Chapter 5: Eclipse of Sin

[Cell]

{Skytown}

[Crehavos, Arietta]

Ucria's death came with a somber reticence of the highest order, as if time's bony hand were grapsing itself around her very soul, and silently dragging her into the eternal abyss. The prior blustery storm had even settled to a feckless gust, and the sun was finally resting behind the groggy horizon. This was a very caliginous scene to be sure, perhaps. . . even more so than it should be. Yes, this was a high priority mission that the infamous dark lord had put into array, he had made it unquestionably recognized that he longed for her extinction and demanded that her mangled corpse was brought to his feet. Only. . . Crehavos, try as he might, failed to uncover any glory in this triumph. He could only feel sorrow. . . and. . . rage.

Something was wrong. . . The demon's face seemed to twist and distort into a visage of pained confliction. His eyes of whiteout sclera were manic, almost as if they were going to burst out of their sockets. His perfect teeth were exposed, grinding together in a horrid mismatch of internal agony, the two lacinating fangs cutting brutally into his soft lips; violet blood gushing out to desecrate his glorious, yet cadaverous skin. Crehavos sank to his knees in a chilling stupor, hands held to his head while wildly throwing his head from side to side; wailing like a banshee.

"No· · · no this is all wrong· · · I was not suppose to feel this way· · · not about her!" he screeched, voice slurred with the blood that was sloshing around in his mouth and throat. "My heart is black with darkness, it has made me strong· · · it shouldn't be susceptible to such pathos· · ·" And then, he froze, ceasing the derranged writhing, yet stood still on his knees, eyes wide with terror. He continued in a whisper, "Yet why· · · why does my body still feed off of this anguish· · · this· · · this madness!?"

Meanwhile, Arietta, weary from her battle with Ucria, had done nothing, but watch this unreasonable lunacy in fright. Never had she envisioned such insanity to come blistering out of the sedative, reserved, and cunning tyrant. He always showed such authority, such power that was eternally unrivavled. Not once had she thought of this man to be weak, able to become crippled by such a meaningless act. It just did not make sense. . . not at all.

She tried to speak, though her voice wavered into a whisper, "M-master. . .?" No response. Again, she spoke, this time with more confidence, "Master Crehavos. . .?"

The unstable demon twitched, now becoming lively once more, though it appeared Arietta's call had no affect whatsoever to grasp his attention. He continued his self-plea, as if expecting an answer to come forth out of a personal amnesty. "I wasn't suppose to hurt· · ·" he said, voice barely amounting to a whisper. And that's when she knew it, when Arietta realized what was to come. Her eyes widened with anticipation as she saw Crehavos, unexpectedly fast, zoom into the sky; face bubbling with fury, like a volcano that was about to erupt. And so it did.

"I WAS NOT!!!"

Crehavos' hysteria had taken over body and mind completely, and his tyrade comensed. He was no longer the collective and detatched tyrant that was known for his malevolent reputation, but what was now his true self. . . a monster. His deafening roar could be heard for miles, and the whole metropolitan of Skytown rumbled with his terrible power.

Several minutes went by before his screams halted and the earthquake came to a standstill. Even so, his fury was blatant, greater than ever before. The pure evilness that radiated from his body had visually manifested into a whispy black ambience that flowingly surrounded Crehavos; coiling and twisting like dozens of snakes in mid-air. His fists were clenched painfully firm, so much so that his onxy colored talons cut deep into his palms; draining even more of his bloodstream. But then. . . the most bone-chilling feature, the most awful feature of all. . . was that grin. That calm, delicate grin that seemed almost. . . playful, as the purple gore was still leaking out of his mouth. He courtly wandered over to Arietta after he had descended from the sky, looking unnervingly peaceful, his now rested eyes fixed upon the girl's wide chocolate colored ones.

"You have done wonderfully, my callow enchantress. The aptitude you present for vindictive riddance is envied. . . naturally." Crehavos spoke evenly to Arietta. Although, faint as it might be, his voice was laced with a deadly chill that made the hairs on the back of the girl's neck stand firm.

"Thank you. . . my lord." Arietta replied, tone an octave above her usual one. She tried to keep the flattery and politeness to a satisfactory level. She had to make sure not to anger him, Crehavos was not in his right mind anymore. . . and she was unaware of what he may actually try to do. "It is no higher pleasure."

"No higher pleasure." Crehavos repeated, gaze never stirring. "Tell me, Arietta. . ." there was a lengthy pause as Crehavos considered his next words, licking and savoring the blood that trickled down his fingers, "What is it that you fear the most?"

The little nymph could no longer uphold her façade, his intentions were now clear as day. She was truly scared, beyond even her own imagination as realization dawned at last. This little girl, innocent in a way, just sat on the cold stone surface, looking very fragile, like the small child she appeared to be.

It was as if a hypnosis had overcome the girl, as if she felt the need to reply to this haunting question, "I· · · I· · · I cannot die· · · I· · · fear the ice cold grip of death· · · the moment of weakness, where I can't· · · where I can't control my own destiny· · · where I am but a doll to someone else's will· · · I· · · I can't· · ·" Tears welled up in her eyes, she could do nothing more. It was futile to try to overcome this fiend, and Arietta knew that more certainly than anything else.

It happened very quickly as she was brought up and above the demon, into the air with his placid hand wrapped tight around her throat. His eyes never left her's, and his smile never faded, as he spoke once more. "Don't fret, my child. You will learn. . . when I bring your darkest nightmare. . . to reality."

"No. . . please don't. . . I beg of you. . . please. . ." Arietta mumbled through choked sobs, horror and sadness burdening her beautiful eyes.

Crehavos' smirk vanished instantaneously, a look of pure emotionless nothing replacing it. This did not help matters any for the dying sorceress. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to live, Arietta. You have murdered the mother of my son, and that is something I refuse to tolerate."

"B... but you t... t...told us to... to slaughter h..her!" the girl coughed, gasping for air as her lungs deseperately tried to function, only able to give out and slowly die down.

"Even so, with her death, you have broken me of significance. You almost make me wish I had a heart so I could lament over her loss. . ." Crehavos said, falsly, yet realistically, tuning his voice to mimic sadness, even though this was no longer a possibility. He then withdrew his other hand away from dangling at his side, bringing it to lay gently on Arietta's chest. "Maybe I shall take your's. . . as a reminder in the somber morrow, of when existance itself. . . is barren." Gently, he brought down his eyelids, as Crehavos' hand plunged forth, for the heart. . . the soul.

"Only then. . . can I rest."

[Angel]

--Important Note: For the casual reader, nothing of importance to the current events happens within this post, and is by far not a required read. Please, if you do not wish to go completely into just my own character's personal stories, and out of the Nintendo Smash current storyline, skip this long post by all means. --

|| Arietta ||

www.imeem.com/people/xRQeHVu/music/V3Cwh8DL/motoi-sakuraba-shining-dew/

"What is it that you fear the most?"

These words, forever etched in this brain. This body, this soul. How had my life so instantly had been shattered? Why was I so foolish to believe in a man such as this, a man who had such power. In the end, as I had a moment to think about such things, his hands around my neck.. I almost wished I could laugh at irony. I seeked this man out for safety.. " and these were her some of last thoughts.. for he had given her the ultimate betrayal... but as she lay a second from death.. her mind traveled to one little form. The doll body of Arietta. She felt a rush of power to feel that it had happened on time.. In that moment.. a small smile etched on her face.

And was no more. It was replaced by a cold feeling and her spirit left the body. Her small, bare petite frame, once released from Crehavos' grip, slumped on the ground, her long blond hair stranded all across her body.. the life of Ucria still on her hands, and the life her own across her body. A showing of how little the point really was to it all.. how quickly everything can be stolen.

