The End of Light

[Atticus the Fallen]

No sooner had the mad clown called for him, than he'd feel that terrible, soul-crushing pressure of darkness wrapping around the ship. It would manifest and become tangible, swirling and undulating like a hole in reality. And from this hole stepped manifest darkness itself. The perfect expression of lawful evil, the Fallen...

His feet touched the deck of the Flying Dutchman, his hands folded neatly behind his back, his wings falling casually where they may. His harsh, yellow eyes peeked out from under the rim of his hat as he addressed the clown from behind, though his voice eminated from every shadow on this ship.

"Having troubles, Captain?" he asked, his tone knowing... as if this outcome was somehow planned...

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]The great mad clown stopped what he was doing and kicked the small dog he was scolding for living aside, watching as it slid on the slippery decks and between to railing posts on the ship's side. He laughed histarically before he heard the voice of The Fallen.

Turning swiftly, his sharp, piercing eyes glared the Heartless down, and he turned fully, shoulders hunched, and pressed forward, his grin a memory right now. His eyes literally crackled with electricity, that same lightning dancing between his fingers.

"You! How DARE you trick me!" His sparking hands were joined by two balls of bright blue fire, and he watched the waltz carefully.

"A curse, these people say! Is that true, Atticus the Failure?"[/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

The Heartless Caretaker seemed... undaunted by Kefka's rage. Instead of looking where the danger evidently was, he lifted a hand to look at his sharpened claws with mild interest as he spoke, basically alerting the clown to the fact that as it stood right now... he was no threat at all.

"Yes, the curse is quite real. I had somewhat hoped that it wouldn't come to this... But, I couldn't be tied to this puddle when there's so much work to be done..." He looked up slowly, watching the Clown's reaction to what he was saying and guaging what to say next. "But I suspected Jones wouldn't take too kindly to the conditions of his... how shall we put it... new arrangements... so, I put the heart in the hands of the one I could trust to obliterate it on command without stopping to consider what the reprecussions would be. Namely you."

He turned away from the clown, looking out over the ocean as though admiring the beauty and power of the roaring waves before continuing. "That isn't to say that I haven't also considered a way out for you, my dear clown..." he whispered, though the sound was loud enough for Kefka to hear over the waves.

"Only your body is tied to this ship. That was how Jones was able to comply with the conditions of his confinement without the dead weight of a heart he could no longer bear..." He turned slightly to the "captain", one hand on the railing as he stood there, the wind of the seas bristling his feathers lightly as he watched.

"It's time, Kefka... Time to discard that body which does nothing but hold you back.... Time to experience an all knew kind of freedom..." he said, his voice strong and commanding, making this seem like a great deal. "Your only way out of this little trap... is to give yourself to the heartless."

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]Kefka would have exploded, had he not been multi-thinking and staring at a tall, lanky man over the near the mast. He thought about how that man would look being twisted into a bowtie for the ship, a dead creature striking fear into the hearts of the others.

"Eh-e...Heartless, you say?" he said, and looked to the pirate-themed Heartless with mild disgust.

"I refuse to wear cheap crap like they're wearing, I'll have you know." He folded his arms and harrumphed, and gazed over at the waltz.

"I wish to destroy things, everyone and everything, you idiot! I can't do that with this blasted ship!"

He looked forlorn now, his head down.

"I have no other choice...rip out my heart, doc!"[/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

He watched the Clown carefully... seeing his mind working already on various... little projects. If he could smirk, he would. He slowly walked up to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder supportively, his harsh yellow eyes seeking Kefka's.

"Darkness be praised..." he muttered, his free hand stretching back and opening wide, the sharp points of his claws extending. HE gripped that shoulder tight, using it as a leverage point as he drove the hand into Kefka's chest, digging inside until he found the prize he sought.

"Another heart returns to his family..." Atticus finished before forcefully ripping the blood-red representation of the heart from the man's chest, his free hand gripping his shoulder so tightly he literally dangled the body as it began to dissolve. Darkness swirled around the heart in Atticus' hand, and he pulled it close so he could whisper to it.

"You want to be the destructor of everything the light touches... I offer you the opportunity to do just that. You're going to help me with a little project I have in the works... which will directly bring to ruin all in this horrid realm of light..." with that, he released the floating heart to the winds. Where it formed would not matter... What mattered to him was that another part of the whole was now in the family... right where he could find them when the time came...

As for the now... He looked to the body still fading into nothing in his grasp... then unceremoniously threw it overboard. A corridor opened, and Atticus stepped through. More tasks to complete before he was ready...

*done*

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]Kefka's heart hovered in place above deck for a moment before it began crackling. Lightning began zipping around the heart, spinning fast and winding around, closing in on the blackening thing.

After a while, it contorted, the heart, and squeezed together; a billowing cloud of thick, inky darkness oozed from the metaphysical organ and spiraled upward, transforming into a large, black twister. From base upward it set aflame, a raging cyclone of pop-snapping blue fire lighting the whole ship. The wind in Port Royal had picked up, the clouds blackening and readying themselves a storm.

