A Game of Shadows [Adventure]

[Izanami Midorikawa]

The series of actions that happened over the next few moments were things that Nami hadn't ever expected to experience. The playing card that this entity had been able to form from whatever type of ability it possessed had some sort of pull over Nami keeping her from moving and actually manipulating her body. That single moment had proven what Nami had expected, there had been no chance of her defeating it. Facing off against anything that could not only not be cut by her Fullbring yet also manipulate her was something that she didn't have the power to defeat at least not yet.

Her arm was raised to catch the playing card, but she only held it for a moment as a wave of what felt like warmth washed over her. It felt almost like her entire being was being cooked by whatever this entity was doing. The only thing that seemed off was that she wasn't feeling pain from it, but instead a sensation that she didn't actually know as she had never experienced it. A feeling of peace was something that Nami had never felt, but for those few moments were the worry of fullfilling her purpose or reason for her existence or even fear for the one entity that could cause such the base emotion in her everything was gone.

Then suddenly that sensation was gone leaving Nami feel just how hollow she was inside of herself. She saw the playing card now had her dog tags on it and although she had never faced an ability like this she knew what it meant. She could already see that her ability to sense reiatsu was gone and her physical capabilities had been diminished. There was a thunder clap from the entity and then it seemed as if she was somewhere else now with two others near her. In typical Nami fashion though she said nothing yet awaited for what was going to come next.

[Beast]

The other girl in the room wasn't very talkative, but the boy turned to Beast and asked a dumb question. "What the sh#t happened to you?" Beast just turned towards Impossible with a terrible grin on his face. "I killed. And killed some more. And when I was done, I slaughtered more." The Hollow Wraith had gone on more than one rampage in his time free from Grodd's Inner World. He had once slaughtered a whole village and burned it to the ground just to sever the soul chains of the recently departed and consume their new fresh hollow selves. That had added quite a few stains to his shirt and pants.

He wasn't ashamed of his murder, and in fact reveled in it. That would probably put him at odds with Izanami and Impossible, but he was quite sure he could handle himself. He was so sure that he could do this whole thing solo that he hadn't even tried to play nice. Sure, without his strength he wouldn't try getting into a physical fight with these two, but he was quite confident in his fighting abilities and his swords... man... ship... WAIT A MINUTE. WHERE WERE HIS ZANPAKUTOU? He had forged those himself by literally getting angry enough to manifest his rage into a piece of his soul made a weapon. They had been stolen from him by the Trader, and he was pissed.

"You better give me back my Zanpakutou when you're done, filthy Trader!" He shouted to the sky, probably to no avail.

[Impossible]

Impo stared at the crazy guy with a less than impressed look. "Okay, so, arrancar with a murder boner. Got it." He said. It wasn't the first time he's had to deal with psychopaths, though it was the first that wore it on their sleeves. And shirt, pants, and anything else they're wearing. Deciding he didn't want to smell like blood for the rest of the day, he walked over to the next closest person. Unlike the man he was just speaking to, she was noticeably lacking in visible blood, an instant plus one from the other guy. "So" He said, getting her attention. "did a masked pr#*k get you too?" He asked, trying to see if the same thing happened to everyone.

[Izanami Midorikawa]

As Nami stood awaiting to here about this game that the strange entity wished for her to partake in she noticed the other two entities here. She could feel aspects of herself diminish and knew that despite everything she was now little more than a normal human. The other entities were both male and they began to speak to one another and Nami as she heard the remarks of the larger one made a mental note as she looked him over. If he was to ever appear in Karakura she was going to eliminate him immediately.

After that one had finished speaking the other walked over to her and asked if the prick had brought her here as well. Nami wasn't really sure what that word that he had used meant. All she knew was that the strange entity with the mask had brought her here. "I was brought here by an entity in a cloak and half a mask to play some sort of game. I assume you were brought here by the same entity." Nami looked at the man with white hair wondering more so why they had been chosen and what was taking so long for the entity to start his game.

[Ranth]

The Trader looked on at his three chosen participants from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. This realm that they were now in was a fragment lost to both time and space. A fissure created by a power greater than he, but one he had claimed as his own nonetheless. Now it was as much a part of him as an arm or a strand of hair or a tooth. As he watched the three, any hope he might have had that they would be inclined to work together was dashed. Beast was far too feral for the others to feel comfortable approaching him, whilst Izanami was far too aloof and disinterested in anyone or anything other than herself to look to anyone for help or support.