-----

|| Ayumi ||

www.imeem.com/silvernightingale/music/g-5XF5aq/motoi-sakuraba-happiness-in-my-hand/

I had.. been in these visions for sometime now.. and it hurt to feel all of these things. The betrayal from the person I had come to see as my mother.. why was she so foolish? I had to live her life, and it seemed to all run together. More and more, as the visions kept going it felt like I was separating from her more and more, until I simply vanished. Everything was black again, but I realized that.. we were the same person. She had cast me aside.. like I was useless. I was mommy..

I looked at myself, grabbed my own arm. This body was a different body, but I was mommy. We had the same core.. and she took me away. I started crying, knowing now why she never loved me. Why she always hurt me.. why she always was disapproving of my actions... but then why did she keep me? It shocked me to realize that tears were actually running down my face.. I didn't think I was capable of shedding them.

All of a sudden, this feeling inside starting burning like mad. I screamed out, feeling like all around me was stretching out in every which direction. The feeling was horribly painful, near unbearable.. but it went as quickly as it came. It was as if by realizing I had shed tears, my body had undergone a massive panic attack, or realized something scary about itself and needed to re-evaluate. All in all, It was horrible experience.. and I was happy to be able to take a few deep breaths afterwards.

I felt so different, afterwards though. As if something had really changed inside. As if I was a different person.. yet still the same. I really was starting to panic at these thoughts and wondered exactly what could have happened. However, I didn't have long to ponder over this, before I realized I wasn't alone.

|| Kaimu ||

www.imeem.com/people/4AXEgz/music/9ce113pt/kajiura-yuki-break-the-sword-of-justice/

{First Ever First Person Post as Kaimu!}

The wind was rushing all about me, but I was intent. The air was escaping from my lungs quickly, and I was almost almost fearful for a moment of my own demise. But this was too.. too perfect. Everything fell into the circle. I had to keep believing that fate would continue to prove itself to me. What point was there to life if I couldn't believe in this? I was constantly pulled by the strings of fate.. constantly pushed around within my own body.

"Oh well.. life is more interesting this way.." I said, only a bit hinting at the empty feeling of these words. To be honest, I hadn't truly been interested in something since Arietta. Something about that girl, rung something big inside. As if I was but a piece in a puzzle, and she was the piece I was supposed to connect myself with to fill the blanks.

Suddenly, I felt a strange pull, and my body was quickly cast in a overreaching darkness. I had only a moment to chuckle, everything was going according to plan.

|| Ayumi, Arietta, Kaimu ||

www.imeem.com/drkagaw/music/Ry5XZ17T/kajiura-yuki-lost-wings/ --You may need to make sure it's on repeat. --

{First Person Narrative is: Ayumi}

I jumped at the sight of not one, but two new guests. The first.. was.. mommy.. my other half. She walked in, a strange, hollow hole where her heart should be. Her eyes full of anger, and sadness, which made the smile on her face seem creepy. Her hair was tainted full black and her skin a pale white, and her form was near transparent.

And the second form was... another girl. This one was even smaller, she had to be around 5 of 6 years old. She had a mass of blonde tangled hair, and wore a old-fashioned dress.. sort of like the dresses that I wore myself. This confused me, because I had no idea who she could be. Something really scared me about her, and I couldn't place why. Suddenly, I found my answer in her eyes.

Her eyes where, strange. Youtful, but they were so sharp and full of intent. The eyes spoke of years far beyond her body, and shook me. I got fearful just by looking within their gaze. Her hair seemed to be moving on its own, her dress was moving slowly in a different direction, as if her body was possessed by some sort of demonic wind that I couldn't' feel. The presence of these two really scared me.. and for a moment I wish Cyberbite was still here. But I knew that I probably accidentally cast him aside, somewhere along the Smash Planet. I knew that what I seeked was simply someone to protect me.. a master..

"Who.. why are you here?" I spoke, trying to shake away my fearful thoughts... and this seemed to make a reaction out of my mother. She licked her lips, the movement I had long known was the feeling she got when she was happy, and then slowly started moving over. Gliding to me as if floating in midair. Though, amongst this black abyss with a unknown source of light, I guess we were all pretty much floating. She came up to me, and pushed herself against me, as if trying to flatten me.

"Give me what's mine now.. doll.. give me.. give me life.." I heard in my years, and jumped. She was coming to steal me away again? But no.. I.. couldn't. She would just go and do all those bad things again. She had cast me aside once already, and I knew this time she meant to do it permanently. I couldn't bare it.

"No! Your life is my life. If you deserve life so do I!" I cried, almost flinching as I said the words. I still felt a bit of fear for this girl, even if I had to come to know her as my other half. She was so much stronger, even if she was merely a toy as much as I was, and had a scary forcefulness in her words and actions. She looked at me with disgust, and just as her translucent fist looked as if it meant to beat me.. she vanished. Everything vanished. Black became my eyes, and my hearing was gone too. The chants and whispers that were common in my universe were silenced, and suddenly I felt very light.

|| Chroma, Kaimu; Order of the Balance HQ ||

www.imeem.com/people/_VjaUmW/music/jcGWN3pU/nobuo-uematsu-balamb-garden/

Everything felt so fuzzy to me.. and I couldn't remember anything. I opened my eyes and felt the light enter. I had to blink a few times to get this feeling to vanish, my eyes were not used to light.. and they were slightly afraid of being hurt by it, but after a while.. I was allowed to take a look at my surroundings.

I was laying in a beautiful white canopy bed, with lovely, fluffy bedding. The room was a delicate white.. so pure and untouched.. it looked liked it belonged in a museum and not for use. It was very feminine, closets on one end of the room, followed by a small vanity on the other. Chests and flower vases and lace, this room was almost meant for a princess, and it made this experience even more odd. What was I even doing in here?

Suddenly, turning to my right, I noticed I wasn't alone either.. I jumped and squealed at the sight of him, but then took a deep breath. His simple, his short blond hair and very unique clothing.. it was daddy.

Daddy? Was he called daddy.. I thought to myself suddenly. No, I realized.. I just thought of him as a daddy.. but what was the word? What was his name? I knew this man.. he was so.. so very important to me.. suddenly, my mouth moved, realization came to me and I spoke.

"Master?" I chimed, my voice very squeaky and small. Suddenly, I felt tears run down my face.. and I wanted to be comforted, even if somewhere deep down I felt ashamed for being so weak like this. He sat down beside me and cradled me up close to him, starting to pet my my head and spoke in a soft tone.. "It's alright dear Chroma.. it's alright. I know things must feel a bit scary. But everything is back to the way it should be.. that's all you need to know." and I looked up at him, confused by his words. What did he mean.. everything was back to the way it was supposed to be? I didn't even know why I was here...

But as if sensing my unvoiced concerns he spoke again. "It's too long to explain right now.. but your safe now, and I promise there is nothing wrong. Stick with me, don't leave my side. I'll make sure your kept safe, and I promised everything is going to be just fine." He smiled, it was large, and while a bit creepy looking, I felt comforted by his smile. I nodded, and smiled myself.

That was enough.

[ness11]

OOC: Sorry Solid but I'm kick starting this rpg back up

[Skytown, Elysia]
[LGN]

The end is nigh.

LGN's eyes shot open, eyebrows raised. His breathing suddenly picked up to a heavy gagging. He could not fathom what was going on and what happened. His eyes now shut again, darkness filled his sight. His body twitched and tingled all over, like it was asleep. He tried with his lingering strength to open his eyes again. His vision blurred, he saw the sky, the darker sinister look of the sky. He felt blood running down his face and over his legs. His mouth was drier than the Sahara Desert.

