BASIC INFORMATION
ORIGINAL or CANON:Original
Face claim’s name: Shinichirou Minato from Sukisho! (closest thing I could find to my headcanon)
What was the inspiration for them / do they embody a particular feeling or emotion?Mikhail has grown and changed as a character throughout his journey in World Destiny. Initially an idealistic, and to a certain degree overconfident young man, the pyromancer has become a much more pragmatic and cautious individual. One could say he embodies ideals reshaped after a reality check, adopting a Machiavellian approach and focusing on the end versus the means.
Name: Mikhail Rutherford
Nickname: The Crimson Blade / The Blade
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Being Type: Somebody
Position: Chaotic Good, Vigilante
Current Primary Objective: As it is the last stronghold standing (as far as he knows), protect Twilight Town and find a way to permanently repel the darkness hungering after it.
Learning type: Kinesthetic / Visual
INVENTORY
Weapons:- Flame’s End: A magically augmented longsword serving as Mikhail’s primary weapon. At first glance one might notice a heavily adorned silver handle, curly patterns engraved into it as an aesthetic accessory. Sturdiness and overall resistance aside, Flame’s End true value lies on its fire related passives.
- Fire Boost: Boosts up fire related techniques, increasing their power and effectiveness.
- Path to Mana: A magically augmented backsword serving as Mikhail’s secondary weapon. Visually it’s quite unimpressive, its blade sporting silver (with a soft hue of blue) and its hilt a dull bronze tint. Once wielded, however, Path to Mana’s passives counter some of the exhaustion generated from using magical abilities.
- MP Haste: Replenishes a small part of the wielder's mana pool every post.
Items:- Mira's Crystal of Shadows: A small trinket received from Mikhail’s childhood friend, Mira Andrews. Upon encountering Jadis the White Witch for the first time, the sorceress’s dark “gift” tainted the crystal, filling it with pure darkness manifested in a deep purple hue. The crystal dangles from a silver chain worn around Mikhail’s neck.
- S.O.S.: Allows Jadis the White Witch to find out the wielder's current location.
- Shadow Slayer: Masks the user from weaker Heartless, such as Shadows.
- Call of the Beast: As a last resort, it coats the user with dark energy manifested in dark purple tendrils, drastically boosting darkness techniques, physical strength and speed. However, this state limits rational behavior to the point where the line between friend and foe may be blurred. Each use further taints the wielder's heart. (Usable once per thread).
- Atlantean Crystal Necklace: Gifted to him by the people of Atlantis after helping save their world from the Heartless and Commander Rourke’s ambitions, Mikhail keeps the trinket as a symbol of hope and past success. Recently, however, its glow and abilities have found themselves severely weakened.
- Atlantean Healing: Allows the user to heal minor wounds using the crystal's energy, momentary covering the affected area with a blue hue. Its powers are equal to a Cure spell. (Three post cooldown).
- Atlantean Vitality: Slightly preserves the wielder's youth and strength.
- Spark Lemon Ice Cream: A magical serving of ice cream, unmelting and preserved throughout the years.
- Thunderbolt: Upon consuming the ice cream, the user is able to access the Thunderbolt command style. A bright greenish-yellow aura surrounds them, infusing their attacks with lightning and its power for five posts. The finisher, sharing the command style’s name, conjures a single orb of electricity above the user, which is consecutively shattered into multiple lightning bolts than rain down on surrounding foes. (One use only, obtained by winning the first day of the Summer Picture Scavenger Hunt 2011).
- Lighter (x2): A pair of standard metal lighters, serving as an immediate source of fire when required.
- Flame Source: Generates a small amount of bright and burning flames, allowing the user to use them in fire based techniques. (Minor manipulation only, five post cooldown).
