In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
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There aren't enough praises in the world I'd like to give to wonderful coders for the Proboards community. The following have contributed to World Destiny in some way: W3 Schools for countless how-tos and countless of other souls who have helped get WD up to where it is.
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(Note: Just for reference, this rp takes place before the big fight with the Chaos Dark Hide thingie~)
The last few days had been nothing but difficult training and sparring matches with Max, in preparation for the big battle to come. Avari couldn't remember feeling this sore before in her life, but she knew it would pay off, even if Max wasn't gonna let her join in on the real fight. Instead he made her promise she would help protect Xion and wake her up, while the stronger fighters took on the Dark Hide. She understood her task well enough, but she couldn't help but feel Max was just trying to keep her out of harm's way. Was she still too slow in their sparring matches? The way she could manipulate her sword's weight in battle with gravity magic did make it difficult to counter faster enemies, as she had experienced when she fought Jin, and so it was a difficult balance between trying to find the right rhythm to use the sword's magic without making her movesets too predictable.
It was a difficult weakness to overcome, but she had learned a lot from Max so far, and she was grateful he was willing to teach her. She just had to keep working hard, and she'd get better in no time! And well, they all had to survive this massive battle of course. With fighters like Maxwell and Jin, however, and apparently Xion who had the key to beating the heartless, Avari was certain they'd all make it through this.
Avari had just finished her training for the day, but with the soreness she was feeling all over her body, she wasn't sure she'd be in fighting shape tomorrow, and the Chaos Dark Hide could arrive any day now. Luckily she knew her good friend Marmadue had a knack for healing, so she hoped he could help her out. So she made her way back to Market Street and made a beeline for the building Marmadue had fashioned into a make-shift clinic. To think she helped him find a place and now he was using it to help people. She was relieved Twilight Town had someone as selfless as he was. As she entered through the door, the exhaustion on her face vanished as she grinned, calling out into the room, "Hey Marmadue! Are you home?"
Marmadue didn't know if it would have been better had he not heard of a superbeast of some kind invading them with the intent of destroying everything. Ignorance had its perks, one of which would have been that he could have lived his current moments in, well, relative peace, not having to worry. But then he also couldn't have prepared for it, mentally and… In every other way. While he was not going to fight himself, finding people with any magical potential and seeing if they could be of use in the upcoming battle was one of his tasks. A task that wasn't going very well: there just wasn't either enough of a natural gift or the lack of training would have made their current candidates either meat shields at their best and liabilities at their worst. At least they could look at some potential healers after everything, but if they didn't even get that far…
And then there was Xion. The key to everything, they had said. The girl who currently was slumbering peacefully with nothing having been able to wake her up. Oh they had tried, the sleep was no normal sleep. It didn't seem to be any kind of magical sleep the Yuke would have been able to unravel, either. No matter what they tried, it had all been in vain. A setback after setback – and it wasn't like he had been all that optimistic at the start!
Still, it didn't do wonder for their overall morale. All Marmadue could do was to keep most of his anxiety hidden underneath his helmet, lest he caused any further panic in others as well…
Being alone was a momentary respite from all of it, the fake mask of bravery allowed to dissipate for those moments. With no patients or refugees who wanted to use the roof the Yuke had at the moment, he was allowed some times to think and ponder in all of his lonesome. Sitting on a stool in front of the old store's countertop, staring into a mug of water in silence… Almost felt like the saddest bar for the saddest of creatures. Fitting, really.
Marmadue's back had been turned towards the door and he leaned over the counter and slumped over his cup, his thoughts far from the current situation. The sudden call from a familiar voice – that did take him a while to recognize – did cause him to jerk up in shock and the fear that the beast had finally forced its way into Twilight Town. The mug shot from his grasp and the Yuke struggled to grab it before he spilled its contents, well, everywhere. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, but as he turned to look at the girl and took note of her demeanor, remembering her casual tone from earlier… He started to calm down, his puffed feathers losing their erected status.