He wiggled his fingers; his power to move was beginning to return. His neck creaked and cracked as he peered over at his right. He saw soldiers lying on the ground, crawling, writhing in pain, dying. Blood stained the clouds, tanks in flames, shattered, and decommissioned on the spot. It wasn't only the SSS whose bodies were scattered over the surface of the city, many demons, gargoyles, devils; the foul beasts all suffered the same fate.

He felt embers cinging his armor, cries from the valiant soldiers moved LGN. His eyes had seen the gruesome and horrific effects of war, but his will to fight was now replaced by the question of why there must always be war when this is the end result. He wanted to help them, he needed to help them. It took him multiple tries to get to his feet, let alone stay up. He felt week kneed, his ankles were shot, making it a chore to even take steps.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaWf7lMimIo
(Call of Duty: Finest Hour - Not One Step Back)

He heard a moan from behind him, but it was not one of a being. The city stood before him. You could see smoke bellowing out from the windows were fires ragged and showed no signs of recoiling. Junks of structures had now smothered the ground with derby, landing on some of Skytown's guard. A sky scrapper farther back in the group lurched forward, bits and pieces of the building clattered against the ground in the distance. He slipped and splashed in a poodle of water and blood. With his replenishing force he pushed himself back as far as he can, grabbing another troop he saw writhing in pain with him. The skyscraper toppled right through the other buildings and ended it's descent with a slam. Junks of the building dashed every which way, a wave of dust and dirt spread after the collision.

LGN and the soldier would remain prone for several minutes, not a sound was made. After a long, stiffening silence the two aided one another as they regained balance and stood upright. The trooper's body was covered in scars from what appeared to came from a whip of some sorts. They gazed ahead, more troops were getting to their feet, others weren't as lucky.
A team of aid workers of nurses and civilians busted to the scene, and many of their colleagues continued throughout the city streets, applying first aid and providing water. It was an awe-inspiring sight for LGN, maybe the battle was won. No, there is never a winner in war, LGN reminded, there are only losers in war.

((OOC: Before Eiron’s post))

After much aid and dispatch, LGN's mobility had reverted to a self-manageable point. He was now in a gigantic hangar teeming with all sorts of life. The Fallen Angel Empire had left the city, perhaps there goal was only a bombardment to kill morale and any chance of redemption; it was half-finished. It was almost impossible to hear the person next to you, much less hear your own thoughts. Too many sirens, too much yelling, too many cries for help.

Why, why did this small skirmish mean so much to him? Was it that the men and women who risked their lives today shouldn't have in the first place? Was being obliterated that swiftly and tactically too hard to fathom? Was the aftermath of war getting too him. When they had defeated Blank, there was nothing to mourn. When the SSS saved the Dojo, there was nothing to feel sick about. When they detonated the bomb in Subspace and defeated Crackeletta, the lives that had been lost were few to none. Seven years of being trapped in a dome, a cage, destroyed any perspective of the outside world. Seeing what happened today was one of the most mortifying experiences LGN will ever weather.

Nearly all of Zel's force had been eliminated or injured. His tanks were smoldering in ash and soot, they were more of a hassle than an asset now. The ships that took to the air had crashed, either littering the city, or landing on Elysia -- certain death. Their lives...all those lives, vanquished. The city could bathe in all the blood that was shed over the course of the siege. It made LGN shudder with anguish over the lives lost, but also now scorching in his own frustration. No one was certain what suddenly devastated the metropolis, friend or foe, it was unknown.

Their retreat to a safe passage was a fruitless effort, and always will as long as Crehavos controls the world, the universe. It’s now or never, for tomorrow’s defense will be no better, only a catastrophe to match. His face became serious; he wouldn’t stand for anymore of these fine folk to fall for a lost cause.

He was resting against a ladder when he trusted himself off and began to limp around to a good point to grab people’s attention. He maneuvered his way past stretchers carrying victims of the siege, people heaving around large crates most likely filled with supplies and nourishment. He spotted a large pile of crates that rose considerably higher over the crowd. He stumbled, nearly knocking into the crates. To LGN’s luck the crates were set up like a spiral staircase probably for easier access. With each cautious step he took, taking deep breaths that sounded like a motor boat, the people around held up in what they were doing and stared.

Upon reaching to the top set of crates there was a miniscule crowd peering up at LGN. LGN began to call out to the crowd that bustled in and about the hangar; no response. He tried again, no dice. He had no time to dilly-dally, and with one click of the trigger, the mob screamed and gasped but suddenly came to a standstill.

“Sorry about that,” LGN apologized rubbing the back of his neck, “didn’t mean to cause any alarm, but alas, I…I have something to say.”

“You’re not Zel!” A voice in the crowd chimed.

“No, no I am not. I shall introduce myself as one and one only: L-G-N.” he said with pride in his voice. The crowd wasn’t moved, some went back to what they were partaking in. “I may appear to be a camera shy soldier to you all, not allowing you to take me seriously—“ another voice in the crowd piped in with another insult at LGN, some laughed, some shushed. “Do you remember the heroes who defeated the Ancient Minister? No, of course not, but I, was one. Do you recall the Battle of the Dojo and routed the forces of someone’s own mind? Nay, that was not here, but I, was one. Have you ever heard a rumor that amongst you were a group of individuals that hold their spirit and will to protect the ones the love higher than everything else, overcoming the Subspace Imperial Emissary, to detonate a bomb that would sacrifice one of their own to end the threat for good? No, but now you do, we, the SSS, and I, LGN, am the.”

“That however means little; today’s outcome was not determined by how many heroes died, no, we would have never won. That still mean’s little; what is of the essence now is what now. What do we do now?” LGN questioned the crowd. “We suffered heavy loses today; all who lost a loved one today have my condolences. I take the responsibility for such naïve actions that left the city defenseless for such an….onslaught. Those that had taken refuge with Zel have now come to hold, that retreat is no longer an option. Wherever we go, Crehavos will follow. Wherever we hide Crehavos will find.

“His numbers could simply overwhelm us with sheer mass alone, that’s not even factoring in Crehavos himself, and his divine commanders. But mark my words: we will not wait another day. I deeply apologize from the top of my heart of what has happened here, this was our fault for coming here and never would have happened if we had stayed on our own home world, but that in no sense means we should be passive over this manner and wait again. Our forces may be small, but that is how the SSS always overcame any obstacle that obstructed our goal, we, and you, can all take Crehavos down.

“I know some may not want to fight again, many are quite unfit for such a degree of engagement, some aren’t sure if we can, some forget when they mobilized and attacked, and attacked, and attacked until you were broken physically and mentally. Answer these questions, I ask of you.

“Would you enjoy standing guard day and night just praying that you will live through the first hour, let alone the day or the week?” He asked the crowd.

Some of the voices responded with an uncertain reply, “Yes….?”

“Look around you,” LGN told, “do you enjoy being in the current circumstance that we are now?”

“No.” The mob retorted a bit quicker to the query.

“Do you like seeing blood spilled on your sacred grounds, your blood, by some tyrant that’ll turn you all into slaves, much worse a corpse, when they return?”

No!” A few young adults flung their fists in the air. The motivation was starting to break through to them.

“Fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters; friends and neighbors, are you going to let them die for nothing?”

“No!” Their eyes were seeping with anger and a vengeance to strike back.

“Are you going to just let that slide and be passive about it?” The questioning to rile them up was working.

“No!” The mob was louder than ever.

“Even if we die, we’re gonna all die hard and with a piece of the Hellion foes flesh in our hands, am I right?” LGN threw his fist into the air.

“Yeah!” They returned LGN’s gesture.

“But wait,” another voice in the crowd chipped in, halting the momentum. “How in the world are we going to get to this, Hell of sorts? Last time I checked Hell was underground, people don’t float through surfaces, now.”