ABILITIES
Heartborn Embers- Pyrokinesis: Fire has probably been Mikhail’s closest friend and most powerful ally throughout the years, always being there for him whenever things needed to heat up a bit. It’d be quite simple to guess the amount of skill one possesses over the element by just looking at his background: born to a respected family of pyromancers, trained by the elite Blazing Dragoons, squad leader and key chess piece in the wars back at Elona and, of course, several years of off-world experience. This ability, however, roots deeper than the orthodox magical union between individual and element; it is pure firebending.
Manipulating the element itself is no big challenge for Mikhail, taking little to none of his strength to play with burning and living fire. He can shift its form and change its direction and intensity as well, among other things. Creating it when it’s nonexistent is a different story: by exciting the atoms in the air he can ignite, or combust, floating particles in the area, giving him enough material to work with (see Limitations).
While lava could be perhaps considered as part of the terrakinesis branch, minor control over it comes as a bonus with Mikhail’s fire manipulation bundle. By utilizing his main pyrokinetic abilities, Rutherford can heat up the ground to such extent that he's able to melt it into, essentially, lava. Whether it's used for deflecting a geomancer's attacks or forcing people to watch their step, this ability can turn out to be really useful against certain foes. However, because of this, the chances of successfully utilizing it are few, making it a somewhat limited technique. Additionally, pyrokinesis grants Mikhail some resistance and immunity to heat and basic fire spells and manipulation.
- Limitations: Due to the uncommon origin of the link between the element and himself, conjuring flames doesn’t drain Mikhail’s mana pool, feeding off from his own vitality instead. Basically, if he ended up creating too many flames from his own energy without resting, his own life would start combusting away as well. Additionally, melting rock into lava is much more complicated than simply using pure fire, and thus tends to drain him more; to avoid overworking himself, the man usually rests between its uses (two or three posts, depending on the amount of lava used). Pyrokinesis permanently prevents Mikhail from learning any type of hydrokinesis and florakinesis (even basic magical spells).
- Minor Darkness Immunity: After his first encounter with Jadis the White Witch (former Lady of Traverse), Mikhail developed a resistance to basic dark spells such as Magnet and Gravity, as well as becoming undetectable by the weakest types of Heartless.
- Aura Reading: A passive ability Mikhail usually activates upon making an acquaintance or just before the beginning of a fight. It allows him “see” other people’s auras, retrieving basic information such as the other’s elemental preference, prominent personality features and alignment. It is really common among Elonians and quite similar, if not equivalent, to the passive Libra.
- Limitations: If one is making an effort to hide certain aspects of their persona, it is quite possible to fool this skill.
Skills:- Swordsmanship: It refers to the skills of one well-versed in the art of the sword. Having over a decade of experience in this area, Mikhail is quite skilled with the blade and is able to eliminate Heartless and protect himself with ease. His preferred style, though a tricky one, is dual wielding, feeling more comfortable with two blades under his command than just one.
- Limitations: There’s area for improvement in his technique as it lacks finesse and stability. Thus, a more experienced and collected fighter would be able to exploit these weaknesses and overpower Mikhail.
- Agility: Instead of being a heavy hitter with the blade, Mikhail is more of a hit and run type of fighter. Quick on his toes, he tends to unleash rapid combos before sliding away, circling his opponents and waiting until finding another opening. This also makes him hard to catch as well as hard to hit with most conventional weapons. Agility, combined with a time magic buff, could turn Mikhail into quite the deadly assassin.
- Stealth: In addition to being quick Mikhail can also be silent, becoming an asset on covert missions. The male is able to hide his tracks while speeding through areas, making it seem as if he’d never been there. This includes toning down his aura considerably to avoid detection from enemies with keen detection abilities, however slightly weakening his abilities in general. This skill reaches its fullest potential in dark areas as well as in those covered in fog or mist.
- Gummi Ship Piloting: With help from the Elona Remnant’s AI, EVE, Mikhail gradually learned the ways of the gummi. He can decently drive a ship from one world to another and even break Heartless blockades standing on his way.
