Match of the Millennium

Description: Penetrating deep into the security complex of the NOL Detention Center, Ky Kiske locates Dizzy in a safe, sterile garden... all observed by Relius Clover, as part of the latest in his experiments in pacifying the Command Gear, and wooing her into the cause of the NOL. Ky must make a decision. Will he allow Dizzy to stay with the NOL? Or will be break the agreement, and free Dizzy? The futures of both the NOL and the Sacred Order lie in his hands.

[RELIUS]
See, normally whenever a scene starts at night at the Novus Orbis Librarium Detention Center, you know it's going to be trouble.

The NOLDC, as it's known (don't try to the pronounce it, it's kind of a Nulldick sound), is where you end up when you get ganked by friendly NOL types. If you aren't that interesting? You get tagged, bagged, and tossed in the general holding cells with a bunch of other roughnecks. And there, you kind of just chill out and hope that you don't get a human booster shot from the D Rank Bounty named Bubba. If you are more relevant? You get a personal holding cell that just means you don't see sunlight for a very, very long time, unless the NOL likes you, and/or want to convert you into a brand new NOL agent that abuses the prisoners. It's a kind of game. Now if you are super, duper important?

You go deep.

Deep, deep down one of the three service elevators that take you so far underground. Down here, any veneer of civil detainment is abandoned. It gets smaller and smaller, and tighter and tighter, and quieter and quieter. Gone was the screams, the sounds of angry prisoners. This was almost more of a lab than a prison in many, terrible regards. This was the place where it becomes less of a privilege to see the sun, and more of a privilege to say words without ten thousand volts getting sent directly into your spinal column in a desperate attempt to send you into a coma. You couldn't even hear the alarms down here.

The alarms?

Yes, the alarms. The security complex was in a full alert; the complex was breached. Breaches weren't unusual, and the security process was simple: scramble the security force and lockdown the Maximum Security access. It wasn't hard to lockdown the Maximum Security elevators; you generally had at least 4 sealing doors before you even reach the elevators. A final reinforcement would be over the elevator doors, and finally, the elevator would only partially work. You'd go down, you see, it would stop halfway, and you would just relax there until you were picked up and registered as the newest guest of the Nulldick.

But the security doors weren't closing.

In fact, nobody was -at- the high security post, deployed on specific orders elsewhere. The security doors? Technically malfunctioning. Technically, of course, through a direct sabotage. Carefully crafted pathway, where everything that could stand in the way of the elevators down was removed; even the neat little halfway trick was disabled. No, this was a time in a breach, where someone, nay anyone, could just walk right down into the very depths of the complex. It would be so easy.

It would be too easy.

[KY KISKE]
The question is how did one come to this point? How would Ky find himself faced with what seems like such a transparent trap (not to be confused with THE parent trap. That's something else altogether), where one will find no guards, and no security doors to bar their entry into one of the most secure facilities that the NOL has to offer?

Well, you start off with a great tag team partner. Preferably someone bigger than you who is sort of a beast of a man, but knows a thing or two about honor and civility. Someone you can trust. Then, you commandeer yourself a flight to said facility. While everyone is focused on the aircraft, you drop out of it from an ungodly height that would kill most men. But you aren't most men. You're Ky Kiske.

So, when Ky descends from the heavens, it is with the sound and the fury. He plummets towards the earth, head first, the wind causing his blonde locks to flatten against his scalp, and the billowing folds of his armored coat fluttering like wings about his form. He draws his trusted sword, Thunderseal, from it's sacred sheathe, and points it towards his destination. With his other hand, he presses two fingers to the edge of the blade, and mutters a soft incantation.

KRAKOOM!!!

Lightning strikes down from the sky in a blaze of blue-white light, engulfing the descending knight and creating a crackling sphere about him that takes on the symbols and sigils of his arcane mastery. That ball of lightning sizzles, steaking down with arcs of electrical fury reaching out in all directions, sending sparks flying, and reaching out to anything fleshy to give it a nearly fatal shock. And then he collides with the earth with a thunderous boom, sending debris and whatever men were nearby on the ground flying in every direction, wreathed in the electrical discharge.

And he proceeds onward, little more than a personification of thunderous wrath. A blue and white flash that zigs and zags, weaving from one opponent to the next to give each a taste of his nearly peerless swordsmanship. One man is sent flying through the door to the building, skidding to a halt on the cold, concrete floor.

Through the crushed doorway, Ky Kiske steps inside, over the downed opponent, and lifts his sword. His eyes fall closed, and he turns himself over to the guidance of the blade itself, allowing its most recent attunement to lead him through the course towards the greatest source of magic this place might hold. It takes a moment. Ky is a skilled sorcerer, but he is by no means the veritable archmage that Nine is. Far from it. And in such a place as this, there are chaotic readings from all directions. Magic and chaos. These are the fundamental currency in which the NOL deal in. But, there is no denying that the deeper you go, the more power one can feel, and so, the urging of his sword is downward. Ever downward. Deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Is that not fitting enough for the knight who is quite possibly, if this goes south, declaring war on the NOL and possibly even the United Nations?

But it is all unavoidable. Everything that has happened thus far, since Japan, has been leading to this moment. From the moment that Noel was assigned to his task force... no. Before that. From the moment that Dizzy's existence became a known factor and everyone in the world scrambled to claim her, it became Ky's destiny to be here in this place on this night. He had been faced with the fruits of absolute corruption within the ranks of the UN. And for now, the face that corruption wears is that of the NOL. Specifically the mysterious and seemingly ever present Captain Hazama, and this masked demon that calls itself Relius Clover. The men responsible for tricking Dizzy, and bringing her to this unholy den of torture and malice.

Standing now, before the elevator, Ky feels little regret or remorse. How could he, when his cause is just? If anyone deserves to be freed from a place such as this, it is Dizzy. If any creature on earth deserves to live in happiness with hope in their heart, it is Dizzy. If he could trade places with her... If only.

With that thought in mind, the Knight Captain steps into the elevator. One hand reaches for the button, but hovers just before it. Is he second guessing his actions now? This late in the game? Leo is certainly already taking his part of the search, and thus, dealing with the guards that were spared Ky.

No, Ky isn't second guessing himself. Far from it. He simply pauses before pressing the button, and instead averts his attention to his sword, sending it into the steel of the flooring, rending the car open like a tin can, so that he can merely drop through the hole and freefall down into the depths of Hell itself.

[RELIUS]
The depths of the strongest magic is deep below.
%Down, down, down Ky Kiske descends. The alarms grow more and more distant, high above. This place was almost cloistered from the chaos above. Soon, there is only a dull whirr all around. At the very least, Ky Kiske avoided the most obvious trap. It was a blitzkrieg of an opening. Leo Whitefang was to look up top, and Ky Kiske... would follow the magical trail. It was the right thing, wasn't it?

What was the cost of lives so far?

The bottom of the elevator shaft rises up to Ky Kiske faster and faster. Landing was Ky Kiske's problem; there was probably going to be a long, long scar on the side of the shaft. And there, it would only be the door left. A quick finesse to rip it open, and Ky Kiske would reach the secure heart of the complex.

Maximum Security.

The Maximum Security floor carries massive hallways, big enough to bring a whale through. Rails bearing platforms are placed upon the metallic floors, which go in each direction in an X pattern around the three elevators. The end of each hallway intersects, turning into a curved passage that reconnects with a perpendicular passage. It was a circle with a crossway in it. A simple pathway. There is an uncomfortable feeling in the air; magic suppressants. Not active, but radiating with the constructed materials. This was a place to seal creatures of incredible magical power. Even on the walls, pulses of red, blue, and green lights run through it, bringing the smell of ozone with every rush. It was a lonely place, utterly devoid of people. And yet, Ky Kiske could feel it.

The eyes.

The presence of people, of -creatures- of incredible power was all around. Probing. Penetrating. Reaching for him. Hungry for him. The oppressive presence was all around, from the countless beings. People, no. A -person- to claim. The danger of this place was unseen, all around and procome to the doorway, and open the door. Come into the doorway, and open the door.

I am waiting for you.

There are doorways placed in an alternating pattern through the hallway, each one bearing a label, a symbol on it, based on the ranking. The entrances are often in a warehouse style opening, with heavy reinforced doorways big enough for said whales, with the rails running up along them. There is a smaller secured door for foot traffic beside it. But the magical impressions in here are overwhelming. It was a storm of magical presence come this way boy. Come to me. It was a storm of magical presences. But one was stronger than all others, by just enough.

Right behind that door.

A pulse of energy comes out of it. It would be so familiar, even without Nine's gift. But in case Ky Kiske doubted, there would be the tiny gold plate on the door. Which was, despite the ease of it so far, locked and sealed, bearing the names and titled etched upon it.

The Maiden Of The Grove
Class S

She was in here, Ky Kiske.

[KY KISKE]
Ky stands silent and still as he feels the ominous miasma of this forlorn and forsaken place wash over him. So many creatures, so much suffering. How many here deserved their fate, and how many were just victims of circumstance, or worse, of a NOL agenda that just happens to require their nature in some way? Is there a way to know? Should Ky even consider the attempt to rescue anything or anyone other than his intended target?

That question lingers heavy in the heart of a man who holds Hope as the very essence of what it means to be human. Can what evil might lurk behind each of these doors be as great as the evil committed upon them? Can each soul, human or other, find redemption with the inkling of hope that comes from one act of mercy?

As his cerulean eyes fall upon the goldplated crest that hangs over one single door, all those questions fall to the wayside.

Dizzy.

