Trinket in the Maze [Tag: Shaizen]

[Mikhail Rutherford]

“Keep your eyes open. Heartless tend to creep up on people around this area.”

Mikhail briefly glanced behind his shoulder, directing the warning at his new companion before proceeding to enter the tunnels. His longsword, Flame’s End, was swiftly drawn out of its sheath. Despite the flickering lights that partially illuminated the path before them, the man knew better than to barge in so carelessly. The pair would need to be cautious, taking one step at a time and remaining vigilant at all times.

After all, the Heartless thrived in places such as the underground maze.

The former knight raised his free hand, focusing on the air particles surrounding it before conjuring a bright set of flames of his own. It certainly was no lamp, but it would have to do.

And so they advanced, Mikhail cautiously leading the way as his eyes analyzed every corner and branching path before them. He trusted Shaizen to do the same and watch both their backs; he’d rather not be unpleasantly surprised considering it wasn’t just him there anymore.

The pair would eventually reach an intersection. The path on the left would lead to a lower level, bringing them deeper into the tunnel network. The path on the right, on the other hand, would circle their current level, allowing them to easily find an exit if things got too… dark for their taste.

If Shaizen’s bag was in the tunnels and the Heartless had already found it, it’d probably be in one of the lower levels. Mikhail didn’t want to be a pessimist, but he doubted they would’ve been able to resist the pull from the dark metal one of the damaged swords was made of. Still, his new partner hadn’t fully recovered from his wounds even with Marmadue’s assistance. With that in mind, perhaps venturing in too deep wouldn’t be the best course of action.

“Your call, Shaizen. Which way do you want to go?”

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would follow Mikhail closely, keeping his hand on the blade that he was to use. His first thought about the blade was true, and he was not very use to its weight. He was too use to that of his own weapons, from their weight to their balance. This sword he was using seemed as though it were foreign to him, as though he wasn't supposed to be wielding it. What was it that Mikhail had called it? Path to Mana, he believed is what it was. It was a finely crafted sword, that was certain. He could tell just from looking at it. This was unsurprising to him. After all, Mikhail was a fighter, and most know how to forge their own weapons. In his experience anyways

"So they are more aggressive on this world then? Guess I will have to get use to that"

Shaizen would keep close to Mikhail, remaining within the light as best he could while keeping his eyes peeled for any activity. He would occasionally do a full three-sixty, making sure nothing was sneaking up behind them. He was use to being vigilant, as it was one thing a Phoenix Guardsman was use to doing. It was part of their routine, and thus part of Shaizen's.

Once at the intersection, he would look at his choices and go over in his mind what each could possibly hold. Both were darkened areas, going down looking and feeling as though it were much worse. He knew that if his bag were there, it wouldn't just be laying around. Something or someone would have taken it. And it was obvious that this place was filled with darkness that got deeper as they went farther down. Still, there was always that chance that his bag was hidden enough that it wasn't found. These were the Heartless though. He knew there was one type that could basically turn into shadows. 

"Let's go down. The Heartless wouldn't have let the bag just lay about. I am sure of that. They would most likely be in darker areas, like down there, yes?"

[Mikhail Rutherford]

Mikhail shook his head at the question, his eyes still fixed on the path. “Not only on Twilight Town, I’m afraid. They’ve been playing smarter ever since the worlds started dropping like flies again. But… yeah, we probably should expect some trouble soon. I’m surprised they haven’t tried to jump on us yet.”

That truly was strange. People didn’t usually walk that far into the tunnels without at least encountering a lone Shadow. Perhaps it had something to do with him not being on his anymore. The Heartless did tend to take an isolated target for an easy prey, after all. That being said, the former knight still wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved worried at this apparent lack of activity.

Upon reaching the intersection, Shaizen opted to take the left path and descend deeper into the network. Mikhail wasn’t really taken aback by his choice. If the long maned male really wanted to find his belongings, searching deeper was the best course of action. Of course, the pyromancer knew they’d find much more than that on the way… and that wouldn’t be as useful nor cooperative.

“Alright, sounds like a plan. Stay sh- duck!”