Magic:- Cure: The basic healing enchantment, commonly used for self-healing more than anything. A bright aura of green surrounds the target, patching up small wounds such as minor cuts and bruises while bringing some relief to aching muscles and restoring their vitality.
- Limitations: There’s a one post cooldown between uses to avoid draining his mana pool.
- Magnet: A basic dark spell. It generates a magical vortex, attracting weaponry and items as well as light-weighted foes. Magnet additionally begins to slowly sap nearby foes’ vitality.
- Limitations: If faced with above average physical struggle or equivalent magic, there's a good chance that the vortex would fall apart prematurely. There’s a one post cooldown between uses to avoid draining his mana pool.
- Gravity: A basic dark spell. It conjures a sphere of artificial gravity that, upon contact, either makes the victim’s body heavier and thus harder to move around, attack and dodge with ease, or flings the victim and those around them into the air, briefly immobilizing them as they float helplessly around the area.
- Limitations: Gravity has an area of effect of approximately seven feet from its source and a cooldown of one post after its effects end to avoid draining his mana pool.
- Dark: A basic dark spell, if not the purest manifestation of the element. Mikhail tends to cast by either turning his arm into an energy pistol, releasing spheres of pure darkness from his palm as if they were bullets, or releasing energy in the form of flames to be manipulated as regular fire.
- Limitations: A maximum of five small-sized orbs can be currently unleashed a time. Mikhail’s ability to generate dark flames is not quite polished though and he’ll be hit by its recoil after constant use. There’s a two post cooldown between uses to avoid draining his mana pool.
Weaknesses:- Emotional Detachment: Recent events have led Mikhail to become an emotionally detached individual. Collaborating with others, despite aligning goals and objectives, is thus a complicated matter for him, and one he tends to avoid as of late.
- Humid Environments: Possessing a heart of fire makes Mikhail prone to exhaustion in places with high concentrations of humidity (e.g. oceans and rainforests). However, smaller areas such as lakes and regular water attacks fail to exploit this vulnerability.
- Tainted Heart: Repeated use of dark based abilities has gradually started to create a taint in Mikhail’s heart. The process has considerably slowed nowadays, but every time he loses control and gives into the darkness within brings him closer to true corruption.
BACKGROUND
Appearance: One could describe Mikhail as a rather tall figure, standing at six feet two inches. His body has been toned ever since he joined his country’s army but his muscular mass has been increasing as of late, having him weighing 181 pounds with little to no fat to speak of. Still, he isn’t what you’d call “bulky” and certainly not a “tank”, taking a lean, slender body build instead to suit his fighting style; versus trying to be a damage soaking powerhouse Rutherford tends to be an agile fighter, adopting a “hit and run” technique to tire and take down his opponents.
The male’s skin tone has always been tanned, adopting a sun kissed color due to the heat and warmth back home at Audentia. However, having resided some time at Jadis’s chilly Traverse Town and now a night-stuck Twilight Town, his skin has been affected by the absence of sunlight in the world, becoming paler as the weeks go by. This contrasts with his pitch black hair, falling down on multiple spikes. However the hairstyle itself is now a tad wilder and messier than before. His eyes are still wide, observant and analytic, but the warmth and inner peace they sported years ago is nowhere to be found now. Recent events have certainly taken a toll on Mikhail’s appearance, and an overall weariness can often be spotted on his facial expressions.
Mikhail’s current “go-to” attire isn’t really that different from his past ones, starting off with one of his trademark plain black shirts sporting a three quarter sleeve. At times he wears a dark gray jacket to keep himself warm without wasting energy on that end. His dark gray trousers remain, proven to be a comfortable choice for his vigilante duties, fixed in place by a maroon leather belt. On his feet he tends to wear a matching pair of crimson duty boots nowadays, comfortable enough for running but sturdy enough for fighting if needed. His hands are covered by a pair of fingerless black leather gloves. Two scabbards find their place attached to the belt, meant to store and carry his blades outside of combat. And last but not least, Rutherford tends to wear a pair of chains around his neck, each one hosting an artifact: from one hangs a dark purple crystal, a gift from his childhood friend Mira that has earned a higher purpose, and on another rests a blue Atlantean crystal which he obtained during his last journey to the Lost Empire.