LGN pondered that for a moment. We certainly couldn’t just pop in like always because we already did that, plus, it was really lame and cheap. Then, almost as if the clichéd-ness of movies was coming to life, a white board with black tip marker jabbed into his neck. LGN yipped, hoped back a step, perhaps too close to the edge, and gazed down at the white board. He scooped it up, he then gazed out into the crowd. He couldn’t tell who had thrown it, but just when he examined a man also in the mob holding a drill in his hands it came to him.

After a moment or so passed and several artistic errors later, LGN unveiled his sloppy drawing of his plan, even though not many people could make out anything on the board, even murmuring to one another.

“Pardon my lack of artistic skill, art class was always me least favorite, but I have a clever scheme that is sure to work,” LGN replied. “Upon salvaging every material that is of some use, we’ll use what large aircraft we have to traverse on over to the Smash World. Upon reaching a designated target that no one, not even Crehavos would think of guarding, we will land, swiftly unloading some oversized drilling vehicles.

“With these mining transports we’ll tunnel through the Earth’s crust and partially through the mantle until we reach Hell, naturally. We can best hope that we emerge into the Hellion Kingdom near the work camps. Smaller transports, or at least what few we have, probably two handfuls at best, will soon follow, more than not carrying supplies rather than troops to aid the prisoners of the work camps good or nefarious. The SSS and any volunteers will ride in on the miners, engaging the enemy once inside.

“From that point on we shall take a revolutionary march to the Fallen Angel Castle. By then Crehavos will be well aware of us, as will his commanders. We can assume that the fortress, Crehavos’ lair, will be heavily defended. We can not directly dictate what Crehavos and his commanders will do hover, they certainly won’t be expecting us I can guarantee. I expect other forces there ready to assist us, or vice versa.

“The battle may seem costly, it is. I’m only asking the SSS to participate in the blitz itself to end Crehavos’ reign of psychosis. I hold the responsibility of all of your lives steeper than my own, I could not look myself in the mirror knowing that innocent civilians died fighting in something they wish not to partake in, I completely understand. For, this battle may be our last, but that should not dampen our spirits one bit! If we die today, remember that we have lost nothing but only gained something. If I have to give up my own life to stop this madman, I darn will. Seven years I sat and watched people die, war is not a game, there’s never a winner, only losers. The SSS is going to go medieval on this game board even if we all fall.

“Not one step back I say; no more fleeing, no more holding, no more stalling! We’re going to hit them right were in hurts, the most daring offensive in history. I do not look forward most to the glory, but to the sigh of relief that I will exhale when I can see people going about their daily lives not wondering, ‘What if we’re attacked?’ Remember the Blank Battles, remember the Dojo, remember the Subspace Siege, remember today!

“Not one step back! For the fallen we rise; hooorah!” LGN swung both hands into the air making a V. His hands balled up into fists. The crowd roared, leaping into the air and pumping their fists. Some youths swarmed onto the crates LGN was on and rallied on the mob, carrying LGN off the crates with determined smiles. They showed hope, that’s all LGN needed and wanted now.

The mob, while still attending to the wounded, gathered anything of use and prepared for the coming blitzkrieg. Time was scarce and they needed to move fast, but no one had to tell them that as they shuffled around, almost in a proud standing factory manner. LGN will never forget the men, women, beings that gave all their time to help support his plan, perhaps the craziest of schemes ever.

He also wouldn’t forget those who approached him afterward asking for the right to combat the enemy as a volunteer. The number of faces shocked LGN: there were the obvious faces from the Nintendo realm that had fled to the HQ, then to Zel’s force, and now to here, but also a number of civilians that were wishing to be conscripted, the opposite of common behavior! Young and old, they yearned to participate in a war that was none of their business until today. LGN couldn’t turn them down, but he almost kind of hoped they would stop lining up; lower the death toll. Maybe they knew they would die, maybe they didn’t care, but it made LGN choke up a tad seeing so much valor and courage to make this kind of decision.

But one thing was for certain and something that could not be speculated. While he hoped to get another crack at Crehavos again, and as storm brewed off on the Smash Planet, one voice in his mind sang:

The end is nigh.

OOC: Attention all members of the SSS that are not currently in Hell, don’t know what they were doing, and were too lazy to read my post. If you are part of the SSS and simply aren’t in Hell with Snicket, Kin, or whoever please link up at Skytown…or something. Just note that we will be attacking the Fallen Angel Empire soon, in Hell, and just wanted to make sure no one did anything stupid. Yes you can all smite me till I have -100 karma if you like.

EDIT: Sorry I'm resizing this, I'm just preventing people from completely disregarding this post and then posting their own post that completely ignores my 6 page long post itself. You know who you are, read before you post dude.

[Mariomasher]

[MM, Rai, Necro, Haylee, Grublin (2, bottles, mumbo, etc]
[Skytown]

MM rushed out of the building.

"MM! What's going on?" Haylee asked.

"I feel an aura... one I haven't felt in a long time," MM turned the corner and ran at high speeds down the hall, leaving the others behind.

"Luca, do you have any clue what he's talking about?" Necro panted.

"No, not even I can feel the aura. MM must know one we can't sense," Luca stated as they ran after MM.

"You sure? You are the master of auras," Rai said ," Yet... there's some you haven't mastered isn't there?"

"Lucario is the master of auras. I have only learned part of his knowlage," Luca confessed.

"So..." Haylee stopped.

"The best choice now is to hope MM knows what he's doing," Luca said. They kept running when they saw MM collapsed on the ground. "What happened here?" They heard an evil cackle echo through the hall. Completely disrergarding the cackle, they helped MM up.

"We... need to get to...the outside..." MM managed to say. They rushed out of the building. There they say LGN.

MM, who suddenly got his strength back walked up to his companion. "Hello, LGN." They exchanged high fives. "What's the plan?"

[eiron]

[Nemeck]
{Skytown}

www.imeem.com/dianaleto/music/icvZu1zi/jared-leto-requiem-for-a-dream/

The markedly shorter, parka clad Nemeck darted out of the main hangar, deftly navigating the increasingly empty hallways leading back to the spire’s exterior. After a quick series of turns and twists, he emerged into the pallid light; his tiny cleat clad feat skidding to a halt. “Hah!” he spat, staring down at his tiny new form. “What a useless body.” With sickening series of cracks and squelches, his form lengthened and contorted, gaining mass and growing in stature. Black tendrils of darkness shimmered outward from his boiling skin, settling over him like a shroud and condensing into his robes. Finally, liquid bone seeped out from Nemeck’s eyes and mouth, solidifying into his gleaming mask.

The transformation complete, he turned his gaze skyward, his eyes blank. The ashen sunlight slowly filtered through the haze of battle, weakly shining down upon the Elysian city. Swirling shadows danced across its towers, refracting across amber clouds in a silent ballet of light and darkness. Nemeck’s shadowy robes slowly twirled to the silent melody of light and wind, gently beating to its melancholy procession.

She was dead.

Arietta was dead. Cut down by her own master, fulfilling his own orders, slaying his enemies. Betrayed. Murdered.

Slowly, silently, ebony wings spread from Nemeck’s back, and he lifted into the sky. The writhing clouds obscured his vision, but sight was not required for this final journey. The burning aura of her master’s rage would serve as his beacon. As would the icy echo of her presence. The dark void where the flame of Arietta’s blazing soul should be. The smoke filled skies parted for the dark warrior, his wings dragging swirling contrails in his wake. At last, his destination came into view. At last, Crehavos came into view.

Nemeck hit the spire floor with incredible force, his clawed feet screeching into the metal. His body compacted with the impact, coiling like a tightly wound spring, ready to explode outward. Crehavos stood over Arietta’s corpse, smirking down at the heart he held in his hand. He gave no notice to the new arrival.