His body instinctively moved out of the way, barely avoiding a shard of pure ice flung at their direction. As he retreated, Mikhail was able to identify the source: a lone Blue Rhapsody hovering up the incline to their left. It wasn’t long before it performed a somersault in the air; it was preparing a follow-up attack.

Mikhail decided he wouldn’t give it the chance. He threw the fireball gathered in his left hand at the Heartless, hitting it square in the emblem. They wouldn’t have to worry about that nuisance any longer.

Bad news? It wasn’t exactly alone.

The room illuminated for a few moments as the swordsman’s fireball collided with its target. A Large Body and a pair of Yellow Opera were revealed further down the path, the latter preparing magic attacks of their own.

“Watch out for the lightning!” Mikhail warned as an orb filled with purple energy gathered in his palm. He twirled his body once again to his side in order to dodge one of the Thunder spells fired by the enemy. Once he deemed it big enough, the man launched the sphere straight at the Large Body. He hoped his Zero Gravity spell would be enough to throw off its balance for now.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would whip around as the ice would come flying out of the darkness, alert to Mikhail's warning. Jumping to the left, he would allow the ice to fly by as he looked to the source, tilting his head as he saw the creature. He recognized the eyes of the Heartless but... he had never seen one like this or those illuminated by the fire. For one, the ones he had seen were completely black, one small and the other a giant humanoid one with a hole in the middle. He had never seen one colored like this, nor one with an emblem as these ones did. The large one was the strangest, however. Large and with an almost perfect spherical body, it scratched its head in an almost comedic way

Hearing Mikhail yell about the lightning, he would look up just in time to see the floating yellow Heartless charging up what did indeed look like Lightning. Dodging this attack as well, he figured it would hurt for a charged attack like that. With that said, he decided to take out the heartless before it could release another one.


He would flip the sword so that he was holding it back hand, rushing the Heartless while keeping an eye on the large one. Seeing the large one stagger from the spell, he would take his chance and rush the smaller one. Using the slope of the land to his advantage, he would clear the rest of the space by jumping and coming down on the creature, spinning a full three-sixty and slicing down on the heartless before it could attack again

Retreating before the larger one could regain its balance, he goes back to where Mikhail is. He keeps his eyes on the last one as he flips the sword back to front hand, speaking to Mikhail

"So... these are... Heartless? I uh... have never seen ones like this before. Only the pure black ones and the giant one"

He would cut off as he saw the Heartless smack it's own stomach, obviously annoyed from the spell. He would stand ready as he waiting to see what it was going to do and to see what Mikhail was going to do. For its size, it might take both to take it down, though Mikhail might be able to do it alone with his experience. Guess he would find out

[Mikhail Rutherford]

While Shaizen rushed ahead to face one of the Yellow Opera head on, Mikhail set his eyes on its wandering twin. This one appeared to be more adventurous than the rest, dancing away from its brethren and toward the blue eyed human before it. He would find such foolish risk taking humorous under normal circumstances, but these were Heartless. The fact that this one was showing less of a hive behavior and taking a more proactive approach was rather worrying.

But now wasn’t the time to focus on the academics of Heartless behavior.

The man swiftly retrieved a small lighter from his pocket; a single click was enough to generate a healthy stream of flames for him to manipulate. They flew, set off by a flick of his wrist, quickly taking Flame’s End into a warm embrace of their own. The blade burned with a certain liveliness, a certain intensity that made it virtually impossible to ignore. The heat wave running up Mikhail’s right arm was certainly a welcomed sensation.

He charged, his sword arm extended with just enough inclination to strike its target with a clean slice. Whoosh. The hit connected. Mikhail watched the Yellow Opera stagger out of the corner of his eye, touching the burning metal a second time in its confusion. A small cry was heard through the area as flames proceeded to devour their intended target, sending it burning back to the darkness.

“You’d be surprised,” he tilted his head, taking note of the Large Body’s annoyance at the zero gravity field active around it. The creature’s weight wouldn’t take long to overpower the sphere he’d conjured. “They seem to come in all shapes and sizes. These aren’t even close to the most bizarre I’ve seen.”

That gigantic set of armor back at Traverse Town was probably one of the strangest ones he’d faced. Oh, and those pots. That damned set of Heartless pots that had once chased him down a marketplace. As much of a nuisance as they were, Mikhail had to admit there was some serious creative work behind these Emblem Heartless.