Personality: After failing to save Traverse Town, Pridelands and other worlds from their destruction, Mikhail has practically abandoned any trace of that cheerful, easygoing persona he had embodied back home. Anger and rage are emotions that have become far too familiar for the pyromancer’s taste, and his thirst for justice and revenge remains insatiate. Still, his disciplined psyche allows his fire to burn strong despite a stern, icy exterior, keeping all of these heated instincts within much more contained and controlled than before. He’s thus usually able to perform and act in a level-headed manner, remaining observant, cunning and persistent in his goals.
Despite everything that’s happened Mikhail’s trademark sarcasm remains, allowing him to throw in a smartass remark or two to lighten the mood. His quips and wry sense of humor, however, have recently been turned into one of the man’s favored defense mechanisms, allowing him to deflect hurt and disappointment most of the time with a snarky retort. Because of this, despite being able to concentrate and take the task at hand as a serious matter, his tongue can prove to be an unexpected source of friendly fire when working with others.
In the past, Rutherford was a team player at heart. He successfully led his own squad of warriors back home and played an instrumental role in founding the Guardians of the Worlds with one Maxwell Tendas. Suspicion and mistrust were nonetheless no strangers to him, leading him to avoid relying on people unless he truly grew to know them. However, choosing to trust and work with others while becoming attached to his comrades in the process ended up creating yet another crack on his armor. The pain and disappointment Mikhail experienced after watching his Guardians fall one by one was simply too much; at least for now, he prefers to work solo.
His recent deeds as a vigilante have brought some peace to mind, albeit minimal. The man does, after all, believe in justice, carrying a sense of duty toward those truly in need. His methods, however, have become more pragmatic than before, believing there are times where rules need to be bent or broken for the sake of righteousness. Thus, he tends to adopt a “do-it-yourself” mindset when others find themselves in danger, going as far as ignoring local law enforcement protocol and make his own “justice”.
Mikhail still attempts to follow the same general pattern whenever he ends up in a fight: first, he adopts a defensive position, studying his opponent’s techniques as well as analyzing their strengths and weaknesses; then he starts to create an effective strategy to execute in his mind, thrusting in a hit or two to help prove his hypothesis. And last but not least, he strikes, using his recently obtained knowledge to gain an upper hand and emerge victorious in the skirmish.
Home World: Elona
Elona could be defined as a magical medieval world, one of those often featured in children’s fairytales and other sorts of folk literature. The land was divided between four different kingdoms, each championed by a specific deity and elemental force: Audentia followed Zhaitar, God of War and Fire; Sapere worshipped Khylma, Goddess of Death and Water; Anima relied on Alethia, Goddess of Life and Air; Firmus found strength in Burthok, God of Nature and Earth. Having such a strong relationship to the basic elements, the natural ability to manipulate them was not uncommon among the Elonians. In fact, those failing to show talent to manipulate their kingdom’s designated element were immediately exiled and forced to leave for the Outlands, a place where these “cursed” individuals were to spend the rest of their lives.
Humans from Elona are especially susceptible to auras and overall energy signatures. This is a passive ability derived from the deep connections Elonians have with their elemental affinities, used to tighten bonds with their comrades and identify "outsiders" or even undercover enemy spies. Its effects, however, seem to reach even further than initially expected. During his journey outside of Elona, Mikhail Rutherford has been able to identify Heartless and Nobodies posing as humans with relative ease, as well as an individual's alignment regarding light and dark. One could safely assume other surviving Elonians would be able to use this ability for similar ends as well.