Impossible and Impossible alone looked willing to make an effort to reach out to the other two, although his efforts may have seemed in vain for now. But The Trader saw the barest qualities of a leader in him. Every team needed a leader in order to succeed and whilst he wasn't sure that these three deserved to be called as such just yet, but perhaps in time he could serve as the bridge that connected them. Then again, they might all perish and leave him with their souls as his playthings. It was a win win for The Trader either way.

For now though, it seemed obvious to him that it was a waste of time to leave them to each others company any longer and so he spoke to them, his voice carrying clearly from no particular direction and yet every direction all at once. "Welcome, to the Twilight Sanctuary. As you have noticed, the powers you possessed in your realm have failed you here. In part, this is because I have taken from you your souls. However, even if I had not, you would find they still would not work as you expect. Each realm has the same fundamental building blocks, but each has arranged them in such a way that they are fundamentally unique as well. What this means for you, is that you will have to acquire and learn to master the powers of this realm in order to achieve victory".

The Trader paused, giving his audience a moment to process what he'd said so far. "In this place, you will take your first step towards that goal and I will be your guide. Now, let us begin". As his voice faded away, so too would each participant find that their view of each other faded, until each of them would feel as though they were now alone upon the platform. They could not see or hear any sign of each-other for The Trader had seperated each of them into a different pocket of his dimension. However, all of them would experience the same thing...

"There are three fundamental powers in this realm. The power of the Sword, the power of the Shield and the power of the Wand. You may claim one of these powers as your own, but you must sacrifice another in exchange. Your decision's here in this place will all determine the final form that your power takes. So... choose wisely"

In front of each person, a pedestal would rise up silently from the floor of the stone platform upon which they stood. At the same time, two more identical pedestals were rising up behind them on their left and right, forming a loose triangle. Slowly, a beam of brilliant yet gentle light shone down upon each pedestal to reveal that each one had a glowing object floating roughly 1 foot in the air above them.

Straight ahead, a sword could be seen. Just looking at it would make them feel stronger than they had a moment ago and their pulse would quicken. On their left, they would see an ornate staff with a great crystal embedded in its head, promising them the power of strength and martial prowess. Looking at it would make them feel wiser and their minds would sharpen momentarily whilst their eyes lingered upon it, promising them the power of knowledge of the arcane. Finally, looking to their right, they would see a mighty shield. Simply by looking at it, they couldn't help but feel a sense of calm and safety wash through them, soothing them with its promise of protection, both of themselves and those they cared about.

Each of the three would see different values in the different kinds of power. They would reawaken long since forgotten ideals in some, whilst provoking repressed fears in others. In that moment of making their choices, each individual would be returned to the moment upon which they first embarked upon the journey that had turned them into what they had now become. They would not be choosing the powers of Beast the Wraith, Impossible the Failure and Izanami the Fullbringer. Instead; they would be Grodd: the simple man who loved the feeling of the wind running through his hair, Impossible: a young boy testing the limits of his powers- dreaming of being someone important- and feeling guilty when he pushed it too far, then finally Izanami: a girl who had never known what it was to live a normal life, but wanted desperately to experience it for herself.

Perhaps this would alter their choice. Perhaps not. Either way, old memories would resurface and perhaps old ideals... or old wounds would resurface. "One you must take... one you must throw away", the voice reminded them softly, like a whisper in their minds. In order to claim a power, they had only to pick it up. In order to throw one away, they had only to cast it over the side of the platform and into oblivion.


OOC: This decision IS important, so take some time to think about what's most important to your character in both the past and the present before you make your choice. Effort will be rewarded.

[Beast]

The Trader made no comment as to the whereabouts or status of Beast's Zanpakutou, so he could only assume that they were being used as toothpicks and probably an enema. How that would work with such a large blade, Beast didn't know. He was being irrationally cranky about the loss of his swords and imagining them up the rear end of the Trader just so that they would be defiled. Purposefully, to taunt Beast. Impossible had wandered off and gone towards Izanami, so that just left Beast in his blood soaked clothing to listen alone to the Trader announce this Twilight Sanctuary and the three fundamental powers that were available to them.