The white-clad knight moves to that door, each step taken quicker than the last, until he runs at a breakneck speed. Fear clutches at his chest like icy grip of Undine herself on his heart. The anger of it all, all of what had been done, all of what had brought him to this moment, rose like bile in his throat. He lashes out, with ancient steel and desperate emotion and unbridled lightning magic, to slice the door hinges into molten slag. The remaining hull falls to the floor with the resounding crash of steel on steel.

Into the darkness within, he calls her name. "Dizzy?"

[RELIUS]
"Oh, what a beautiful bird!"

Dizzy laughs so brightly as the tiny bluebird lands on her finger. The sunlight of spring felt so good in the garden, as she wore her blue and white NOL uniform. She sat amongst a beautiful garden, filled with life and luxury. Rich with foliage, flowers, and fruit trees, it was bustling with animal life. The blue haired gear was petting a small deer, when the little bird arrived. Inspecting it closely, the song was so sweet and wonderful. In many ways, her prison was limiting, she couldn't leave the garden, and there was a single tree she couldn't eat the fruit from.

But how could it be feeling trapped when she was being visited by her new friends?

Already, the hooded Kaka Clan was playing around the garden. Dizzy loved their company, and they loved her company too! Taokaka was in fact up in a peach tree, collecting fruit to share with her. "I am just still surprised that I have found so many friends here!" Dizzy says brightly, as Taokaka peers down at her, along with her kitten sisters. "Colonel Hazama was right, I was well taken care of!"

"I am happy to see you so well taken care of!" The ruggedly handsome Colonel Kagura grins as he responds to Dizzy, having come to the garden to check up on his favorite Gear. Coming to a bench, the colonel takes a seat. Dizzy lifts her finger up, letting the bird fly off, as she comes to the bench. Taking a seat beside Kagura, she feels warm as he brings an arm over her shoulder. "Thank you so much for coming, Colonel Kagura!" Dizzy says, a little nervously in fact. "If there is anything I need to do for you, Dizzy, don't hesitate to ask!" The colonel says brightly. And... And Dizzy asks the same question she asks every time.

"Did Ky Kiske come yet?"

Dizzy looks bright eyed at the Colonel. Kagura looks away, a smile on his face, but his eyes looking... uncertain. Dizzy repeats the question again, with another note. "Did Ky Kiske come yet? He is supposed to free to visit any time." The colonel pauses. "Ky Kiske just hasn't really returned our calls. He's probably very busy." Kagura pats Dizzy on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Besides, you have to help the feed the baby kittens!" There is a cacophony of mewling as the Kaka sisters comes crawling down. Dizzy lays her head in Kagura's lap. She felt worried, but... but she felt safe here. It was everything Hazama promised, and more. "It's okay. I think I can be happy here. I think I can be..."

"Happy...."

"Here...."

************************

The blue-haired girl is strapped to the lone slab in the middle of a white room. Over her face is a V-Gage visor, heavily modified to be fixed semi-permanently over the girl's eyes. With it, wires and diodes are attached to her, some penetrating her skin through. A large chi battery is nearby, acting as a capacitor to gentle draw out and absorb the flow of energy from Dizzy. Through the table, her wings are sealed under heavy, alloyed metal containers, binding them away. Her black-leather bound chest rises and falls slowly, showing life with the young girl.

Or rather, 'Gear.'

It is surrounded by observation glass, with panels and panels of gauges, sensors, and dials. Screens are placed in each of the observation stations, displaying the image of a smiling Kagura, looking down at the viewer from a first person perspective. Fluctuating sine waves rise and fall steadily on the gauges, while a low hum is heard throughout the room. There is a large glass doorway that rises from the floor; it is across from the wide lipped doorway for shipping. The observation area is already occupied as Ky Kiske enters.

Standing at one of the observation stations is Relius Clover.

The stoic faced man is watching the screen with demure calmness behind his mask. He is dressed very much the same way as when he met Ky Kiske the first time. Garbed in the purple cloak and white slacks; the almost theatrical wear of the head Engineer of the NOL. He fiddles with the dials, adjusting up. Dizzy twitches a bit, trembling with a stifling yawn of a breath. The screen changes slightly. He doesn't look up from the panel, as he speaks.

"Ah, Ky Kiske. I have been expecting you..." Relius pauses a moment. "For a while now, actually. I do not know how many days I've been down here. And yet... you arrived well within the expected range, at least." "Certainly I've kept myself... occupied with our little prisoner." He gestures at the screens, showing Kagura running his fingers through Dizzy's hair so gently. "You can relax. I have trouble planned for you, don't worry. But I want you to watch this with me. You can ask me any questions, of course." He snaps his fingers, and the stoic shape of Ignis manifests behind Ky Kiske. It does not touch him, but the iron maiden of a doll makes it clear that going backwards was not an easy option.

"I need you to help me understand something that I just can't understand~"

[KY KISKE]
As soon as he enters the room, Ky feels his chest tighten, the weight of his heart like an anchor dropping into the pit of his gut where it remains, burdensome and filled with despair over what they have done to Dizzy. Poor Dizzy. Poor Necro and Undine, powerless to help her. Even with what he sees on the screens, it doesn't make the reality of her suffering any lessened to the crusader. No, to him it seems a crueler joke, still.

"Let. Her. Go."

The words pour forth from his lips as cold as the arctic tundra, reflecting the disposition writ in the cold blue depths of his eyes. He does not care for whatever "trouble" this madman had in store for him. He cares not about Relius' understanding of anything. And so, he repeats himself:

"Let. Her. Go."

Even the appearance of Igniz behind him seems to dissuade Ky very, very little. He stands his ground, just beyond the threshold, his posture and stance as certain as it had ever been. His eyes fall from Relius' masked visage to the half obscured face of the captive Gear. Fear and sorrow give rise to the anger inside of him, once more, and he gives one final warning, "I swear that I will bring this place down around you, if you do not."

Thunderseal hums, and immediately the room takes on the scent of ionization. Ribbons of electrical arcs travel and up and down the length of its polished blade, casting a pale blue glow over one half of the stalwart knight. His grip tightens, and he motions with a tilt of his head towards Igniz as he concludes, "Starting with your toy, here."

[RELIUS]
A mortal threat.

Relius frowns slightly. The weight of Ky Kiske's righteous was forbearing. Even Relius, with his calm detachment, could sense that powerful electrical magic. Relius might be a master of magic, but his combat skills... well, were functional. He didn't want to force Ky Kiske into chains. So as he threatens to break his 'toy?' He just motions at Ignis dismissively. "You may do what you need with Ignis... if it pleases you~" Relius's tone is almost teasing. Ignis lowers her arms, providing no guard, no defense. He does, however, looking away from the panel; Ky Kiske's effect was not one to ignore right now.

"She cannot be let go, Ky Kiske."

The response is almost a lecture in tone. "She is too dangerous, Ky Kiske. That's why the Sacred Order shouldn't have her." He motions at the figure bound behind the glass. "You should be pleased she is at least happy here, with the technology that we had. It was originally designed for Gears, did you know that? To modify their minds, to control their chi. Unfortunately, that technology is currently out of our hands, or Dizzy here could be joining with her new allies in the NOL." The implication is clear. "But until she is and her familiars are made safe, she is to remain here."

"Of course, I know how this play will play out."

Relius lifts his arm in the air, a bravado in his voice. "The noble white knight Ky Kiske will leap to his princess in the depths of her dungeon. He will free her from her prison, and swashbuckle his way out of the front gate, where his might steed awaits. Alas, there is the cruel and wicked captor, Relius Clover, in the way of the noble hero." Relius gives a bow. "You can bring down this entire building, killing everyone except Dizzy herself. Yes, Dizzy, I am using her name." There is almost a gleam in those white eyes of Relius. "I have just seen how much of a person she thinks she is, with her little play of her life, her innermost desires have been absolutely fascinating, Ky Kiske. She should have everything she wishes in her Garden of Paradise. And yet..."

"Why does she still cling to the thought of you, Ky Kiske?"

************************

Dizzy lifts her head off of Kagura's lap, looking at him directly. "But it's very unusual that he isn't even reaching out." Kagura nearly falls off balance, at Dizzy's sudden movement. The kittens mew curiously, all eyes on Dizzy. The Colonel sputters. "It... is very unusual." Kagura says hesitantly. Dizzy places her hands folded in her lap, staring ahead with her crimson eyes. "... I would like to try contacting him directly then. There are things called cellphones, and you can use them to call and-"

Kagura shakes his head.

"You know the rules, Dizzy." He says solemnly. "YOu can't leave the guardian, you can't contact anything out of the garden, and you can't eat anything from that tree." He gestures at the apple tree in the center of the guardian. Dizzy sighs sadly. "I know, I just... I just feel like if I try to reach out to him, he would respond more. I think he's angry at you, and me, because... because I didn't tell him I would do this. I am just so worried he is so angry at me. At what I did. I don't even know if he would forgi-"

"Do you feel that?"

She looks around, eyes wide, suddenly snapping out of her angst.

"Do you feel that electricity?"

************************

[KY KISKE]
"She is dangerous, but that does not mean she should be imprisoned. You are dangerous. I am dangerous. Any of those who participate in the World Warrior competition are dangerous. Where do we draw that line, then, Relius Clover? When do we decide that everyday average citizens are dangerous for no other reason than that they hold the mere capacity to strap on a bomb and level a building? Where does it stop?"

The notion that Dizzy should be detained simply because she holds such power is a miserable excuse. Flimsy, at best. The fear-mongering excuse of those who would wish nothing more than to keep their hands on that power and wield it to their own selfish ends.

