takes a half-second, and when she's done, she rolls her neck, her shoulders, and cracks her knuckles as she turns to Cu Chulainn.]

Rabid dogs need to be put down.

[She doesn't bother with the double blades coming out of either arm- she just extends the knife-like claws on her hands with a slow exhale and crouches down, ready to attack.]

Nothing personal, babe.

Fight - Patrick Dawn

[bashfulshifter]

((Notes: As with the others, here is Rick's OOC battle-style post outlining how he's going to act and what his motivations are. Should be noted that I always refer to RNG for fights, so having Rick die is a possibility! We'll play it by ear.))

[It's almost a relief, knowing that it will be over soon. He's fought for so long, gone through so much in this horrid place--lied in the faces of so many others. Someone had thought to call him a hero, even.]

[And how wrong they were...he's far from a hero. All he's done is survive; it's all he can do, all he's allowed to do, through a constant cycle of worry and fighting and death completely out of his control. But today, Nyx brings death--death brings freedom--and this time, he's allowed to save everyone. No more false promises.]

[Rick quivers as he rights himself, an unusual sight next to the two armored Lancers and their powerful healer. In his layers of sweaters and face wet with tears, a more cynical combatant might find his presence almost comical. He stares down the heroes, shudders with another uncontrollable sob. All he wants to do is run up and hug them, tell them all how big of a mistake he's made, how sorry he is...]

...C-Codi a-a-a-always t-told me...a-about the...th--the g-g-greater good...

[He's speaking to himself more than the others--convincing himself that he's doing the right thing. Yes, he thinks; if it meant saving everyone from suffering, his wife would agree to it without question. Her heart was always in the right place.]

M-Maybe...I'll s-s-see her...a-again...

[Rick's mouth curls into an odd, distant smile, frozen in a crouch while he waits for his opponents to make their move.]

[idkworldruler]

[So here he was, wandering into the room as soon as he heard and felt something going on, bee following in tow far above and behind him at a ace distance. Still wearing his uniform, surveying the surroundings before walking over to the first face that he recognized right off the bat. The guy with the speech-impediment. How excellent, maybe he can learn something from him? Or maybe not

Eyeing the guy as he got into a rather silly posture by his standards, but still threatening nonetheless. As such he brought out his rifle and slowly approached the guy. Still keeping his distance.]

Take it easy boy!

Yukiko Amagi

[slightlyoblivious]

[OOC notes, like everyone else: Yukiko's from the Arena timeline, but her Persona is slightly altered from her moveset there. The changes and what she's capable of doing are listed here. The big ones to watch out for will be Maragidyne (heavy fire damage) and Mediarahan (full healing for all allies).

Speaking of, I fully expect her to die in this thread, but I don't have a plan for exactly how that's going to go down. If your character wants to try taking out the magic-user, that is fine by me.]

--

[Once again, Yukiko had been weak. She'd practically let herself be captured, put into a pretty cage. Unlike Lancer, she had been awake the entire time she had been in the crystal. She hadn't been able to stop anything; all she could do was watch. Watch and worry and more than anything, despair.

You're weak. What did you think you could do?

When the crystal had shattered, Yukiko had almost floated downward, landing prettily and gracefully. Once again, for all intents and purposes, she had been the captured princess.

Everyone is already gone. Everyone is already dead. What did you think you were going to do? You made another empty promise. You always make empty promises.

There isn't any light in Yukiko's eyes as she takes the place closest to Nyx Avatar. Her logic is warped: if she keeps Nyx alive long enough, then it will all be over sooner.

This was always how it was going to be. Nothing matters anymore. Nothing, except the end.

Yukiko is completely silent as she takes her fighting fans from a pouch at her waist. She closes her eyes for a moment, and a blue tarot card appears in front of her.]

Come forth, Konohana-Sakuya!

[Normally, that would be a true battle cry, one filled with confidence and strength. Now, her voice is filled with anguish as she slashes at the card with one of her fans.

Her Persona still comes forth as summoned, the winged being floating behind her. She casts Fire Boost on herself, strengthening her power. Then, she waits, watches for just a moment.

After that moment passes, she casts Maragidyne - though it doesn't target any of the others who have come out of the crystals. It will only affect the heroes fighting.]

[Nyx Avatar Battle]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ This thread is for the battle against Nyx Avatar. ]

[apprisingreaper]

((As with the seeds above, just a few OOC notes: What Ryoji is capable of in this form is listed here. Arcana switching will likely be skimmed over, and I'll just focus more on the Death arcana for the battle. Don't worry, he'll still have plenty of tarot card and life lessons. More than likely, by the end of this, Ryoji will be forced to revert back to normal and killed before the despair gets the better of him... he's still not immortal, after all.))

[Ryoji was in pain.

Not noticed by most, Ryoji had been awake for the transformation process, as much as he wished he could pass out. He had tried to stay strong, but the darkness coming from the crystals had resonated with every part of his body, and trying to resist just caused more pain, like something burning him from the inside. Eventually, he had lapsed into strangled pleas. He was likely too high up to be heard, but he continued, over and over... "Kill me."

He needed to be destroyed before the shadows overtook him, before he transformed and killed them all instead. Dying, and the strange crushing feeling he'd felt the last few times he'd been 'dead' would hurt, but it would be nothing in comparison to killing all these people, only for them never to wake again.

So he begged with them, but no one heard. It was hopeless... Hopeless.

There was nothing left but suffering now... If only he could end it.

The transformation was swift after that, Ryoji's mouth twisted in an unnatural grin as his eyes turned black, his skin turned pale and two pairs of huge wings erupted from his lower back, shielding him from view until Nyx landed beside its vessels.

It had been content to watch them fight at first, only casting magic to strengthen its warriors and weaken those that fought against them. One by one each of them fell, but the Avatar didn't feel any remorse. It simply turned to the heroes as the last one was defeated, voice echoing from somewhere.]

I see you have defeated my protectors. They shall not suffer any longer... nor will you. Soon everyone in this Tower will have the rest they deserve. Eternal rest, no longer cheated by the administrators bringing us back. You will not fight the peace you have so longed for, will you?