And with that thought he was off, guided by the flaming sword in his hand. The former knight proceeded to circle their struggling target. He jumped, feeling the upward pull of the zero gravity spell as he aimed a pair of sharp slashes directly at the Large Body’s back.

One, two.

The Heartless was knocked over, belly parallel to the ground. Its arms and legs flopped helplessly about as it found itself unable to stand. Feeling the field’s effect weakening on his end, Mikhail sent his lower body forward. A powerful kick connected with the creature’s back, and the hit sent it sliding toward Shaizen’s current location.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would listen to the brief explanation of the different Heartless, realizing again how little he actually knew about the Heartless. All shapes and sizes is what Mikhail had told him. Did that mean they all had different strengths and abilities as well. If so, the Heartless were more of an Army of Darkness than just another form of creature of Darkness. Different Heartless with different strengths and weaknesses, attacks and battle tactics. It was indeed just like a well trained army, except more animal-like. He had a lot of learning to do, that was for sure

He watched Mikhail begin the assault on the last Heartless, the fat one that seemed a little too comedic for what it was. The way his ally would handle the creature proved that he had handled others like this before, and apparently trusted Shaizen to learn quickly. He would get read as he watched the creature get flung to the ground, standing his ground as it was launched his way. Not fully expecting this but able to adapt to the sudden change, he stared down the enemy, waiting for it to get closer

"Alright then... guess its my turn"

He would hold his blade behind him as he rushed forward to meet the enemy, crouching just before it reached him. As it got close, he would swing his blade upwards and into the Heartless'es face, stopping its advancement and causing it to rock back so that it was straight up again. As Shaizen would reach the apex of his jump, he grabbed the sword with both hands and bring it down as he too would begin to fall back to the ground. He swings the sword down hard and precisely at the creature's head, aiming to end it before it could retaliate.


As he landed fully upon the ground with his sword swinging through the attack, he would smile as the Heartless would disappear into black mist. Standing back up, he would grab his right shoulder with his left hand and stretch his right arm out, slightly feeling the lack of sleep now that he was fighting. Even with that though, he was still able to continue and fight for a good little while. He just had to watch himself

"Well... that was fun. Let us hope there aren't TOO many more. Might be an all night thing if there are. Tell me... exactly how many different types of Heartless are there?"

Mikhail's words had caught Shaizen's attention and got him curious. This was a good time if any to learn a little more about them, while they were in a Heartless infested area

[Mikhail Rutherford]

“Nice moves,” Mikhail complimented his partner, offering the Tirealian a wide grin as he rose from the ground. Fortunately for them, that group hadn’t been as problematic as he’d initially expected. Even the Large Body had gone down without them having to put much effort into it. Still, they couldn’t let themselves get overconfident and lower their guard; the deeper they went into the tunnels, the deadlier their foes would be in both strength and numbers. Plus, they still had yet to find any trace of Shaizen’s bag. “How’s the sword working for you?”

The pyromancer would chuckle at the man’s words, shaking his head. “Yeah… let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. These guys just know how to spread the word around. If we attract too much attention, we’ll end up getting isolated and swarmed. And trust me, that’s not as fun as it sounds.”

He raised his sword, still coated in flames, and proceeded to shed some light over the path ahead. It seemed to be clear thus far. They’d need to move and seize the opportunity before another group decided to take the place of the Heartless they just defeated.

“Hmm… that’s actually a good question. I wonder…” the man mused to himself. While he had encountered his fair share of Heartless in the past, there was always a brand new one to meet every now and then. He had yet to “discover” a type native to Twilight Town, yes, but Mikhail wasn’t about to dismiss that possibility just yet. “I’d say a couple of dozens, maybe more. There’s some spellcasters like the small ones you saw moments ago, but most prefer to… ah, “get their hands dirty” per say.”

The former knight would beckon Shaizen to follow him after that, taking another step into the descending incline. His sword arm remained extended and illuminating a few feet ahead. That helped, but Mikhail knew better than to get careless. He remained vigilant for any pair of yellow eyes creeping around ahead.

