03. [video] Show off

[mech_and_mutt]

I dunno if you guys have seen it, but...

[The feed starts off to the sight of Red reclining in a cockpit chair, with a drone of engines in the background and a passing of clouds in the windows surrounding him. Someone's more than a little bit proud of his airship finally flying again, it seems.]

There's some big new project goin' up by Curti Center, right? Well, back at the festival, I got talkin' with the guy that's settin' all that up. And I don't think he'd mind if I drummed up a li'l excitement in the meantime.

[His usual toothy grin quickly returns to his face.]

Two words: Monster Arena. Go ahead and think back to the biggest, greatest monsters you've gone up against, here or back home-- and keep those memories fresh, 'cause apparently that's what they're gonna be usin' to make the battles! I didn't know we even had that kinda tech here in Vaikuntha...

Now, I know not everyone here enjoys gettin' their hands dirty, but for those of you who do-- Got any awesome fights or big beasties you wouldn't mind givin' another go? I'm sure some of us might get some useful trainin' and experience out of it.

Oh, and speakin' of...

[He tips the camera over to his face, with a focused stare and a more personal and fond grin.]

Keep an eye out for me in the next Dragons match. They're finally gonna be bringin' me out to the field.

Comments

[mech_and_mutt]

Some people would say you're lucky for that, y'know. Fightin' ain't always fun.

[Sometimes even the most headstrong of people get regrets from it. But Red doesn't let his thought on the matter slip out on his sleeve.]

So... what, you're sayin' you mostly outsmarted 'em?

...and Frisk was there for it?

[acapriciousreaper]

It helps, when practicing black magic, to have a living target. While I was still learning, at least. The creatures of Terra made for fair enough 'sparring partners', I suppose.

He doesn't remark, however, on the creatures of Gaia. Usually he was the one that needed fighting off.

[littlemhigan]

They ain't ones we're like te get much practice with until it's too late, so I suppose I ought te share that one, huh? Twelve know, Vishap was about the biggest beastie I've had te reckon with.

[einspine]

WELL, OF COURSE. WE WERE BOTH JOURNEYING TOWARDS THE CAPITAL TO TRY AND BREAK THE BARRIER TOGETHER... BUT, ERM. THAT'S RATHER DIFFICULT WHEN A MAJORITY OF MONSTERS ARE EAGER TO CLAIM A HUMAN SOUL.

WHICH REQUIRES KILLING SAID HUMAN.

AND INFILTRATING THE ROYAL GUARD'S HEADQUARTERS CERTAINLY DIDN'T HELP!

[He titters, but is quick to shift his expression from a crooked smile to a great big grin.]

BUT! WE PERSEVERED! STEALTH. SMARTS. SKELETAL SPELLS!!! THESE WERE THE INGREDIENTS TO OUR VICTORIES.

WELL, THAT, AND SOME FLIRTING. AND SUGGESTIVE FICTION... AND ALSO SETTING TWO OF OUR ENEMIES UP ON A DATE.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Oh, yeah, I can definitely help!

[Hey, this isn't even the first time he's done this!

Klonoa lists off a few monsters he's fought, providing a rudimentary scribble.

Moos... Boin... Leorina...]

[mech_and_mutt]

[Small and round and cute... a squishy-looking total pushover... --WHOA, okay, now we were getting somewhere.]

Wait, hold up-- what's up with that last one? It looks a bit more... menacing than the others.

[mech_and_mutt]

Hold on HOLD ON HOLD ON!

[By now Red's fur is bristled, and it's only mostly out of confused anger. However nice, however civilized Papyrus made the monsters of his world out to be, however he talked up his non-violent means... there was sort of a massive elephant in the room.]

What was that about claimin' human souls?!

[mech_and_mutt]

But you beat it in the end, didn't ya?

[I mean, she's still here talking to him.]

So how didja end up actually beatin' that one? Headin' inside and goin' after its heart?

[mech_and_mutt]

You don't say.

[He was NOT liking the sound of that. He'd seen his share of people practicing on 'living targets.' But he'll give Kuja the benefit of the doubt for now.]

So what didja tackle that could actually fight back?

[acapriciousreaper]

When I was young and still learning, most of the Terran natives gave me trouble, at least until I reached a level of competency that made such an exercise pointless. After that... there were precisely nine people who could, as you say, 'fight back'.
One of them was... well, I've spoken about him around you before. My "father". Who is now dead, and good riddance.

The others... well, I'd rather not get into specifics, but suffice to say we clashed, and had it not been for extraordinary circumstances I suspect that fight would have ended with all of us dead.

Re: [video]

[keymemory]

[ What? Sora stares at the other for a long moment before he blinks. ]

I'm the fighter? I'm the big fighter!

[wind_in_my_ears]

Oh. That's Leorina, my friend. She was possessed, and cursed by the king of sorrow.
[Klonoa sends another scribble.]

