Library of the Ancients [MISSION]

Not an erudite guy by any stretch of the imagination, Roxas was still thoroughly whelmed by the library’s voluminous immensity. The vast interior seemed a contrast between regimented clutter and empty space pervading in the vaulted confines not claimed by monolithic scroll racks, giving it a cavernous quality. Staircases ran up and down the towering multistory shelves like mahogany flowstone, their spiraling lengths leading to balconies and whole other archival levels below and above this one. Furthering the impression of chasmal speleothem were artifacts and instruments dotting eddies in the bibliographic sea that seemed to stretch beyond sight, an underground river of vellum weaving through labyrinthine of ornately carved stone. Fossils, globes, maps, astrolabes, orreries, and other stranger tools whose purpose Roxas could only guess at were propped up on desks and atop folios. Roxas had expected the place to smell musky, the heavy petrified scent of parchment moldering in dust. Yet, everything here was clean, tended by a veritable litterateur army whose devotion kept the unified knowledge of two worlds free from degradation.

As the sage listed the specific tomes they were to retrieve from the infestation apparently plaguing the lower archives, lapis eyes couldn’t help but stray along the gilded book spines. It occurred to Roxas that he could spend the rest of his corporeal existence studying, and maybe get through one of these rooms, one and half if he somehow became a faster reader. Looking up to the ledges of latitudinous lexicons proceeding upward like apartment complex balconies up beyond eye-sight, the Nobody’s mayfly existence became particularly acute.

“Understood sir,” he said, assuring the provost with a nod. “We’ll get them back intact.”

After exchanging the requisite parting pleasantries, Roxas turned to his circumstantial companions.

One was a guy (or so Roxas guessed at least from the shape of their jaw) swathed in a shawl and silks that moved between shades of beige and flax depending on the lighting, set with brass and festooned with gems of crystalline cobalt. The upper half of his visage was obscured by a grey leopard mask. The similarity to his enigmatic Struggle opponent Invi wasn’t lost on Roxas, nor was that same haunting feeling of something unsaid, a profound ache beyond the reach of recollection. It was too close a rememblance to be coincidence, but the explanation could just be that this was the traditional apparel of world Roxas’d never visited. He decided to just go with that for now.

The second was no stranger, despite having never met face to face. The raven-haired woman was Rina, a courier with a proclivity for knives. His decidedly esoteric second-hand knowledge of her loss and pain brought an uncomfortable feeling to the boy’s stomach. While definitely unintentional, what’d he’d learned within Black Waltz’s Heart seemed awfully invasive, almost wrong. It wasn’t something he could exactly undo, but proper introductions might take down the creep factor a few notches here.

“Hey there, we didn’ get time at the door,” the young man said, offering a hand to those inclined to shake it before beginning the trek down into the lower archives. “I’m Roxas.”

Rina Croft  @gula

Gula had been leaning against one of the many, MANY bookshelves. So, their mission was to go find four books in the downstairs portion of the library, which just so happened to be swarming with monsters. It almost sounded like one of the Master's training sessions. Not nearly enough stuff to find, though. Or Monsters. Gula made a mental note of each of the books' titles just in case his other two companions whom the librarians presumably shanghaied forgot. Speaking of which, Gula assessed the other two. One was a boy about his age with a shock of blonde hair. However, his untidy hair and odd clothes were the least of Gula's concerns. The boy... seemed to not have a Heart. Well, not much of one anyways. What was left, however, had a strange light to it. Gula had seen many things, but a boy without a complete Heart and he hadn't faded away or turned into a Darkling? That was a new one. Gula then looked towards the older girl. Her Heart was complete but seemed to be fighting some sort of alien Darkness. Must've run with a bad crowd at one time. Gula would have to keep an eye on her, in case she decided to turn into a Heartless.