Unlike the upper level they’d just gone through, the inner workings of the maze were under considerably less habitable conditions. There were shattered neon signs on the ground, their light long extinguished by the Nightfall’s first advance. Piles of debris and rubble from the resulting partial cave-ins also covered the area. Certain parts of the level were thus closed off for the moment, but even so Mikhail doubted they’d find Shaizen’s belongings there. After all, why would the Heartless roam places no hearts could get into?

They’d nearly covered the whole floor when Mikhail finally noticed the lack of unwanted company. “We’re getting way too lucky. I don’t like this.”

It was then that a single rattle echoed throughout the area. That didn’t sound good. At all.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would nod his head in thanks to Mikhail's compliment, though he himself was not satisfied by it. It was only half complete, missing a specific aspect that made it his own. He had forged many attacks during his training in the Phoenix Guard, practicing with them and fine tuning different techniques until they were perfected. Unfortunately though, he had performed all of the techniques so that they used his own blades, Lunar and Eclipse. The techniques were supposed to harness the power of these blades, so using them with another blade felt off

"Thanks. Would have been better if I had my own swords. They were meant to be used for the techniques I made. Your sword is very well crafted though, I will say that. Balanced well and with good weight. You make it yourself?"

He knew that the warning about the Heartless was indeed a fact, as they always seemed to do the same in the darker half of Luniel. Then again, whenever that happened the victims were always within range of the Dark Center. The Heartless were cunning, given the chance to take their prey by surprise they could take a large group. And for how many different types Mikhail says there are, Shaizen knew that his theory of the army was more accurate. 

As he followed Mikhail again, he would tune his ears to the darkness, listening for any noise out of the ordinary. He wasn't fully sure what ordinary was around here, but he had the feeling he would know once he heard it. This area was in worse shape than the Marketplace. While there were buildings there one could take shelter in, buildings here were anything but hospitable. It was as though the area just gave up on itself, giving in to the Darkness and the depression of a world in ruins. As he looked around, he began to wonder what the reasons for building down here would be. It was obvious this was once a vibrant and lively world, filled with Light and people. Why did they build in such a way? And did they go the same way Luniel did? Or maybe worse, did the Heartless take them, leaving the world as some kind of trap?

Shaizen would snap his attention in the direction of the rattle, bringing his blade up so that it was shoulder height and holding the hilt with both hands, the blade pointing in the direction of the noise

"Um... was that one of those different types of Heartless you were talking about?"

[Mikhail Rutherford]

Mikhail let out a nervous chuckle, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his head. He couldn´t pinpoint the exact reason, but being complimented for his weapons seemed a tad too… foreign to him. While the Kingdom of Audencia promoted a warrior culture founded in respect and admiration for one´s comrades, displays of such sentiments were rarely vocal… much less regarding equipment. Unless, of course, one intended to woo a fellow knight, but the pyromancer highly doubted this was the case. Shaizen´s words were still appreciated nonetheless.

“Ah, thanks. I suppose you could say that… I gathered the materials and developed the blueprint myself. With some assistance from an actual blacksmith and a… very peculiar wizard, of course. I´d love to say I´m also an expert in crafting weapons, but that would be a lie.”

He obtained both Flame´s End and Path to Mana a couple of years into his off-world journey. Before that, Mikhail had been employing a supple but sharp pair of sai swords acquired during Elona´s last days as a world in the Realm of Light. They were light enough for him to perform comfortably but lacked the strength and hardness of his knight weaponry. So, when he was offered the chance to create something closer to what served him best without losing the advantages brought by his temporary weaponry, the man just couldn´t say no.

When a second rattle, this time closer, made itself heard, the pyromancer swiftly raised his hand. Blue eyes scanned their surroundings, attempting to locate any sign of Heartless to no avail. His grip on Flame´s End tightened; he could feel the stench of darkness crawling closer, savoring the hunt to come as it approached them like a wild animal would to its prey.

Standing idle could help them so much when the beast could literally sense their hearts. He had to do something.

There was no time to take out one of his lighters.

Focusing on the air in the area before them, Mikhail clenched his fist. The target zone’s temperature started to increase at an exponential rate out of what seemed to be pure, sheer will. It didn’t take long for him to excite the particles in the air enough to make them combust. Wild and beautiful flames appeared to be generated out of nothingness, swiftly directed at what he assumed was the hunter’s general location.