Ky Kiske steps forward, closer to the torpid form of the captive Gear herself, though his steely gaze remains fixed in place on the masked countenance of the mad scientist. "If you are to stand in my way, then you might want to stop me now."

Ky lifts his sword in both hands, high overhead as if he's about to summon the power of Grayskull. The pulsing electricity that courses along the blade of Thunderseal become a powerfully charged nimbus, buzzing aloud with the sheer immensity of power held within it. His thick mane of wild blonde locks suddenly sweeps upwards, and the billowing folds of his sacred vestments begin to whip and flutter about his waist and legs. From under his boots, a seal of glowing white sigils forms, spinning on the floor slowly.

"This is my final warning. Release her. Now."

Or else he might just summon forth a powerful enough electrical discharge to fry all of his fancy equipment. Depending on the size, it could also unleash a few of the other captives in adjacent cells.

[RELIUS]
************************

Dizzy stares around quickly.

Everything was distorted for a moment, everything was wrong. It looked wrong. The cats, the colonel, the garden, the animals were... wrong. Dizzy felt something, the surge of energy. "Don't you feel it? Ky Kiske? Is that you Ky Kiske!?" She rushes past them as they remain locked in place. She rushes to the tree, where she feels it. The apple tree. "Undine? Necro? Where are you?" She calls to her... wings? When was the last time she talked to them? And yet, there is nothing, no response. She reaches the tree, placing her hands on the bark. It feels... wrong. Electrical. The touch sparks at her fingertips.

"What is happening?"

************************

"From the moment we met at the Vatican Square, your fate was sealed." Relius says slowly, his expression neutral. "You don't think I wouldn't know, one way or another, you would come here eventually? Sacred Order would be no more. How much does the Novus Orbis Librarium outnumber the Sacred Order in Illyria? Already, we've been picking those of uncertain fate, to recruit them into our ranks And the rest? Well, once word goes up, it would be time to begin to execute the traitors. This entire game was arranged from the moment Dizzy fell into your clutches. The time for the Sacred Order is over. But..." The sparks of electrical energy is too much, forcing Relius to avert his eyes.

"You could join her, you know."

Relius says this, as his own sigils begin to form around him. It was a suppressive effect, not enough to dismiss his electricity; already the instruments were beginning to flicker. There was a danger for this spilling out to other cells. And not everyone contained by the NOL was... innocent. "There is no need for so much bloodshed on the takeover of the NOL of your group. They all can be spared, and you could have your girl. I would have no problem with that. Can't you see?" He gestures at the screens.

"She loves you Ky Kiske."

Relius gives one more gesture to the bed. "She wants you more than anything else. I have seen that, Ky Kiske. Haven't you? Why do you think she gave herself up so easily? To protect you, Ky Kiske. And the NOL is reasonable. There is no need for the Sacred Order to be executed for the headstrong mistakes of it's leadership. We might even make a reasonable offer to absolve your partner for senior leadership within the NOL. And for you, Ky..."

"I would offer her."

"All it would take is for you to put down your sword and surrender, Ky Kiske. We have already completed most of your documentation for a long term stay here. You could join her in paradise in this very cell. A touching reunion. You could marry the Maiden Of The Grove, and be one with her until the end of your days. She is capable of making children, you know." There is a haunting passion in Relius's voice when he describes this, the sigils growing all around him. "And I'm all ready to make the minor adjustments for your compatibility. Of course, we will keep the observation cameras off!" He gives a chuckle. "But this is what your happiness should lead you, Ky Kiske. Take her. Join her. The Sacred Order doesn't need you anymore, Ky Kiske. The NOL will secure it's fate. It's up to you whether you stay here with her, or remain sequestered in your own cell. So close, just down the hall... and so far, so impossibly far." Relius shakes his head. Ignis doesn't raise her guard just yet. But the time for Ky Kiske to choose was now. Either one, or the other.

Or perhaps his own destiny.

[KY KISKE]
The moment that Relius starts his moving, if somewhat limp wristed impersonation of Emperor Palpatine trying to lure this young Jedi to the dark side, Ky lowers his sword. It crackles with power, still, with arcs sliding from the tip of its point to the floor below. His cold, cerulean eyes stay focused on the man as he speaks, betraying no emotion. But, what he does do?

He subtly sets his communicator to open the channel to the SO, and has it recording.

"So that is it, then? Your master plan is to absorb the Sacred Order into the NOL, and just execute any who do not accept the change of regime. Curious. Let me ask, though... On whose authority does the NOL believe they have the right to act as judge, jury and executioner? Moreover, how does the NOL expect to perform this coup? The Sacred Order is not under any umbrella with the United Nations. In short, other than planning wholesale extortion, coercion and murder, you cannot do such a thing."

His eyes fall to Dizzy, though.

"So you try to use this as leverage. You assume that I simply want Dizzy. That I want to be with Dizzy."

Ky's lips turn up at the corners, his youthful beauty shining through, even though the smile is a rueful one.

"You have fundamentally misunderstood my intentions, and the very nature of what it is to love."

Boldly, the holy knight steps forward again, closing the distance between himself and the young woman on the slab. His free hand comes to rest upon her stomach, and he shakes his head.

"It is not selfishness that brings me here. It is not the desire for Dizzy to be my possession, or even my wife, for that matter. My purpose is to ensure that she is free to chose her own path in this world. I'm here for her, not for my own vanity or greed. I have cast aside my own desires and ambitions, in order to come here and offer her the chance to become a part of the world. Where she belongs. I would give my life for that, as I would for any other good and decent human being."

Ky steps back, away from Dizzy, letting his fingertips trail from her as if they were loathe to leave the warmth of her flesh. "I would die to see that the good and decent people of the Sacred Order are not defiled by the foul corruption that eats at the heart of the Novus Orbis Librarium. I would die to give each man and woman on this Earth the hope for a new day. So, take me if you can, Relius Clover, but it will not be quietly, nor will I bend a knee to you willingly or otherwise. I will defend this woman, and my brethren, at all costs."

He clutches his sword tighter in his hand, and as he does so, it springs to life, renewed and vibrant. Lightning spits from it in all directions, creating spiderweb links between it and every surface around him. As he lifts it up, overhead, it seems like lightning rains down around him, crawling across the floor. That feeling of ionization in the air intensifies, until the feeling of static is palpable, and causes hair to stand on end. A sudden surge, and each of the screens displaying the virtual world that Dizzy is experiencing shatter in a storm of broken glass and dazzling sparks.

"I'm coming for you, monster!"

COMBATSYS: Relius has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Relius           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
Relius lets it all unfold.

He doesn't even register the recorder. Or if he does, he doesn't stop it. How does it matter, in the infinite schemes of the Mad Puppeteer? He had his dolls here right now. He just had to hook their strings on. ANd he would have everything he wants. As Ky Kiske gives his speech, Relius is actually patient enough to let him give his heroic stand. He even refrains from the yawn. So droll. That is what he would say.

Except the surge of lightning actually catches him off guard.

*************************

"What is-"

Dizzy feels her senses disappear into darkness for a second.

"What is happening?" She clutches her chest. Everything was corrupting, everything was wrong. Faces were on things that should not have faces. She couldn't breath. She could not breath. The surge of electricity burns her. And then... she could only see the tree. Her ears were ringing, her back was in pain. And she tries to say something. She feels something on her wrist. She touches on it. And she sees it.

A snake, staring at her from the branch of the tree.

It gazes at her with lidless eyes. It looked so familiar, so close. Almost like Hazama, in a way. She stares at it, trying to say something. "You can't breath, can you?" It says. "You are probably dying. Your body can't handle the shock. But you should know, first." The snake coils up Dizzy's arm.

"This is all a dream, Dizzy."

*************************

AS the electronics sputter in a flash of blue and white, the system seems to lock up. That is not an issue, as the lights cease. But as Relius, hiding behind his cloak, shakes away the glass... Dizzy starts shuddering. Choking. Something was happening, something was wrong. The chitek system was malfunctioning. Something was causing her to act up. Waves of terror boil from her. Terror and hate; the telltale signs of Necro. Dizzy writhes on the table, trapped, visor still sealed on her, her mouth open as she gags. Something was wrong.

And Relius wasn't going to let Ky help her.

"The jurisidiction of the NOL is higher than any nation..." He says coldly, his purple boots crunching on the broken glass. "You won't be worrying about it, I'm afraid." Relius snaps his fingers. Ignis suddenly snaps to attention, following. "If all I need to do is take you, Ky Kiske? Then so be it." The magical energy surges around him. "My agenda will be going according to plan, Ky Kiske."

And his cloak swishes open.

Two mechanical limbs burst from within, somewhere from his body or... something. The point where the base of the limb and the body seemed almost a blur. At their tips are a pair of buzzsaws, surgical tools to cut away and remove. The limbs drive deep into the ground, penetrating them. Surging deep below, Relius seems to stay put, focusing as the sigils spread around. It isn't clear what is happening... until the sound is heard under Ky's feet. The swordsman will have a second before the buzzsaws erupt up on their limbs, attempting to clear at his legs, his feet... and the bed legs as well, to send the suffocating Dizzy to the floor. A crippling blow.

Enough to prepare Ky Kiske for his operation.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske blocks Relius' Geara Lugia.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Relius

[KY KISKE]
"If you believe that I am all you'll have to face, villain, you are in for a strong disappointment," Ky retorts with a certainty that is pure and absolute in his voice. Even if he doesn't make it out of here alive, he has now sealed the independence of the Sacred Order. They may have a fight ahead of them, but they will have the world on their side. All because Relius wants to make proclamations such as being above any nation's law.

