Forze dell'Oscurita (Open)

[Aqua]

Aqua can't help the small smile that graces her lips at Vaan's words, but then shakes her head as she feels energy wrap around her. At the same time her and Namine whisper one word, "Focus."

She doesn't bring her weapon to her side yet, a thought,more of an inkling of a feeling of wonderment, seeps into her mind. It drops a seedling and she ponders out loud, "Well, maybe this is just a spell or object this time..." But she shakes her head, tensing for the worse.

[Haku]

A sheild appears in her hands, "Haku?"

"Building, too small."

She nods and then commands, "Act as a shield then."

I nod and calmly frantic heart from the shear smell of this place.

I feel over whelmed.

Its sickening.

She on the other hand is radiating confidence, something I'm lacking.

Lets just get this fight over with.

[Vaan Shepard]

Vaan's preferred broadsword appeared in his hands, but no demons showed up yet - it was still just an empty clearing. The group slowly made their way through the red dirt, getting closer and closer to the bank. Which had turned from a one story to a two story building, large holes in it's side - surrounded by a sea of either lava or boiling blood.

"Divide."

Before Vaan could react to the voice the land suddenly and violently shattered into several pillars and ripped apart, the group thrown on different small islands and pushed away from each other over the sea of lava/boiling blood. Vaan, Josh and Sophie were on one, Aqua and Neku on another, Shiki and Riku on one, Haku and Namine on another, and as if fate was laughing: Shizuo and Izaya on one.

"Holy SHIT!" Vaan yelled as he was being propelled from everyone at high speed, when the newly formed pillars stopped he could see the others were quite a ways from each other.

"Conquer."

Then shooting out from the sea below were demons, landing on platforms - each one had a unique brand of demon. Vaan, Josh, and Sophie had some of the familiar grunt demons they fought earlier. Aqua and Neku took on winged demons, harpies, females - how do they know they're women? Kind of hard to miss those two objects on their...yeah it's female, okay? Namine and Haku took on similar grunt demons -like Vaan-, but with large grotesque drills on their arms that began whirring at high speed.

As fate's irony, Shiki and Riku were forced to fight skeletons garbed in Roman armor. Shizuo and Izaya? The sea erupted as a massive, muscled, demon stood from the sea in front of their pillar.

[Riku Nomura]

While I wasn't happy about having to see Izaya again I acknowledged that he was needed so I kept to myself the whole time but when we were pulled into yet another crossing and ended up on a pillar, with Shiki no less, sometimes I regret my existence.

I transform into my Rider form and ready Soul Eater as the skeletons attacked.

"Well this is awkward." I said to her.

[Josh and Sophie]

As if the mood wasn't bad enough, Josh and Sophie had been split up with Vaan from the rest of the group.

With a disgruntled look on his face, Josh pulled out Clarent. Sophie's shining silver aura enveloped her by instinct, and the air smelled of vanilla.

Sophie's awe was cracked open when demons, similar to those from earlier, started coming toward them.

Okay. Now I'm not so sure we can handle anything... Josh thought, with a look of worry planted on his face, looking at what everyone was about to face.

[Shiki]

"Can't deny that," Shiki agreed and looked from Riku to the demons. Whatever force had put them in this situation must have been enjoying it. She brought her fire to her hands, "But I'd rather focus on beating these things, sound good?" Not waiting for an answer, she went at a skeleton demon closest to her.

[Aqua]

((*coughs* Sorry if this feels weird to you, but... I basically have to write Haku, Destani, and Nami all in their lonesome...so... yeah... please deal with the more powerful than normal Aqua for a minute. *skips off*))

Aqua frowns to herself and glances to see Neku before summoning her sword to her side. She can feel Namine's focus on her still and watches as the winged demons raise up. Her teeth grind and she feels the softest tinges of emotion outside of the half blankness she's allowed herself to feel this whole time.

She shakes her head and glances to her sword, it pulses with multiple blues. Nodding she pulls her arm back and then throws the weapon at the flying demonesses, "I really am NOT in the mood." And then races forward, jumping as her blade lands a hit, re-summoning her sword to her side she slashes at the demoness she's facing off with.

Part of her realizes she is falling over something boiling hot and deadly, but that same part trusts her partner, Neku, if worse comes to worse he can get her. She slashes again before embedding her sword and using that as a floor to jump off from to land back on their small island like thing.

She feels Namine's focus on her snap away, as it does so does her emotions. Her mind catches up with her body and she realizes she just lost her weapon for she doesn't have the strength to recall it while its THAT deep into something.

"Oh... Crap..."

[Haku]

My partner grinds her teeth together, "Protect the girl."

I nod and go over to where the blond is struggling to her feet.

I offer a hand.

"Thanks," She takes it and then frowns. "You two are... I'll focus on Aqua then."

Her eyes deepen in color and she leans against me.

I frown to myself and look to our fighter.