A sharp cry and another set of rattles let him know he’d been right about that.

With a flick of his wrist, Mikhail gathered what fire hadn’t turned yet into cinders. A second screech followed. This one, however, seemed to be coming farther from their location.

“I think I injured… whatever that thing was. It probably retreated deeper into the tunnels, but it will come back. Keep your eyes open.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the former knight noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. The hovering flames suddenly spread throughout the area and revealed the offender: a crawling pot, heading toward them at full speed… and followed by four smaller ones. For a brief instant, Mikhail wasn't worried. Pot Spiders were pretty harmless despite the rather unnerving concept behind their design. However, the leading creature wasn't just moving. It had pincers... and a stinger.

“Pot Scorpion!” he shouted, sliding away from Shaizen. This way they’d avoid giving the Heartless an easy target for its poison attack.

[Enter a Pot Scorpion and four Pot Spiders!]

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen watched as what appeared to be five ceramic pots would appear out of the flames, seemingly moving on their own. It would take a few moments for him to realize what was actually happening, the legs of the spider pots being the first things he would notice. The next thing would be the stinger and pincers of the scorpion. The body of a ceramic pot mixed with the appendages of a scorpion. A rather odd combination followed by similar creatures, except instead of a scorpion they were spiders. The sight of such odd creatures gave him chills, willing him to move off to the side as he saw Mikhail move away.

"Pot Scorpion? Another type of Heartless I am guessing? Sure is... creepy"

He keeps off to the side as he waits to see what happens, keeping his eyes on the Scorpion as two of the Spiders turn towards him. One of the Spiders rears back and charges after him, running full speed as he switches his attention to it. He keeps his hold on his sword as it closes in, waiting until last second before swinging the blade upwards and into it, slicing clean through before focusing on the others again

This area was certainly much more active with Heartless. The area was dark, abandoned and in disarray; the perfect place for creatures of Darkness to hide. Made it rather unsurprising to find so many new types in such short time. The problem was that he was unaware of the best way to handle them. He also had almost no idea as to what they did, what they could do. This was a problem, especially for the Scorpion. From what he could tell, the spiders could only attack by charging or swinging their legs. The Scorpion, however, had pincers and its stinger that had the possibility of poison. 

"So uh... any tips? Not really sure what this thing is so uh... not sure what it can do"

While he was dealing with these creatures, he was completely unaware of the two hidden ones. He actually believed that the Heartless in front of them were the ones he had heard scream from the flames, and had no idea that there were others around. The entirety of his focus was set on the enemies in front of him. The Scorpion and the three Spiders who were scattered between them

He felt as though this was going to be a long search, and an even longer night

[Mikhail Rutherford]

Creepy was a clear understatement. While Mikhail had fought his fair share of Pot Spiders before, he’d only faced one other Pot Scorpion. They were cunning, resourceful, with a variety of moves and tricks under their poisonous pincers. Even so, they remained as swift and wild as their simpler arachnid cousins. That itself made them deadly enough… and then there was that whole “I want to devour your heart” business.

The flames remained airborne and unmoving. They probably were more than enough to make quick work of the remaining Pot Spiders. Nonetheless, the fire served the party better static, allowing them to keep easier track of their foes hiding in the dark.

Not intending to stay idle and watch, Mikhail quickly shifted into an aggressive position. He once again raised Flame’s End, its end pointing straight at a pair of spiders crawling toward him. A small orb of purple and pink would leave the tip of the blade and hover toward its targets full speed ahead. Once it stood mere feet away from them, the sphere would transform into a wild vortex of pink intending to suck both lesser Emblems into its magic.

The Scorpion, on the other hand, refused to allow itself to fall prey to such tricks. It sidestepped Mikhail’s magnet spell with relative ease, barely feeling the pull on its legs. Humored by such futile attempts, it began slithering toward the pyromancer. He immediately recognized the bright violet glow between its jaws.