While the four nations seemed to coexist with no explicit issues among them (aside from the occasional skirmish or territorial dispute), this “peace” was nothing but a fragile construct. Tensions were high and subtle threats came and went in a daily basis… that is, until the Heartless arrived and gave them all an excuse to cast blame and prepare for an all-out war. The conflict would reach its climax during Audentia’s Siege of Bruma, where the Heartless would seize the opportunity to storm Sapere’s capital and devour the world’s heart.
History: According to the standard Elonian, and apparently also galactic calendar, Mikhail Rutherford was born to Kazimir and Yelena Rutherford on September 19th in Audencia’s capital city of Casseida. The Rutherfords were a middle-upper class family from the Kingdom of Audencia, one of the four nations coexisting in Elona. They were naturally opposed to the Kingdom of Sapere, just like fire and water seemed to be counterparts for each other.
The Rutherfords lived in the capital city of Casseida, and it is here that Mikhail story first begins to heat up. He was talented from a young age, demonstrating skill and small control over his element, fire, from the age of three. At first, his family did nothing about this, shaking it off as mere luck and a one-time fluke. However, after a rather agitated series of events (quite hilarious by the way, but fortunately his pranks were stopped before a tragedy occurred), the military academy finally placed an eye on the youth. At the age of five, the boy was taken into the training grounds. His firebending instructor, Sir Aidan, was immediately surprised by the boy’s feats; he had managed to technically master the basic techniques in a rather short time.
Weeks went by, and then months, and then years, and the male suddenly found himself rapidly learning and progressing through tiers and tiers of training material. Just after he officially turned eleven years old, Mikhail was sorted into the Blazing Dragoons, the nation’s official ground forces, where he began to develop additional skills to his elemental manipulation. He was formally introduced to hand-to-hand combat training, first growing confident with the use of a single blade before going ahead and developing a like for the dual-wielding technique. His life in the army went on surprisingly well and flourished, giving the young boy short room to focus on anything other than his training… that is, until he met Mira Andrews.
It all happened after a long day of training at the academy. Mikhail had been walking down the road home, playing with his fire and testing some new moves and tactics… when he found the girl unconscious on the middle of the road. The male, struck by her frail and vulnerable figure, immediately took her home where he and his family nursed her back to health. Upon waking up, the girl thanked the boy for “saving her”, immediately forging a connection, a bond between the two. The Rutherfords would then question her origins and why she had been abandoned in the middle of the road. None of them were quite ready for her tale.
The girl revealed the existence of others worlds, specifically her own, Rea, which had been destroyed and had had its “heart” consumed by the “Heartless”, a dangerous and unknown race of dark creatures. Mira had managed to escape in some sort of intergalactic transportation vehicle known as “Gummi Ship”; however, her vessel was suddenly trapped by the giant portal of darkness, apparently breaking it apart and, for some reason, leading her show up at Elona. Her traveling companion’s fate, however, remained unknown. Her story seemed unlikely and implausible at first, with Kazimir and Yelena believing she had hit her head too hard, clouding her memory and fabricating such delusions. Mikhail, on the other hand, was somehow sure she was telling the truth; he could feel it. However, in order to keep up appearances and provide safe heaven for her, Mira was forced to act as a foreign airbender emigrating from The Kingdom of Amina. As time went by, Mikhail and Mira became very close friends.
Unfortunately, sometime after the boy turned fourteen, war struck Elona. It had all happened because of them: the Heartless, the same creatures Mira had warned them about years before. Each of the kingdoms blamed the other ones for their sudden appearance, sinking the world into a destructive era of everlasting war and nonexistent peace. Mikhail was forced to leave his family and friends, including that maiden he had saved years ago and grown to love. The girl wished him luck and promised to see him again someday, gifting him a crystal necklace she had brought from Rea as sign of their friendship and their promise.
The teenager full-heartedly supported his country, following the superior commander’s orders no matter the consequences; after all, he truly believed they knew best. He did not question raiding enemy towns and cities with his strike team, swiftly murdering enemy soldiers and civilians alike. Something inside him told him to help those innocent victims, to not become a monster and instead answer their pleas and cries of surrender. But he couldn’t; betraying his nation was an unthinkable offense and he was too proud to see the truth behind Audencia’s ways. They were the “good guys”, he was certain of it.