Beast jumped at the chance to choose first, ignoring the others. He walked right up towards the sword and jumped on the pedestal since it was just out of his reach. Power, Strength, Might. These were what he respected, believed in, craved. Kuroi was who he respected and believed in, almost purely due to the Envainar's strength and power. The might of his sword that had severed Beast's arm without so much as a second thought as to the charging Vizard hopeful. He had been struck down easily and had been taken "prisoner" where his true potential was released.

As he reached for the sword, painful memories flashed through his mind. Awakened memories. He had always known of the life he had spent as a Hollow. But now memories went back even farther than that to his time as an Alpha Gorilla. Being poached by hunters and then having his soul wrenched apart by the Zookeeper, for fun. Then his memories fast forwarded to his time as a Hollow, that insatiable hunger and his absolute Strength at the cost of everything else. Yes, the sword would be for him. As he again attempted to reach for it, his mind flashed to Grodd. That stubborn, obstinate fool.

Grodd had found pride in his strength of both physical and spiritual kinds. Grodd had respected Growth, Magic, and Power. And while he wasn't able to communicate well with anyone because of his muteness brought about by his Inner Hollow, Beast, stealing his voice, he still had pride in himself despite his shortcomings. Of which there were many, thought Beast. The fool had gotten beaten up by an unseated officer who bound him with Kidou and he barely forced the sparring to a draw by headbutting her in the face. He had been humiliated time and time again by the Academy students teaching him to read and write so that they could get into Squad 1 by proving their "leadership qualities." He had lost his sense of self whenever he saw blood and given himself over to Beast in those temporary times.

Grodd had been weak and spineless, in Beast's eyes. Regardless, the pull of the Sword was too strong. While Grodd might have chosen the Wand over the Sword, it would have been a tough decision for the Shinigami. The Wraith had no problem capitalizing on that indecision and choosing for himself that Physical Strength was his power. The pull of the Wand was not lost, though. Neither Beast nor Grodd really cared about defense or protecting others, so the shield was going off the edge of the platform. That was an easy decision.

Holding the sword in one hand, if it had remained in his possession, Beast decided to try and see if he still had retained his physical muscle memory. As in, if he could still utilize Hakuda. Entering his stance with his feet set wide apart and his hand up in an open palm, he struck the shield with all his mediocre might square in its center. If successful, the Hakuda technique Denden would cause the shield to fly backwards exactly 30 meters and then just stop and fall down off the edge of the platform. It was very possible, though, that because he could not manipulate reiatsu he didn't have the ability to use that particular technique. If the shield just clattered to the ground, he would jump off the shield platform, scoop up the shield, and hurl it over the side. No defense for Beast, just raw physical power and the predisposition for magic.

[Impossible]

Three choices were given to all of the people here. Three choices, presented in the forms of a sword, shield, and a wand. The forms of them weren't nearly as consequential as the meanings behind each of the items. Each choice presented and different combination would speak volumes about the person taking them. The blade, the sword, maybe not the first weapon made, but it was the first weapon that mankind made specifically to kill people, or at least that was how Impo saw it. By taking the sword showed that the person craved power, telling him their desire to be the strongest, or a fear of falling to someone else.

Impo... he didn't care that much about raw power anymore. The failure had already been down the path of strength, and it was a dark, lonely path. He saw the first person briskly, eagerly walk towards the weapons, claiming the sword as his own, before quite literally punching the shield away. That wasn't unexpected. The shield was a means of protecting those who needed saving, be it the wielder, or the people behind him. Those who took it would probably be those who either knew that they weren't strong enough to attack, relying on a group to do it for them, making up for the weakness of their character, or weakness of the body.

But those who took the shield could also be seen as brave and selfless. They were willing to stand in harms way to protect those close to them, and could be great leaders in their own right. By abandoning the shield, especially in such a violent manner, showed Impo that the arrancar didn't care for others. His defense was an unstoppable offense, to kill anything before it could even think of attacking him. Still, if that was how he wanted to live him life, then he wasn't wrong to think that. If he was happy like that, then who was he to judge. Even still, every action has a consequence.

As Impo walked towards the podium, Impo knew how he should pick. His entire way of fighting before now was that of a spellcaster, someone who threw around abilities like a mage. Naturally, he should pick the staff. The issue was that he didn't know if that would be how it worked. The staff was the weapon of the mage, and those who wielded them were smart and wise, as per their profession. Users of the weapon relied on skill to tackle problems, as their weapon didn't have the means to kill as easily as the blade. And while Impossible felt he indeed fought that way, there was conflict within him.