The Heartless was too close to him. He wouldn’t have the chance to move out of the way and dodge the attack, unless…

The teal colored materia in Mikhail’s pocket began to glow, its energy flowing through his body. This kind of magic was foreign to him, barely used by him before through the artifact. He could feel a slight numbness spreading down his legs as a result. But the protective energy also felt safe, reliable, much like a shield would’ve back at Elona. An invisible wall powered by barrier magic would be risen just as the Pot Scorpion spat its first glob of poison.

Splat!

Realizing its attack hadn’t reached its intended target, the Heartless seized its march and instead set its eyes on the other human a short crawl away.

”Don’t let it hit you! All of its attacks are poisonous. It’ll remain invulnerable unless we find a way to make it lose its balance.” If this one had shrugged Magnet off so easily, Mikhail doubted Zero Gravity would do them any favors. They would to face it head on… and avoid getting stung in the process.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen kept his eyes on the last of the Pot Spiders as it would scurry over to him, it yellow eyes locked onto him. He would raise his blade again as it began to walk circles around him. Keeping his eyes on the enemy, he waits until he sees it stop and rear back like the last one did. He would side-step the attack and spin, swinging his sword out into the side of the Heartless. As the creature would disappear, he would realize that the Pot Scorpion was coming to him.

The creature was scuttling over, its stinger raised and its pincers snapping out at him. He knew he wouldn't be able to do much against this new Heartless in his current state, still weakened and lacking quite a bit of energy. Even with that though he had a few tricks that might help against the enemy. Like any real scorpion this one had that natural hook on its stinger, where it bent back before curving forward. And so he would use this to his advantage.

He walks in circles around the Pot Scorpion as it scurries around and near him, waiting for his opening. The Scorpion seemed to either know this or was more cautious from its failed attempt with Mikhail. It was a stronger Heartless despite its size, and seemed to come with the smarts of a more experienced fighter as well. It seemed reluctant to attack him and kept its distance as well, meaning he would have to make it do so. 

Deciding to take a risk, he would take a single step towards the Heartless as it came a little closer, swinging at it and staggering back a little as the blade bounced off its side. The Scorpion would react to his attempt, just as he had hoped. It raised its stinger and jabbed at him with it, Shaizen trying to avoid it and barely being grazed by it. He knew that even the little scratch would have an effect, even if not as strong as a direct hit. 

Ignoring the pain and smaller amount of poison, he would regain his balance and step forward with his left foot. Digging his foot into the ground, he swings his blade again. This time, he would aim to snag instead of damage. The blade itself would get caught in the hook of the Pot Scorpion's stinger, Shaizen pulling through with the swing and spinning. The spin lifted the Scorpion off the ground. He would spin half a circle before releasing the enemy in Mikhail's direction. 

"Mikhail, your turn! Take this annoying thing out!"

He hoped it didn't sound too bossy or anything like that, he was just rather tired of a creature he couldn't do anything to damage

[Mikhail Rutherford]

Once Shaizen had set his eyes on the Pot Scorpion hunting him, Mikhail allowed himself to avert his gaze. He turned back to the pair of Pot Spiders that remained trapped in the vortex; Magnet had been able to immobilize and deal some initial damage, but it wouldn´t be enough to take them down on its own. The man could feel the spell´s effects begin to weaken and slowly relax their grip. He needed to deal with the remaining pawns before the magic died down completely.

His left hand took hold of his weapon as he rushed at the duo, offering the one closest to him his undivided attention. It helplessly swayed mere meters above the ground, slender legs desperate for any sort of footing or ground. Unfortunately, they wouldn´t be getting any of that. Mikhail tightened his grip on Flame´s End as he closed the distance between them. The burning blade moved, scorching its target as it sliced it from bottom to top.

After the Pot Spider had turned into a cloud of cinders and darkness, Mikhail stopped his charge. He turned on his heel and proceeded to secure his foot, sword arm still raised. His eyes were immediately set on the remaining Heartless. Check mate. As the fire surrounding Flame´s End intensified, the vigilante took advantage of the gained momentum and sliced downward. Direct contact with the target was pretty much imminent.

It was then that he heard his name.

Turning his head to look at Shaizen, Mikhail quickly took note of the struggling Pot Scorpion spinning off the ground. Correction: the struggling Pot Scorpion spinning off the ground and heading full-speed toward his general direction.

