Misty Night! Carwen's Horrible Fortune!

Misty Night! Carwen's Horrible Fortune!
Date of Scene:	15 April 2013
Location:	Northern Continent - Carwen
Synopsis:	Eerie mists enter in from the high seas, quickly surrounding the port and central parts of the city of Carwen. Lurking in the fog are the heartless seeking to devour the city's citizens and anyone else brave enough to rise against them. However, not all is lost! Along side the Palamecia Knights, heroes will rise to defend the city against an unknown foe! Will they succeed and will they discover the purpose behind this attack?
Cast of Characters:	Deelel, Fran, King Mickey, Deelel, Tifa Lockhart, Palom, Leon

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King Mickey has posed:
BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtYfRU9jQyM

The port city of Carwen remains to be one of the most successful cities on the Northern Continent. Tradeships and other vessals are continuously coming and going at what seems to be all times of the day and night, providing and exporting goods for the wealth of the mainland. The trade-shipments have proven to be beneficial for the residing countries since the merging of worlds, it has equally proven to be a burden upon the locals.

After all, it appears where wealth lies, there shall also be trouble brewing not far off.

An ominous fog settles in over the port, just after dusk. The heavy mist brings about ill vibes among the crews working the docks, enough that it brings even the dock leads to call off work for the evening. Silence reigns over the docks and all appears to be still with the mist begins to drift further into the port city.

The mist goes unnoticed by many of the town folk who appear to be within the taverns, blissfully ignorant to what is occuring beyond the sounds of cheers and drink!

A most unsettling ruse and yet, a perfect opportunity.

Before long, shimmers of darkness briefly appear within the mist, disrupting it long enough to show off a pairs of beady yellow eyes.

A nightwatch man on patrol within the city manages to catch a glimpse of this supposed apparition. Cautiously, He ventures forth towards the mist, raising his lantern above him to attempt to get a better view of what lies before him. The light of the lantern appears to be unable to pierce the mist, only furthering the worry written about his face as a pair of yellow eyes looks on hungerily. Sweat drips down the nightwatchmen's face as he stutters fearfully, "Yellow eyes that pierce the night... Darkness that is pitch black..? Can it be!?"

The patrolman flees in terror, attempting to call out to others, "HEART---", though his cries are cut short as a dark pitch black being swiftly pierces through the mist, with its black blade being thrusted through the man before it.

The human falls to the ground as portals begin to emerge through out the city and dark beings spring out of the mist.

The Heartless have come.

Leon has posed:

The Heartless come to Carwen, yet forces have already been sent to the sudden disturbance. It was not the sound of talon feet that can be heard across the rocky road. No. It was the sound of hooves. Hooves rush in time with one another and the banner of Palamecia rose high in the air for all to see as they start to approach the city.

The Heartless have come. Palamecia is here to see to the defense of the near by port city. There was probably at least fifteen soldiers sent with their horses. These mighty steed bred by Palamecia. They have dark fur, to dark brown. Black, well groomed manes and armor protecting their bodies. For the fact they were moving as fast as they were, was something to be surprised as the very men on the back of the steeds were also just as armored. It seemed these horses were built for this weight load and yet able to maintain their speed.

Soon the Knights of Palamecia moved into the city and several broke off as they started to aid in getting people out of the way. Others using their lances to strike the Heartless away. The Knights fearless. Their faithful steeds just as equally.
They throw down the banner into the ground which suddenly blasts out a ring of magic. Five knights seem to have moved into position to take on the main forces of the Heartless, looking for the true 'big' one if there was one. The seal swirling around each of the Knights then, seeming to place an aura around them. Their lances held at ready. Those human eyes peering out from the dark armor they wore.

The horses neighed softly before they shook their heads and thumped their hooves into the stone, anxious. Waiting for the charge. It would come soon. They just needed to be patient for the heartless to gather up or to come to them.

Palom has posed:
Who actually stops to make poetic observations /before/ raising the alarm?

People who aren't alive for long, clearly.

'Destruction of nature, gather in flame!' A little boy's voice shouts. He hitched a ride in with the knights, and right now the first thing he's going to do is something about this fog so people can _see_! A whirlwind of flame rises before him and sweeps forward into the mist, to burn some of it away -- as well as any heartless caught by the spell!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart hadn't managed to get back to her bar in traverse after the previous adventures. Hopping between two boats headling toward Luca, she got stuck in Carwen for the time of the night, since it was too late to set sail. Oh well. Not much to do about it here. She won't be home any sooner either way.

But looks like things won't be simple and relaxing for the time she's here. She heard the shout, and she doesn't need the rest of the sentence to know what's going on. They strike again. Of course they would, its a big city bustling with life.

She opens the window to the room in the inn, and jumps out of it. She takes a step, which comes to a halt rapidly. She doesn't know this city, she isn't sure where the gates are ~_~

But the sound of horses and fireballs... well, that's a good indication at least.

She rushes in that direction... and it doesn't take long before the heartless that were jumping toward the few people that hadn't managed to run away fast enough gets meet with BARMAID FOOT!

She tsks "Always the same story, no use talking with you guys though, so I'll just let my fists talk for now!" She's normally a girl that doesn't enjoy fighting all that much, but heartless she makes a pleasure of sending back to their maker.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel had been traveling looking for insperation, also places that might make for good bolt holes but she couldn't turn down users in trouble. She doesn't breath at least she's pretty sure she doesn't need to at the very least. She's been just travelng really at least until she catches signs of trouble. Her light cycle comes to a alt and derezzes about her.

"...I can't go anywhere without a viral outbreak it seems."

She pull the disc off her back and it hums to life as she gets ready.

Fran has posed:
Among the many trade vessels and passenger ships that drift lazily in the gently lapping currents of the port's shelter, one in particular stands out. Surrounded on all sides by wooden ghalleons, narrow skiffs, and fat barges, the sleek metallic form of the "Strahl" is a gem of elegance and form among the plain and practical sea-faring ships that are common for the technological level of this corner of the world. Despite being designed to cruise among the clouds the heavy fighter is also perfectly capable of floating among its flightless brethren and it currently sits tethered to one of the many large posts meant for much larger ships.

As is common for the pirate sorts, the vessel's current owner has found her way into one of the local taverns. It was not a seedy kind of place, filled with rugged men lacking in hygenie and morals, but a rather respectable sort of establishment, the kind favored by those who wish to drown their sorrows without the fear of getting a knife in their gut along with the booze.

Fran sits off to the side of the main lounge with a table all to herself. A long slender pipe is held in her lengthy fingers and thin wisps of gray smoke drizzle from its open bowl filling the air with a pleasant aroma. A small cloud hangs about her head, waning and waxing in thickness as she occasionally lifts the pipe to her mouth and allows the gentle haze to fill her mouth and lungs. It was habit she had picked up from some of the older pirates back in Balfonheim many years in the past, one that she only engaged in when worry has overtaken her normally calm center.