Nemeck slowly stood, his taloned feet clicking against the metal sheets beneath him. “Well,” he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper. “This is certainly a surprising turn of events.”

Crehavos’ grin slowly faded, leaving only a bloody smear across his face. Without uttering a sound, he slowly turned his view upon Nemeck, staring coldly at the new arrival.

Nemeck’s eyes swept over the entire scene, settling on Ucria before moving back to the deranged Hell Lord. He moved to the maiden’s body, staring down at her fair face. Even in death, her beauty had not left her. Nemeck gently kicked the side of her head, rolling her lifeless gaze towards Crehavos. “How disappointing.” He murmered, “How wretchedly pathetic,” he said, his voice turning to a hiss, “that this woman could reduce you a cornered, snarling beast.”

Crehavos’ smile returned, violet blood dripping slowly from his mouth. He chuckled lightly, dropping Arietta’s heart onto the ground. “A snarling beast am I?” He asked, his voice siliceous, “Well, maybe that part is true…I do so enjoy ripping apart flesh, watching my prey die with both mind and body…” His smile slowly evaporated, a vicious scowl taking its place. “And what of you, Nemeck? You cannot deny the fact that you need bloodshed. You make death your own personal game for your amusement; you’re enamored with the power of holding one’s own fate in your palms…”

Nemeck removed his mask, laughing darkly. His eyes gleamed dangerously in the fading light. “Do not presume to understand me, my lord.” Nemeck stepped across Ucria, his clawed feet grazing sharply against her. “Even now, at the end, you still do not understand.” He moved quietly to Arietta, gazing down at her shattered body. “There is no honor in victory, no joy in battle. There is only suffering.” Nemeck slowly turned, glaring sidelong at Ucria. “Even she could inflict nothing but pain upon you…the man she loved. His face turned blank and unreadable, harder and colder than his mask. “There is nothing in this life worth savoring. There is nothing that I revel. Destroying each other is simply the only thing that we’re capable of. Mine is the true face of this sad, pathetic world.”

“Foolish lance…you think I battle for honor…for Armageddon?” Crehavos asked, bemused. He gave a low, haunting laugh. “I am not pretending to be human, as you may be. I do not require such trivial nonsense to exist.” He moved boldly across the platform and lifted Ucria’s corpse into the air, grasping her by the head. Her body sagged under the strain, her hair twirling wraithlike in the wind. “This life lacks significance…that matter we can both agree upon. And that, little warrior, that is why I have decided to make it end…” With a twisted, manic smile, Crehavos approached the edge of the spire, madness blazing in his eyes. “All of it.” The demon released his grip, and Ucria plummeted into Elysia’s writhing skies, sinking into the foggy shroud of the planet. “The end draws nigh.” With another crazed laugh, the Hell Lord vanished, leaving Nemeck alone with the corpse of his companion.

Nemeck let his gaze linger on the empty space Crehavos had just occupied, tempering his already reserved emotions. The girl’s death had surprised him. Not the death itself, but that he had felt the undeniable edge of loss with her passing. He lowered his gaze and closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought. Then, slowly, he knelt, tenderly stroking the side of Arietta’s face. “I did warn you, little one…” he said softly, gently picking up her severed heart and softly sliding it back into place. “It was beautiful while it lasted, but all things must come to an end.” Nemeck raised his hand towards the simmering sun, a glinting sword materializing against the pale sky. With great care, he placed his Catachresis Blade within Arietta’s tiny hands, laying it flat across her body, dagger like tip towards her feet. The diminutive warrior lay silent, her visage conjuring images of ancient knights, the most revered of warriors. Nemeck stood and removed his flowing robes, then gently wrapped them around the girl, veiling her in one final death shroud.

He paused in his work, staring emotionlessly down at the girl. Finally, slowly, he tenderly lifted Arietta into his arms and began moving towards the spire edge. “We are creatures of darkness.” He said quietly, Arietta’s head cradled gently against his chest. “We live our lives in shadows, wraiths in a world of light. He have no past, no future.” He reached the edge, staring into the void. “But we are as moths, drawn to the flame of power and glory. The darkness of our lives ensures the brilliance of our end. Even as you lie here in my arms, cold and unhearing, at rest at last…” A surge of blind fury warped through Nemeck’s mind, and flames burst along the edge of Catachresis Blade, enveloping Arietta in fire. “No one can deny that you have lived, Arietta. No one can deny the beauty of your story.” He released his hold, and Arietta slipped away, shining brilliantly as she fell.

Nemeck watched her disappear into the swirling clouds, his face blank. “Goodbye Arietta.” He turned, and walked away from the edge, not looking back. “Your legacy will not be forgotten.”

[The Solid War Doctor]

[Zel, Sour, Heaven Society]
{in route to hell}


Zel marched on forward through the portal with a strong confidence and strong determination to defeat Crehavos' demons and destroy his castle.

"Commander Cody signal the men that we're about to exit the portal." Zel ordered.

Cody waved a red flag high in the air to signal the time for the final battle was almost upon them. The light in the portal grew even redder as they approached the opening to the fiery pits that consumed the damned. The army of 2,500 men came marching out into the smoldering heat of Hell. Their eyes widened as they were in front of a tall castle. Even from 5 miles away the the Castle was still very large and see-able. Fallen Angel Castle was crafted from black rock that had such a shine that made people wonder whether it was obsidian or just plain black rock that had been polished by the heat.

"So this is the enemy’s home. Well soon enough it will be he and his demons tomb." Commander Cody said with confidence.

"This place is full of evil and dark things. We warn that you do not stray off to the cliffs for the souls of the damned will drag you down to join them in their suffering." Palutena explained.

"Palutena where is Crehavos' throne room?" Zel asked.

"If I'm not mistaken its at the top of the middle spire." the goddess said.

"Well then that's probably where Crehavos and Sovaherc will have their fight to the death. Let's just hope Snicket was right and hope Sovaherc can defeat his evil counterpart." Zel explained.

"Sir, I'm picking up several life forms in the castle. One seems to be Mr. Snicket, one is definitely Sovaherc, then down a few floors I'm picking up three people. I can make out Kin and Solid Snake, but the third I'm not sure." Cody reported.

"What the blazes are all them doing in there?" Zel asked rhetorically, "Sour you stay here and take charge of the army, Cody and Link you two come with me." The three ran off to the left and began to scale the walls of the great canyon that created a pathway to the opening that was the Great Hells Plain which was 2 miles wide. The canyon it self was 3 miles long. When they reached the top of the wall they began to run to the end of the canyon. The army was slowly going to make its way to the plains by walking. 3 miles going at walking speed would take at least 2 days to reach the otherside and anther 2 to reach the Army of Crehavos. Zel, Cody, and Link stopped and turned around to find Palutena.

"Your gonna need someone to help navigate the corridoors of the castle." She said.

"Your right, let's make haste." Zel ordered as the four continued the run to the canyons end.


OCC: We aren’t attacking yet so don’t yell or complain. I will wait till the very last second to attack. So hurry and make way to the Portal.

[Naked Snake II]

[Geo, Kin, Old Snake]

The trio of warriors began to walk towards the gigantic castle. The three stood side by side in a huge pathway only to be stopped by a pit of lava surrounding the castle.
"We need that drawbridge down." calimed Snake. "See if you can find a way to open it."
Geo volunteered, "I'll make my way there."
The Devensian warrior began to levitate in mid-air and began to make his way silently towards the other side of the pit. As he lands, he notices a lever.
"Did you find it?" said Kin.
"Yeah, I found the lever, hold on."
Geo pulled the lever down opening the draw bridge slowly as the chains grinded each other in the gears. The bridge crashed down near Snake and Kin's feet.
Snake closes his eyes, "Let's go."