"So you're now stating that the NOL recognizes no law other than their own whims? Is the NOL declaring itself a sovereign nation?"

As the whirring and buzzing appendages make their appearance, Ky does not seem at all surprised by this fact. No, it is pretty much exactly what he'd suspect of a man like Relius.

Those appendages burrow, and Ky has seen moves like this before. He takes a step back, and draws his sword before him, bracing the flat of the blade across his palm so that when the buzzing, lethal blades erupt from the ground beneath him, letting the saws clash against that lightning charged steel and send sparks flying everwhere in a shower of brilliant orange light.

Hoisting himself up and over, Ky lands into a sidebound slide across the floor, so that his legs will entangle up in Relius' own and send him off balance. Just when you'd think that was the extent of his attack, however, Ky's sliding momentum comes to an abrupt halt as he lurches forward with a low placed swipe of his sword, infused with enough of his magic to leave a brilliant wave of pure electrical force behind it, with the express purpose of not only slicing this masked monster, but also to send thousands of amps forcing their way into Relius' body. With Dizzy choking on the floor, Ky needs to end this as quickly as he can.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hits Relius with Stun Dipper.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
Relius almost has to smirk at that.

"Villain, how droll." He says, bemused as Dizzy writhes and flails... and as his blades are met with mystic steel. The mechanical limbs actually go dull before the attack finishes. Retracting the limbs back from beneath the ground, he takes a moment to recover, to recoil it. Sweeping his cloak back, he attempts to leap over the slide. He mostly fails, as he is knocked tumbling. The swipe of the sword comes, and he lets out an audible grunt of pain. But what is most striking is not the bloodless wound on his torn clothing, the alabaster flesh underneath torn into a clean cut.

It is the lightning.

Coming into the large central room, Ignis suddenly locks up. As the electricity floods into Relius, the electrical current leaps from him into the construct. Ignis, in turn, seems electrocuted as well. But as the electric current chains between the two, is dissipates; the damage seems to have been split between the two. Some kind of connection between them. Divided, both the construct and Relius manage to shake off the stunning shock. "Nonsense, boy." He grunts, standing up again. "The NOL recognizes the laws of the land. We are merely needing certain tools to carry out our functions. In any case, there are certain authorities above the laws of mere men. Even you believe in that with your fanciful religion. Tell me, how many laws have you broken to come here, in your misguided attempt at justice?" Relius's air is lecturing, speaking down to the handsome young man as he strides aside, his hand in the air as he closes in at Dizzy. Did he... stop fighting? No, it was a trap. "The Command Gear must be subdued and controlled; she was perfectly safe here until you messed things up."

"Look at what you had done!"

Dizzy flops like a fish, as a rush of air comes into her lungs. That is what it takes to relax. But the oppressive waves of hate from Necro was only growing stronger. "Don't you see how much you are hurting her?" He gestures at the gear, who continues to whimper pitifully. There is a snap of the fingers, as he pauses in mid stride.



"Ignis, please."

There is a flicker, and the iron maiden is at Ky Kiske's side. There is a grinding sound as her hands begin to extend claws. Pink chi floods over her as she begins to unleash a swipe at Ky. And another. And another. Three swipes, before she begins to spin like a top, attempting to drive Ky Kiske back and away from Dizzy.

To make it clear for Relius to delicately inspect the girl.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske dodges Relius' Val Tus.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0           Relius

[KY KISKE]
The man goes on about obeying the laws of the land, immediately after proclaiming that he is going to initiate a pogrom against those of the Sacred Order who do not capitulate to the forcible and unwillful idea of being absorbed into his own group. Laughable, at best. Wasn't it one of his own that scoffed at "loose understanding" of how laws work? Detestable. The entire lot of them are detestable filth. Garbage. Tyrants.

He doesn't respond to the question presented to him. Let the bastard come to his own conclusions. Yes, Ky is aware that what he is doing could be seen as unlawful in the eyes of some. His argument to that is that they are illegally detaining a person guilty of no crime but merely existing, and thus it is a hostage situation. This gives him, as a knight captain, the justification he needs for a search and seizure, due to probable cause. It'll stick on paper, at least.

"She was perfectly safe in the Vatican until your lot abducted her through deception. She will be safe again, once freed from you and your wretches!"

As Ignis appears at his side, Ky immediately responds. He had noticed the link between puppet and puppeteer only moments ago, but he is curious if that connection extends both ways. Judging from what he had seen of Relius thus far, he doubts such would be the case. Relius strikes him as the kind of guy who subscribes to an outlook on life that consists of "If you scratch my back, you scratch my back".

As the construct strikes, Ky weaves and ducks back, nimbly avoiding each of the three claw swipes, and then rushing past to the side as the thing spins, moving past it to the man himself. His sword dips low, his arm crossed over his midsection so that the tip carves through the flooring in a shower of sparks at his left hip. Once within range, he strikes, sweeping his electrified blade in a diagonal upwards strike, with the telltale flash of lightning trailing in its wake.

COMBATSYS: Relius blocks Ky Kiske's Lightning Drive.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
Relius places a gloved hand on Dizzy's neck.

Not to squeeze it, but to feel the pulse. It was regular. Despite her strained reactions, she was mostly stable. Inspecting the containers sealing her wings, he nods firmly. Behind him, Ignis continues to occupy Ky Kiske, the construct missing with her swipes. Steadily, he traces his finger down her chest, tracing the outline of her body. The hands drift down over her stomach, lower and lower. It approaches to the top of her thighs, as he begins to move-

Ignis -slams- into him, knocking him astray.

The electrical swipe rips through the construct. The creation throws up her own arms, defending against it. The surge of electricity connects to both Relius and the Construct like before, but Relius is sent stumbling. Falling over to one knee after the knock away, he grimaces, gripping his chest. "Ignis, would you -please?-" The alchemist states furiously. Rising up from his position, he snaps his fingers twice. Ignis circles around Ky Kiske, floating as the Mad Alchemist grimaces. "She is fine right now, if you care to notice. The chi transfer process is highly disruptive; she still thinks she's in her dream. I really don't have the patience for this, Ky Kiske."

"Do know there was no deception, however."

Relius continues to keep his distance away from Ky Kiske, letting his construct try and bear the brunt of the attack. All while he murmurs and speaks. "We were prepared to gain the authority to arrest every single one of you. We had the warrant pending. WE hardly even predicted that Dizzy would agree to it. But she had a very reasonable counter-offer. There is no deception on that behalf, Ky Kiske. We had to compromise a bit on the garden she desired. But we acted true to her wishes." Relius tsk tsks, rummaging under his cloak.

"It's you who is violating her desires, Ky!"

"I might as well prepare for the hybridization, before you are sealed away permanently." Relius stands at the sidelines, walking backwards. With a flick of the wrist, he draws out a singular vial of black seithr. The swirling substance flows. He reaches under his cloak, as a surge of mist flows into him. "You were right, you know." He states with gritted teeth, as the magical energy surges within him. The construct lashes it's long limbs at Ky Kiske. This time, it was attempting to scoop up the swordsman. Should it succeed? It would pivot, and -slam- Ky Kiske to the ground, at Relius's feet. All with a coy nod of it's head to her master, as if it was an offering. "The Command Gear is very human; her genetic code is nearly compatible with a human." He says idly, adjusting his gloves. "There is enough differences where the offspring would be sterile, unfortunately, but..." Relius gives a grin towards Ky Kiske.

"I think I found a means of resolving that difference."

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske blocks Relius' Medium Throw.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0           Relius

[KY KISKE]
When Relius starts to... fondle Dizzy, Ky feels a righteous wrath threaten to overtake him. It disgusts him, seeing such a display from a man such as him. His nose, such a fine thing, with it's slightly upturned, pointed tip, crinkles up as his upper lip curls with disdain. His teeth grit.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

As Ignis again, interposes itself between him and his target, Ky's blue eyes flash. Relius says he doesn't have the patience for this? He dares? Ky feels the weight of time on him. He needs this to be done, quickly. He needs to ensure, for himself, that Dizzy is alright.

"You told her that we had commited a crime, when we had not. That is a deception. You had her believe that she could save us, when we were in no need of saving. That is a deception. You trespassed, where you were not welcome. Everything you have done to abduct Dizzy was unlawful and immoral! You can speculate that you might have gotten a warrant, but for what crime? Offering sanctuary to a person in need? Lest you forget that the church has, and always has had, the right to offer sanctuary to anyone, even those who are legitimately wanted by the law!"

As Ignis tries desperately to sweep Ky off of his feet, the deft swordsman simply uses the flat of his blade to bat aside its hands, as he pivots with a flourish that sends his white coat tails spreading out about him. As he comes out of that pirouette, his sword whips out with another slash, glinting with light reflected off of the polished steel, and charged with his magical lightning.

COMBATSYS: Relius interrupts Quick Strike from Ky Kiske with Id Lauger.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
Really, Relius couldn't even see why Ky Kiske would be upset.

He grimaces the seithr floods him, making conversation against the righteous young man. "You had stolen her away, and hid her away." Relius says calmly, as if he was lecturing a student who was caught cheating. "Really, it's just arguing in circles with you. Just accept the supremacy of the NOL, Ky! It will make the next steps so much easier. And it's important for me to touch her, Ky Kiske."

"I am a doctor, in a manner of speaking."