Eventually, Audencia would begin a full scale assault on Sapere, seeking to destroy its destined counterpart once and for all. It was during that stage of the war that Mikhail finally snapped; he was asked to lead his team and raid an enemy village filled with refugees and wounded civilians from previous skirmishes: a safe haven. They were unarmed, unable to truly protect themselves and certainly not a threat. He just couldn’t bring himself to follow the plan. Upon returning to the main camp, he gathered his gear and left for the capital: Mikhail would expose before the King his commander’s numerous breaches of protocol. The commander tried to stop and capture him under charges of treason, but Mikhail, with the help of his old squad members, eluded capture and finally reached the capital.
Unfortunately he was too late; Saperian spies, finding a weakness in Audencia’s borders, decided to take their chances and strike. Cities and towns were caught off guard through ground and naval assaults, paving a way leading directly to Casseida. His parents were ultimately slain in combat by the invaders and Mira was taken as “loot” along with other maidens. Upon learning this, the pyromancer, between rage and grief, pursued the killers to what seemed to be a traveler or merchant’s settlement.
This man had apparently landed by accident on Elona with what seemed to be a Gummi Ship; Mira’s story turned out to be completely true. The present Saperian general, amazed by such advanced device and driven by greed, murdered the traveler and attempted to take the airship and use its technology to their advantage on the war. Fortunately, Mikhail managed to silently stow away on the ship. Unexpectedly, the ship entered autopilot mode and sent them all into space. The man, realizing he had little time, made himself known and faced the enemy soldiers, emerging victorious. However, some of the soldiers had managed to escape through pods with the trophy girls and eluded death… but not for long. To make matters worse, the Heartless, seizing the opportunity presented by the current state of the world, managed to find the keyhole, destroying Elona for good.
Full of regret and afflicted with survivor’s guild, the eighteen year old boy would begin to wander the many worlds out there with the Gummi Ship he had “borrowed” from that merchant. He was aided by the aircraft’s AI entity, “Eve”, who instructed him about the galaxy, gummi ship piloting, and the Heartless: their recent achievements, their strengths, their weaknesses… and now he was determined to put a stop to their little crusade. Mikhail spent the next years of his life training and improving his skills for the war that was to come, as well as traveling to learn more about this whole new world (more like galaxy) he had suddenly been thrust into.
However, his big break in the current conflict wouldn’t take place until an assault on Disney Castle led by forces of darkness. Mikhail did not hesitate to join the resistance group to defend the area, soon finding himself in the middle of the battle and teamed up with another man named Maverick. The attackers were eventually repelled and the siege fell apart. However, the Elonian began to realize something was stirring up the darkness in the worlds, more so than usual.
Shortly afterward, Mikhail was forced to join forces with Max the Hydromancer, Erika the Gunslinger, Rubix the Psychic and Caxnon the Nobody during a visit to Twilight Town to repel a nobody attack on Market Street. As the five of them slashed through their enemies with skill, Mikhail could feel as he gradually became bonded to the others; they were all capable warriors, goodhearted individuals. Unfortunately, Rutherford was soon separated from the others and he and Rubix were forced to face Braig and Seed from the Dark XII, narrowly escaping thanks to the other boy’s teleportation orb.
During his travels with Rubix, Mikhail ended up running into Mira, his childhood friend who he had presumed far lost by now. Unfortunately their reunion was short lived when Andrews, now a nobody, was ruthlessly terminated in an enemy attack. To make matters worse, Rubix was also lost in the encounter and Mikhail was barely able to escape thanks to the ancient magic within Mira’s necklace.