A loud, demonic chuckle boomed out over the chaos, and after some seconds of doubt from the crew, the twister was blown apart; up in the air, about where the mid-section of the tornado had been, curled into a ball, was the mad clown. Only now his clothes were tattered, and his skin was a purplish black. His eyes were glowing yellow, a terrible fire literally burning within them. His circular collar was now spiked upward in three points, his chest emblazoned with the symbol of the Heartless. His cape flapped in the air until it ripped apart into six individual wings, four of them feathered, and two others appearing to be more bat-like.

His hands were now claw-like, his teeth sharpened. He retracted from his fetal position and hovered in the air, above the ship, and grinned downward. "Such simple fools..." he said, his voice still peppy, yet now even more demonic. He aimed his hand downward and fired several charges of lightning at the crew, each discharge utilizing their own finger. A total of five. Several of the crewmates hopped overboard, others exploded, while the others in the clown's presence began turning black and white, taking on the appearances of mime-like pirates. This last bit of work seemed to be of someone else's doing. Kefka's eyebrow raised, and he snickered.

"How interesting..."[/glow]

[Deleted]

Attra stepped out of a corridor into the chaos that Kefka had provided.
I guess its this guy
please... what the hell are you doing... you'll get us killed
you say that but...
but what?
shut up! I can take care of myself!
you mean ourself...
Attra ignored the last statement and stepped towards Kefka.
"Hey! are you Kefka!"
she was scared, she wouldn't show it but her other self knew...

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]At the appearance of a Corridor Kefka assumed he would soon see his new brother Atticus, but his smile soon faded and an eyebrow raised. A woman stepped out from the rift of darkness and he hovered down to meet her gaze. Kefka now towered over your average human, standing about seven feet tall.

He moved close to this woman, his head tilted.

"You're not Atticus," he stated bluntly, a cackle following his words. "Who are you?"

He looked to his crew for an answer, but met with shrugs. He frowned. "Well, then." He pointed a sharpened claw in the girl's direction. "You have little time, girl."[/glow]

[Deleted]

she stared bluntly into the tall... clowns... eyes, she didn't seem off at all.
"Maleficent sent me to find you..."
she looked around at the crew.
"and you might want to call off your goons... we wouldn't want any accidents..."
she grinned trying to imitate the clown as much as possible.
"...would we?"

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]"Maleficent, you say? That two-bit witch? Should she see me now she would cower. Kwee-hee-hee-hee!"

And then he was irritated at her sense of speaking to him as if her were not her god. He loomed over her, and moved close, drooling slightly, his fangs showing. His crew moved in two, seeing their captain's advance. He glowered at the girl, about to reach out and choke the life from her.

"You will bow before your new master or be destroyed!" he yelled, and attempted to use his powers, multiplied with his newfound powers of the darkness, to will the girl to her knees in a bow.

"Come, come, little pet, and bow!"[/glow]

[Deleted]

the girl didn't need to be forced she knew her place in the pecking order, she bowed.
"i am sorry for any disrespect my master..."
she wanted to be stronger.
"please teach me the ways of destruction"
even if it didn't work she was close enough for an attack and hopefully he would go off into cackle and then she could at least get another hit in.

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]Kefka chuckled, hearing the girl speak of wishing to learn his ways, and tilted his head.

"Oh, do you wish to learn!?" he cried, and cackled menacingly. "Then show me some of that cataclysmic power, won't you?! Kill someone. Something. Destroy! Kwee-hee-hee!"[/glow]

[Secondary Characters]

Her eyes turned nearly psychotic as she inspected her surroundings, holding out her hand and a strange hilt came into view. When she tugged on it, it turned into a long, painful-looking scythe. Or at least, it seemed not to be there in the first place.

...I-...Wait... I don't want to do this...!

"Gladly!" Her eyes narrowed, as her attention was brought to the crew... the nearest to her. She swung the heavy weapon around, at first, seeming to have done nothing, until the two nearest her fell into many pieces.

No!! STOP!! I DON'T WANT THIS!

But her alter continued, slicing and dicing at Kefka's crew- and she would not stop until told otherwise...

Wait!! Stop!!

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]"Splendid, splendid! What a smashing display! Ha-ha-ha!" The deranged Heartless clapped and hopped with glee, dancing in circles as his former crew was slaughtered. This, of course, slowly lost its fun.

"I have grown bored. Tell that witch I'll be by her side as soon as I am ready; I have other things to do, and many obstacles have been put before me. I am late!"

With that, Kefka transformed into a black tornado and barreled off the ship, and ascended into the sky, off to god knows where.

***Off to Hyperspace***[/glow]

[Deleted]

Attra stopped, she dropped her scythe and fell to the floor.
"no, how... I was in control..."
her heart twisted and turned and reverted back to its original form light shot from around her as her body and hair changed also.
Nivea slumped into a heap on the floor.
"looks like I'm back in control"