"Ah. Miss Avari. A sight for sore eyes. Pardon my ah, well, startled state," he started as he quickly brushed the feathers on his neck in place, already feeling a bit silly for his little outburst just a moment ago. The cup was left on the counter as he turned around properly, taking a few steps closer to the girl to properly welcome her to his humble abode. "Is there ah, something you require my assistance for?"
She found Marmadue sitting at the counter at the other side of the room, cup in hand as his mind seemed to be elsewhere. While Avari generally did try to keep positive around the others, there was no denying the intensity in the atmosphere. Everyone was anxious about the upcoming battle, and a lot was at stake, so she couldn't blame any of them. Heck, even Avari had started to feel it, but she tried her best to focus on training instead. Worrying about whether they would succeed or not wouldn't help anything, but at least by using the time she had to train, she'd be more prepared than she already was.
"No no, I'm sorry for startling you," Avari replied, smiling apologetically as she stepped into the room and shut the door. "Well, I guess you've probably been really busy with the preparations and all, so I shouldn't be bothering you." She sighed, unable to hide her exhausted state anymore as she walked over and plopped down on one of the makeshift sleeping cots nearby and winced from the soreness in her limbs, "Max's training is no walk in the park though- I think my bruises even have bruises!" She paused at that thought, glancing at a few purplish circles along her arm. It only took a few more moments for that cheeky grin to appear again as she looked back over at Marmadue, "This hero business is tough stuff huh?" She turned her gaze to the ceiling thoughtfully, "Between helping Max look for some keyhole thing, training with him to get better with sword fighting, and keeping my promise to Jin to practice my fire magic everyday, I hardly have time to think!"
"I was gonna ask if you had any remedies for feeling sore, but I'm sure you've been just as busy as I've been, right?" She glanced back at her feathered friend with a smile as she sat up and crossed her legs. She remembered that Max had tasked Marmadue with gathering up the town's magic users and healers to help in the big fight, and the aftermath. Avari thought she had it rough, but thinking on it now, organizing that many people must have been way more difficult, especially since last she checked, Jin wasn't willing to help on that front. A light frown crossed her face as she thought about him; the last she'd seen him was after they escaped from that dark realm where Gabranth resided. She felt like she should try and go talk to him, but he had a way of staying out of sight when he didn't want to be found. But that did also remind her of the other most important part that would help in their battle, and that was Xion and her keyblade. Whatever she had been trying to do before they all found her must have been important, and she had the key to stopping that Chaos Dark Hide that was on its way. "How's Xion been doing?" Avari asked hesitantly, fearing she already knew the answer. If their mysterious new friend had woken up, she was certain that would have been the first thing Marmadue said when she walked into the room, but she felt like she had to ask.
Marmadue raised his hand slightly, as if to ask the girl to not worry about bothering him – considering that he had kind of taken it upon himself to heal those who were injured, now was exactly the time when he had to be able to be approached. It didn't seem like Avari was going to turn around in any case, her limbs seeming heavy as she crashed onto the nearest soft surface that was an empty bedroll for any weary refugees. At this moment, it seemed like the girl was exactly that. The Yuke circled to her side, his gaze glancing at her visible skin. What used to be more of a uniform light color was now dotted with purple and blue. One of those reasons why Marmadue wasn't too keen on play fighting, himself…
"I say," he hummed with a tinge of worry in his tone, his gaze turned back onto the girl's face. She had gotten a lot on her plate, wanting to help. But everyone had their limits – and it seemed like she was getting there, physically. Perhaps there were easy fixes for the pain, but there were no easy fixes for fatigue – or at least, none that Avari should really be taking. "I must say that I am quite behind on all the ah, more alchemical of solutions, considering the lack of equipment and familiar ingredients… But my magic is at your service," the Yuke straightened his back, having leaned forward slightly without even realizing it. But she wasn't just suffering from injuries of blows, her body had been gone through quite the workout… Marmadue tilted his head slightly before digging into his pouch with a few fingers, pulling out the small green Materia he had been carrying with him, its magic amplifying his healing. Holding it between two of his fingers, he watched its surface in thought. Perhaps he could figure something else.