[Big Boss]

[Kin, Geo, Snake]
{Fallen Angel Castle}

The three warriors quickly ran to the colossus sized castle of hell, through the drawbridge to the front courtyard of the castle, the giant doors were yards away. The courtyard was beautiful, grass and plants everywhere, not a usual site for hell. "I swear Ive seen this on a home and garden show a long time ago" Snake said quietly. "Crehavos sure has a green thumb dosent he?" Kin said while laughing, Snake started to laugh to while coughing. Geo just looked at them confused.

"What?" Kin said just trying to lighten up the moment heh. "You have been hanging with Snake too much havent you?" Geo said, putting his hand on his forehead. Just then the drawbridge started to make noises and it started to move up on its own, they both look back to see it go all the way up. Just a few moments after that, the earth started to move under there feet. Snake yelled "What is this an earthquake?" a few moments later a giant hand came up from the ground..then its head and torso, its legs were still in the ground all you could see was its upper body. "IT CANT BE!?" Geo Screamed in fear. The Giant had a dead look to him, skin Grey and his body had gaping wounds. almost like a zombie. "Apocalypse!!!!" Geo yelled. The giants of the past has returned. it looked down at the three and started to speak in a loud deep voice "Δεν είμαι Αποκάλυψης δεν τα άλλα αδελφό .. είμαι μια νέα δημιουργία, ήμουν σχηματίζονται από τα δύο μου από πλοίαρχο, Silver ερπετό, είμαι γνωστός ως εξόντωση. My πλοίαρχος διατίθενται εδώ να περιμένει, γνωρίζει από την παρουσία σας, και ΔΥ θα μπορείτε να σταματήσετε σε πλοιάρχους εντολή μου!!"

Kin looked at Geo "What the heck is he saying?"

[Naked Snake II]

Geo was shocked that it knew the ancient language of the Devensian. "It's not going to let us thorugh...We need to move it out of the way!"
Snake readied an RPG-7 and his solid eye. "Both of you DUCK!"
At that instant, both Kin and Geo dived out of the way as the mini-rocket whizzed right in between them hitting the giant in the chest. It didn't effect it much just shook it up a little. Kin rolled after the dive and began to assault the giant with silver energy balls.
the infuriated giant smalled his hand of the ground causing a massive earthquake shaking off Snake's aim for the RPG and Kin's blasts. He quickly followed up with a massive fist nailing to crush both of the warriors until its fist came to a hault. Both looked to see Geo stopping the oncoming fist with his hands.
"Quickly! get out from under his fist!"
Kin and Snake quickly scattered out of the area of the fist. When he saw it was safe, he pulled the fist down towards the ground causing it to create an impact and jamming his fist. Geo ran up his arm with Spathi at the ready, jumped to its head and began slicing away at it's head and back of its neck. The irritated Giant tried to grab the agile Geo with his free hand but couldn't. Geo screamed,
"Shoot it now!!!"

[sasukess]

[Soul Sanctuary]
[Drake, Vladimir]

It did not take long for Vladimir to figure out that the man he was with was not sane. He watched as the man ripped the stuffing out of a plush doll. As the man....no, beast glared at Vladimir, he looked around. It seemed they were in Star's room. "Hmm, this is troublesome..." He looked once again at the man-beast. "I must ask for you to leave this room, only one belongs here." Vladimir gazed at the man, wondering if he even knew what he was saying.

[Big Boss]

[Kin, Geo, Snake]
{Fallen Angel Castle:Courtyard}

"Shoot it now!!!" Geo Screamed. Kin pointed his loaded weapon and shot at it 5 times, they all hit and went right through, but all the bullets did was provoke the giant more. "Damn, this isnt' gonna' help me." Kin said under his breath

The Giant raised his hand and smashed it on the ground, another earthquake shook the three warriors and they all fell. Anihilation then swept his hand across the feild and grabbed a stone statue, ripped it out of the ground and hurled it at Kin. "Oh crap" Kin yelled. but in a flash of the moment, Geo came out of nowhere and sliced the staue in half, saving Kin. "Just like old days huh pal?" Geo said while patting him on the shoulder.

"Yea, yea....show off" Kin said to himself. "wait, wheres snake?" Kin said looking around the parimiter. Of course Snake just happened to be hanging on the giants shoulder, took out a bunch of C4 and placed it on the neck of the giant, then he called in cypher and jumped off. "Now!" Snake yelled out, detonating the C4. KABOOOOOM!!!!!!!!! the planted bomb exploded breaking its neck and back, the giant leaned back stunned. Snake looked over to Geo. "Finish this guy, so we can get our job done."

[Naked Snake II]

"Alright!" Geo stuck out his hand aiming straight for the creature.
"Crimson Lightning!!" In an instant an arc of red lightning engulfed the giant in a storm of lightining and pain. After a while, Geo made a fist and the attack stopped. Miraculously the giant was still alive. It was drawing its last breaths before Geo made it saw it's end. He closed his eyes. Everything stopped, Snake and Kin had shivers down their spines.
"What's going on?" Snake asked the silver-haired hero.
"Were about to find out." There was no sounds but the giant's breath surrounding the area. In a frame of a second, Geo quickly opened his eyes staring down at the giant with Devensian eyes beaming him down. The giant frantically panicked as he stared back at the demonic eyes of Geo. Crying uncontrollably, and faliling like crazy almost begging to stop, Geo had no mercy in his black and crimson eyes. Suddenly the giant imploded in a black orb crushing it and devouring it to meer nothing. Kin and Snake couldn't do anything but look as the giant was imploding. Finally the surrounding black orb crushed it completely exploding in a purple energy wave. Geo blinked his eyes, and they returned to their white and brown. Kin and Snake were appauled by what they just saw. Geo said in seriousness, " Let's go"

[bobsnicket]

(OOC: Just to be clear, Reeka's lab is NOT the same building as Fallen Angel Castle; it is a nearby structure that is much smaller in comparison. Snicket isn't in the castle itself.)

[Reeka Laboratories]

www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/185490

The metal grating beneath Snicket's feet shook tremendously as the jetpack-propelled Reeka crashed through the Super Mario World-esque square on the bridge, causing it to flip rapidly in his wake. He kept his eyes trained on the character he had created as the professor came back down with full force, the jetpack having reversed the exhausts to push its host downward rather than up. But compared to the impact of Reeka on the bridge this time, the previous disturbance seemed but a minor tremble.

The far end of the metal bridge snapped off completely, causing the disjointed end to bend steeply downward along with the rest of the structure. Bob was left clinging desparately to the grating while Reeka simply remained airborne using the jetpack. He gasped as his Super Hammer fell down off the bridge into the steamy technological chasm, leaving him virtually weaponless. Except....

Professor U. Reeka came at Bob's desperate figure once again, Magic Paintbrush raised menacingly. Eyeing his opponent out of the corner of his vision, Snicket waited until the last possible moment, a fraction of a second before the multicolored bludgeon would knock him senseless, then simply let go. He let his body drop face-up, his back to the deep pit below, his cloak billowing to each side. Then, when he saw the scientist turning forward and following his descent in pursuit, he activated his Anti-Gravity boots, immediately decelerating his plunge. Through the rather noxious, unpleasant fumes, he stroked his arms as if he were swimming until his gloved hands found a metal surface which for all intents and purposes could be considered a wall. His movement came to a stop as he placed his feet on the wall as well as if he were wall-jumping, sliding down only slightly.

Reeka descended to where they were eye to eye, grinning wickedly. He made several stroking motions in the hot, steamy air, then gestured with the brush toward his target. What was the target? Not hard to guess.

Through the steam, he couldn't make them out at first, but as they sped toward him, he realized that Gadd had sent several sizeable spheres of rainbow goop in his direction, and he had a feeling they were slightly more dangerous than paint and Play-Dough. So, instinctively, he brought forth out of his cloak the only remaining item left.