Despite that, as Ignis fails to make any progress against Ky Kiske again. He rolls his eyes in disgust. "What a useless woman." He states dismissively, snapping his fingers. Immediately, the construct winks out of sight. Another snap of the fingers comes, and a circle of sigils manifest behind him as the first swipe comes. He seems almost unready to react, his focus on the sequence of sigils, of Ignis. The first slice comes in -deep-, the electrical charge coursing over him as he turns with the cut, his cloak twirling.

The second slash would not reach him.

From behind him, a massive gauntlet explodes out from the portal, slamming -hard- into Ky Kiske's center. Attempting to knock him away towards Dizzy, he might come a bit short. The gauntlet returns within the portal, as Relius gasps for air. "Besides, what is legal and is not legal isn't truly important right now. What has been done has been done, and no fantasies of justice and morality will resolve it." Relius touches on the wound. -Now- there is a glimmer of blood, crimson fluid dripping from the wound. He scowls at the blood. "What's important now is that you are subdued long enough to provide the next step of my plan." He adjusts his gloves again, staring with that smile that was practically -burning- into Ky Kiske's soul.

"To impregnate the Command Gear."

[KY KISKE]
Ky is slammed. Hard. He does, in fact, go flying away, landing first on his rear end, and then bouncing onto his back, before his feet flip up over end, and he's sliding across the floor face down. But he still has a solid grip on his sword, so it is clear that the crusading knight is not down for the count just after one solidly landing blow from some magic space guantlet thing.

He gets back to his feet, his hair disheveled, and hanging before his face in waves of flaxen colored spikes, and there is a bit of blood seeping down his chin from the corner of his mouth. He simply wipes it away on the knuckle of one of his blue gauntlets, and presses on.

"You're right. What's done is done, and the only thing that matters now is that I take you out and get her away from you!"

Because he doesn't even want to think about the rest of what was just said.

He brings one fist to his chest, his eyes falling closed only momentarily as a whispered oath is spoken, inaudible and under his breath within a fraction of a second. As that deep, piercing stare opens with a flare of light held within it, he thrusts his hand out, opening his palm as arcane energy flashes with motes of streaming blue-white light that form a circular seal, filled with sigils in angelic script and sacred geometry. From that seal issues forth a luminous sphere of lightning. Electromagnetic pulses serve to attract his opponent towards that swirling ball of lightning and thunder, and should it succeed in drawing him in, Relius will find that it is akin to being hit repeatedly with a taser, over and over again.

And should Relius be drawn in, Ky will draw his sword up, held in both hands, with the blade flat and horizontally leveled with the tip pointed at his target. Right at the damnable golden mask, directly between his eyes. With a burst of inhuman speed, Ky launches forth, leaving a blazing trail of electrical power behind him to sizzle the air. Thrusting his sword forth, he strikes straight, coming to a sliding halt in a perfected fencing thrust.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hits Relius with Charge Drive.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
Relius approaches Ky Kiske with a cautious pace.

"You see... it would be very easy to artificially do it." Relius explains with clinical precision. "Certainly it would be the simplest. We could even modify the garden to make it feel just... like... you. But in all outcomes, if the Command Gear is forced to come to term, it is very poor for the child and the entire NOL. The psychological effects of a forced pregnancy without the consent of the patient is significantly traumatic. We've identified other possible individuals; while we ever have thought that our Colonel Kagura might have been willing to perform his duty. But there is only one individual that she would seem to tolerate, Ky Kiske."

"You."

Relius and Ky come colliding together. Already, as the sigils come, he musters his own counter-sigils with the snaps of his fingers. His eyes were burning through his mask, as he looks deeper into Ky. Deeper. Ky might even begin to feel the sensation of fingers probing around his soul for a moment. Only a moment, until the surge of electricity drives him out of it. The orb of lightning comes, and Relius snaps out of it. He twirls his cape, and then it happens. The electrical tongue seizes his cloak, and draws him in. The jolts of electricity begin to come, as he writhes in the grips. "Ignis!" He says desperately, as the construct appears. The machine dives in, attempting to scoop the writhing Relius out of the mess. But the blade comes, aiming true. Everything comes into slow motion as the tip closes in on Relius...

That is the moment when the momentum of the fight shifts.

Relius groans in pain as blood runs down his face. His mask... his mask was cleaved through. And yet, it remains fixed on, despite the long slice. ANd slice it was; The blade avoided in only the loosest sense of the word. Ignis limps to the side, collapsing as the blade runs through her. Relius feels another surge of electrical power through him, the waves of electricity still trapping him down. Blood trickle in droplets on the floor. "She wants you," Relius says with a chill in the air. "And while I had hoped you would have been more cooperative..." Relius slams a palm on the floor, and the injured Ignis disappears again.

"Your consent will not be necessary."

His head, his head was in agony. But the sigils, what of the sigils he created at the start of Ky's own magic? Those sigils surge to life, as chromatic energy floods from it. The energy explodes out from the ring, the orb blasting out to try and intercept Ky Kiske, to smash into him. Or if not that... to disrupt his own electrical magic, to break Relius free. And once he was free? He would need to hasten his plan.

He would need to prepare the Puppeteer's Altar.

COMBATSYS: Relius successfully hits Ky Kiske with Nero Angelo.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0           Relius

[KY KISKE]
"You are disgusting! Vile! You are human refuse!" Condemns Ky Kiske, as Relius waxes on about how he plans on impregnating Dizzy with Ky's own seed. The very idea of such a violation disturbs the young knight to the very core of his being. Every molecule of him, and every ounce of his soul teems with anger and disgust. He can feel the bile in the back of his throat, like battery acid.

Ky makes a valient attempt to defend himself against the oncoming wave of Relius' attack, but it is to no avail. Perhaps he is too unbalanced due to his rage. Perhaps he is just too intent on focusing his attack into a never-ending assault. He wants to put Relius down. He needs to.

Pushing past the orb as it collides against him, Ky moves like lightning, lifting his sword overhead with both hands, only to bring it crashing down with all the force he can muster with his entire body bowing at the waist to lend his weight to the attack. The ferocity of the blow is intended to either split Relius' head in twain, or to shatter his defensive capability for what comes next.

Regardless of whether or not the overhead blow succeeds, Ky is poetry in motion. As Thunderseal crashes down to the floor, creating an eruption of bright orange sparks, Ky spins on his toes, sweeping around and coming up with an underhanded slash that propels both him, and, if successful, the vile beast that is Relius, up into the sky. Lightning creates an arcing semicircle like a halo around the paladin, who is, possibly appropriately, ascending towards the heavens in a pose not unfit for an angel. His head upturned, his arms out to his sides, with that sacred, holy blade wreathed in magical power.

And at the apex of this attack? He mutters another near silent invocation, summoning forth another angelic seal before the open palm of his hand, from which a small bolt of lightning shoots out, hoping to send Relius flying and electrocuted.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske blitzes into action and acts again!

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0           Relius

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hits Relius with Crushing Strike.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1           Relius

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hits Relius with Lightning Javelin.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1           Relius

[RELIUS]
It was simply science.

Relius's focus is pinpoint now. He had always hoped Ky Kiske had consented. But extracting the seed seemed to be the case here. He didn't even think it was possible to 'encourage' the noble knight for force his way with Dizzy. His courage and piety was too strong. Still, in the battle of science over religion, science would always dominate. As the orb of pure magic knocks Ky away, he finally has his moment to stand up again.

And turn back towards Ky Kiske.

"Is it so wrong, Ky Kiske? I've looked so deeply into you and Dizzy now. I can see how strongly you feel for each other. How much passion you keep... and the kind of dark, deep desires you lock away in both of your hearts. Humans... Gears... deep down, they are simply animals, just hollow souls, seeking to breed, propagate, and die. In a different circumstances, seeing your beloved Dizzy restrained like that, so helpless and vulnerable... you would enjoy that." There is a hushed whisper, as Dizzy gives a sigh of pain.

"She certainly would, you kno-"

Relius's words are cut short by the pure, righteous strike aiming squarely for his skull. The magician throws open his cloak, and a wall of gears suddenly boil upwards. He moves to slip around the initial strike... but the blade almost seems to guide itself straight for him. The blade slices straight for his arm at the shoulder. There is a sickening plop, as the limb falls off, cleaved cleanly from the shoulder. Relius gasps in agony, as he reaches for the stump. That in itself would be enough to stop him cold. But to Relius's dawning horror, he realizes that Ky Kiske was not done; on the other side of the wall, he was unleashing an eruption of electrical energy. Relius raises his hand again, as the gears spread out. Mechanical limbs lash out from under his cloak, trying to catch Ky Kiske, to stop him, slow him down, deflect him. All of Relius's defensive tricks were in full motion.

And none could stop the justice.

Ky Kiske cracks open Relius again, and pours pure justice straight into him. Relius is sent airborne, his mechanical limbs scattering around as he spins. He gives a pained moan as the electricity pierces him, his skeleton, at least, the blend of bones and steel that he was made of now, reveal itself. The holy blade whirls around, and at the apex? THe seal holds him in place long enough to blast Relius away.

And his body smashes into a nearby panel rack.

Relius is limp at the panel. Blood and black fluid pour from the stump. Doubled over it, the sparks of electricity flies up from the machine. Relius moves almost unconsciously, his body beginning to soak itself with the mingling of fluid. His breathing is slow. Dizzy suddenly jolts as well with the impact, as the visions in her bolted-on visor worsen. Her breathing quickens, he body writhes. Arcing her back, she lets out a pained gasp.

"Ignis, my dear..."

Relius says softly, before forcing himself into a stand. His good hand was in his cloak. His other hand was still attached to the arm, writhing on the ground near Dizzy. Relius limps forward, breathing so ragged. And drawing his hand out, He... he holds a second vial of seithr in his hand. Bringing it up, he holds it up in the palm of his hand. And the words with which he speak come with the full weight of horror and dread, every syllable ringing the bells of doom.