He fell into his quiet pondering once more, but not for very long. The question about Xion brought him quickly back, his eyes focusing onto the girl. "…Well, physically, her state hasn't deteriorated, at least. But… That is about all I can say, I am afraid," Marmadue shook his head. For being the key to the solution, they certainly were having trouble actually being able to use it. Perhaps there was some solace to be found in the fact that Xion was still alive and hadn't gotten any worse despite her long sleep.
"Ah. But back to the present predicament. You ah, should be allowing yourself a moment of respite, young miss. One's body objects when it is pushed too far, and magic is no solution to that. A good day of rest, at the least," he nodded a few times, his hand at where his chin might have been underneath that helmet of his. Something an energetic girl like Avari probably didn't want to hear, but it was what it was. "I suppose there is something I might be able to attempt, to ease the worst of it. But you must promise me that you will rest properly and let your body take care of the rest. It needs time to process and learn, as well," the Yuke continued with his short lecture, but that was where he was going to let it be – unless Avari objected, of course. For now, she was going to be the test subject of a new spell.
Marmadue's feathered hands gave a soft green glow, a very familiar sight for anyone who had ever seen him heal, but the light wasn't as intense. He allowed them to stay by his side, not focusing on any particular wound like he usually did. It was subtle, a soft trickle, barely noticeable. But the air around him was charged with a gentle healing aura, a soft embrace meant to work its magic over time while letting the body rest.
Avari glanced down upon hearing the news about Xion, or rather the lack thereof. She was presumably still trapped in her trial, and Avari couldn't help but feel for her, and wonder just what situation the girl might be stuck in that would have trapped her in this sleep for so long. Avari was pulled from her thoughts on the matter however, as Marmadue returned their attention to Avari's exhaustion, and how the only thing she could really do was rest.
"A whole day? I can't waste a whole day resting! We have no idea when this big heartless is gonna show up, and I'm not strong enough yet!" She glanced down at the sword on her hip, her usual cheeriness seeming to have faded during the conversation. Sure, she understood what Marmadue was saying, and if it didn't feel like they were running out of time, she might have been more willing to follow his advice. But she was so far behind everyone else; Max and Jin were strong, Oswald had his magic, and while Marmadue wasn’t exactly on the front lines, he could still heal everyone who was.
Everyone also seemed to have their set tasks to prepare for the battle, and all Avari could do was train and follow Max around while he looked for Twilight Town’s keyhole (which still sounded bizarre to Avari). Now Marmadue was saying she couldn’t even do that. Still, she knew he was right, as she laid back down with a defeated huff. Marmadue then cast a spell from his green materia, and his feathered hands began to glow faintly. ”Alright... I guess I promise.” She sure had to make a lot of promises to people lately, she’d have to start keeping a list at this rate!
”So how goes it with organizing the other refugees? Are there a lot of other magic users around?”
Of course Avari wasn't too happy with the suggestion of resting. With so much to do, it was difficult for anyone to find the heart to waste time on something like that! But it was very important. While Marmadue couldn't have found it in him to turn the girl down and refuse to help her any way he could, even if she wouldn't have followed his suggestion. Still, he was quite happy when she did – even if quite reluctantly. "…I am glad. After all, it ah, would be quite the predicament if you found yourself unable to get up due to fatigue if… If something happened," the Yuke spoke, hoping that Avari truly understood that resting had its part in preparing as well. If she was too tired or her muscles too sore, she wouldn't be performing well when… Well, when the monster would appear. The mere idea sent shivers down his spine.
Marmadue allowed his magic to seep out, keeping an eye on Avari to see how she reacted – in every possible meaning of the word. To see what happened to her bruises, to see if she felt anything, if she mentioned anything. It certainly was easy for him, a soft trickle that he could feel spreading out, but wasn't feeling too taxing for him. It was quite easy to focus on a conversation, in such a laid back situation.