A pillow. The one he had found in the Dark Pyramid.

But surprisingly enough, as the writer held up the bleached-white 2' x 1' sleeping device in a protective manner, each of the round blobs collided harmlessly into the pillowcase, leaving one side with a new tie-dye decal.

Bolstered by the ridiculous effectiveness of his defense, Snicket pushed off of the wall and leapt at Reeka as both continued to descend, now at a faster rate. He took his pillow in both hands and smacked it against the professor's head. Infuriated by the aggressive yet nearly harmless attack, Reeka lashed out in retaliation with the brush, which Bob in turn blocked with the shielding expanse of the fluffy rectangular object.

The two adversaries were now falling through the densely steamed passage at a steady speed, and seemed to ignore their surroundings as they clashed: paintbrush on pillow, pillow on face, face on wall, and so on. Having been an avid pillowfighter in his youth from the times he'd been caught sneaking into houses, Snicket fared considerably well with his fluffy weapon, although he took a few sticky blows from the painted bristles and wood as time went on. Occasionally, Reeka opened a small portal with the magical goop, slipped through, and appeared in another position, requiring the boy to change directions and often dodge a sneaky behind-the-back attack.

But then at one point, Snicket covered with paint, Reeka with feathers, the chasm grew dark beyond possible visibility, and the next thing he knew, Bob was on his feet once more in pitch blackness.

***

After a long moment, the steamy air seeming to be behind (or above) them, a series of bright fluorescent lights switched on, temporarily blinding the author. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times in order to reorient himself, then looked upon his surroundings.

Reeka stood at a wall a distance away, and as he turned his head, Snicket realized that this was a circular room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were disturbingly white, glowing almost as if the sun were reflecting upon them. It seemed like one of those eerie laboratory chambers where extremely strange things happened--or extremely strange experiments took place.

"Enough playing around," Reeka huffed as he dialed a number of colored buttons on the wall beside him. While he spoke, four arched doorways slid smoothly open, spaced out evenly around the room, darkness prevailing beyond each opening. The diamond-glasses flashed menacingly. "I may not be able to desstroy you myself, but that'sss what thiss lab was built for, wasn't it? To create ways to deal with my enemies..." He giggled long and shrilly as four enormous figures moved slowly forward out of the darkness. "I had fun making these while my massster waited for your foolish organization to come...but I think I will have even more fun watching them dismantle you limb...by...limb!"

Bob Snicket swiveled around constantly, gazing wide-eyed at the four creatures emerging from the darkness. As he recognized each monster, a ping of deja vu brought his mind back to the story he had written during what seemed to be a time far distant. A time when he was safe, and therefore felt the urge to write about people who weren't. There was Piranha Gohma (Petey Piranha + Gohma), with a creepy yellow eye on his flowery forehead and eight giant spidery limbs; there was Mr. Dragon Patch (Mr. Patch + Dogadon), rubbery nostrils steaming and dragonfly wings buzzing with movement; there was Krackorock (Kracko + Regirock), boulder-composed arms pounding on the ground and its seven eyes blinking simultaneously with reckless abandon; and there was Aparidley (Aparoid + Ridley), body flashing from red to purple to blue to green, insect-like scales gleaming. Piranha Gohma appeared to be chewing on Bob's hammer.

He called into his Smash Orb. "Kin? Is anyone there? I'm in a bit of a predicament...."

[Big Boss]

[Evil Kin]
{Fallen angel castle}

The silver serpent watched as the three SSS warriors made his monster look like child play. "So, Geo has returned also huh?" he thought to himself. "Whatever the case, Kin is still my target, ill make sure he dosent interfere, he can play mercenary for now..ill play along too." and with that, he walked back to his room from his balcony.
[Kin, Snake, Geo]
{Fallen Angel Castle}


"Where did you learn that move?...That's pretty new!" Kin asked Geo. "Well since ive been gone for a while..i was training with the gods, after when we were separated in samuses ship, it crashed landed and i was out cold, close to being in a devesian death, the heaven society sent me to the devesian gods where i trained to get stronger." Geo replied "Oh, so that explains it..you have missed a lot, I mastered CQC and became the SSS leader." Kin said, walking with Geo, and Snake.

"Your the SSS leader!? No way!" Geo said in amazement, must be a big responsibility. "Well I don't feel any different to be honest, my job is just to have a little bit more say in things. I treat everyone as the same though, Im doing wet work, while i could be up in skytown fighting and commanding, but there the SSS, the best of the best, im sure they could handle things." Kin said.
"So what about smashbro?" Geo asked "I dont know personally....he one day ran off, we don't know where he is or what happened." Kin replied again.

The three then ran towards the front door and before geo could open the giant door.... "UghhhhAGHHHHHghhh!" Cried Snake, he fell to one knee and clenched to his heart. "Snake!" Kin cried, he ran over and held him in place. "The...Fox..aghhh!...Foxdie...Get the...Syringe" snake said while in pain. "Fox die?" Geo thought to himself. "Ok, hold on." Kin reached into his pocket and pulled out the metal tube with the needle sticking out of it. He then gave it to snake, he then jabbed it into the side of his neck and pressed a button. shhhhhhhhhhhssssssssshhhhhhh the syringe made a depressurization noise and snake dropped it. Snake was breathing like he was gasping for air. "Are you ok?" Asked a worried Kin.

"Its getting worse Kid, Sorry you had to see that Geo" Snake said, he got up on his feet and handed the Syringe to Kin again. "I promise you Snake that ill find a way to fix the Fox Die...I promise." Kin said. "Can I ask?" Geo said. "Its alright...ill tell you about it later" snake said. Geo then opened up the doors into the castle, they walked in to see a grand staircase with many rooms at the walls, a giant chandelier was lighting up the room, it had a Gothic look to it and finished off with a velvet carpet. "He is also an interior decorator too...." Kin said.

"So, heres what is gonna happen,we search for any clues and send them to skytown from the smash orb, you, geo looks out for any enemies. "Got it" Geo said, "if you see any enemies, we will hide, and you take care of anything." Snake added. The three then ran up the stairs and took a left to a large hallway. they all hid behind a large pillar. "Ok Geo, go down that hallway and see if there is anything down there. "Right!" Geo said and ran off to check. "You know, he reminds me alot of Raiden..." Snake said. "Who?" Kin asked. All of a sudden, Kins smash orb vibrated, "Kin? Is anyone there? I'm in a bit of a predicament...." It was Snicket. "Yes, Im here!, whats the matter?"

Kin then listened to Snickets explanation. "Dont worry, i will be right there, just try to hang on as soon as possible!" Kin said. "Whats the matter?" Snake asked. "We have to abort mission, Snicket is in trouble, GEO!...were moving out!" Kin yelled over to Geo. "Whats the matter!?" Geo yelled back. "Snicket is in trouble, we have to help him!" Kin yelled back. The three heroes then ran out of the castle, went around the building side and a few yards away was a sign that said. [Reeka Laboratories] They all stepped inside.

It was empty, but it looked like a war zone was in there, paint all over the walls and feathers everywhere. and broken bridge and steam coming from it. "Well i really have nothing to say about this..." Snake said while lighting up a cigarette. Geo snatched it out of his mouth. "These will kill you" Geo said. "rrrrrghhhh...." Snake made a few grunts of displeasure. "Quiet you guys....i think i can hear something...down below." Kin said sternly. A loud roar was herd from down below, and the sounds of other creatures. "Ok guys, lets do this!" Kin said, after that he jumped down to the cavern.