She turns her shield to her side, "Bring it little ones."

She throws it.

It flies into the side of one demon and leaves a deep wound.

The shield re-appears in her hand, "Come on, lets dance."

[Namine Joy LeBeau]

A hand is offered and I take it, checking out what's going on with my powers. Seeing the two with me are demons I frown and then lean against the one who helped me up, "You two are... I'll focus on Aqua then."

The mother doesn't waste a second using me, my energy being sapped faster than my relaxing body can contain it. Faster than her long distance and minimal healing can help me with. Soon I pull back from her, mentally tired and body slumped against the male.

But I keep an eye on the others, I will give everything I can to keep the others safe.

[Josh and Sophie]

Josh launched forward at a demon, and slashed right through it. It slumped to the ground. But as Josh was doing so, another jumped onto his side and grabbed hold.

"Josh!" Sophie shouted. She whipped her arm, and the demon went flying, cutting Josh's arm with its claws.

Sophie ran up toward him. A group of demons turned to the blood dripping from Josh's arm, and mounted themselves in pouncing positions.

Sophie reached Josh, and the demons jumped. Her eyes glared a silver-gray, and the air seemed to stop the demons in mid-air, and then whoosh them away back into the 'sea'. She grabbed Josh's arm. It started to tingle, with silver sparks jumping into his wound. He pulled it away, and the sparks stopped.

"I'm fine," he protested.

"But it's--"

"No," Josh cut her off. "We need to keep fighting."

His eyes were glowing the usual gold, but somewhere in the midst, Sophie could see a hint of a deep red.

[Vaan Shepard]

Vaan sliced one of his apart with his broadsword and looked around, "Damn it! We're all sitting ducks out here!"

He looked around for something, anything to allow an escape. But it was no use, they were only a small island with no large space to effectively move around. It looked pretty bad for them...

"Vaan, here, let me."

Vaan looked and the same small light from the last Crossing floated over to them and hovered in front of the 'sea', soon pieces of rock broke apart from the ground near the tower and formed into a large walkway for them to cross - connecting them to Aqua and Haku.

"You again!"

"Not now Vaan, you need to hurry!"

Vaan looked at the bridge across to where Aqua was, seeing her in danger he rushed across the bridge.

"Hang on!" he yelled, the broadsword held as his side as he slashes one demon from a side. Standing next to her, holding his broadsword out as more started to come out. "Stay close to me, okay?!"

[Aqua]

Aqua nods, "Alright, thanks, Vaan." She moves in closer to him and keeps a mental tabs on his, well, she's preparing to heal him if need be.

[Vaan Shepard]

"Vaan, the Arms can do so much more than provide weapons-"

More demons leaped out of the sea and surrounded the two, Vaan looked at them and tightened his grip.

"And here is the perfect opportunity. Vaan, keep attacking the demons and don't pause the attack chain."

Vaan was hesitant but rushed in, slicing his sword into one demon and quickly doing so with another. Using the knowledge the Arms gave him about sword fighting and relied on it, the more demons that fell with his blade it actually started to glow with a faint red aura. As the aura became more defined it suddenly burst into flames and even more battle knowledge flooded in his brain, Vaan's slashes became more fancy and more brutal.

The fire on his blade grew blue and Vaan started to do even more and more attacks, soon most of the demons were falling to his broadsword swipes.

"Holy shit this is so- am I really doing this?!" he laughed to himself as he danced around attacking demons and striking back.

[Josh and Sophie]

If they were going to win this fight, they were going to need to stay together. Being separated meant you were an easier target to kill. Survival skills mingled through Josh's mind.

"We need to get back together as a group," He announced. He felt a little dumb saying that after Vaan had already crossed the bridge, but thought someone should start developing a plan.

He grabbed Sophie by the arm--which caused sparks to jump to his wound again, making him wince--and pulled her to the bridge. "We need to get off this island, I have an idea."

She followed orders, and raced across the bridge, Josh rushing close behind her.

They reached the others.

"Okay. Sophie. I need you to use Air to dry up the bridge. It should crumble and give us the slight advantage of surprise and chaos. -- Do you think you can do it?" He looked at her intently. She had obviously weakened after everything they've been through so far, but she'd been trying to hide it, and Josh could see it.

"I--can try," she replied, and closed her eyes to concentrate.

"Vaan... or uh, yeah... Vaan? Do you think you can get that... thing"--he pointed at the glowing orb--"to make bridges to a single island so we can regroup?"

[Vaan Shepard]

Vaan finished off one last demon as the floating light moved to Josh.

"Takes too much concentration, and while you guys may have time - the rest may not. We're going to have to do this one at a time, like so."

The light floated over to the opposite ledge and another bridge formed to lead them to Shiki and Riku. The aura around Vaan died as he finished the last demon. He looked at Josh and motioned to the island they used to be on.

"You have a plan?"