Tonight was one such night. After her trip into the jungles of her birth, the encounter with the strange creature which the travelers had named Heartless had left her disturbed and with many questions, not the least of which pertained to how she came to be in this strange new world that was and was not part of her own. She had considered going to her sister for advice but decided against it. Breaching the barriers protecting the village with such fiends roaming about might very well allow them entry into the depths of the wood and she would not be the one responsible for such a thing.

Balthier's mysterious abscence troubles her as well, perhaps even more so than the other things. He had been right there with her in the cockpit of the "Strahl" when the darkness overtook them. That he was not there when she opened her eyes to find the vessel planted messily among the trees was worrisome but her short search of the area had turned up nothing.

So now, much like her ship, Fran is adrift listlessly. She has no leads upon where clues of the whereabouts of her partner might turn up so she now finds herself traveling from port to port in search of them. Rumors travel fastest where there is alcohol to loosen lips. Besides, knowing her friend, this is the first sort of place he'd look for upon coming to in such a bizarre world.

The commotion outside interupts her silent brooding. Shouts and thundering hooves were the prelude to trouble and despite her desire to remain free of such worries, she cannot help but go out to take a look. Being aware of the situation is the best way to ensure that one does not get caught up in it after all.

Fran works her way through a small crowd of other like-minded patrons, carefully pushing them aside as the small group spills out into the street to gawk at the knights and their pint-sized companion. Her naturally powerful vision spies out the Heartless in an instant which causes her to frown slightly and mutter to herself. "Is there no refuge free of these beasts?"

She holds up a hand, chanting a few words of magic to weave protective spells into the knights and the heroes who have stepped up the challenge the dark monsters but she does so subtley. Best not to get involved if these people have the situation under control.

King Mickey has posed:
The Heartless continue on their relentless pursuit of the citizens of Carwen. Pirate-esque heartless leap from the mist and begin attacking whomever they can! While their primary force appears to have taken to the streets of the port city, other portals continue to open inside the nearby taverns, where a high concentration of the people have gathered.

While it appears that the city of Carwen is in peril, they are most certainly not forgotten, as aid in the form of heroes and the Palamecia Knights!

As the knights of Palamecia take the time to gather their forces in preparation of the onslaught of heartless, they notice the horde of the dark beings remaining relatively inward of the city for the time being and not pressing beyond its central point. Upon a closer look, the heartless appear to be only advancing as far as the mist spreads. Could there be a connection?

The burning blaze that is cast from the Genius of Mysidia is both effective and surprisingly accurate. The blaze seers through the mist, bursting through numerous heartless that appear to disinigrate as the fire disappears. Yet, no buildings were damaged as a result, much to the city's relief! However, that is not all. The blaze's shockwave violently propelling the clouds to reveal a closer view of the docks, which all on the side of good is able to view.

The visage of a large ship can be seen coming into port through the disappated mist though the details of the ship are unable to be discerned at this time.

A short time later, the mist quickly reforms over where the Mysidian mage's spell was. Tifa's feet strike true against the unaware heartless, sending them sprawling in various directions with the powerful strike. Frantically, the remaining heartless nearby shake their heads to regain their composure before turning their backs to the fleeing humans and to their more present threat!

Noticing the resistance from the opposing forces, the heartless' attacks appear to have made a transition now that they have been challenged. Transfering from a wild and frantic assault, the pirate-heartless have begun to form into groups of three to five and spreading out to cover more ground. While groups to their back continue to assault the citizens, the front lines decide to press on, rushing towards the heroes with their blades poised to strike and to break through the guard ranks! Ones in the front sprints forward to clash directly with the knights, attempting to deflect the lances away to allow another to slip through! Slipping past the blockade, another thrusts its blade forward before spinning into the air, creating a whirlwind of destruction and attempting to disrupt the ranks of the heroes! Finally, a trio of smiling heartless leap into the air to aid the direct attacks with big nasty knives in both hands!

Devilish little bastards, aren't they?

Leon has posed:

Some of the Knights continue to try and get people out, pulling them up onto their steeds. However in one attempt to do, a heartless leaps out and takes the rider right off his horse. Their lance however comes around and slashes the heartless to knock it away if not to cause it to disappear back into darkness.

The Knight then lets out a sharp whistle and the horse quickly turns back around, running right back for its rider. The Knight leaps up and gets back on the saddle once more. It didn't even seem to these Knights even needed to use the reigns much to direct their horses.

However as for the main group, when Fran cast a spell of protection one of them gives her a salute and bow of thanks. The other points at to them the mist and where the Heartless seem to mostly be gathering. They glance between each other, then to there commander who was joining the group. The difference between this one and the other Knights were those red eyes. The Heartless themselves would sense that his heart was surrounded in darkness itself, with very little light exposed.

"Sir, it seems the major point of Heartless is at the location of the mist. Should we inform the others?"

Those red eyes look to the fellow knight for to the mist. He then peers over at the heroes starting to gather. "Go and let them know. The rest of you. With me. Lets move!" There was a soft few clicks before he steed reared up and then charged forward, soon being followed by the other knights.

As they started to charge for the mist, their lances swing out trying to click any heartless they pass by. Even the horses hooves were almost acting like weapons for any heartless not quick enough to get out of the way of the charging steeds.

Palom has posed:
Palom smirks as he sees the heartless ravaged by flame. And it looks like there's a whole /ship/ to take out!

But his smile begins to fade as he realizes that the mist is /everywhere/ -- there may be an unseen /army/ of heartless here. This is emphasized by pirate-heartless running out and smacking him around! He tries to find another hero to hide behind! There's too much for even him to fight... but then, he's got allies...

And Palom has a plan.

The young mage begins gathering energy, his robes and air blowing in an updraft noone else can feel. "Heartless! You won't take this city! Your own clever tricks shall be your downfall! For you face the might of Palom! The Genius of Mysidia!"

Behind his confident grin, he concentrates. More power, more, he has to gather enough... before the monsters clobber him!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Pirates huh? Well she can manage with those. They are humanoid, even if they are using swords, that's not too much of a concern for her either. She's agile enough. The first strike has her dodging a hair to the side, the sword slicing downward in front of her. Her foot comes down on the blade, sticking it there, while her other leg comes around and PUNTS the pirate away, into the sword-wielding heartless that were following it closely, ready to strike after their friend. A strike that never happened though.

Fran's protection comes around that time, giving her a thumbs up as a thank you. She's met other vieras before, she's not surprised by them anymore, so her focus is on the heartless. Which gets the counter attack from the barmaid, sending more punches and kicks toward them, brawling as she does best.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel finds there's just too many of them and she's not going to be getting out of harms way here she's taken soem time to prepare sure but the hit she takes is just down right sadicit in how badly she's been hit. She's forced back and one of the Piate Heartless has just well riped the eveyr loving heck out of the program she goes on the move again and launches her disc at several of the heartless trying to knock them back andotherwise strike them. Against anything else she tends to show a good deal of restainte there's none against the heartless, none what so ever.

