Kidnapped!

Kidnapped!
Date of Scene:	17 December 2012
Location:	Traverse Town
Synopsis:	Maira is cornered by heartless, only to be 'rescued' by the Shadow Knight, Ember! However, it seems Ember has other plans for the fiery girl as she ends up kidnapping her instead!
Cast of Characters:	Ember, Avira, Maira

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No title. (2012-12-17 - Now) No description.

Maira has posed:
Exhausted, Maira exits the refugee camp and heads toward HQ, where she will finally get some rest. The young woman has been helping the people all day and a good while into the night, not that you can tell in Traverse Town. It's always night! Between brewing potions, using her healing magic, and the sheer degree of mental and emotional energy it takes to try to comfort so many people, Maira is spent.

Perhaps she is silly to think she was safe here, walking such a short distance alone.

Ember has posed:
It's a dark and frigid night. A night that's perfect for heartless to prey on the increasing number of victims who gather in refugee camps and other shelters, their hearts still pained and bittered from the destruction of their world.

Ember is here too, watching from the shadows, noting with a faint smirk how the heartless gather in the shadows, waiting to pounce on their prey. Her own control over the heartless was not that great, and so these ones act mostly on their own, slowly pouring out of the darkness, slowly closing in on their intended victims.

It seems that they dont really care who sees them as they boldly saunter into the street, partially hidden by the abundant shadows here, although not completely hidden due to those nasty gold eyes of theirs..Their appearance causes peope to shriek out in fear, still exhausted and wounded, but fearful once more for their lives. Will it ever stop?

Maira has posed:
A chill runs up Maira's spine like icy fingers, and Uist alerts her with a simple word. "Heartless."

It is all she needs.

Maira turns and begins to run back toward the refugees, pulling an ether from her pocket, but if she has any chance, she is going to need back up. Is there anyone at VALKYRI HQ right now? She knows Avira is away...

Panting already, she summons flame to her hand and aims at a small group of the shadowy creatures. "Everyone stay together, everyone to the infirmary tent!" she calls, thinking it a sound suggestion. That way, the stronger can protect those who are still hurt, and, they will all be in one place. Don't need to be a strategist to know there is strength in numbers.

Ember has posed:
The heartless make little creepy wibbling noises as they chase the people down the street towards Maira. They seem to be mostly of the magical variety, zapping at people with bolts of lightning or balls of fire or blades of ice. Some of the people trip or get hurt, but others help them up and they rush towards the infirmary tent.

Their numbers are small enough that there aren't any stragglers, although one little girl trips and falls, and gets separated from the fleeing group. "Mommy!" She cries but in the panic her mother misses her.

Then Maira steps forward and takes control, unleashing powerful balls of fire at the heartless, knocking one or two of 'em down. However, they continue to advance, and are quickly joined by soldier heartless who leap at Maira, attacking with their quick blades and fire magic.

Maira has posed:
Maira's priority now is that little girl. As soon as she is separated from the others she knows she will be a ripe target.

Biting down on her lip, Maira races toward the girl but is intercepted by the charging Heartless. The fire magic does little to harm her, but the blades? They cut. She bleeds. She's wearing nothing but healer's robes and a dirty apron, not much protection. As if the swords were not bad enough, there seems to be an effect of the attacks that dampens her magic. She feels that roaring fire in her grow dimmer.

Still, Maira is determined to at least save that little girl. The fire mage flares her magic, lashing out with a whip of fire meant to take multiple heartless apart, followed by a burst of air to scatter them and give Maira a chance to get the little girl to safety.

Then she rushes forward, helping the girl to her feet and shooing her toward the tents, "Uist, go with her!" she tells her spirit-companion, who looks reluctant but does as told.

Maira turns back to the heartless then, taking a deep breath and casting a circle of protection around herself.

Ember has posed:
Ember continues to watch the scuffle going on below, pondering..She was curious to see this strange girl in action..She showed such promise. And yet Ember could think of no way to turn her to the darkness. No, she would be much more useful in other ways.

The shadow knight continues to watch the fight from the shadows, not showing herself..Just yet. Afterall, it would hardly be fair to fight the girl when she was already outnumbered. But was she outclassed as well? Only time would tell..