[einspine]

[And here comes a great big sigh. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned it so casually...]

HUMANS STARTED A WAR WITH US A VERY LONG TIME AGO. WE LOST. MANY MONSTERS DIED, BUT THOSE WHO SURVIVED WERE BANISHED UNDERGROUND AND TRAPPED UNDER A MAGIC BARRIER.

A BARRIER THAT COULD ONLY BE BROKEN BY HUMAN SOULS.

IT'S COMPLICATED. WE MONSTERS DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY TRY TO KILL HUMANS, EITHER- ONE EVEN LIVED AMONG THE ROYAL FAMILY UNTIL THEIR TRAGIC DEATH. BUT A CENTURY OF DESPERATION, INCLUDING ONE HUMAN'S BRUTAL MASSACRE, SORT OF... BROKE THE METAPHORICAL CAMEL'S BACK, I SUPPOSE? OUR QUEEN DID WHAT SHE COULD TO CALM THE MASSES, BUT THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT A HUMAN WHO FALLS CAN'T NORMALLY LEAVE WITHOUT TAKING THE SOUL OF A BOSS MONSTER. WHICH MEANS KILLING THEM. AND OUR QUEEN'S ONE OF THE ONLY BOSS MONSTERS, SO...

[He pauses, slumping.]

THERE'S MORE TO IT. A LOT MORE. BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY, WE'VE REACHED A POINT WHERE ONLY ONE MORE SOUL IS REQUIRED. SOME MONSTERS DON'T WANT TO GIVE HUMANS ANY MORE CHANCES. THEY JUST WANT TO SEE THE SKY AGAIN.

[mech_and_mutt]

So you ended up with a bunch'a rivals. Why ain't I surprised.

[Honestly, Kuja seemed like the sort of person with a long, esteemed list of people who'd want to take a swing at him. If not a waiting list.]

Why'd'ja all end up fighting, anyway?

[video]

[mech_and_mutt]

Well, we'll just see who becomes the top dog.

But what were some of your biggest, greatest battles back home? Remember, this thing can make battles based on your memories.

[acapriciousreaper]

...

The reasons varied.


All of it was my fault.

[mech_and_mutt]

[So that's the kind of Frisk and Papyrus and this new kid all came from. For all they were making it out to be some sort of goofy, friendly place, it was sounding a lot worse than any of them were really willing to admit.]

Yeah, I've heard that before. In fact, I've been that sacrifice before-- a sacrifice to fix problems that humans started! But here I am, lookin' right into your eyes!! ...sockets?

[Whatever, the point was the same.]

So that should tell ya what I think when you tell me someone's gotta die to fix things!! [Or... whatever losing your soul would be. Probably something much worse than that.]

[mech_and_mutt]

[He'd definitely seen more intimidating enemies in his... line of work, but once possession came into the picture, that weird fairy-tale foe suddenly became a lot more intimidating.

In fact, he visibly winced at the word, and just as much so as the sight.]

You'd... you'd be okay with havin' to fight that again?

[video]

[keymemory]

[ Wait, does that mean Sora can't be top dog because he is not dog? :o? Sora blinks with confusion. ]

Woah, it can do that?! Gosh.. I don't know, it was ... well, pretty tough when I fought Riku! Oh, man, and Ansem.. meh, Sephiroth was kind of tough too!

Gosh, Leon did knock me out..

[littlemhigan]

Barely. Had te rope in a fair pile've help from other Adventurers, an' we had a whole slew've Ishgard's Temple Knights lendin' hands an' supplies alike.

Te be fair, he brought a hoard's worth've backup too, so it was an even fight.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Yeah. It's okay. I've had to fight her before, and she's better now. Besides, it's only memories, it isn't actually her.

[There's a beat before he replies again.]

Wait, are they going to be talking?

[mech_and_mutt]

Yeah, I guess you're right.

[For such a bright-eyed kid, he had more guts under the hat than he really showed.]

I... actually don't know. I've never really done anything like this before.

[mech_and_mutt]

Oh, so you needed a whole army to take that thing out? I dunno if we could get a fight that big in a battle arena... [Kind of a shame, too; it almost sounds fun. Or it might were it not for a certain sense of gravity and unease Red's picking up from Castor.]

Would've been nice to get the dragon practice in. I feel like I've already fallen behind!

[mech_and_mutt]

[...Huh.

Okay. Red can admit it. That last part comes as a bit of a surprise, coming from someone with Kuja's... vanity.]

...So it's somethin' you ain't proud of.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Okay, if they're talking that might be a problem. I don't mind people fighting my memories of Leorina, but I don't want to give away her secrets to strangers.

[...He leaves out mention of the others. He doesn't want anyone hearing Joka taunting him about killing his family. And the King of Sorrow telling him to die for the world would probably create a lot of awkward questions.]