He didn't want the blade, but it was what he was most familiar with, living as raw power for years of his life, as well as actually knowing how to use the weapon. The staff was what his flood manifested as, controlling anything it touched as if being guided by his hand. But the shield was what he yearned to be, protecting those who needed protecting. It was a philosophical dilemma that he was probably thinking way too hard on, but that was besides the point. Impo sighed as he reached the weapons. In the end, Impo took the staff. It was a nice theory to be the shield, but he knew it was a bad idea to try and learn something so new in a time of crisis. He then grabbed the sword, and tossed it into the abyss. "Power for the sake of power isn't a desire I crave any longer." He said to himself, walking away from the last remaining item.

[Izanami Midorikawa]

It seemed that in order to play this game that the entity wished for all of them to partake in Nami was going to have to pick one of the three things around her. The three of them had been somewhat close to each other when everything had gone dark leaving Nami to see nothing around her with the exception of what now hovered above the pedestals. The entity had explained slightly that even if he hadn't taken their abilities they wouldn't have worked the same in this place. The way that he spoke it was almost like he was giving her a hint as to how to try and make use of her abilities if she could get them back from him.

The Sword. The Shield. The Wand. Nami had to pick one and throw one away. She wasn't really sure what would happen with the object not effected by her at all, but she had to judge just what she could do with each of the objects and what the objects themselves could mean. Nami looked over each object and felt most of the effects that came with the sight of them all. The sword made her fell the return of her usual strength and might while the staff brought up the sensation that perhaps if she grabbed ahold of it she could learn to manipulate the area around her in this place. Finally the shield brought up virtually nothing with the exception of purpose. Nami lived to protect the people of Karakura and this shield reinforced the feeling of a purpose inside of her.

After a few additional moments passed Nami grasped the shield and the staff fell from the pedestal hitting the floor and sentencing her decision. She wasn't sure what was going to happen due to his choice, but she knew she had a purpose and the shield seemed to be the representation of her purpose. Whether or not she had her powers returned to her in a way that she could figure out how to utilize them in this place she wasn't sure. In fact Nami didn't really have any clue how to use this shield beyond the obvious she simply made a choice. One of the first in her existence and there was no telling right now whether she had been right.

[Ranth]

OOC: Apologies for the delay, took me a while to decide on exactly which mechanics I wanted to use and which cards would be the most fun for you guys to start with.

---

Beast

After Beast made his choices, a lull would follow in which nothing happened. There was no explosion of power, no sudden realisation of what to do next. Only the silence of the black void and the cold stone beneath his feet. Then, finally, a voice would speak inside his mind that was at once his own and yet not. "You have chosen the power of the warrior and discarded the power of the protector. You will have strength in abundance, but you will soon find that there are obstacles that strength alone cannot overcome. When you face such an obstacle, then what will you do I wonder?"

With that, the sword that Beast held tightly in his grip would begin to glow with ever increasing intensity. Within moments, the sword became hot and Beast would find himself releasing the weapon with a curse. However, the molten blade would not drop to the floor, but rather remain suspended in the air where its shape began to shrink and distort before splitting into two distinct spheres that gleamed with prismatic brilliance that enthralled rather than blinded. Then, with the sound of shattering glass the spheres cracked and shattered to reveal three cards floating in the air before him.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Beast's Cards}

This beast possesses 1900 STR & 1200 DEF when summoned normally. When this beast destroys an opponents monster, its ATK increases by 300 and its DEF decreases by 300.



This Spell increases the ATK of a summoned beast by 500 per post for 3 posts. At the end of the 3rd post after this cards activation, the beast it was used on will be destroyed and inflict damage equal to its ATK to its owner.



This beast has 2000 ATK and 100 DEF. When this monster attacks a monster that's in defense mode where this beast's attack is higher than the other monster's defense, inflict damage to the controllers life points equal to the difference between the two values.

Although the specific importance of these cards might have been lost on Beast for the time being, he'd feel an overpowering sense of ownership of these cards and upon reaching out to take them, he'd find that a belt would materialise around his waist with a perfectly shaped box for holding the cards with a folding magnetic lid for easy access on the hip opposite his dominant hand. Once he'd claimed his cars and placed them in their holster, a path would fade into visibility before him in the form of a stained glass staircase that spiraled upwards towards a second stone platform several hundred meters above.