"TIFA! Watch yourself!"

Fran has posed:
The comical mimicry of the Heartless' attire is not lost on Fran and she gives a faint smirk at the absurdity of such a thing coming from monsters. On the other hand, their forms suggested some sort of understanding of hume culture which begged the question of just how intelligent these small beasts were.

The pipe is slipped into her mouth once more as the last of her magic leaves her fingertips, following a few moments later by a short burst of smoke from her nose as she inhales the last of the burning weeds before tapping the still smouldering ashes out onto the pavement. She doubts this will end with her being allowed to merely sit on the sidelines and watch. The gods seemed to find amusement in dropping trouble into her lap, something Balthier was quick to comment on rather often.

A few of the more cautious tavern patrons begin to work their way out into the street behind the others, seeing that their fellows did not immediately burst into flames or get skewered upon swords. A soft din of murmurs rises up from the spectators as they watch their defenders dispatch the Heartless. Some immediately turn and head back inside at the hint of danger, while others offer hearty cheers to the knights, even raising a glass or two to their heroism.

A cry of alarm rises out from behind them, however, as the dark ports wink into existence within the tavern itself. Several of the pirates swarm out in a sudden tide of blades and darkness, cutting down a half dozen men before any have time to react. Fran scowls with a faint trace of emotion upon seeing the innocents laid low without a hint of remorse of pity. A fresh surge of motion fills the crowd as they rush to get away from this new threat and the viera is forced to bodily push her way past them to get back through the doors where her armaments lie in the care of the bouncer.

A Heartless leaps upon her the very moment she enters and it is only her swift reflexes that save her from suffering the same fate as the poor man lying crumpled in a heap nearby. Her foot whips out in a flash, slamming heavily into the airborne Shadow's torso and battering it into the wall with a dull thud, suffering only a grazing blow to her side in the process.

The pirate creature explodes into a puff of black smoke and Fran moves swiftly to snatch up her shield and mace from among the various weapons that line the storage area. Just in time, she slides her hand into the leather straps, securing the ornate wall of metal to her arm. The sound of clashing metal rings out through the tavern as she deflects a pair of strikes and she masterfully counters their momentum, shifting from defense to offense with fluid grace.

Fran utters a few magic words and thick viscious oil explodes from nothingness at the Heartless, attempting to coat them in the dark liquid. She spins after this, bringing her heavy weapon crashing into the first of the monsters even as fire erupts about its head to ignite the flamable substance.

King Mickey has posed:
The Knights of Palamecia begin their valient charge into the mist, only to the find that the mist is more heavilly saturated with the heartless than originally thought! However, the sheer number of heartless are not able to withstand Palamecia's powerful charge! The knights' assault is able to penetrate into the heartless horde, crushing and piercing through the pirate -heartless and sending them flying! GRRRRRRRRR!

However, the knight's advance is only able to press the heartless so far! Soon, The Heartless begin to regroup and swarm heavilly on the knights who have invaded their territory, striving to push the knight's back with blade clashing against lance!

A group of heartless appear to have responded to Palom's bluff, provoking a group to begin heading in his direction! They notice the powerful heart beating within the boy and almost greedily press on, leaping through buildings and across rooftops to try and gain a better advantage to assault the mage!

Tifa's impressive brawling catches the attention of more heartless, particularly as one goes blasting off into the sky! A loud murmur of GRRRRRRRRRR emits from the heartless horde in response to the challange of the bar-brawler, leaping towards her fiercely with weapons at thr ready!

However, Tifa's attackers are caught off guard as Deelel's light-disc streams forward, slashing into numerous heartless, causing them to roar loudly in pain! The attack disrupts their earlier plans and the group appears to split half strength with one section continuing towards Tifa, while the other advances on Deelel!

As Fran valiently defends the bar, "go figure for a pirate to do so", The Heartless are driven back into the back half of the bar. Thanks to the viera's efforts, many of the patrons are saved though flee to save their cowardly lives without a whisper of thanks. The Heartless growl loudly as they cautiously approach around the pirate, who stands at the ready for their immintent attack. What could they planning?

Just then each collection of heartless, raises their blade and howls loudly into the sky, bleeding out any source of sound other than their cry and causing numerous citizens to clentch their ears in pain as they writhe on the ground, desperate for some relief! The heartless take advantage of the disruption and move into a wild frenzy of attacks from their blades and claws!

After all, The Pointy End First.

Palom has posed:
Almost... almost... Palom tries to shut out the screams of pain and death concentrate... Heartless gather around him... And then there's a scream, and he covers his ears, and Heartless come from all sides! He ducks and tries to roll out from under them, using his small size to slip between the legs of one of the attacking Heartless -- thanks to Fran's spell, he only gets a series of nicks -- but he's bleeding, and his clothes are pretty torn up.

He hopes this works. This /has/ to work. It's the plan of the Genius of Mysidia, after all!

Palom's magic reaches out. He feels the world, and the way the world could /be/, awaiting the power of his will. "You still don't see, do you?"

'Mists all around us, fog that chills to the bone, break your silence and strike now! Snuff out the fires of my enemies' wrath!' It begins to feel very, very, cold......

'BLIZZAJA!' There's a crackling sound as ice forms _everywhere_ nearby, except in neat patches around the city's defenders and the innocents fleeing the heartless -- ice spikes come up from the ground to impale, sure, but the mist everywhere leeches the heat out of the air, trying to freeze the heartless as it is transformed into millions of sharp ice particles, whipping around and tearing at the heartless like a freezing sandstorm! But Palom's not quite done yet! The blizzard would blind his allies too, after all! So, he coalesces the icy mist into thousands of tiny icicles, and flings them into the army of Heartless!

Palom breathes heavily, leaning on his staff. That took a lot out of him. He hopes it's worth it!

Leon has posed:

The Knights within the mist almost get overwhelmed. A few of them almost get knocked off. Their armor gets scraped and one actually does get knocked off. Other who enter in late use their lances to try and act as a barrier.

"Hold it together!" The commander roars, his red eyes glowing brightly as he lets a heartless take hold of him, before he attempts to throw it off. "..Pests." He hisses out.

One of the knights making their way in, notices Deelel rather injured as they pass by and toss her a potion. Before he continues his way in. Then as he enters in, he quickly places up his hand and starts to chant something, before suddenly swinging out his arm Several runes form and the Knights in the area, healing their injures and trying to cure what could be the cause of some loss of focus.

Back outside, the remaining Knights continue to try and protect the people. A few salute those that raise their glasses. They know better then to try and drag drunks out of their bar. That is just crazy!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart is definitely on a roll today it seems. A bit of rest and the barmaid is in top shape for bashing heartless. Not that they are the hardest foes she ever encountered, she met much BIGGER ones out there. Although heartless coming in numbers like this can always be a problem.