Gula nodded at the scholar and pushed himself off the bookshelf. The boy and the girl introduced themselves to each other as Roxas and Rina, respectively. Well, at least they had easy to remember names. They then turned towards him, expecting him to introduce himself. There was a silence as Gula seemed to stare at them through his Leopard mask. He then shrugged. "Gula." he said, rather unceremoniously. In truth, he didn't expect he'd see these two again after this little endeavor. He then turned and began to walk down the stairs. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Once downstairs, Gula began to search the room for any sign of the books, though that was going to be easier said than done. Or it would've been if Gula didn't notice that librarians were very well-organized. "Well, it's all ordered alphabetically. Then the first one we should find is in the "D" section of books." Gula then continued further down, checking the shelves for the right letter, trusting the other two to look out for monsters or any other books. Of course, Gula was also keeping an eye out for monsters as well.

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It looked like Rina was pretty shaken. Admittedly she’d actually asked a pretty good question. Yeah sure, the teleporting catman was right, it was a ‘monster.’ But like …how? Was this just some sort of magical fluke, or were they all going to be like this?

More importantly however Gula was totally showing him up with the dimensional gymnastics over there. That just wasn’t going to stand!

Keeping his eyes on the bibliographic bruiser, Roxas murmured the opening phrases of the incantation Lexaeus beat so deep into his skull Roxas probably said it in his sleep sometimes. Say what you will about repeated concussions and his current struggles with Algebra, but Roxas would be the first to admit he had Five to thank for being able to evoke well under pressure.

Ritualized words gave form and tangible force to his will, plucking luminous particles from their appointed quantum destinations. A brief darkening gloom fell across the nearby jungle of shelves as Roxas stole ambient light to catalyze his spell. Photons hardened into a orbit of shining symbols above Roxas and the gargoyle. Thirteen hearts, inverted and carved into cruciate edges, floated for brief moment before issuing down columns of coruscation. Harrying the creature’s wake with a zig-zagging sprint, Roxas strafed its path in blazing spotlights with each sweeping keyblade arc.

“Hey,” the photokinetic inquired as he darted between light pillars, making sure they didn’t vaporize the bookshelves, “Anybody got an idea how’re we gonna put this thing down while keeping the book in one piece?”

1) Roxas casts Event Horizon on Page 32, attempting to deal Heavy Holy damage

0/3 Event Horizen
1/2 Dual Strike Raid

@gula Rina Croft

Gula wasn't necessarily concerned whether the book itself was intact when they defeated the monster. However, he was glad Rina solved the problem with her own magic, since it allowed him to keep his focus on the monster at hand. However, they seemed to be doing decently against it. Gula then noticed that Roxas started a move that seemed to imbue him with light and make him faster than before. Almost as fast as the Keyblade Master himself. He idly wondered if this dual-wielding boy was trying to show off but Gula put that thought aside. It didn't really matter if he was or not as long as the monster was destroyed. He just hoped it was his strongest move. This monster didn't really seem like it required such force. It hadn't even attacked back after the two Keybladers' first attacks.

Gula decided instead to join Roxas in his flurry of attacks, unleashing a fast and furious and combo that seemed to synch up with the Nobody. Even without resorting to his Leopard's Stride or Haste, Gula was still fast enough to occasionally seem like a blur. While he wasn't doing as much damage as Roxas, the Boost he applied earlier was still in effect. His Keyblade would bite just as well as both of Roxas's Keyblades. After his own Keyblade, Gula would backflip back and land next to Rina, continuing to focus on the monster. He was, sure, however, that the monster would fall soon. Then they could move on to the three other books... which meant that there would be three more monsters or at least there was a good chance of it happening. Thankfully, he at least had companions he didn't need to babysit for the duration.

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1) Gula launches a combo to take down Page 32 with Roxas

Boost: With this, Gula can boost the power of his physical attacks by one tier higher for the duration. Only one Boost can be activated at a time. [Duration: 3 posts][Cooldown: 4 posts]

Trickster Raid: Gula throws his Keyblade, much like a Strike Raid. However, whether the opponent dodges or is hit by the initial Strike Raid, Gula blinks to the Keyblade in mid-flight. Now behind his opponent and strikes at the opponent's back. This attack deals Medium damage if one attack hits and Heavy damage if both attacks hit. [Cooldown: 2 posts]