The girl lays on the ground, continuing to bawl as she grasps her twisted ankle. "Moommmy! Waaah!~" She doesnt even see Uist, but she does see lots of heartless, coming in at her from every side. And then Maira blasts them back with her fire magic. They shriek, moving to cirle Maira instead, determined to remove the greatest threat first, before preying on the weaker child..

Maira has posed:
Twisted ankle? Oh no...Maira looks back, seeing that the child can't run. She runs about a million thoughts through her head but can only come up with one solution.

"Uist, you've got to carry her. You can do it. You can manifest long enough to do that, I know you can...take what you need from me, just get her out of here, okay?" she says, talking to an invisible presence behind her.

A presence that doesn't stay invisible much longer. Uist has been growing stronger. Between them, they still don't really know why. He is able to manifest fairly solidly in short bursts. It should be enough. A very tall and well-formed man begins to appear, outline first, his details filling in as he draws in more will. He appears to have red hair, the color of flame, and wings of red mist form on his back. His is most certainly the form of a great warrior, assuming he wears the appearance he wore in life.

When he is solid enough to do so, Uist picks up the little girl and dashes toward the tent with her, gritting his teeth and looking monstrously displeased.

Maira turns back to the Heartless, trying to keep up her stamina. She was already exhausted, and now Uist is drawing energy from her to manifest. This is not good.

"I'm not going to let you get these people," she tells the Heartless, as if they could understand her. Are they mindless? They seem so.

Taking a deep breath, she clenches her fists and taps into her materia, casting Quake beneath the group of Heartless, the cobble-street cracking with the force of her magic.

Ember has posed:
What is this? Another heartless? A ghost? An apparition? The girl screams as Uist suddenly appears out of nowhere, taking form. But..At least he doesnt look scary once he is all there. In fact, he looks kinda like an angel! The girl gives a strange little giggle, reaching her arms out towards Uist.

"Are you an angel?" She asks as he takes her back to her momma.

Well dang. The heartless look quite angry, some of them starting to chase after the girl and her rescuer, but he's pretty fast. No, better to corner the lone girl and take her down. She is so strong, her heart must be even stronger.

They continue to make their eerie wibbling and squeaking noises as they crowd around her. Indeed, they seem quite mindless however, not responding or perhaps not even understanding a word she says.

The quake hits and they are shaken, some of them vanishing into the flying rocks and split ground, although more come to take their place..

They snarl, lashing out with vicious claws, sharp blades..And more balls of flame..

Maira has posed:
Uist looks down at the little girl, shaking his head. "No," he answers simply, then rushes her into the tent and quickly disperses, his form no longer holding together. He is invisible once more. And drastically weakened.

Maira almost knocks her own self over with the force of her spell, but she knows at least that Uist has gotten the girl to safety. She can only hope that someone will hear all this commotion and come out to help her. Someone has to be in VALKYRI HQ, right?

As they Heartless break through her defenses and try to rend her with their claws and swords, Maira gasps, too exhausted to even scream. The attacks are draining her magic. The roaring fire is nothing but an ember now.

Irony.

Maira reaches into her pocket, hoping she has another ether....alas, but she has used them all healing the injured from Manhattan.

Desperately, she tries to gather her will. Rest herself enough to fan the spark of her magic and will it once more to life.

Ember has posed:
"Waah..Moommie!" The child runs crying into her mother's arm. the mother turns to thank the mysterious man, but he's suddenly vanished. How strange..

The heartless continue to attack Maira, many of them gathering together, combining into a more powerful, bigger heartless that combines its fiery magic with a massive sword that sends waves of fire blasting towards Maira!

She has fallen so many, but so many still remain, alas..Is there no end in sight?

Maira has posed:
Maira digs into a reserve of energy, carefully cultivated to get her through this fight, or at least last a little longer. What is this? Why so many Heartless? Why are they all targeting her? She's never seen a swarm such as this in Traverse Town! It was suppose to be safe...

"Unng...Not...done yet!" she cries, then ignites, flames covering her form as her healers robes catch flame. A burst of fire explodes from her, a wave of force and flame in a dome that should send Heartless flying, if not down-right disappearing.

Why is no one coming? Hasn't anyone heard?

Ember has posed:
Many heartless get engulfed in flames, and their numbers are cut down greatly. Still, they're pretty tenacious, and determined to feast upon the many warm, beating hearts of the refugeees that hide in the tent beyond Maira. If only they could destroy this tempestuous brat!

many of them open their mouths to unleash a furious breath of flame and darkness upon Maira, determined to bring her down! Indeed, where were her allies?