She looks over to Deelel as she shouts "I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" She answers out, booting out the sword from a pirate's hands, sending it flying upward, as her boot comes down CRASHING on top of the heartless' head, making it disapear in a fine mist before the sword even touches around. "Just be careful not to be overwhelmed! Call for help if you need it!"

Fran has posed:
Fran spares no thoughts of annoyance for the men who flee for their lives in lieu of aiding her attempts to drive the foul creatures away. Had she her say in the matter, she'd have done the same but the proper defenders of the city have their hands full and allowing these people to simply die when there is something to be done about it wouldn't sit right with her later.

However, now that she has given the drunks a chance to run for it, she's no longer invested in the welfare of the bar. Walls and booze can be replaced. The viera batters aside the other unfortunate Heartless to be coated in oil, setting it off like a funeral pyre that quickly shuffles the creature off the mortal coil and back to wherever it came from.

She turns and runs for the exit, slipping outside as the Heartless numbers begin to swell and they regroup. An ear-piercing cry bellows out from within the bar and all around her as well, staggering her midstride as she attempts to shield her sensitve ears from the painful noise. Kicking the door shut, she smashes the sign hanging above from off its mounts and quickly wedges it across the frame to try and keep the Heartless within trapped for the time being.

With atleast a few moments to spare while they batter it down, the pirate turns to survey the state of the battle. The knights seem to be holding their own, however, the sheer numbers of Heartless look to be steadily wearing them down. Her gaze drifts beyond the mists for a moment to the lumbering pirate ghalleon that looms over the bay and by proxy the "Strahl". There's no way she can make it through all of this mess to escape on her ship which means now she's got a personal reason for clearing them out.

White wisps of healing magic dance about her fingers as she summons up arcane words. Swirls of green light filled with sparkling relief erupt from the air about several of the knights as well as the young boy, who seems to be foolishing provoking the ire of the pirates and the strangely dressed woman with glowing tattoos.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has been near the tarverns for the most part but is fighting her way to where the heartless seem to be coming from for the most part. Even as the basic fights she's already number crunching in her head just about how many heartless there might be here. There's far too many truth be told and she's only becoming aware that she, Fran and Tifa are not alone at the moment there are others who may not be locals fighting the heartless.

She's s strange looking woman all thigns considered Fran might take notice of this uch as part of her is glowing on it's own. She's fhen caught by healing magic her injurie4s heala nd some of the glow vanishes as the cracks in her body are fixed. Notably the Knight's efforts. She catches the potiona nd down it and there's some more healing a bit more dramaic than even the healing magic. The basic contiunes on into the Heartless ranks launching her dics again and again at the things.

King Mickey has posed:
Palom's little speech and move into chanting seems to have driven the heartless to hesistate and slowly retreat back defensively. They murmur between each other, almost afraid of what the mage has in store for them, and then all suddenly flinch as the Mysidian mage finishes the final chants of his spell!

The air suddenly grows icy cold, so much that it freezes the ground directly under neath the heartless that stand before Palom and happens to be their saving grace! Many of the heartless suddenly slip and fall directly on their backs as the shards of ice stream over them and head further into their comrades directly down the way! The beady yellow-eyes of those heartless who are about to take the blow, grow widely and start cringing in fear as the ice storm crashes into them. Many are frozen solid, while others are sent flying into the air from the gale force winds! Many shake a fist at their allies in front of them, cursing them in heartless speak! GRRRRRRR! >_</

Due to the amount of magical power that was transfered into the attack, the powerful blizzaja storm continues to grow the further it travels! The large spikes of ice combined with the winds, spearhead through the heartless horde, creating a path for those that wish to venture forth! In addition, the cold air and winds have disappated the mists, giving a clear line of sight of the large ship on the docks!

However, the ice storm is not the only explosion to rock the city of Carwen tonight! Another explosion is created from within the tavern, caused the mixture of booze and oil that do indeed erupt into a massive pyre of flame and engulfs the entire place. The Heartless scream from within, desperately attempting to break out from any side windows or exits that are available though few manage to emerge from the tomb!

Meanwhile, Tifa's still doing what she does best! Kicking ass and taking names! As the brawler continues her assault on the heartless, she is beginning to find herself a little outnumbered and may want to consider her own advice! Luckly, it appears Deelel continues her assistance to do just that, battering off the other heartless while Tifa does her work to keep them at bay!

Palom's ice-storm finally comes to a halt, blasting away the rest of the heartless nearby Tifa, Fran, and Deelel and gives them a path towards the docks, should they so choose.

However, that does not mean it will be easy. Portals begin to open nearby and a fresh batch of pirate-heartless, while certainly not as many, advance! Each swarm around the three, converging in a direct assault! One cannot say the heartless aren't dedicated!

Meanwhile, the knight's continue to have their hands full with the heartless in the center. It being the most concentrated part of the horde. They appear a little more together as opposed to the other group fighting our bar-brawling heroes! They advance, coming forth in large force with sword, dagger... and flails!?

Leon has posed:

The Knights were having trouble with the Heartless. A few of them were knocked off this time and rolled across the ground, striking their lances in their defense to try and keep the heartless away. A few horses could be seen running out from the Mist back into the 'light' of the city.

The horses did roam forward, but it was easy to tell with some cuts on their hide that got past the armor that things were not going well in there. Not going well in the heart of the Heartless infestation.

Yet the Knights continued their battle. They would continue to act as a wall long as they could. Carwen could not fall. That was their orders and they would obey...

...or die trying.

Several Knights started to swing their lances as they continued to stand tall. Swing after swing. From the ground, from those on the horses. Attempting to impale, slash, and cleave heartless away. They kept up their attack. They would not stand down.

Fran has posed:
"This grows tiresome," Fran says as she fends off another of the Heartless. The curved blade it wields is no match for the solid layer of defense her swift reflexes and sturdy shield provides and she smashes it apart with a well-timed swing of her mace. "Is there no end to them?"

As if to answer her question, the fresh reinforcements pour forth from various portals, proving to be more problematic than the lone stragglers. A half dozen blades come at her instead of one, striking from various sides as the creatures seek to leverage their numbers against her superior skill. Half of them pay for their boldness with their lives but even the nimble viera is unable to stop every slash that comes her way. Two solid hits are scored against her legs and though the lattice-work of filigree armor does much to subdue the blows, they still leave painful bruises beneath.

Despite their somewhat unfavorable situation, Fran maintains her cool and almost emotionless demeanor. Her shield comes up to ward off another blow and upon striking down the persistant foe, she takes a moment to glance up at the spectacle of Palom's magic. Though not his goal, the mists receed at the icy touch, giving them a clear line of sight to the haunting pirate ship. It's not hard to figure out what the source of their troubles are.