"* * * P R E P A R E * * *"

"* * * * * T H E * * * * *"

"* P U P P E T E E R ' S *"

"* * * * A L T A R * * * *"

Ignis suddenly phase into existence at Ky's side. The construct slam a claw straight for Ky Kiske's face-

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske blocks Relius' #The Puppeteer's Altar#.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Ky Kiske         0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0           Relius

And raises him high up.

The magic seal boils around Ky Kiske, locking him into the air. Already, the chains begin to manifest from nowhere, to draw around him, to latch around his wrists, his ankles, his knees, his elbows. Stretching apart to leave him just at the right level for the good scientist. To hold him in place. Ignis releases Ky Kiske, leaving him in the restrained state. Trapped. Absolutely trapped, and restrained within the circle.

"I think you might enjoy this, Ky Kiske."

That is what Relius says, as he approaches the edge of the circle. He touches the stump again, and chuckles. "How delightful~" was his soft-spoken coo. Already, the mechanical limbs begin to rise and extend from the depths of his cloak, in anticipation of the work. The tips are an assortment of devices. Syringes attached to tubes. Tiny scalpels. Buzzsaws. Drills. And the tiniest scissors, so small you might not even feel the cut. Relius clears his throat. The bleeding on the stump has stopped. He looks at Ky Kiske, his waxy skin gleaming in the dim light.

"This is the puppeteer's altar, Ky Kiske."

"This is how I... can do my work. It's very time consuming, and very exhausting for both of us. I have these tools, you see?" He gestures at the mechanical arms, the dozens that was extending longer and longer, all around the circle. "They are very efficient, Ky Kiske. If it so pleased me, I could pick you apart, piece by little piece, so cleanly and precisely, that I could sort your remains into boxes. Fat. Skin. Bone. Organ. Muscle. In efficient little cubes, Ky Kiske. But the most important part of the altar, Ky Kiske, is that it isn't simply to take apart. It is an opportunity to rebuild." Relius draws in a heavy breath, as his limbs encircle around Ky Kiske, hovering over the hanging form.

"Let me explain what I am going to do to you."

The tips of the blades touch on Ky Kiske's flesh, piercing through his clothing. Not enough to break the skin. But to touch it. "In order to match compatibility with the Command Gear, we need a certain level of... conversion into you. I am going to make you into a Gear, Ky Kiske." Relius tone is very gentle, as his gaze penetrates deeper and deeper inside Ky Kiske.

"The process will almost certainly kill you."

"Not immediately, of course. It would not be very useful if it did. But your organs would eventually fail, along with your nervous system. The effects on your mind will almost be as violent as it is to your body. But I will let you go... and you can have your way with Dizzy, as per your instincts. And when she recovers, I will tell her enough of the truth. That it was her prince charming. She will feel moved, and she will bear the child, and she will support and raise it, instead of killing it out of regret and shame and guilt. And she will see you in it every day, to remember the brave, handsome knight who saved her... and sacrificed himself for her sake." The syringes get a sudden pulse as they squeeze, oozing the chromatic juices from the needle-tips, dripping them on the floor with a hiss. Dizzy gives a shudder as she laid on the ground. Relius looks at her for a moment, and smirks.

"Let us begin-"

*************************

"Why... why is this all happening?"

Dizzy was sitting at the base of the tree, holding herself in a fetal position, rocking herself back and forth. "Why would they... they trick me? Why would they lie to me? Why?" Dizzy sobs, as the illusion of tears run down her face. "Why can't I wake up? Why can't I escape? Why?" Kagura, or at least, the illusion of him reaches out, uncertain. His shape was distorted, his face failing to form. The cats were a single entity, a wall of eyes and fur gazing over her sadly. They couldn't help her. But they could feel hurt. They weren't programmed to hurt Dizzy. They were programmed to help her.

And that Trust was gone forever.

The snake continues to coil around Dizzy, winding around her, slipping it's tongue into her ear. She could feel herself being shaken around. But she couldn't escape it. The snake, however, whispers to her. "You can escape... you could always escape... but do you really want to escape?" The snake looks around the distorted garden. "The garden will be fixed, you know. ANd then you will be back in your paradise." Dizzy shakes her head. "I don't want this. I want... I want real life!" Dizzy says strongly. "I didn't... I didn't want..." She trails off, as the snake chuckles. "You wanted to be happy, like you were happy at the courtyard. You have your replacement Ky Kiske, even. Isn't this better than the Sacred Order?" Dizzy sniffles. "It... it is... but it isn't... real."

And the apple falls into her lap. The fruit of the forbidden tree. Dizzy sits upright, crossing her legs, focusing on the apple. The snake looks at it, stroking her shoulder. "If you leave this place, you will never return to the happiness before. You will always remember this. You will always know this place... and everything you do, will compare to the paradise lost. If you bite the apple, you will have the knowledge of the outside, and escape this garden. But if you let it go? This place will be yours, forever."

"What will you choose Dizzy?"

Dizzy stares at the apple. She breathes hard. And closing her eyes, she brings it to her lips... and takes the bite.

************************* "Let us begin-"

"NOOOOOOO!" Dizzy screams as she suddenly sits up. She.... she stares around in the darkness, her heart racing. "No! NO!" She screams again, as the pulses of energy suddenly boil from her. Relius is taken aback, stunned. "Damn!" He curses. Dizzy rips off the visor, as the magic cycle begins to flicker. "Ignis!" Relius demands, looking at the command gear. The construct moves swiftly, as blood pours from Dizzy's face, her temples, her skull. She breathes hard, and as the construct falls upon her, seizing her by the throat. She is lifted in the air, choking and gagging-

And there is a pulse of energy, that causes the entire complex to groan.

The magic seal flickers, the chains suddenly becoming weak. "No!" Relius cries out, as he desperately jabs the syringes at Ky. ALL of them. There was no time for precision, no time for anything. All the mechanical limbs lash out all at once, attempting to tear into Ky, attempting to tear into him. But the magic seal was gone. The opportunity lost; he could resist, her could fight back. And Ignis was shaking, rocking side to side, reeling from the pure magical pulse that ran through the whole of the complex.

As Necro and Undine begins to break from their prisons.

[KY KISKE]
Ky was in the moment, having found his edge. He had struck Relius, and bitten deep. He had levied his assault, plied it for the advantage, and capitlized on the mad alchemist's weakness. The fight was over. All Ky needed to do now was one... last...

Ignis.

The puppet-woman-thing suddenly appears as Ky was coming in for yet another attack, and her claws capture that youthful face, intercepting him before he can even redirect his swing to shatter her to pieces in his pursuit of Relius himself. Ky is lifted from his feet, one hand still grasping Thunderseal while the other grips the wrist of Ignis, as if he might rip the claws free of his very face. Vanity is not one of Ky's sins.

"You... You BASTARD!!!" The knight shouts, as he hears the gloating voice of this... this thing. Relius is not a man, that much is now apparent. He is monster, both within and without. A thing, made of wax and bone and hair and little teeth. Ky feels the chains, encircling him at his joints, pulling him apart to leave him helpless and vulnerable. He struggles, muscles flexing, pulling and tearing, fists clenched, teeth clamped shut so tightly that he might nearly break them on each other.

To say that Ky doesn't feel fear as Relius drones on about how he can disassemble him would be a lie. No. Ky knows fear, and he feels it keenly in this moment. It grips at his heart like the touch of death itself. But his fear for Dizzy is greater still. If he fails here, he fails her. She will be nothing more than the science project... a breeding mare... for this sick, twisted thing that wears the face of a man. So, Ky Kiske stuffs his fear down. Way down. Deep into the very pit of his gut.

"Go on, then," Ky says, his voice quiet, but more fierce for it. His eyes seethe with unrestrained hatred as he looks up into the white, glassy eyes of that split, golden mask. "Make me a Gear. That will just give me more power. I'll only use that to destroy you and everything you've ever touched. Do it. Think of what that will be, Relius. Think of what you will turn me into."

He scoffs, offering a rueful grin as he speaks, "As a mere man, I've come all this way, destroying your so called "Maximum Security" facility. Do you really think any cage you might have will hold me if you turn me into a Gear? Even if it kills me, as long as I... As long as I free Dizzy, and destroy you, it will be worth it. So come on!"

Dizzy's scream shatters Ky's resignation to this fate. As the Gear sits upright, his eyes widen in shock, and his head snaps up. "Dizzy!"

As Ignis lifts her by the throat, Kiske struggles once more. Anything he can do to free himself. That pulse helps, and as the chains weaken, Ky throws off the shackles, ripping himself free, even as his flesh is jabbed and stabbed, poked and prodded by the thrashing of Relius' mechanical appendages. One of the dripping needles even stabs him in the left eye, leaving it bleeding, so that Ky has to hold it closed.

"You're mine now! You won't escape!"

Ky raises Thunderseal, leveling it, once more, directed at Relius. His free hand draws two fingers down the edge of the blade, as he conjures forth a glowing white seal of two circles, with four rings in each of the cardinal directions, until they begin spinning slowly as the sigil hovers in the air. Lightning swirls about like a vortex within the center of it, and through that, Ky waves his open hand with a flourish, sending a spark of electricity through it. The magic combines, amplifying the effect, and turning a simple spark into a jagged bolt of lightning, vaguely shaped in the impression of a sawtoothed spear blade, with trails of crackling lightning racing off of it and attracting to nearby metallic things.