Impo

After Impo made his choices, a lull would follow in which nothing happened. There was no explosion of power, no sudden realisation of what to do next. Only the silence of the black void and the cold stone beneath his feet. Then, finally, a voice would speak inside his mind that was at once his own and yet not. "You have chosen the power of the mage and discarded the power of the warrior. You will have dominion over magic, but you will soon find that there are obstacles that even magic cannot overcome. When you face such an obstacle, then what will you do I wonder?"

With that, the staff that Impo held tightly in his grip would begin to glow with ever increasing intensity. Within moments, the sword became hot and Impo would find himself releasing the weapon with a curse. However, the molten staff would not drop to the floor, but rather remain suspended in the air where its shape began to shrink and distort before splitting into three distinct spheres that gleamed with prismatic brilliance that enthralled rather than blinded. Then, with the sound of shattering glass the spheres cracked and shattered to reveal three cards floating in the air before him.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Impo's Cards}

This Spellcaster possesses 1000 ATK & DEF, but gains a spell counter each time a spell card is used (limit of 2 per post). By sacrificing 1 spell counter, you may use any spell card that someone else has already used during the current duel (limit of 1 use per post) In addition, this card gains 500 ATK and DEF for each spell counter it has.



This spell deals [X* 1000] damage to a monster of the users choice where X is equal to the number of spell counters removed from monsters they control.


When an opponent activates a spell card, negate it and gain 500 Life Points

Although the specific importance of these cards might have been lost on Impo for the time being, he'd feel an overpowering sense of ownership of these cards and upon reaching out to take them, he'd find that a belt would materialise around his waist with a perfectly shaped box for holding the cards with a folding magnetic lid for easy access on the hip opposite his dominant hand. Once he'd claimed his cars and placed them in their holster, a path would fade into visibility before him in the form of a stained glass staircase that spiraled upwards towards a second stone platform several hundred meters above.

Nami

After Nami made her choices, a lull would follow in which nothing happened. There was no explosion of power, no sudden realisation of what to do next. Only the silence of the black void and the cold stone beneath her feet. Then, finally, a voice would speak inside her mind that was at once her own and yet not. "You have chosen the power of the protector and discarded the power of the warrior. You will have the power to protect what you hold dear, but you will soon find that there is a difference between the things you want to protect and the things you must protect. When you face such an obstacle, then what will you do I wonder?"

With that, the sword shield Nami held tightly in her grip would begin to glow with ever increasing intensity. Within moments, the sword became hot and Nami would find herself releasing the weapon with a curse. However, the molten shield would not drop to the floor, but rather remain suspended in the air where its shape began to shrink and distort before splitting into two distinct spheres that gleamed with prismatic brilliance that enthralled rather than blinded. Then, with the sound of shattering glass the spheres cracked and shattered to reveal three cards floating in the air before her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Nami's Cards}

This Spellcaster possesses 1600 STR & 2000 DEF when summoned normally. When summoned, this spellcaster possesses 1 spell counter which can be removed when another monster would be destroyed. If no spell counters remain, this spellcaster can sacrifice itself in place of another monster and any battle damage that would have been inflicted to that monster is inflicted upon the owner of this one instead.



This equip spell can be equipped to any monster of the users choice, increasing its ATK by 1000 for as long as it's equipped. In addition, all monsters on the field cannot change their battle positions except via card effects while this equip spell is in play.



This Trap can only be activated when an opponents monster declares an attack against another monster. When you do, increase the ATK and DEF of the monster being attacked by 500 until the end of the post.

Although the specific importance of these cards might have been lost on Nami for the time being, she'd feel an overpowering sense of ownership of these cards and upon reaching out to take them, she'd find that a belt would materialise around her waist with a perfectly shaped box for holding the cards with a folding magnetic lid for easy access on the hip opposite his dominant hand. Once she'd claimed her cars and placed them in their holster, a path would fade into visibility before him in the form of a stained glass staircase that spiraled upwards towards a second stone platform several hundred meters above.

[Beast]

OOC: Don't let me hold you all up. You can skip me if I get slow again.

---

The sword became too hot to hold, causing Beast to drop it while uttering a foul curse at the thing. He was naturally resistant to the cold, but not so much with the heat. It didn't fall to the floor, though, instead turning into brilliant orbs that became three cards. Two monster cards and a spell card that would make his monster cards unstoppable before self destructing on him. That was definitely Beast's style. Whatever the rules of this shadow game was going to be, he knew that he had the beasts to get him through it. 2000 Attack and pierces defense? 1900 Attack and gains strength every time it beats down something else? Yup, those were the cards for Beast.