"Ah… I wish it weren't so, but it seems that most are quite ah… Unfamiliar, with magic," the Yuke replied, his story not sounding any more positive than what they had started with. They really weren't doing so well, were they… "Er, that is to say, some do show promise, but… Inexperience does not help much on the battlefield. Or ah, so they say. I cannot say I have much of such experience myself. But ah, that doesn't mean they couldn't help with some other tasks," even if that didn't exactly help with the battle itself, "Oh, ah, but we do have newcomers appearing every now and then, and the message might not have reached everyone. Some ah, say that there are people who are more… Distant…"
"Ah. But have you perhaps learned anything new of this ah, keyhole?"
Avari settled in more comfortably, accepting that she shouldn't be going anywhere for awhile until she was rested. She even unhooked her sword from her belt and leaned it up against the wall beside her before laying back down. The magic Marmadue was creating left a warm fuzzy feeling that dulled any aches she had, but didn't entirely get rid of them, so she wouldn't be foolish enough to think she'd been healed enough to head back out. She turned her gaze back to him as he explained his progress with rallying other magic users, "After this big fight, we really need to set up some kind of team... or committee maybe? So that next time something worse happens we'd be ready, right? We'd all be able to help each other."
Avari sighed as Marmadue asked about her and Max's progress on the keyhole, "We haven't found anything yet. I mean there's keyholes everywhere, on doors, some containers here and there, but one that leads to the heart of the world? I don't even know what that would look like. But hey, if we're still having trouble finding it, that means the heartless can't find it easily either right?" She scratched the back of her head as she sat up a bit. "We've looked all over, and still nothing."
Marmadue couldn't say if it was better to think of the fact that there was going to be an after once the horrific creature made its way to Twilight Town or the fact that, well, the thing was going to attack them and the ensuing battle for their lives wouldn't be very… Pleasant. Considering how little advancement they had made towards their goals… It all made for such a stressful time. Still, somehow despite all that, Avari was willing to see a bright future. Commendable, for certain. The Yuke's gaze stayed on the girl for a while, in silence.
…Though he really didn't want to think of there being another crisis if they survived this one.
"…Ah. That is… Yes, I believe that would be the ah, reasonable course of action," he nodded, not wanting to trash the girl's optimism. Maybe he should have taken note of her and try to be a bit more like that himself, as well. His fingers ran through the feathers on his neck. Scrambling to try to get everything ready like this with their limited time certainly was stressful. To think that they wouldn't have to do something like that…
Marmadue's gaze had wandered for a moment with his thoughts, but they returned towards Avari soon enough. The keyhole was a distraction perhaps, a sliver of hope after having to be reminded of their rather hopeless situation. It did seem like there hadn't been any success there either, however. The Yuke let out a quiet hmm, tilting his head in thought. He didn't have the slightest of ideas, either – after all, Maxwell was the first person to ever even suggest such a thought! "Mayhaps. But, ah, even if the opposite was the case, then… I cannot say I would be comfortable leaving our fate in the hands of something so ah, fickle, but on the chance that these Heartless do sense it… They could very well ah, lead us to it," or so he could theorize without knowing anything else about this keyhole of the world. If if if. Many ifs. But perhaps this was the kind of an if that had the possibility of success when everything else failed.
"…How are you feeling, Miss Avari?" The Yuke asked after having surveyed the girl in question. She was a guinea pig of sorts, after all. She did not seem to be too uncomfortable, but it was quite difficult to gauge all the effects with mere sight alone. "Is there ah, anything I may be able to provide you? Would you be in need of extra rations?"
Avari pondered Marmadue's words for a moment. She hadn't ever really thought about it before, but watching the heartless's movements could be helpful. True, she couldn't recall an instance where they weren't attacking her or someone else, but she hadn't really been looking for any other kind of behavior. "That might work, if we could remain hidden long enough... I'll bring it up with Max next time we head out!" She smiled as Marmadue then changed the subject, asking how she felt as he continued to maintain his new spell.
