[Thread, Pandaemonium]

[heartofheaven]

Characters: Tifa, Warrior of Light, Rydia, Terra, Celes, Mateus, Auron, possibly Lufene (let me know if I forgot anyone)
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: The group travel to Pandaemonium to retrieve the Fire Crystal. Little do they know that an old enemy is waiting for them, let alone the undead denizens of the island. No tagging order for this one - tag

Comments

[heavenslament]

Terra exited the Lunar Whale after Tifa, hand on the hilt of her sword. She was wary enough already, thanks to what she had heard about Lufene, but the army of undead was more than she expected. Her eyes widened as she stared around at the vast army in shock. That only lasted for a moment, though; snapping out of it, she drew closer to Tifa and fired off several bolts of Holy to drive back the nearest undead. "Let's find the crystal, before they converge on us!"

[magitekrune]

Celes was right behind them, storming out of the ship with her shield raised and her sword drawn. She didn't stop to think about what they were seeing before she dug straight into the closest undead monster, taking it down in a few quick chops.

"I'll take the rearguard! Keep moving forward!"

[for_cosmos]

As soon as the Warrior left the airship, he was striding forward as well, shield and sword in hand to attack one of the undead that came too close. "The longer we fight these monsters, the more time Lufene has to notice our arrival and counterattack." He said, already stepping forward to advance through the army of zombies toward Pandaemonium.

Perhaps it was reckless, but the Fire Crystal had to be retrieved from Lufene- if it was not, it was essentially in Garland's control, and he could not allow that to happen.

[divineemperor]

The pilot he'd hired to take him to the island almost turned away at the sight of the undead and monsters swarming before his chosen destination. However, a few carefully chosen words and one display of just why it would be in the man's best interest to land, ended that and shortly afterward his feet were finally on solid ground once again and he could actually see Pandaemonium in the distance.

"Quite the welcome." He said to himself as he cast several spells on himself before going on the offensive toward the approaching enemies.

He would see about meeting those he had agreed to meet with at the palace entrance, if they couldn't make it there by themselves...it wasn't worth his time in dealing with them in the first place.

The Rescue Thread

[melodiesoflute]

Just what was he doing

Re: The Rescue Thread

[lunarianlegacy]

Ceodore hadn't found it too surprising that Edward had spearheaded this rescue plan. It was still awkward for him to see the Damcyan king so young, but taking the role of a leader? Not a bit.

Most of the flight he spent staring at the girl flying the airship. She looked like a dancer, not a pilot and every time he went to ask something about it, they'd touch down somewhere new, adding to the party of fighters. The black mage didn't seem anything more than a child, which he wasn't sure he felt comfortable with.

Edward's exclamation grabbed the prince's attention and he moved to stand beside the bard to look out at the view. The place was visibly crawling with monsters. "Whoa! That's where Rydia is?!" It was one thing to see something on those funny talking boxes and something else to see an army of undead so thick that the ground beneath them wasn't visible.

Re: The Rescue Thread

[morehatthanmage]

Vivi fidgetted all the way there, a little nervous about the upcoming fight. He hasn't used his magic since learning of the attack on Lindblum and didn't really want to start again but he couldn't just not use it when people needed help.

And he couldn't just ignore Lufene.

"There's- woah, there's so many. Um." He said, speaking for the first time on the trip.

The Rescue Thread

[heartofheaven]

Down on the ground, the group were having difficulties.

Well, that was an understatement.

Tifa had picked up the Fire Crystal near the entrance, only to find herself surrounded by spectres and ghoulish creatures the likes of which she'd never seen before. The monsters were clustered even more thickly at the entrance itself, and the way back to the airship didn't look too deserted either. She was horribly aware that she'd used the last of her potions after the encounter with Mateus. Any hit she took now could be her last. The Fire Crystal, precious as it was, wouldn't help in that regard.

"I found it!" she yelled, just as one of the ghouls lurched in for the attack. "Agh-!"

Inside the Throne Room

[ultimategenome]

In a word, Lufene was bored. Very bored. Gaia was no different than Terra in that aspect. Finding this fortress had proven fortuitous, but it was hideous and that irritated her. The monsters it spawned even more so. She had every intention to use them to alleviate her boredom after talking on that moogle contraption proved so disappointing. At least she'd managed to improve the place, adding in some fine art and a few spare plays for reading. Maybe what she needed were a few servants now that she had no other Genomes to order about.

Annoyed that Kuja hadn't proven the least bit of a challenge and with not a thing to entertain her, she took to pacing the floors like a sulky child grounded to her room. One exasperated sigh escaped her and she flounced down onto the throne in a huff, tapping her lacquered fingernails on the arms.

[divineemperor]

Mateus was preceded into his throne room by a sizable pack of dark-blue Coeurls that upon sighting Lufene headed for her with less than friendly intentions. The man which had called the feline-like creatures into service was currently waiting within the doorway both the monsters and he had entered via.

"Not much of a welcome compared to yours, but then we have considerably less space to work with here than you did outside. I hope you understand."

[ultimategenome]

The only response Lufene gave the Coeurls as they entered was a singular eyebrow raise. That was all the more he offered to bring to the table as a threat? She could wipe them out with no effort at all, although she supposed it was rude to dispatch a guest's pets without good cause.

Unconcerned for any threat the creatures might pose to her, Lufene crossed one leg over the other, becoming more comfortable in her seat and at the same time exposing a nearly indecent amount of skin thanks to the slit of her dress. On finger she raised and caught a lock of her free-flowing hair, twirling it around in a lazy way.

"Did you like it?" she purred, feeling incredibly pleased with herself and fishing for more of a compliment than the bare one she received. A soft little sigh, greatly exaggerated for effect, then she shifted to lounge on the throne by leaning an elbow on the arm and resting her cheek in her free hand. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

[divineemperor]

Mateus gave a dismissive shrug more meant for the last statement than the question. The Coeurls spread out along the edges and three lumps of golden brown formed between him and the lady sprawled out on the throne. As he moved further inside the room, the lumps began to look a little haggard about their edges due to what seemed to be vines unfurling from the main mass, eventually revealing a mouth that was nearly as big as the body it belonged to.

"It was...decent. Certainly fitting for an Emperor such as myself; I'll give you that much. I hope you don't mind if I add to my welcome for you."