Realizing that they need to drive that ship off, Fran dashes over to stand beside the other women, holding up a hand to keep them from rushing in. "Hold a moment, I shall clear us a path." Two fingers go to rest upon her forehead as she starts to chant and swirling currents of energy immediately surge from the ground, rising up about her body like a tempest of blue light.

The viera's spell takes longer to cast this time but her expertise in the art of warfare ensures that it does not expose her for too long. Within a few moments her mace swings out and a column of blue fire flares down its length as she points it at the center of the surging wave of Heartless. A spark of white light burst into existence in the air and quickly builds in intensity into a raging ball of blue fire.

The fireball hovers in place for several moments, waves of incredible heat wafting out in pulsing surges from its epicenter. Then with a final burst of power it expands like a dying star, erupting into miniature neon blue star to consume everything in its wake before winking out in the same flash.

Palom has posed:
Palom looks over the heartless horde and grins. He doesn't even notice the heartless that avoided his attack -- he's just watching his power wash over the group.

So he's caught off-guard when suddenly more swarm out of 'Feel the power of black magic that can destroy the world! FLARE!'</span>

There's a flash of light, and then a blinding explosion bright as day -- and then if the heartless aren't destroyed, they probably aren't next to Palom anymore -- the boy is left standing to his feet and brushing himself off amongst crumbling rock. "Hmph!"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart finally got overwhelmed! Well she had warned about it, but there are situations that it just doesn't work for you. Or its Murphy's Law. Either way, she gets piled up for a moment, the pirates pouncing on her as if trying to swallow her into darkness.

But Tifa's not ready to go on that side yet either. The pile bursts suddenly, a huge energy release making the heartless explode all around her leaving Tifa standing there with two arms outstretched on each side, completely unarmed. She hrmphs, sliding back into her fighting pose "What you think about my Final Heaven now huh?" Apparently she just released her best move to get free, which made quite a few waves amongst the heartless, sending a number of them flying in every direction.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is thankful for the support she's got form the mysterious knights and from Fran. It's very helpful to not worry about your code coming apart at the seems basically. She does keep an eye on both Fran and the knights as she's clearly figured out how the heartless are fighting today.

"Their numbers seem so great it may as well be limitless!"

She contiunes to make usre of her disc all the while weaving in and out of the hostile heart eating horrors whod' be just find chilling out with anything lovecraft wrote about.

King Mickey has posed:
The Heartless appear to be gaining ground on forefront of the battle, putting victory more in their favor than for our heroes. Things are indeed looking grim for the city of Carwen at this stage of the game, as what remains of the mist on the western side of town continues to advance, nearly wrapping itself around that side of the city.

However, the saving efforts of the Palamecia Knights and the heroes aiding them has not been for naught, as the knights have finally established a stable foot hold in the central and northern parts of the city. Citizens are being evacuated safely to more safe havens that have been created with help of Carwen's city guard.

Meanwhile, deep within the central swarm of the horde, the several valient knights of Palamecia fight valiently on, managing to break through the heartless blockade out of the mist and onto the icy path that leads to the docks. Unfortunely, they are now cut off from the remainder of their brigade.

Unfortunately, it appears The Pirate Heartless's advantage was short lived as the heroes appear to have come up with their own plan. Tactically coordinating with one another, the group has managed to once again clear the path of heartless with an onslaught of impressive physical and magical attacks! The massive fireball from Fran streams accurately down the stress, clearing off a majority of the ice caused from Palom's prior ice storm! Meanwhile, an explosive display of martial mastery sends the heartless swarming Tifa, sprawling into the air with many exploding on impact! Palom's mixture of fire and earth magic send the surrounding heartless to their grave, while Deelel begins to advance towards the pirate ship just off the docks, managing to meet up with the Palamecian Knights in the process.

With a clear view of the ship now in plain sight, the heroes can indeed see the grizzily horror that awaits them. An ominous aura of darkness surrrounds the pirate ship and as if to further invite the heroes to come play, the boarding stairs of the ship mystically descend beckoning them aboard.

If looked at closely, one can see the signs of battle already being waged aboard the deck of the ship. Heartless are swinging, as clashes of light continue to spark, bursting from all over the ship. Just what could be going on up there!?!

Leon has posed:

The Knights of Palamecia continue to stand firm. Though they have been broken up, they know what to do. The commander knows they know what to do. A loud horn is taken out by one of the knights which they blow out. Soon another replies, then another.

Yes, they were indeed attempting to locate one another. The banner then was soon thrown down once more, the aura around it once more giving the men strength from its magic. The healer that found the group once more casting a spell. Several knights were trying to regroup while others continue to stay outside for outer defense.

They stared down the Heartless in the mist. They stared them down. No fear. No fear at all. If they were to die. It be to die for the glory of their Emperor. A man who saved them all as far has they were concerned. So when they were all gathered, the Palamecian Knight did one thing. They battle roared at the Heartless and starts to suddenly march forward clashing their armored fists against their plate. Made a ton of racket, but Heartless were primitive creatures. They were going to show them now who the dominate force really was.

It was a show of power. It was a show that this was their territory. This belonged to Emperor Mateus. This belonged to one of the Shadow Lords. Yet, though many of their men perhaps created pureblood heartless by their acts, they would not let these creatures run wild. Emblem or not.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart phews as she gets a break in the waves of heartless. "Looks like we got all of them...?" She says as much as she asks, as she's not sure if they ran away or just ran out of troops here...

But with the 'fireworks' going on at the ship, she turns over to watch "... What's going on over there... think they're getting attacked too?" She wonders even more, is that the ship that the heartless used to come here... or is there someone or something controlling the heartless inside of the ship. She takes that breather to cast a few buff spells for herself and Deelel, before another wave happen... Just being safe here.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel sees the Heartless are still coming, but she notices something are they wavering a little bit? She's not sure but they very well could be as she's making for teh ship that's located off the docks. She hates wate so damn much, she hates it. She's going to have to press towards the ship she's going to ahve to figure out a way aboard but for now she's going to cut her way through the heatless she gets a bit more brutal there's no real love in her attacks, it's kinda of strange a bit mechanical in her movments but no motion is wasted at all as she shifts in an out of the heartless' ranks.

"You have no place in this world or any other Viri."

Palom has posed:
Palom looks around. It seems the heartless are gone now. Hooray! But... that ship is still there. It's a tempting target... He's not in great shape right now, but... blowing up that ship shouldn't be _too_ hard, right? He walks out to the pier, and begins freezing a path across the water for himself and anyone else who wants to get across. "Come on! Let's get 'em!"

Fran has posed:
Fran lowers her weapon as the powerful fire magic does its job, melting away the opposition in a single massive burst that gives them a clear run to the docks. She exhales slightly, such powerful magic bringing with it an equally taxing drain on her stamina but their combined efforts seem to have cleared the majority of the threat away from the town.