"I'm alright. I feel a little better I think! I don't feel as sore, and I haven't felt this relaxed in awhile. Say, I haven't seen you use this magic before, seems a little different from your other healing stuff." She tilted her head slightly as she examined the soft glow radiating from his feathered hands. "You know, we should practice magic together sometime! I need to get better with my fireblasts, and it does get lonely practicing all by myself. Maybe we can help each other!"
She felt Marmadue had more of a knack with magic than she did, heck it took her this long to be able to use even one spell, and he seemed to be experimenting with more than that. Plus Avari knew he was smart, and had his own strengths, even is he didn't realize it himself. Back during those trials in the corridor of darkness, she wouldn't have made it passed that riddle without him, and they helped each other through all that even though it seemed scary. "We do make a pretty good team, after all." Avari grinned.
Marmadue nodded. Maxwell was the one who seemed to know the most about this keyhole thing, being the one who had brought it up in the first place. He would seem like the kind of a person who would know if the Heartless could be followed – or if they should. It did sound rather risky in a way, after all. But as far as Avari herself went, it seemed like she was content, physically. It did seem like she was feeling the effects of his magic, even taking note of how it was a bit different from usual. The Yuke turned his neck to look at the girl.
"Ah. An astute observation. It would be something new, yes. I… Didn't know you were paying attention," he started, straightening his back. Many did not care much, as long as there were results. Many didn't exactly know what the "normal stuff" would be to the Yuke, but Avari… Well, in a way, they had known each other the longest in this town, considering that she literally was the first person to have found Marmadue. A keen eye and an interest for magic. Not the most common of combinations. "Just something of an, ah, experiment with this… Materia, as they call it. A most curious of items with ah, quite intricate magical properties. Compared to the magicite of my world, it is so much more versatile in its usage and its magical output. Instead of just a single magical effect, it can be manipulated into various forms… Ah."
He had gotten a bit carried away, hadn't he? The Yuke cleared his throat and rubbed his neck, his gaze momentarily scanning the room around them before returning to the girl. Perhaps he shouldn't try to scare away a person who seemed to be interested in learning more. "Mh. Yes. Quite. Ah… I suppose you have ah, something of an interest in the pursuits of magical knowledge?"
She didn't quite follow everything Marmadue was saying about the properties of materia compared to what he had back home, but she gave a curt nod of acknowledgment none the less. Then he asked if she had an interest in the pursuits of ah, magic, and she scratched the back of her head.
"Well, magic does come in handy in fights and stuff!" She grinned, "I promised Jin awhile back I'd learn to melt a metal beam with my fire materia, but it's really hard! And I've also got this gravity magic on my sword, but I'm still trying to get the hang of it. I've got a long way to go before I'm as strong as Jin and Max," She chuckled as she scratched her nose.
"If you had some pointers though, I'm all ears!" She glanced back to Marmadue, seeing the green glow of his hands. From what she'd seen so far, he was pretty good with magic, though it was mostly healing from what she saw. As useful as that was, Avari wanted to learn combat magic more than anything.
Marmadue nodded, agreeing with Avari that magic certain did come in handy in fights and stuff – the understatement of the century perhaps, but technically correct. Still, she certainly was interested, whatever her motives might have been. The Yuke's interest was piqued as well, a feathered finger of his stroking the bottom of his helmet. "A gravity magic sword," he repeated, curious about such a magical item. Not something he had had the luxury of studying often. But that wasn't the main point here, though! Avari was asking for his help.