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hits Relius with Charged Stun Edge.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Ky Kiske         1/-------/=======|>>-----\-------\0           Relius

[RELIUS]
The fluids inject straight into the eye.

Ky Kiske might not even feel the effects for hour, or days, or months. The chemical's effects are so subtle, so simple. His cellular structures was just opened up for Ky Kiske's own innate chi powers to flood within it. The chromosomes are dissolved just enough to become malleable, to become twisted and corrupted. A chi poisoning in the most insidious form. A corruption.

Justice was forged the same way.

And yet, the desperate surge of mechanical limbs was worthless for Relius's immediate purposes. As the THunderseal comes up, the sheer volume and momentum of the mass of limbs actually throw him off balanced. He disengages from all of them. The limbs are ripped away, falling away as the engineer pulls away. As the sigil of lightning builds, he actually has the nerve to wag his finger at Ky Kiske. "Perhaps next time, Ky Kiske. I think it's time for me to make my very exit." Relius begins to sink into his cloak, the cape enveloping him as he begins to collapse out of sight-

No.

The form of Relius is smashed out of the escape. Smashing along the ground, a second pulse of chi runs through the depths of the complex. Dizzy was gagging, choking, kicking her legs. A single kick at Ignis nearly smashes her in, the strength of the Command Gear impossibly strong. But Relius.... Relius doesn't get up, his abdomen impaled. He comes on all threes, reaching for the... Ky?

"Ignis..."

He chokes, feebly raising his only hand up in the air. And then, he falls face first into the ground. Ignis releases Dizzy. Her empty eyes transfix on Ky Kiske. And the construct bolts straight for him. Even in mid-flight, she begins to slow down, as Relius's power... flows away. It might even be easy enough to avoid... as long as Ky Kiske avoids the sudden reaching of Relius's cut off arm attempting to seize him by the leg. Swinging her massive clawed arm, she attempts to snatch Ky Kiske up by the throat. Should she get that far? Her other hand would become a drill, and then she would attempt to finish what Relius started: try and drive a pink-chi laced drill deep into the chest of the blonde. It would not go far.

Her form goes limp, the light escaping her eyes.

Dizzy clutches her own throat gasping, blinking her eyes as the coverings over where her wings would be start to make a hammering sound. She looks around... and looks at Ky Kiske. She doesn't respond at first, uncertain of what it is.

"... K-ky Kiske? You shouldn't..."

"... Shouldn't... should't be here... oh what have I done?!"

COMBATSYS: Relius can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ky Kiske         1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske dodges Relius' Geara Kaas.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ky Kiske         1/-------/=======|

[KY KISKE]
The feeling of vindication as he watches Relius try to weasel away, only to be caught up in the electrifying blast of Ky's thunderous magicks, is absolute. With his one, remaining usable eye, Ky's gaze is at once triumphant and defiant. He locks it directly on Relius' own milky white stare as the crippled and smoldering monster bleeds out before him, reaching so desperately for one last... what? Chance to harm? For begging mercy? He had passed the point of no return in that regard, the moment that he had laid his filthy, degenerate hands upon Dizzy.

So what, then?

Relius falls. Ignis turns to face Ky, and Ky only feels relief. Let the construct come for vengeance. It will leave Dizzy alone, and at this point, with unknown, eldritch fluid infecting his veins, Ky doesn't hold much fear of death at all. He will fight, and she will be free. His victory has already been assured. That much, he had seen to. And that was all that mattered.

That doesn't mean, however, that he's just going to roll over and die now that his mission is accomplished. Far from it. He'll fight tooth and nail to his very last breath. These are the thoughts that run through his head within the span of time that it takes for a crack of lightning to fall from the heavens. All while Ignis makes her mad dash at him.

She reaches out, slashing at him with those vicious claws to take his throat in her grasp, but she'll find only air, as Ky moves like quicksilver, slipping under the attack and to the side, so that his counter attack might be a flank to the strange automaton.

But, alas, it is not needed. As the last embers fade from Relius, so, too, does the fire within the puppet diminish, and it falls, no more than a very exquisite display of craftsmanship and a lingering relic of a hubris that could have consumed the world.

"...Dizzy..."

His voice is weak, as the exhaustion finally settles in. Fatigue burns in every muscle, and suddenly, he feels just how starved for oxygen he had been, as the pain in his head throbs with his racing heart. His demolished eye, too, burns. It burns like acid, and feel swollen and mushy under his closed lid. The blood flows so freely down his cheek, staining alabaster flesh with its bright carmine hue.

He drops Thunderseal, letting it fall to the floor with an unceremonious clang of steel on steel, and finally, the lightning nimbus that surrounds that razor sharp blade dies, no longer illuminating their horrific surroundings with that blue-white haze.

"...I came for you... Let.. Let's free Necro and Undine..." he says, as he closes the distance between himself and the Gear. He clutches at his body, battered and broken, and no longer shielded from that pain as the adrenaline fades out from his bloodstream. And, once within her proximity, the Holy Knight nearly collapses, catching himself by falling against her, his arm encircling her neck. He also dives in, his lips finding hers and crushing against them in a kiss so fierce that they might feel the faint outline of one another's teeth through it. There, he lingers for a long, long moment, before breaking to rest his forehead to hers, nose tip to nose tip. Quietly, he whispers, in a voice that sounds very small and very frightened, "I thought I had lost you..."

COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske has ended the fight here.


[DIZZY]
Ignis hangs her arms loosely, as Relius lays on the floor.

There is a heavy 'clunk' as the construct falls over. And that was the end of this battle. At the very least, the entire prison complex wasn't collapsing over on them. But Dizzy was... Dizzy was distraught. Confused. Frightened. The blue haired girl was covered with wounds and plugs, as she rakes the wires off her body. She felt her strength returning to her, but waking up from a deep dream was a slow, painful process. Even the pain was like a fresh jolt of reality to her. She casts her eyes around, not even sure if it was real. What if this was all an illusion? What if she was still with the visor. Dark thoughts flood her mind, mingling with despair.

Until Ky Kiske kisses her.

Dizzy's eyes are wide in shock for a moment, before they close gently. The Command Gear relaxes, her body loosening in Ky Kiske's grips. She almost faints from the passion. Her heart beats faster than ever before, faster than the fear, faster than then tears, faster than the anger. Her heart races so fast, and her body felt so relaxed. She throws her arms around Ky Kiske. This was real. She knew this could only be real. Burying her head into Ky's chest, she lets the moment happen. She just lets the moment happen, as she comes so close to Ky Kiske. Her chest rises and falls, taking in the warm safety of her knight in shining armor.

There was a whirring sound, outside of the prison.

Dizzy looks up to Ky, and gasps. "You are hurt!" She says, shaking her head. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have been a stupid girl. I should have... I don't know what I should have done. I shouldn't have run away to help those people. I shouldn't have not listened to you and Leo Whitefang, I shouldn't have agreed to sacrifice myself to protect you all, I... I shouldn't have done so many things. I've ruined everything..." Dizzy felt like she should cry. But what was the point. She looks away from Ky Kiske, towards the door out into the main hall, towards the elevators.

They were coming down the elevators.

They were responding now. How many more soldiers would they need to force through to escape? "I can't... hear them.... I can't hear them very well." Dizzy says softly. "Necro and Undine... But they are so... so angry... I am afraid Ky Kiske." Dizzy looks up to Ky Kiske, as one of the seals on her back glows red. "Am... Am I going to lose control? Am I going to start... killing people again? I don't know where I am, I don't... I don't want to lose control, Ky Kiske." She clasps her hands around Ky's.

"Will you keep me from going too far?"

[KY KISKE]
"I will be alright," Ky says, his voice still trembling and weak, but nevertheless reassuring in tone. He draws his head back, so that he can look at her with his one eye, and he shakes his head. "You're not to blame. You were only trying to help. Help those people, and help us. You couldn't have known what would happen. Don't blame yourself. Only the NOL is to blame for this."

Reaching up, Ky's hand cups Dizzy's cheek, his thumb toying with the corners of her lips, tracing them with a whisperingly light touch, and drawing her back when she tries to look away.

"I'm going to free them. Necro and Undine. I'm going to free them, and then we're going to get out of here together. I will keep you safe. It doesn't matter where you are. You're with me, now."

Ky's other hand drops, to his side. His fingers lightly curl, not quite a fist, but more like he's grasping for something. Electricity slowly arcs in the spaces between his fingers, rising up towards his fingertips in waves. Thunderseal, left on the ground when he came for Dizzy, rattles on the floor as magic calls to magic in the form of electromagnetism. And then, suddenly, it whips through the air, spinning around so that Ky can grasp the hilt of the powerful relic. Swiftly, he executes two blindingly fast slashes, cutting free the metal restraints on the Command Gear's wings.

Of course, this is a risk. A risk that the enraged symbiotic wings would just take over to vent their frustrations on him and everything else within a fifteen mile radius. But Ky is willing to risk the chance that he just might be able to convince them, too, to follow his orders in the interests of self-preservation, if nothing else.

"Alright. Undine," Ky says, looking to the light blue wing. He points out the door, and into the corridor where the elevators reside. "I need you to wall off all but one door with your ice. Necro, when the door to the elevator that Undine doesn't freeze opens... Let loose. Just not... too much. We don't want to bring the whole complex down on us."

Ky thinks that the pair of systems should still be rather taxed from the chi being drained from Dizzy for so long, anyway, so he shouldn't have much need to be concerned for Necro just nuking everything around them. He hopes. Readying himself, Ky steps back, and puts on a smile, despite being torn, ripped, shredded, and missing an eye. "Don't worry. We're going to get out of here and everything is going to be okay."