Having put his cards in the belt at his waist, the Wraith proceeded to wordlessly walk up the rainbow stairs. He'd leave the others to do whatever they felt like while he proceeded. He wanted his swords back, and to do that, he'd have to play the Trader's game. Hopefully he'd get some sort of tutorial, since he was not sure how to use the cards that he was given. Oh well, he could always just punch his way through things if push came to shove. Even without his strength he was still a competent martial artist.

[Impossible]

Impo waited for something to happen after picking the staff, but nothing did. Kind of a let down to be honest, but what did he, the living explosive, know about making things interesting? Probably a whole lot of nothing. The failure twirled the rod around in his right hand as he listened to the voice that was suddenly talking to him in his head. Or, more like talking at him, since it wasn't really giving him any openings to respond, or more accurately, make sarcastic remarks at it. Probably a smart move on its part, since that was indeed what he would have been doing if he could.

Not that he wouldn't anyway. "Oh yeah, suuuure, something magic can't overcome, oh I'm so- Agh!" The staff turned red hot, as he tossed it from his grip. "YOU DIRTY MOTHER F#CKER! S#IT, F#CK, C*NT, YOU B@STERD CHILD OF A BRAZILIAN WHORE, I'M GONNA STOMP A MUDHOLE IN YOUR A$$!" he vehemently swore to the sky, almost not noticing the cards that now floated in front of him. Tapping the silent magician, checking to make sure it wasn't hot, he swiped the three out of the air, before walking up the stairs, reading what the three did. He noticed that he was now sporting a belt for the cards, before playing them inside, still severely pissed off.

[Izanami Midorikawa]

This was getting more and more strange yet thinking over it was useless. She wouldn't benefit from trying to understand the rules or factors by which everything was happening. This entity that had collected all three of them was one that could apparently manipulate or straight up alter reality meaning that her abilities and most likely those of the other two couldn't hope to harm him. She had picked the shield and what had happened didn't make any real sense to her. Instead of actually getting a shield she received what looked like playing cards. What kind of cards though she didn't know. They were mostly brown with colored characters or designs on the front.

This experience was getting harder and harder to define or understand much less predict with the knowledge that Nami possessed. At this point the most she could do was try to survive and perhaps win the favor of this entity in order to return to Karakura. She could feel a strangeness to the cards almost like they possessed power yet it was different than the typical. It didn't feel like reiatsu or even life force. It was similar to the latter more than the former which made Nami question just what they could be and how this entity could be behind them much less what they could do.

[Ranth]

Alright, I've kept you folks waiting long enough. Time to continue this Shindig so we can reap the benefits in July (hopefully)

---

The stairs wound around and around, leading each individual ever upwards through the inky void. In the total darkness they seemed to glow with a kind of reassuring radiance. It would feel right to climb them, it would feel natural. The climb was neither fast or slow, nor was it tiring for any of the three. They would all climb the same stair case, yet each one was in their own world- separate from the others. Eventually however, they would reach the pinnacle of their respective stair cases and they would encounter a door that towered over them imposingly.

As they stood before each door, they would again hear that voice ring within their minds and this time, they would all hear the same thing. "Beyond this door, danger awaits. But do not fear. For the greater the darkness becomes, the brighter the light grows". With that, the enormous door emitted a deafening boom as the door opened. At first it was just a crack, allowing a sliver of white light to leak out. Then the door opened fully with a mighty creak and the light cascaded over them like water spilling out through a broken dam and everything would become white.

Beast

Upon stepping through the door and into the light, Beast would find that once the blinding light receded, he would find himself once again standing within the black void, but this time he stood upon the shortest of three stained glass towers behind him he would find the door he had entered through was shut and no amount of effort could cause it to open again. He wouldn't have much time to fret about that however, as three pools of inky darkness made their way up over the edge of the tower on the far side and slide along the ground like shadows with no owners.

Beat back the shadows and ascend, brave warrior, the voice resounded faintly in the back of his head as the three shadows began to bubble like tar and then rise up from the ground, in the form of vaguely humanoid beings. Each one was roughly 3 feet tall with glowing yellow eyes that gave no sign of emotion or even sentience. For several seconds, they just stood, bodies swaying and twitching madly as they took in their surroundings. Then they would fixate on the only living thing they could find. Beast.