The man suddenly showed up at Traverse Town, where he ran into Caxnon and a woman going by Dragorno Storm. Seeds of rebellion were planted when the nobody shared secret information regarding Organization XIII and the Dark XII. However, they would be soon interrupted by Jadis the White Witch who showed concern when they foolishly committed themselves to this distant goal. Taking pity of the trio, she decided to “help” Mikhail and Drago by enhancing their darkness with her own and instructing them in the Magnet spell. In the clash between the light of Mikhail’s necklace and the sorceress’s darkness, the object lost its former powers and obtained new ones aligned with the dark.
Mikhail would then meet Max and Erika. After filling them in regarding Rubix’s capture, they all agreed to head back to retrieve the boy. Unfortunately, it all turned out to be a trap and both Rubix and Erika ended up giving up their lives to let the rest of the group escape. Mikhail, struck by guilt and regret, shared the information he had learned regarding the Dark XII with Max and they both decided to create a group to oppose them and the Organization: The Guardians of the Worlds.
It was then that he met Antique Faustus, an aloof and sunny girl with a gentle heart and one gigantic claymore (ouch). They’d find themselves running into each other multiple times during the following months, eventually falling in love with each other and developing a sweet, yet short lived romantic relationship. Mikhail also met Roze, an unusually pacifist Heartless who managed to change his views on the race’s nature. Jadis, expecting the pyromancer’s return, began to train him in mastering the darkness that resided within his heart.
Suddenly, Max showed up at Traverse Town, having recruited Caxnon and Drago to their cause. Jadis, learning about the group’s intentions, asked them to look for her locksmith acquaintance, Rellen, who had been last seen at Disney Castle, in hopes of increasing Traverse Town’s protection against the Heartless. Antique decided to tag along and the three of them left the world immediately. Unfortunately, they ran into Seed from Twilight Town and his Heartless dragon pet, Ciraph, right after landing, being forced to retreat after retrieving an unharmed Rellen.
Back at Traverse Town, Mikhail began recruiting more and more warriors to the Guardians of the Worlds, soon going off world to forge alliances with Disney Castle’s Queen Minnie and Radiant Garden’s Merlin. The garden also turned out to be a good recruiting hotspot as well and the group seemed to be flourishing favorably. However, they would all be tested upon joining the Ulysses crew in their expedition to the Lost World of Atlantis, where, unfortunately, they suffered massive losses, including Max and Mikhail’s own apprentice, Jackson Styx. Their goal was ultimately achieved, however, and Atlantis was saved from a Heartless invasions and Commander Rourke’s treacherous plans.
Mikhail returned to a considerably colder Traverse Town, now fully under the influence of Jadis, and built a temporary stronghold with the rest of the remaining Guardians. They all deserved a brief moment of peace as well as time to mourn their recently fallen comrades. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be long before news of Destiny Islands’s fall reached the group. The Dark XII and their minions were finally on the move, planning a full scale assault on the remaining worlds in an attempt to corrupt and devour as many of them as they could. As limited in numbers as they were, The Guardians had to do what they could in order to stop or at the very least slow down this menace.
And so they travelled for as long as they could, warning those in unsuspecting worlds of the threat looming around the corner. Some would ignore them, taking them for mad men and disruptors of peace. Others would listen and prepare for the inevitable battle, allowing basic training sessions to be held for all those who wished to learn. A select few even pledged what little forces they had to The Guardians, allowing them to establish outposts on their land.
But it just wasn't enough.
While stopping to resupply and plan their next course of action, Mikhail and a select few found themselves in Traverse Town when the "Nightfall" came. The defenders and the sanctuary world’s own citizens fought to repel wave after wave, holding their position for weeks. They were a considerably stubborn bunch, persevering and living to fight another day when other worlds had flickered out so quickly. Unfortunately, there was only so much a world with cut off supply routes and limited resources could withstand; Mikhail could feel history repeating itself. Darkness eventually flooded in through the First District doors, pushing the local resistance back… one district at a time. They eventually found themselves cornered within Jadis’s Ice Palace, where the White Witch herself joined the battlefield for their last stand.
It was not enough.