Her gaze drifts to the ship in the distance, eyes that could rival a bird of prey narrowing slightly in the dark of evening to try and glean some meaning out of the scuffle aboard the enemy ship. "There appears to be some manner of conflict aboard their ship," she reports to the others.

Fran glances at the others around her to see what it is they intend to do. Judging by the way a few of them dig in, it seems likely they are more interested in protecting the town from further incursions that may come. She, on the other hand, prefers to be a little more proactive. Protective magics are woven about her tall form before she takes off for the looming ship in the distance. As long as that ship is present, the threat may very well never go away.

An appreciative nod is given to Palom for his icy bridge, though she chooses to walk instead of run across it, lest she slip and make a fool of herself. Ice isn't very high-heel friendly, even when those heels are pretty nasty spikes.

King Mickey has posed:
For those who have decided to stay behind, The Heartless continue to advance, bringing along the mist as they continue forth in order to regain ground where they could. The Knights will find themselves beginning to be pressed harder by the hordes of heartless pirates, who have begun to be incresingly aggressive! Meanwhile, as the bar-brawler has chosen to remain behind to help the knights hold their defensive position, Tifa finds herself once again under siege by the heartless horde, except their numbers have increased vastly compared to their previously engagements!

The darkness aura of the heartless caused by the sheer number of her enemies is stiffilling and it does not take long for Tifa to realize that she is surrounded. In complete unison, each of the pirate heartless brandish their blades and burst forward in single combined powerful assault! For what light one saw initially, suddenly became black with but a little yellow mixed in-between.

For those who have decided to press on to the ship, their ventures were met with minimal issue, as many of the heartless are either focused on the attacks within the city or upon the ship. Palom's ice bridge creates an easy way to the ship and for boarding.

Upon boarding the ship, the cause of the conflict on deck is revealed. The form of a small animorphic mouse is under continous attack from numerous heartless. While it appears that he is holding them at bay, it is also apparent that he is unable to make any additional advances towards a much larger and powerful force that remains upon the stern of the ship!

Nimbly dodging the attacks from the heartless, King Mickey luckily manages to gain advanatage and with the swirl of his keyblade, blasts the heartless away momentarily. Pointing his keyblade up towards the dark figure at the wheel of the ship, The Keyblade Master stands defiantly and shouts, "It's Over, fiend! Your forces are broken by those defending the city and you will soon have no foothold left and reinforcements will soon come. I demand you surrender at once and save us from further bloodshed!"

The dark being emerges from the showers, revealing himself to be large and burly pirate, dressed in complete black. How cliche', indeed, right? However, while cliche', his darkness aura is indeed powerful. He strokes his lengthy beard and scoffs loudly at the King's request, "Oh is that so, wielder of the keyblade? You think a minor set back as this is enough to stop me from my master's orders? It is YOU!", to which he brandishes his scimitar and thrusts it toward towards the King, booming loudly, "Who SHALL surrender to me! Along with this entire PATHETIC city!"

The Pirate's words boom with a shockwave that sends The King sprawling, crashing heavilly towards the bow of the ship!

With a loud OOPH!, King Mickey struggles to pick himself up though appears to be weakened from the last attack. Bringing himself to one knee, The King responds to the Pirate's retort, "Even... Even if I fall here... Others will come to defeat you... That I can promise you!"

The Pirate Heartless Captain shakes his head and laughs loudly, "Defiant to the end eh, Keyblade Wielder? Then so be it... You shall perish along with your precious ALLIES!"

The Pirate Captain raises his hands to the sky and begins to open a portal of darkness around the ship. It swirls around but stablizes before long, unleashing a raining storm of blades all around the ship. Ally or enemy, makes no difference to him. Just so long as his enemies FALL!

Palom has posed:
"It's you!" Palom shouts, recognizing Mickey from the tavern before. "Don't worry, we'll take him down!" The young boy hurries after, to help Mickey up after he's knocked to the bow. He turns to face the pirate, brandishes his staff, and begins gathering power. "Alright, you meanie! Now--"

And then swords. ALL the swords! Palom waves his hands up, creating a shield of ice -- and stares, wide-eyed, as the swords pierce right through it --

--and then through him.

Palom just sort of slumps over in a steadily growing pool of blood.

That could have gone better.

Fran has posed:
Upon reaching the outer surface of the ship, the icy bridge terminates and Fran casts her gaze upwards for some sort of a climbing surface. Fortunately for them, several of the rigging nets lay cast over the edge of ghalleon's side and with a bit of creative use of the barnacles and gaps in the sodden wood, she manages to get up high enough to grab hold of the ropes and clamber the rest of the way up to the deck.

The viera hops nimbly over the railing and lands gracefully even as she brings her shield up to ward off any waiting ambushes. However, the attention of the Heartless seems to be fully on the strange creature the likes of which she has never seen before. Palom's shout of recognition clues her in to which side Mickey is on; she'd rather not assuming such things when she knows so little about them. The enemy of your enemy isn't always your friend.

The skies tear open and turn the air around them into a whirling death trap. Fran leaps into action without a word, smashing aside blade after blade with immaculately timed parries and intelligent use of the metal barrier strapped to her arm to protect her from the worst of the onslaught. However, even her graceful defenses are pressed by this unorthodox attack and for every sword she stops, another one finds purchase in her flesh.

Despite the skimpy appearance of her attire, Fran's armor is quite sturdy, turning the whirling gullotines into knicks and cuts. But a death by a thousand cuts is still death and when the assault finally dies down her body is stained in several places from the blood flowing from dozens of small wounds.

Grunting in pain, Fran channels healing spells into her body as well as that of the fallen boy. She kneels down afterwards to free the blade from his small form and check to see if he survived. "Battle is no place for a child," she mutters.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart gets piled up once again, but this time its alot more painful! Many of the swords manage to find their ways through her skin, not fatal but still cut in several places, only adrenaline and the need to keep her focus keeping her from screaming in pain here. She's a tough girl, despite everything.

But she still had some gas in the tank at least, as she sends the pile of heartless blasting off again with another explosive fist "ENOUGH OF YOU!" They can't understand her, but it makes her feel better at least. Standing up with a fist raised, she grabs the nearest one by the foot and uses it as a CLUB to smash the others as they are airborne, not giving them time to regroup right away as she goes off on a small rampage, at least until the one she's holding dissipates into a dark mist.

Leon has posed:

The Palamecian Knights stand their ground. When the heartless pirates wanted to push back, the Knights just pushed back harder and got even louder. Raising their lances and thumping their feet on the ground. Any Heartless that attempted to swarm them where knocked right back.

The press continued. Their voices rang loud. This was the pride of Palamecia.

Soon several lancers in the back including some in the front pulled back. They reared back their arms and threw their lances into the air. About this time those on horse back started to charge forward, attempting to cut through the heartless pirates in their path, one after the other. Any that were missing, well, they had to look out for the hail of falling lances.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is just not one to sit still, it's how she surived SARK's death games it's how she's surived here she's basically always dancing to music only she can hear as she fights. Little does anyone know it's likely DAFT PUNK. Isaac just got her hooked on it with showing her one single song, soe as she works it harder, faster stronger the fight keeps on going She now evaxes the hellish attack and the blade do not even touch her before she makes a bounding leap and attemps to hunt the captain down.