Without a sand, they hunkered down onto all fours and began to scuttle towards Beast with alarming speed. Although they were small and unarmed, one look at their clawed fingers was enough to realise that they didn't need a weapon to be dangerous. What would Beast do? Fight? Run? There was nowhere to hide and if he tried to set foot upon the path that connected the first tower to the second he would find himself blocked by an invisible barrier. It would seem that there was no way for him to proceed other than to fight. But how did one fight a shadow?

Impo

Upon stepping through the door and into the light, Impo would find that once the blinding light receded, he would find himself once again standing within the black void, but this time he stood upon the shortest of three stained glass towers behind him he would find the door he had entered through was shut and no amount of effort could cause it to open again. He wouldn't have much time to fret about that however, as three pools of inky darkness made their way up over the edge of the tower on the far side and slide along the ground like shadows with no owners.

Beat back the shadows and ascend, wise mage, the voice resounded faintly in the back of his head as the three shadows began to bubble like tar and then rise up from the ground, in the form of vaguely humanoid beings. Each one was roughly 3 feet tall with glowing yellow eyes that gave no sign of emotion or even sentience. For several seconds, they just stood, bodies swaying and twitching madly as they took in their surroundings. Then they would fixate on the only living thing they could find. Impo.

Without a sand, they hunkered down onto all fours and began to scuttle towards Impo with alarming speed. Although they were small and unarmed, one look at their clawed fingers was enough to realise that they didn't need a weapon to be dangerous. What would Beast do? Fight? Run? There was nowhere to hide and if he tried to set foot upon the path that connected the first tower to the second he would find himself blocked by an invisible barrier. It would seem that there was no way for him to proceed other than to fight. But how did one fight a shadow?

nami

Upon stepping through the door and into the light, Nami would find that once the blinding light receded, she would find himself once again standing within the black void, but this time she stood upon the shortest of three stained glass towers behind her he would find the door she had entered through was shut and no amount of effort could cause it to open again. She wouldn't have much time to fret about that however, as three pools of inky darkness made their way up over the edge of the tower on the far side and slide along the ground like shadows with no owners.

Beat back the shadows and ascend, proud defender, the voice resounded faintly in the back of her head as the three shadows began to bubble like tar and then rise up from the ground, in the form of vaguely humanoid beings. Each one was roughly 3 feet tall with glowing yellow eyes that gave no sign of emotion or even sentience. For several seconds, they just stood, bodies swaying and twitching madly as they took in their surroundings. Then they would fixate on the only living thing they could find. Nami.

Without a sand, they hunkered down onto all fours and began to scuttle towards Nami with alarming speed. Although they were small and unarmed, one look at their clawed fingers was enough to realise that they didn't need a weapon to be dangerous. What would Nami do? Fight? Run? There was nowhere to hide and if she tried to set foot upon the path that connected the first tower to the second she would find herself blocked by an invisible barrier. It would seem that there was no way for him to proceed other than to fight. But how did one fight a shadow?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Misc Info}
the shadows are tangible and you can hit them. They cannot be killed, but will appear to take damage (however, this damage will not seem to slow them down or deter them in any way).

They are quick, but not beyond your ability to dodge or block- but their claws are quite sharp. In addition, they do not tire- but your characters do.

They possess the ability to return to their 'shadow form' which any of you who have played Kingdom Hearts before will be familiar with.

I encourage you to take as much time as you like trying to fight them using whatever style or methods your characters would normally use to the best of their ability under the circumstances (remember- abilities are still turned off). When your characters are pushed to the brink of exhaustion, all will be revealed, so you don't need to do anything other than struggle vigorously! Remember: Effort will always be rewarded in the long run!

If you have any questions, feel free to PM or find me on discord, but in general my response will probably just be to tell you to cut loose and have fun with it!

[Beast]

Climbing was effortless. Purposeless, but effortless. Beast soon grew bored of the climb, and as he did, he reached the impossibly large door. It opened of its own accord with a deafening roar. The light was blinding, and annoying. Who cared about the light? The voice said that the greater the darkness became, the brighter the light would become... Annoying. Beast didn't care for the light, about the light. He cared for nothing but himself. If that meant he was bound to be steeped in the Darkness, he didn't care. Darkness, violence, pain, suffering... Those were his true allies.