"Woooaaa!!!" Kin yelled, looking down to a white room below him, a few seconds later Kin lands on his feet, near Snicket. "SSS leader Kin preparing for duty!" Kin said. "Who are you!?!?!?" U. Reeka snapped. "Im Kin, Leader of the SSS, and Im here to save my friend and stop you!" Kin said while fixing his eye patch. "HA! that is funny, you will suffer the same fate as the boy over here will!, two against four! The odds are against you!" U. Reeka laughed.

Two seconds after that, Geo and Snake landed on both sides of Snicket, the group all looked at one another and then stared down the monsters. "I think its a bit even now." Kin said

[eiron]

[Eiron, Dobs, Toran, Falcon]
{Skytown}

The four warriors regrouped in front of the blazing portal, their pursuit of Nemeck fruitless. “Well,” Falcon said, “That was random. Does this kind of stuff happen to you two often?”

“No, only when he’s around.” Eiron said, jerking his head towards Dobs. He glanced around, watching as the last of the soldiers and Brawlers in the hangar trickled into Hell. He was reminded somewhat of a powerful column of army ants, selflessly filing into battle, completely disregarding their own safety for the greater good. Fighting and dying without a thought, rising to the occasion again and again to cast down all that threatened what they held dear. They reminded him of lemmings too though.

Eiron reached into his pocket and drew out his communicator, raising it to the side of his face. “All remaining members of the SSS in Skytown, change of plans. It’s time to bring the fight to the enemy. If you’ve already missed out on several of the rather moving speeches that have been given in preparation for this final assault, head to the main hangar and enter the conveniently placed portal to Hell. Once inside, give them, er, Hell.”

“Wow.” Falcon said, crossing his arms and smiling as Eiron inserted the device back into his robes. “What a rousing speech.”

The young summoner shrugged, smiling. “I thought it’d be kind of redundant at this point.” In unison, the group turned to the fiery gash in the air, contemplating what lay beyond. Eiron’s left eye twitched slightly. I suppose… he thought quietly to himself, This was something long in coming. Even if I back out now…fate’s winding road will lead me here regardless. Isn’t that right, Nemeck?

It was dark. The room was lit only by the flickering glow of the fireplace, and long, deep shadows dominated the expansive space. Nemeck sat a short distance away, his ebony robes transformed into shimmering sheets of scarlet as he stared into the flames, laughing softly. “Hah, no. The existence of a devil does not ensure the existence of a God, as comforting as that notion may be. Evil can exist without good, and good can exist without evil.”

“So…” Eiron began quietly, his voice hesitant and high pitched. A child’s voice, no older than seven. “There is a devil then?”

Nemeck smiled gently. “In each of us.” He stoked the flames, sending sparks rising into the air in a wavering column of light. Each slowly twirled into the black abyss of the room before silently fading away, consumed by the shadows.

Eiron scooted himself closer to the fire“But what about Heaven and Hell?” he asked, his interest piqued. “You’ve said both of those exist.”

“Heaven and Hell,” Nemeck answered, settling back into his seated position, his incredible age almost showing through, “are just as much ideas as they are places. They exist both within and without.” The ancient warrior covered himself with his cloak and closed his eyes, leaning backwards against the stone wall, sleep, or a reasonable facsimile, approaching fast.

“But… isn’t there a God in Heaven?” Eiron asked quietly.
His master smiled again, not opening his eyes. “There was. His children killed him though.”

Eiron stepped out from the portal, his feet digging into the ashen soil of Hell. The smell of brimstone filled his nostrils and burned his eyes, singing both mind and senses. Hot, scathing winds buffeted him from all directions, as if the very air itself was bent on smothering him with its foul breath. Behind him, his companions slowly emerged, coughing and sputtering at their sulfurous greeting. All except Toran, of course. He simply started to hum as his internal cooling units kicked in.

Falcon slowly turned towards his metallic companion at the sound, gradually bringing Toran into his line of sight. “Toran?” he asked, his voice ragged with the noxious fumes that surrounded them. “I really, really hate you right now.” He gagged slightly, hacking up some vile bubble of sultry gas. “I really hate you.”

Toran coolly regarded the F Zero racer, his annoyance slowly evolving into a grudging tolerance. “I calculate that our task would be accomplished with much greater efficiency if you ceased your constant drivel of complaints.”

After taking a moment to acclimate themselves to their harsh surroundings, the group turned to gaze upon their final, imposing destination: Fallen Angel Castle. Its smoldering ramparts and towers seemed to writhe through the heat, dancing to some silent heathen melody above the fiery lake from which it rose. The dark citadel towered above the heroes, radiating sinister power and authority, a pitch black monolith in a world of shimmering, burning light. For a moment, the task before them seemed to drift into the realm of fantasy. Surely it was delusional; surely their fragmented, pitiful final stand could not stand before might of this magnitude.

Falcon whistled softly. “Sure, it’s nice. But look at the location.”

And with that one little joke, all conviction was restored. All hope and all resolve, all strength and fortitude returned to their hearts, dispelling the darkness. Here, in the bleakest of hours and upon the doorstep of their most formidable foe, laughter survived. Together, the four set out across the draw bridge, unafraid.

Upon reaching the massive gates, they were startled to find that they stood ajar and unguarded. Perhaps the lingering work of Sovaherc and those already battling inside, or the result of an insidious trap poised to cut the adventure short. However, neither friend nor foe greeted the group as they crossed the threshold. Or at least, not physically.

“Kin? Is anyone there? I’m in a bit of a predicament…”

Falcon skidded to a halt and retrieved his smash orb from his pocket, startled by the sudden cry for help. Eiron stared at the device, nonplussed. “We old timers in the SSS use these to communicate.” Falcon explained. “Much more convenient that cell phones, since you don’t have to pay through the nose for decent coverage.” He pocketed the device, grinning. “Rescue time then.”

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that,” Came a cold, echoing voice. The group spun around, peering into the shadows of the inner courtyard, weapons bristling. Slowly, a towering figure emerged from the shadows, metallic clangs ringing with each step. Brilliant black armor glinted in the fiery light, matching the figure’s blood red cape and gleaming blade. The Black Knight had arrived. “Your journey has come to an end.”

“You have no idea,” Dobs said, smirking, “how often I hear that.” He turned to Eiron and Falcon, keeping his weapon trained on the Knight. “You two go help Snicket. Toran and I will deal with this.”

Eiron nodded, his throat constricting slightly. “Be careful Dobs.” He said after a moment. Then, not wasting a second longer, he reached over and grabbed Falcon’s shoulder, teleporting them to the top of the ramparts, and then again, into the distance towards U. Reeka’s foul laboratory.

Dobs watched the pair flit away, his never-say-die smile fading. “Ok. Let’s do this.” He twirled his staff, leveling it at the veritable mountain of steel that now stood in his path. “Toran, let’s rock the Kasbah.”

Toran’s optical sensors narrowed as he studied their opponent, his internal gears clicking angrily. “Target’s armor is imbued with an unknown energy reading. Scans suggest that only similar energized weapons carry the capacity to penetrate through the subject’s defenses.”

“Oh.” Dobs said, frowning. “That’s bad.”

[Eiron, Falcon]
{Reeka Laboratories}

A long series of teleports, winding corridors, wrong turns, and a noticeable lack of air conditioning later, Eiron and Falcon stood at the edge of a massive chasm, the bridge leading across destroyed. Eiron peered down into the darkness, wobbling slightly as he flirted with vertigo. “He’s down there?” he asked, aghast. “How’d that happen?”

“Let’s ask him when he find him.” Falcon responded, approaching the edge. “Looks like the cavalry already came charging over the hill though...” He said, pursing his lips and frowning. “I suppose that’s what happens when you take so long to post.” Slowly, he gave his companion a sidelong glance. “But since we’re already here…”

Eiron nodded, and the two of them leapt into the darkness.