After losing his mentor and remaining comrades in battle, Mikhail woke up in a very different place... one with a vague air of familiarity. He'd survived the destruction of Traverse Town and found a safe haven, albeit temporary, in Twilight Town. The world had also suffered from the conflict; nothing but a shell of its former self remained… but it was still standing, after all. Still, something within Mikhail simply broke upon taking everything in. He was done risking other people’s lives for a cause he felt was doomed to fail. For some reason, however, he found himself unable to let go of it himself. After losing so much to the Heartless, after witnessing so much suffering and death… he knew he couldn’t just abandon the fight and let it pass. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.
A few weeks passed and new whispers emerged among Twilight Town’s surviving populace. There were talks of a male shrouded in black, making quick work of denizens of darkness under the broken moon. Some said he left almost as quick as he arrived to the scene, much like a shadow or a mirage created by the night. Others spoke of lengthier encounters, where Heartless hunting for hearts found their end at the edge of a sword coated in fire.
Thus began the story of The Crimson Blade, ready to lay down his life to protect this world… alone.
Role Playing Sample:A swipe. A clean swipe.
That was all it would take to vanquish his target. Creeping over a rooftop and hidden from sight, the Elonian continued to watch. He’d been hunting this particular Darkball for a few hours now, careful enough not to startle it and reveal his position. The Heartless had become considerably perceptive after the Nightfall. They seemed much more organized and communicative than before, which meant certain precautions needed to be taken when hunting them down. He was certain that if he dived headfirst into battle the denizen of darkness would simply start bouncing around the area, buying itself time to alert at least two of its comrades. As much as he enjoyed slashing Heartless in two, the man knew that was far from the desirable scenario.
As the Darkball turned around a corner, he leaped. His body landed on the opposite rooftop, generating a muffled
thud. “Zhaitar burn me,” he cursed in his mind, grimacing at the sound. His restlessness was starting to get to him, but he needed to be cautious. One mistake and it’d be back to square one; that wasn’t an option, not when he had unprotected people roaming around the area.
The vigilante silently rolled across the area, stopping mere inches before the edge of the rooftop. He leaned over, icy eyes scanning the narrow alleyway below. He spotted it just behind a pile of wooden boxes not too far away; it seemed to be ready to continue its search for hearts. Without averting his gaze from the approaching Darkball, he reached the familiar hilt of silver with his right hand. Flame’s End quickly found itself unsheathed, firmly gripped as its blade caressed the concrete’s edge. He only needed to wait for a few more seconds; the creature would be hovering right below him and in a most vulnerable state…
A scream. A piercing scream.
The man turned his head, his eyes fixating themselves on a young girl standing at the end of the alleyway. She seemed to be in shock, eyes shaking and mouth agape as she stared at the hovering sphere of darkness before her. Correction: the now
moving sphere of darkness, savoring a heart practically exposed and ready for the taking.
The Elonian immediately rose, retrieving a lighter from his pocket as he ran in the girl’s direction. A series of flames emerged from the artifact following a single
click, dancing over to cover Flame’s End’s silver edge with their warmth. He could feel the heated energy emanating from the sword; it was an all too familiar feeling, and a soothing one at that. Reaching the end of the rooftop, the man jumped. He extended his sword arm as his eyes looked for the target, painting a small smirk on his face as it placed itself directly below his falling figure.
A single, burning swipe was all it took to send the devil back to the dark depths it had come from.
“You should go,” he briefly addressed the girl, adopting an offensive position as he quickly searched for any Heartless drawn to the commotion. The lighter held in his left hand had now found itself replaced by a second blade, raised as if it were a gun about to be fired. He felt the presence behind him stir, whispering a title in awe before doing as she was told.
“The Crimson Blade, huh?” Mikhail mused to himself, preparing to charge as a pair of Heartless Soldiers seemed to enter the fray. He had to admit it: the name had a certain ring to it.
Questions/Comments/Suggestions?He’s Bach.