"It's over virus, this game is finished!"

She leaops for them intent to just strike them down with several close and brutal disc strikes.

Palom has posed:
The blades are pulled from Palom's body, and the healing magic closes his wounds. He still doesn't get up. But he is breathing... whether he was dying before or not, it seems he's stable now at least.

It may be for the best -- if told he shouldn't be on the battlefield, he might start arguing with Fran instead of fighting the monsters.

King Mickey has posed:
As the storm of swords continues to rain havoc upon those who are currently on the ship, The Pirate Captain continues to laugh triumphantly, as both ally and enemy are begin cut to shreds!

Meanwhile, King Mickey looks on with horror as he watches the massive portal opens above the ship, only to bring down blades him! He manages to barely dodge out of the way and into safe cover by crashing through a cellar door! He grips his arm as he is wounded from the assault. Stuck and unable to advance, all the mouse can do is watch as Palom is skeward by one of the blades! What is worse is the fact that he recognizes the young boy as he falls! He shifts his gaze away, closing his eyes before hearing the crash into the ship, murmuring quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, back in the City of Carwen, it appears Tifa has had enough of the swarming heartless, much like her fanboy/girls at anime conventions! One of the attacking pirate heartless is grasped by the legs and looks over curiously "Meeeep?", only to notice that it is his enemy that has him! His yellow eyes widen O_O with an loud, "MEEEEEEEEEEEP!" before being thrown around and used as a weapon against his own allies! If only to be used to Tifa's advantage, The Pirate Heartless wails loudly @_X/ and is frantically waving its arms around, blades in hand! Its allies begin a mad and panicked retreat as the traitorous heartless is slashing into them, as well being pulverzied! It will be a wonder if the brunette in the white tank-top does not become a feared legend among the heartless hordes going forward!

The Palamecia Knights remain as equally fearless in their counter-attack. Not as violently as a certain martial-artist brawler though the nevertheless, they press on and are not without a raging storm of their own! The Knights take position and let loose their lances into the air! Meanwhile, someone appears to have called in the calvary, as a stampede of horseriders come blazing through, lances poised at the ready!

The clash between horse and lance, in both air and ground, is fierce! The Heartless do the best they can to hold their defensive positions! Double bladed buccaneers engage the calvary, while other heartless begin to stack on one another, defensively putting shields into the air to block the lances. However, even shields and swords have their limits, and a few of the calvary break through their ranks while lances pierce through their shields!

The Heartless roar loudly and move quickly to re-engage the enemy, clashing with both the knights and Tifa for another aggressive assault of blades!! Apparently, they are in it to win it, just as much as their enemies are!

Meanwhile, back on the ship! The Pirate Captain looks on, appearing somewhat impressed that his foes lived through that Devilish assault of his. A wide grin appears about his face before his continues, boasting once more, "I must say! What a show! To have survived that attack certainly puts you above the ranks of commoners and would-be do-gooders. The question that remains is how long can you la--"...

Just then, The Captain's boasting is cut-short, as he just barely manages to block Deelel's initial attack. He grunts loudly, gritting as the program and he struggle to overpower one another, "You... You dare interrupt -- URK!", and then Deelel manages to accomplish the impossible and overpowers the captain, sending him realing back before being slashes mercilessly!

As the attack finishes, The Captain looks on with life-less eyes to the program, breathing heavilly, "You.... You have guts... I'll give ye that but this is ..."

Miraculously, The Pirate Captain stands once more, bursting with the power of darkness to send Deelel, skidding back, "THIS IS NOT OVER! RAAAAAAAAH!", then bursts forward towards Deelel with an onslaught of vicious attacks of his own! *CLASH!* *CLANG!* *CRASH!*

The force of the Pirate Captain's attack is strong enough to cause the two of them to crash through the fence of the bridge and send them both towards the ground!

They both hit the deck and the crash causes another shockwave to emit outward, sending remaining blades flying in various directions towards the heroes who remain!

Mickey cannot stand idly any more and takes his chances leaping out from below deck and races towards where Fran and Palom are, attempting to deflect the blades as they come! He looks back towards Fran and motions her forward, "Get going and end this! I'll watch your backs and after the boy!"

Fran has posed:
Healing light sinks into the prone Palom's body but it doesn't look like a quick patch up is going to get him back on his feet after such a devastating blow. The sky pirate hesitates for a moment, unwilling to leave the child lying on the deck with no protection but sitting still grates against her nature. She glances up at the gloating captain for a moment then back down but her dilema is finally solved by a quick intervention on Mickey's part.

Fran doesn't argue, merely giving the mouse a single nod before she rushes out to meet the struggling duo on the deck. Her shield comes up to ward off the powerful shockwave as they impact together, but it only slows her down a moment. Silent and focused, she draws in close and swings her mace around in a wide circle, using momentum to add power to the deadly hammerblow that comes crashing down upon the pirate's skull.

Before the large man can attempt to recover, Fran breathes in deeply, absorbing the latent Mist from the air. There is not much to be found here but the magical residue from Palom's powerful spells and her own natural talent are sufficient to fuel the deadly art known as Quickening. The air grows deathly frigid aboard the entire Heartless ship as she holds both of her hands out to her sides, gathering up the energy and forming twin balls of turquoise light.

"Shatter."

With a great heave, Fran launches the first orb at the pirate leader, pitching it underhanded into the deck at his feet. It explodes upon contact, forming a towering spire of ice that encrusts everything within in the flash of an eye. The second she tosses into the remaining Heartless, aiming her shot so as to capture as many of them as possible in resulting frigid prison.

A hand is lifted to the viera's face casually and she purses her lips and breathes across the top of her palm as if blowing the unfortunate foes a kiss. Blue sparkles of magical ice and thick hazes of frozen air billow out from her lips for a moment and the massive spires of ice erupt with incredible force, shattering everything within into thick crystal shards.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart manages to just 'barely' avoid the huge mass of heartless blades that are trying to make shishkebab out of her. Ugh, this is getting old now. Her clothes and skin are getting grazed and torn in places. Even though she's been bludgeonning Heartless using heartless, it doesn't seem like its enough for them and they keep swarming her. "You're all getting oin my nerves!"

She's tired, but fighting, and sending a high kick into the closest pirate, she holds it up over her head, on top of her foot, and then SLAMs him down into the ground, looking at the other heartless nearby "Do you want to try your luck again?" >_<

Leon has posed:

The Knights of Palamecia charge still. The Heartless race in to match them. Steel and steel clashes. Swords clash with Lances. Knights are knocked off their horses. Heartless slammed by lances. It was a bloody mess in the final charge.