“On it!” The former knight leaped, his sights set on the Heartless’s stinger. While it wasn’t wiggling as wildly as the Pot Spiders’ legs, getting hurt and poisoned by it wasn’t exactly among his plans for the night. His sword arm remained extended and ready to strike.

And so it did.

Once he found himself close enough to the target, Mikhail spun. He could hear the sound of shattering ceramic as Flame’s End cut through the Scorpion’s side; its cries confirmed that some damage had been done. With a twirl of his right hand, the man finally put the anxious flames to work. They gathered, forming a large fireball right above the falling Heartless’s position. Barely a second had passed when another gesture was made. Suddenly the projectile moved, raining down and scorching the beast in its path.

Mikhail finally landed, his breathing hitched from the exertion. A small grin widened across his face. That hadn’t been exactly a desirable situation, but they’d managed to overcome the odds. These ones, at least; that cloaked Heartless still remained out and about, after all.

His expression took a somber turn upon to his comrade.

”You’re hurt,” he noted, eyes narrowing as he tried to take a better look at the wound. It seemed to be nothing but a scratch, but that could be enough for the poison to enter Shaizen’s body. ”I don’t have any antidotes on me… but I think the way back is still clear. You should go back to Market Street, get yourself looked at before the poison spreads. Your bag shouldn’t be far from here. I can take it from here.”

That was it. He wouldn’t let the Tirealian to stay and get himself killed. He wouldn’t let him die under his watch. Not another one.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen watched with satisfaction as the Heartless was destroyed, disappearing back into the darkness that it came from. He relaxed as he believed the area to be clear of Heartless. Hearing Mikhail's words, he would shake his head rather quickly. He wasn't going anywhere, not after coming all this way. He had gone through more than just a scratch and some poison, and he could always slow if not stop the poison. In fact, that is what he did. He tore off a piece fabric laying nearby and would rip it into a strip, tying it tightly round his arm so as to cut off the poison

"There. Now the poison can't spread, if it DID get into my system. I am going to continue with this. I didn't come this far for now reason now did I?"

He most definitely did not. He was going to find his bag one way or another, even if he had to crawl back to the town. He glanced around at the area, checking for any more enemies. Though he didn't see any, he felt as though they were not alone, as though there were others there watching them. It was unnerving and set him on edge. He walks over to where Mikhail was, looking where the Pot Scorpion was before looking back to Mikhail. 

"Alright then, where to now? I say we stay here and there will be more trouble. The chaos of battle usually attracts unwanted attention"

He spoke from experience, having been through quite a few battles with bandits on Luniel. Creatures of Darkness such as the Heartless seemed to create even more of a problem with this, seemingly appearing wherever their own were in danger. It was as though they were a hive mind, tapped into each other to keep tabs on each other. 

It is just another thing Shaizen would have to look into

[Mikhail Rutherford]

[Kind of a meh post, apologies!]

Mikhail rolled his eyes, watching as the Tirealian created a makeshift tourniquet around his own arm. Of course, he just had to be a stubborn one. A soft sigh escaped the vigilante’s lips; clearly, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of having a wounded comrade tagging along while he pressed on. Shaizen did have a point, however. It was his bag they were looking for right then. From a certain point of view, one could say he had a right to stay if that was what he wished.

Reluctantly, the pyromancer decided not to press the matter any further. He’d just have to keep a closer eye at his partner for the time being, and hope this improvised remedy of his kept him alive until they went back to Market Street. ”Fine, suit yourself. Just let me know when… if you can’t go any further, alright?”

Mikhail once again raised his sword before glancing around the area, looking for any further signs of Heartless activity on their level. Nothing. That was somewhat reassuring, but not-hardly enough to make him feel at ease. After all, there was still that rattling Heartless roaming around the deeper zones of the network. He had a hunch that they’d end up bumping into it sooner or later if they decided to keep going down.

The Pot Scorpion and its lackeys were probably child’s play when compared to that one.

“If you’re serious about finding this bag of yours, the only way for us to go is down. I have a feeling that the Heartless that was stalking us earlier retreated deeper into the tunnels. Watch our backs.”

With that, Mikhail started heading toward yet another downward incline.