"Ah. Well, those in my world would have told you to turn to a Yuke if magic is what you wish to grasp," Marmadue started, his hand returning to his side, "…Of course, there would have been great sages and teachers who would do the job better than I, but, ah… Mh. It is no easy task you have been given, unless the kind of metal you are to melt has not been determined yet. The melting point of many is ah, quite high, after all," he continued, the glow of his hands continuing as he took to pacing and gravitated towards a nearby stool he grabbed with him. Not the most beginner-friendly task, but perhaps instead of the first task, it should be seen as the end result of all the training. Who knew how long that took.
The Yuke glanced at the girl as he carried the stool back next to her bed, sitting down. "Perhaps we should start from your background. With ah, magic. Your relationship with it and the training you have received. Anything, really, even if you deem it insignificant."
"Melting point?" Thinking about her task from such a scientific view hadn't ever occurred to Avari, but it did make sense as Marmadue explained it. To melt the metal, her fire would have to be hot enough to do so. How she would accomplish that apart from just practice, that was another story. But Marmadue didn't linger on the task itself, but instead asked her how she started out with magic- yet another avenue of questioning she hadn't expected.
"Uh, like how did I start out with it? I dunno, I never really used it until I came here to Twilight Town. I never needed magic back home, and with the moogles around here selling materia, I kinda had to get my hands on something to stand a chance against the heartless. I mean, I didn't even have a sword back then!" She crossed her arms as she contemplated how she really trained with it, "Until Jin came along I didn't really train or anything, I just sorta tried it out when I needed to in battle."
She tilted her head to the side and frowned at Marmadue, "Sorry if that's not really helpful, but that's all the experience I've had till now! I usually wing it I guess!" She laughed nervously. The closest thing she's had to real instruction up to this point was training in swordsmanship with Max, as far as magic went, Jin simply told her to keep practicing until she melted that metal beam.
Marmadue nodded, indeed meaning exactly that. She let the girl continue, tilting his head slightly as he listened. No prior experience of magic, it seemed. Recent materia usage. No… Training, just using it when needed. And succeeding. The power of the materia did seem like a great boon, considering all that – or perhaps it was Avari who was gifted. "Ah, no no. That is… Quite helpful in allowing me to learn more about your ah, experience, yes," the Yuke was quick to flip from his more pondering chin-rubbing stance back to the present world as the girl apologized and frowned, in case her story wasn't helpful. Just winging it…
"…Not many are able to just, ah, wing it. I'd consider that a good sign. Being in touch with your ah, more magical side," he continued, praise where praise was due. But was that enough to get what she wanted? It was hard to say. She did ask for help, and when magic was the topic, all Marmadue really could do was to want to do something! For a moment, he stayed quiet. "It would be good to see your performance with my own eyes," Marmadue spoke, perhaps really just saying what he was thinking out loud. Perhaps a tad too eager, after he had told Avari to rest! He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his helmet.
"Ah, not that I am ah, saying that I should see it now. You are ah, resting, after all," he quickly reminded her – or him, who knew at this point. The Yuke allowed his hand to return back to his lap. "Magic is very much an extension of ah, yourself. It could be that you can work it into what you want by… Doing exactly what you are, currently. But ah, it might also be that you need to learn more about what is going on ah… Inside. Understand the less visible to progress what you can see manifesting in reality."
She smiled awkwardly as he mentioned how her being able to 'wing it' must have meant she was good with it and she scratched the back of her head as she replied, "I dunno, my spells are still really small though, nothing like what I've seen some of the others do!" At most her fireballs were good for three or four heartless grouped up, but any more than that and she'd get overwhelmed quickly. She couldn't drown her enemies with water like Max could, or fry them with electricity like Jin.
"I am feeling a little better, if you wanted to see me practice? I can show you the metal beam Jin wanted me to practice on! I also have a few other materia I haven't really used much." She paused to pull the charms out of her pocket, all of which were bound to a small cord she could slip onto her wrist. There was her fire materia of course, but then the newest addition of a dark purple materia as well as a pitch black one.
She glanced back up as he tried to explain how there might be something more abstract that she would have to focus on to better understand her magic. Avari titled her head to the side and frowned as his explanation only confused her, "What do you mean?"