Maira has posed:
The blonde fire mage is prepared to give it her all, and she is prepared to do it alone if she must. Though, she still has faith in her friends. SOMEONE will come, she knows it. She isn't sure how much longer she can hold out here on her own. The Heartless seem never ending. For each she strikes down another two seem to rise.

Maira is panting heavily, her shoulders heaving as she tries to keep breathing, keep fighting, just...keep from falling over. The only thing that is likely keeping her going at this point in time is the sheer power of her will and, of course, the light of her heart.

Also adrenaline. That's a thing.

"Get....back...." she tells the Heartless, and begins summoning a giant hammer made of flame and force above her. She reaches toward it, grasping the strands of magic that make up the summoned weapon, and begins to swing.

Avira has posed:
Where were Maira's allies? Why right the heck HERE! Avira heard the calls, she felt the rumble of earth being tossed everywhere by the mage.

From the VALKYRI headquarters, she emerges, a flurry of fur and feathers. As she storms into the street, she pulls her weapon free and looks around frantically. Due to the larger size of the Heartless accosting Maira now, she's easily able to spot the brave mage and her defense of the beleagued refugees.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Avira calls out.

Ember has posed:
Ember continues to watch the battle from the shadows, thoroughly impressed by the girl's pure hearted desire to save her friends. Still, she couldn't be a princess of pure heart, otherwise she would have easily been able to repel all those heartless. Nor is she a good candidate for the darkness. However...

Her eyes darken as she sees Avira approaching...Ahh what a glorious warrior that one is, but so determined to stay in the light.

Hmm, this might be to her advantage. The heartless continue to close in on Maira from every angle, determined to kill her in their mindless hunger for her pure heart..They dont stop, not even as Avira runs towards them, but..

Maira wont last for much longer, not against the tireless horde of heartless. Suddenly the shadow knight leaps from the rooftop, stepping in between the heartless and Maira..But..She does not fight either side. Instead, she suddenly grabs the girl around the waist and with her free hand, she summons a portal to materialize behind them, backing away towards it.

"You put on quite the show miss, but now I must claim my prize!"

Maira has posed:
Ember caught Maira at just the right moment. She'd been exhausted already from a very long day, drained magically and emotionally. While she'd fight for as long as she could, likely until her body simply refused to stand, Ember moves out of the shadows and throws Maira over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Of course, the fire mage protests! She kicks, squirms, and BURNS like a torch, but if Ember is steadfast, Maira does not have the physical strength to break free, and Uist is too weak now to do anything about it.

Maira thought she heard Avira...at least the refugees will be safe.

"Put me down! Who even are you!? Let me go!" she cries as she struggles, to no avail.

Well, crap.

Avira has posed:
Ember will have to move fast because Avira certainly is! With a roar, she surges forward and swings a claw in an upwards, uppercutting motion, tearing through a heartless with one swoop. "Keep fighting!" Avira calls out, throwing another Heartless aside, "I'm almost there!"

Just as she tears another Heartless in two with her claws, she sees the Ember knight grab Maira around the waist. "HEY!" Avira's eyes glow yellow, "Unhand her!"

The angry mutate runs for Ember and Maira now, purpose clear.

Ember has posed:
"Silence, girl!" Ember narrows her eyes at Maira, eyes that burn fiery red, so much colder and harsher than Katyna's softer amber eyes. But the rest of her face is shrouded in the shadows of her black helmet as she grasps the girl even more tightly. "No harm will come to you as long as you co-operate. Now quite struggling.."

As for the heartless, many are easily defeated by Avira, and after Maira's battle, their crowds have thinned out considerably. She's getting too close for comfort, and Ember frowns a bit, waving her sword at her, creating a wall of dark fire and shadows to bar her way. "If you want to see your friend alive again, meet me at the coliseum two days from now, precisely at midnight! If you come with backup, she dies!"

She quickly steps into the portal now, glancing only briefly back at Avira one more time. "If this girl's life means that much to you, I trust you will put on a good show for me! Until then, farewell, child of darkness!" She utters a cold cruel laugh as the shadowy portal wraps around both her and Maira, finally consuming them both, vanishing them from sight.