Beat back the shadows and ascend, brave warrior Brave warrior his *#$. Beast may be more foolish and reckless than brave. If the absence of fear was the presence of brave, than maybe he could identify with that, but usually brave was associated with the light. With the champions of good. Not the pawns of Darkness like Beast. Pawns of which arose up from the ground to meet him. Shadows with eyes of yellow. They possessed clawed hands that looked like they could do some serious damage. "You! Creatures of Darkness! Give me your power!"

Beast doubted that they would yield their power without a fight. However, he waited to see if his command would hold true and if he could bend them to his will with his voice alone. Was it nearly impossible? Probably. But there was a chance that his dark aura would resonate with the shadow creatures and let him prove himself a friend to them. Or at least a temporary ally that was not to be attacked. Worst case scenario, though, Beast could hold his own in a fight. He hoped it didn't come down to that, though. These creatures could be potential pawns in his game for Power.

[Impossible]

Impo wanted to complain about having to climb a bunch of stairs, he really did, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Something about the steps just seemed natural. Which in and of itself was unnatural, and something he should look into, but then again, who really cared about a magic staircase that felt good to climb? So climb he did, all the way to the top, where a grandiose looking door awaited him. Sharp and pointy looking, somehow reminding him of crystals, towered over the failure, relaying to him a message of hope, and that no matter how bad a situation looked, it could always be overcome.

The young man scoffed at this, even as the door opened with a thunderous boom.. "But the brightest lights always burn away the fastest." He said under his breath as he passed through the threshold, and into the blinding light. And true to his words, the glow faded away into a void of darkness, leaving him without sight for a few moments. Once he regained his vision, he found he was on a platform, seemingly made of glass. He turned to see if the door was behind him, and noted that while it was, there was also nothing behind it. If he hadn't just walked through it, he would have said it was just a random wall.

Sighing to himself, he ignored the door, doubting it would be helpful now. The former failure was about to continue on, when he heard something... bubbling? Directly ahead of him, the shadows converged on three separate points, rising from the stained glass. Instantly on edge, he cursed at his lack of powers, and struggled to think of something. A voice called out to him, beckoning him to defeat the shadowy beasts that stand against him. It also called him wise, so now he just had to win. Looking around, he found that he had noting to work with. No powers, no terrain, no anything... except...

The three shadowy... things, started to shuffle towards Impo with a speed that would normally make him look twice, if he had the luxury to do so. He ran towards the edge of the glass, prompting the three to follow. "Man I hate running..." He cursed under his breath, hating physical activity more than he remembers. He reached the edge of the void, something he decidedly not to look into, and waited for the three to reach him. It took almost no time at all, their speed was very impressive, unlike his own lackluster speed. All he needed to do was time it just right...

And just like he hoped, one of the beasts lunged at him, eager to strike him down. Thankfully for Impo, he was ever so slightly faster, fast enough to run to the side and along the edge, causing the shadow to miss him by a hair. Even as the monster fell into the void, the human didn't stop running. Only one of the three leapt at him, so he still had two to deal with. How he was supposed to do that exactly, was beyond him at the moment. He continued on down till he was about to reach the great door, with the other two right behind him.

Growling at all the effort he had to put into this, he grabbed the edge of the gateway, and spun himself around with the momentum from running. Pulling himself towards the closet one, he kicked at it, slamming his foot into its face, knocking it down, but not over the edge like he wanted. Before he could do anything about it though, the last one swiped a clawed hand at him. He tried to throw himself away, but the blades still hit him, albeit not as bad as it could have been. His left arm now sported three jagged wounds, blood quickly pouring from them.

Crying out in pain, something he's long since forgotten, he clutched the injury, kicking the ground to push himself backward. The beast was unrelenting, however, attempting to strike again, only this time at his neck. Throwing his head forward, he gave his attacker a mighty headbutt, staggering it. Shoving it off it him, he managed to get to his feet, only to see the one he had kicked climb to its feet. Hot tears welled in his eyes, so many forgotten sensations flooding him all at once, he turned and ran once more, the feeling of appending doom overtaking him.

Claws scrapping against glass followed him, quickly followed by a second set. They were both up once more, and now he was injured. He was afraid for the first time in so long. He didn't want to die here, but what could he do to fight these things? He was injured, he couldn't use his powers, he couldn't even blow them up and take them with him! How, how could he get out of this?! He could feel water run down his face, before making a crooked smile. He wouldn't even get to go out with dignity, would he? How pathetic was he, that this place would be his end?