Though the knights were not many compared to the Heartless, they were trying their best. Heartless blades cutting past their leather protection. Some Knights being brought down to their knees and others crashing down to the ground, but killing themselves before the Heartless could claim their hearts.

Soon the heartless swarmed the commander. His lance spun around and smacked aside several of the heartless. The Commander then let out a roar as he started to charge forward with his horse, yet he was knocked right off and stabbed right through by one of the heartless in the neck.

The commander laid there before suddenly he started to raise back up. A man that should be dead, slowly rising back up, the darkness of his own heart leaching around the wound, sealing it. His red eyes glowing brightly, before he draws out his own sword, ditching aside the lance and then with blazing red eyes and with the last of his strength perhaps. He brings his blade right down on the heartless.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is sure not cutting the captain any slack she's far stronger than she looks, not inhumanly so but a woman her frame should not be that strong with her build yet she is she forces the Captain back and she pulls back slightly. Then she goes on the defence moving her disc to intercept and deflect the incoming attacks from the Captain. She's still standing when this is over.

"I'm afraid this is End if Line, user. For you."

She then moves in to strike again but damn this guy is brutal if he managed to connect she might end up Voxels all over the deck.

King Mickey has posed:
The Pirate Captain and Deelel remain deadlocked but manages to knock the program back with his attack. He grins evilly at her as he comments, "You know, lassy. You'd be a fine addition to me crew. It is a pity that you must be wasted on the ligh--" and then once more, the captain is cut off from his final boast, as Deelel delivers the sealing blow of his fate.

The Captain coughs loudly as darkness begins to seep from his numerous wounds. He struggles, gritting his teeth as he looks towards the program, "Dam... Damn... you... Don't you know when to ... quit?!"

The Captain's defeat does not grant him a graceful death. Rather, he is given a most cruel death of being utterly defeated and then frozen in ice, as Fran makes use of the last remenants of Palom's ice storm. Groaning loudly, the heartless being begins to feel his limbs and body slowly hardening. He looks up towards Deelel, Fran, Mickey, and the fallen Palom, grinning widely along with a nod, "Appears you will have your victory after all, Keyblade Wielder though not by your hand but by these brave souls who were able to do what you were not..."

With an icy breath escaping him, The Captain finishes with, "At least, I got what I was here to retrieve." and then looks to the young boy, his grin appearing more meancing, "Along with some satisfication of the ones who were slain by me and my merry men. Master... Use this wisely."

Then he is gone, The Captain is completely frozen in ice with his final expression forever being one of victory, despite his defeat. Then, as Fran speaks her final word, The form of the heartless captain shatters, leaving behind a fading shadow of a heart that quickly disappears, with the heartless on the ship quickly following suit.

Within the City of Carwen, The Heartless appear to have suddenly lost their will to fight. As Tifa rages in one final attempt to drive them back, The Heartless hold her no further engagements. Instead, they simply retreat into the dark portals whence they came.

Meanwhile, as The Heartless continue to engage the Palamecia Knights, The Commander of the Palamecia forces finds his sword striking true through not one, or two, but three heartless, which explode upon contact. Soon, the other heartless begin their retreat.

Victory is yours!

With the heartless defeated, King Mickey breathes a sigh of relief though does not fully relax yet. He turns to Palom, closing his eyes as he begins to attend to the young one's wounds. Any questions will have to wait until after then.

Fran has posed:
The Mist swiftly fades upon being released and Fran watches the shattered remnants of the captain fade away to nothing within the shards of her icy prison. There is no look of joy or arrogance on her face as their efforts claim victory. She is old enough to know that victory in battle comes through both effort and luck. Both were on their side today.

However, with victory comes the task of cleaning up afterwards. The viera sheathes her weapon and turns back to check on the fallen boy and their strange ally. "Will he live," she asks softly after peering down at Palom for a few moments.

Leon has posed:

The Palamecian Knights, along with the heroes won the day. However they lost several men in the conflict and several more wounded. They also lost their commander in the final moments. Though it was a victory there was indeed some loss. Yet that was the price. A price they all understood.

Several knights walks back out onto the streets, being met by those who stayed behind to keep an eye on the outside of the mists, away from the docks. A few of the injured knights who could walk leading the horses out with the either wounded who could not walk or dead slung over the back of their horses.

They started to then make their way out of the city. No words spoken. No cheer. No tears. Just silence from the Knights of Palamecia. Their job was done. It was time to return home and given proper rest to those gone.

King Mickey has posed:
With the departure of the heartless, the mystical mist flooding the city vanishes as quickly as it came.

The faint holy light fades from his hands and The King's eyes open, glancing over to respond to Fran's inquiry about the boy's health, along with a nod, "He'll live."

The mouse's gaze turns from the Viera to Palom and nods, smiling as he continues, "He'll be nursing that wound for a short time though indeed, he will live and he has you to thank for that."

Gathering Palom in his arms, King Mickey stands and returns to Fran, graciously bowing as much as he can, "Thank you for your and your allies help in this battle tonight. Without your efforts, it is likely this city would have been lost to the heartless. On behalf of myself and this city, you have my deepest thanks."

As the Knights of Palamecia depart, what remaining of the city guard emerges from hiding, along with the many citizens saved from the attack. While this nightmare is over, the people of Carwen will not forget the sacrifices made by those who helped in their time of need. They will rebuild and life will continue on..

Hopefully, for the better.

Fran has posed:
Fran simply nods once. She's not used to being thanked much any more since turning her enterprises to a life of piracy. Though she and her partner's deeds are not the stuff of cut-throat legend, they are hardly philanthropists. Infact, the only reason she stayed behind was due to the Heartless cutting off her route to the "Strahl".

Despite her outward demeanor, however, she was not completely cold-hearted and the viera spares a final look for the young mage before turning to depart. An attack like this would draw attention and that was never a good thing for a wanted criminal. It is for this reason that she fails to correct Mickey's assumption that she was in any way associated with the others who rose to the defense of the city. By the time he learned differently, she would be long gone, soaring away through the sky on wings of steel.

King Mickey has posed:
King Mickey watches as the viera departs from the pirate ship. Even as she speaks no words, he can see the sorrow rustling in her hardened heart and sighs lightly, only beginning to wonder what wounds reside within. Nevertheless, he remains grateful for her efforts, intentional or otherwise.

Taking the boy, King Mickey leaves the ship, along with any other survivors aboard. As he steps onto the docks, the pirate ship vanishes and the keyblade master looks back momentarily, curious to the pirate's last, fleeting words...

Master... Use this wisely.

Those words remain etched in the mouse's mind, giving him a horrible feeling as he considers them quietly to himself, wandering off to the inn to get a room for the night.

Palom has posed:
Palom is sleeping it off. Aww. Doesn't he look like a cute little angel when he sleeps, instead of the most powerful miniature magic artillery piece in the combined world?