[DIZZY]
Dizzy swallows hard.

"Oh... Okay..." She says nervously. Ky did have a point. The priority was self-preservation. That was always the case. AS Thunderseal comes, she takes her position, kneeling before Ky Kiske, exposing her back. She clasps her own hands in prayer, as she breathes hard. She shuts her eyes. And the slices come. The wings unfurl into the full reach, and manifest into their shapes. The blue maiden, Undine. And the black reaper, Necro. Undine keeps her cool. Undine keeps her focus, and works to protect Dizzy. She works to coordinate to the best of her ability. She listens to Ky Kiske.

Necro?

Necro basically lasts to the end of Ky Kiske's speech.

And then he -screams- as he turns towards the mechanical door.

"Oh -no-" Dizzy gasps. Undine starts walling everything off, but Necro draws apart his arms. "Ky! KY!" Dizzy says rapidly. Violet energy draws into NEcro's chest, as he unhinges his jaw. It is a scream of fire, and of rage, and of purest hate. Hate, infinite hatred -pours- into the whole of the room. There is a ping, as the elevator doors opens. And Necro, for his purposes, almost listens to Ky Kiske.

As Necro -unleashes- the ray straight into the elevator doors.

The maximum security prisons were, ultimately, braced for levels higher than an underground nuclear blast. And thanks to the precision, it's safe to say that most of the explosion was absorbed up the thin elevator tube, ripping straight up into the general security floor. The entire complex was as well braced for the kind of seismic activity an underground nuclear blast could sustain. It was merely a magnitude 6 or 7, enough to severely rattle the foundation of the entire complex. But all that does not even cause the whole of the above ground, the thousands of feet of earth to come crushing down in a single enveloping crush.

It definately hurts your ears though.

A high pitched ringing fills the air with the thick clouds of steam. The cause of the steam? The walls of ice around the walls, around Ky, around Dizzy. Undine might not -like- Ky Kiske's gigalo ways, and her priority is protecting Dizzy. But she wasn't exactly going to let him become a smear of hamburger on the walls. Undine was in fact looking serene, her focus -dead- on keeping Ky and Dizzy alive. She wasn't fighting with Necro. She wasn't arguing with Necro. There is nothing in the elevator. There isn't even an elevator. There is just a blackened stain, smoking and glowing, with the shapes of NOL guards burned forever into the walls around it. Necro glares at the elevator. He doesn't take his hollow sockets it off it.

As Dizzy whimpers.

"I... I couldn't... stop him..."

[KY KISKE]
As soon as Ky sees the baleful look in Necro's ruby red eyes, he knows what is to come. He knows that kind of hatred. And so, he avoids it, quickly moving to the other side of Dizzy, the side where Undine resides. Taking Dizzy's hand within his own, Ky takes to one knee, propped up on his sword as he prepares to weather the storm.

The sound, though. His ears aren't protected, and he winces as the sheer ferocity of the noise, the wailing of Necro, the screeching of steel and roar of the blast, all assault his senses and threaten to burst his eardrums. He feels dizzy and nauseous, but he maintains his composure, and when it is through, he's left shaking his head as if to try to clear the ringing from his ears.

When he opens his eye to survey the scene of carnage laid before him, Ky is... uncertain of what to think. It was more than he had hoped for, and yet still less than he had anticipated. One could call that a win.

Ky gives Dizzy's hand a reassuring squeeze, as he knocks down the remainder of the wall of ice Undine had placed before them to protect them. "It is okay. He cleared our path for us. That was what we needed. It is okay."

She need not worry about the deaths that just happened. The grim realities of their situation. This is, in fact, the opening skirmish of what is likely to brew into a full scale war. Deaths will be necessary, even if regretable. Luckily, Dizzy won't have any bodies to distress over. That was a small mercy.

Hand in hand, the knight leads the Maiden through the debris and wreckage left in the wake of Necro's blast. Carefully picking through it, they arrive to the smoldering pit that was once an elevator. Ky peers up the charred and smoke filled shaft, and says, "We're going up to the top. Do you think you can fly?"

[DIZZY]
Necro almost lashes out on Ky Kiske, he was so on edge.

In the depths of the prison, the pressure of the other prisoners was building. Necro could feel them, feel them all. And his instincts made him want to fight them all. Undine? Undine wanted to stop Necro and stop anything from getting near both Dizzy and Ky. As Ky clears the path, she keeps alert, as Necro... as Necro just restrains himself from tearing a jet of flame straight into the blonde. Dizzy holds on to Ky's hand, as they reach the maw of the elevator. Dizzy actually peeks after Ky, looking up there. It was so high up, and she could fly. "I... I think so. But..." She looks at Necro, and then Undine. Who BOTH were not wings. She looks at Ky... and then back to them.

"I will need to... explain..."

"... Necro..." Dizzy says gently. She places a hand on the hem of his robe. "You were right. I should have listened to you. I should have let you fight him. But if we are going to escape... if we are going to be safe... we need to escape here. Please, Necro." She tugs the robe, looking up with soft red eyes.

"Please."

Necro scowls at Dizzy, and then Ky. He shoves Ky aside, and looks up the shaft. ANd there, he motions for Undine. Undine, still apprehensive, almost pretends to ignore Necro. Necro -slams- a hand on the opening, to get Undine's attention. And the two squabble for a moment. Necro points up the shaft, makes a -punching- gesture, and then a flapping gesture. Undine crosses her arms, with a huff. And then Necro looks at Dizzy, like he is just about done. Dizzy looks at Undine, and makes the same puppy-dog eyes. "Please Undine..."

"Please."

And Undine sighs. She relaxes, moving over at the entrance. And both Necro and Undine begin to... charge with energy in unison. Oh no. Oh noooo. "Ky Kiske." Dizzy says softly. "There are going to make it where we can fly out." How. Dizzy doesn't describe it. "I need you to hold on to me, Ky Kiske. And I need you to not let go, no matter what. We are going to escape here. Necro knows how. And UNdine will help him. But there is just one shot. Hold me." She says, with the faintest air of command. And then, those same puppy-dog eyes come upon him.

"Please Ky..."

"Please."

[KY KISKE]
Ky feels the pressure of the other prisoners, and with it, a pang of guilt. Who among them deserved this fate? How many of them were innocent victims of just simply being born as a Darkstalker? Created as a Gear? Just simply too powerful or in possession of some quality or trait that made them desirable to the whims of the mad scientist Relius Clover and others of the NOL like him? But he cannot save them all. Not immediately, at least. He cannot take the time to look over files and records to decide, on his own, who is naughty and nice. It is not a duty he would want, either. He is not tyrant. Instead, he resolves to reveal this to the entirety of the world, along with the evidence he has gathered during this encounter.

The trio argue amongst themselves in their silent communion, and Ky simply watches the interplay unfold before him. They do not have time for this. Even when Necro shoves the one-eyed knight aside, Ky simply goes with it, letting Necro past him to peer up into the darkness.

When all is said and done, and Dizzy implores him to hold on to her, no matter what, Ky is confused. But, he relents, giving in to those wide eyes that clutch at his heart strings and pulls him about like a marionette.

"I..." he starts, but stops himself. He steps forward to Dizzy, his hands sliding around her waist, resting on the small of her back, just over the start of her tail. Looking her in the eye, he gives a single nod of his head, indicating that he's ready when they are.

[DIZZY]
How many saviors were locked away down here?

How many Satans were locked away down here?

The Novus Orbis Librarium treaded the line between man and monster delicately; what if there was someone just as strong as Dizzy, but had the murdering intent? How many innocents were like Dizzy in the purity of their hearts? That was the problem with these deep, dark holes; when you have one person who is unjustifiably imprisoned, you cannot help but believe how many more are. But once you start seeing the blood on the hands of the liberated... what can it mean?

It was not the time to decide it now.

The tail is easily strong enough to support Ky Kiske. Dizzy feels warm, though, as Ky wraps his arms around her. Dizzy takes in a deep breath. The unison of both Necro and Undine reaches their climax, as the full force of the beam goes dim.

And it is -hurled- up the shaft.

For a brief moment, there are shadows. And then, there is nothing, as the blast -forces- forward, forces up, forces, force so straight up so hard with the deep, penetrating beam of pure power. Through the building, through the shaft, through the layers on concrete, and all the way into the sky. High above, the dim moonlight pierces down, into a cataclysmic detonation. Cloud swirl high above the security complex, as the airburst explodes into a blast cloud high above. The fire and flame and ice and snow boil into a great explosion. The area roars. Necro, Undine, and Dizzy look at the aftermath. The two familiar turn into wings. "Hold on... hold on tight, Ky Kiske. And no matter what."

"Never let me go."

And Dizzy takes flight, surging into the air. Flying high. Flying up the shaft to the boiling cloud flashfire of ice and flame.

To freedom.

************************

After a moment, Ignis rises up again. Folding her hands before her, she floats over to Relius's spare arm. Picking it up delicately, she comes over to the fallen form of Relius. She lifts him up, easing him over her shoulder. And the Mad Alchemist gently pats Ignis on the back. "My darling wife..." He sighs. "A hundred plans, and hundred potentials. And this outcome..." He looks at the empty prison. It was not ideal. The man was not dying. But he was going to have a lot more trouble. "This outcome..."

"This outcome will work, according to the final plan."

I am using this as a way of gettng my tag in the log

Log created on 13:27:56 04/02/2018 by Relius, and last modified on 17:19:23 04/06/2018.