What's a Pirate's Favorite Movie? [Group Mission]

Once the blonde came to a stop at the foot of the sand hill he had created, he brought his left hand to his right shoulder and rolled the battered joint slowly, testing it for any sign of major injury yet he only found himself lightly wincing at the muscle aching with further movement. Nothing major, bruising and a stiff shoulder was hardly the end of the world. As Takumi tried to force himself up, he was surprised to find Thaddeus helping him sit up, the smaller man praising the show of force Takumi himself wasn't even certain he could've pulled yet Tad seemed concern about the fall once Takumi's initial plan blew up in his face.

That thought reminded him. Who had attacked him? "I'm fine." His voice was almost monotone as he waved off the green haired man's concern and once more the earth would assist him in standing, the sand pushing the blonde up into a standing position as he looked around, his eyes falling back to where he had started and noting Zincarla was missing from there. She probably went attack the person who tried to attack him, however that left the question of where the attack came from? Looking up toward the shattered sand bubble that had protected him, he could see where he had broken free from and followed the direction to the roof where Zincarla and the other figure stood, ready to finish the final pirate.

"Who is he?" He'd question Tad, his finger pointing out the armored knight that had appeared when Takumi broke down. Yet as he asked that question, the knight's helmet seemed to have split open and while he was too far away to see things properly, he could see the final pirate struggle for just a moment before going still and something begun to happen. Almost as if the pirate was shrinking and Takumi couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Whoever this stranger was, it gave him a feeling of wrongness, as if this person wasn't quite normal but who was he to judge what was normal in this world? Something drove him forward, to ensure this stranger was a friend, the enemy of their enemy was only their friend as long as they both shared the same enemies after all.

His mind was still focused yet hazy, he was certain Thaddeus had probably said something in the time it took for Takumi to decide his course of action but he needed to see for himself, needed to be certain before he could allow himself to rest so he allowed the sand underneath the two of them to come to life once. The sand would begin to carry them toward the knight and Zincarla, his eyes focusing on the pair as they'd begin to close in on the two lone figures on the roof with the feeling that he should recognize something here, that he was missing something obvious but he couldn't put his finger on it.

WC: 505
TWC: 20,657

Zincarla had been preparing for this, sort of. Either the Captain would be confined and end by her hand or by Sojiro's, as she could see that he was coming closer. Sojiro may not have looked or acted similar, but with the rage of near death, she could hardly blame him. He possessed a force much stronger than before, an exhilarating magic that would have fascinated Zincarla to observe were she not in the middle of ending this whole bloody affair. It was supposed to be a simple protect-the-town job, not some life changing devastation accompanied by burning, exploding buildings and loss of civilian life. This group might not be able to take a job ever again if word of their mistakes trickled out of this job and into the grapevine.

The pirate captain who had been the root of all the chaos and evil here summoned his hand cannon, which was then paralyzed by Zincarla's ghost hands spell. As Sojiro fell from the sky, she expected him to land on the roof and assist in the final battle. With the sound of crunching bone, Zincarla realized she had been wrong. She winced and closed her eyes, reopening them in time to see the helmet on Sojiro's head parting into a mouth of unholy terror, as frightening as any shark's. Blood sprayed and she felt uneasy as it splattered around her, and on her. As the voice from the helmet reached her ears, a sucking of powerful magic extended from the Pirate Captain. She had never seen magic in this pure form before. She felt a clenching in her stomach as she watched Sojiro. She swallowed hard; it wasn't that Sojiro had possessed a secret force never before seen, it was that a secret force had taken possession of him. Was it even still him in there?

"So?" She uttered his nickname softly and the mage turned on her, the mouth vanishing back into the helmet. A voice that was not her friend's grated out of Sojiro's body and it made her shiver. Whatever was in there knew about her great power, knew about her magical strength. Zincarla had kept it hidden, out to protect both herself and the magic. If people knew she was this level, maybe they would take her back to prison to finish her sentence after all. The thing inside of Sojiro should not have known a thing about it; worse, as it healed itself, Zincarla sensed a familiar magic. It was Mother Mayuree's healing spell. But it also wasn't. It was a rotten, stinking sensation that resembled the spell- like a wax figurine in a museum, if that figurine was made of insect-infested molded cheese. It was Mayuree, but stained and tainted.

"You're horrifying," Zincarla announced, "Just what are you? Where is Sojiro?" Zincarla demanded. She didn't like the way this spirit addressed her as little, referring to her power as a treat. Anyone who knew her true strength would never call her little- unless to them and their power, she was. The demonic voice was strange, reminding her of the unburied souls trapped in limbo, the voices that could even scare stone somehow. The laugh it emitted made her cringe and she frowned tightly. "Don't bullshit me with your threats. You offend me, and your life is forfeit. I'll give you the chance to let Sojiro go and leave, or else I will tear you you out like a dirty splinter." Zincarla narrowed her magenta eyes, hoping her fear didn't show. "You mean nothing to me," she lied.

Zincarla moved suddenly to clasp her hands together, but they suddenly stopped, just an inch apart from touching. Zincarla stared at her hands in shock for a second, until a feeling of horror crept up her spine. Her next move had been to call all the dead from around her, all enemies and allies, a magical summons for life and unlife to protect, buff, heal and support her. But her fingers strained and remained still, just an inch apart. Clammy hands grasped her arms, her legs, her throat, her waist, her hair... and more hands kept coming. This! This was her spell! "N-no! NO!" She bellowed. The red eyes in Sojiro's body seemed to glow with anticipation and devilish glee.

"I shall devour your very essence, add your power to my own," the cruel being declared, pressing towards her in a gait that was clearly painful for Sojiro's human body. Zincarla tried to press her fingers together and let out a scream of frustration. She jerked her legs hard, shaking off the spirit hands with her power. A second after her right leg appeared free, more ghastly hands gripped onto her, bringing her down to one knee. The spell wasn't just a crafty mimic done like some shoddy artist conning good people out of their money with promises of the original to behold. The spell was her's and at her own level, above what she knew was capable for Sojiro. Even with all the warning signs, she had underestimated this demon. She should have summoned Aka-Manto. No- she should have summoned her dragon contract and just blow this place to smithereens, herself, her friends, everyone. To defeat the evil she saw in those crimson eyes, it would have been worth it.

Desperately, she became incorporeal again. The translucent outline of her allowing those around to see the roof through her body. But her ghost spell was too strong and the hands of the spirits had no problem gripping her incorporeal form, as they too could be flesh or unflesh. Her body seemed to blink on and off as Zincarla struggled against her spell, willing her other abilities to be enough, and her face was contorting into an expression of fear. It was the same expression that had been upon Red's face while her hand was inside of his chest- a fear and a helplessness as she faced not just death now, but her greatest fear in losing her power.

"You'll know nothing but power, little one. No more fear, no more anger, nothing but pure pleasure." The transcendent and dark voice promised her death in as much a temptation as it could imagine, as what could be better than death if you got to evolve into pure arcane power? Sojiro's raised hand was only a couple of feet away, maybe less, maybe more. It was hard to judge in her panic. "So!" She screamed, "So! If you're in there, I swear to gods, you better come out! So!!"

She turned her words like venom on the spirit attacking her, "Fine, then. But you won't get my power. I die, you die!" Her lips parted and she uttered words in an eerie forgotten language, a chant over and over as her body remained half and half in the physical world. She cast a spell that rippled over her body with black and gold ribbons and swirls, a warning that she was a lethal foe. This spirit could kill her, and probably would. But if she could kill it, then her power would be secure and the people of this town safe. A single touch by this demon's hand would be enough. Zincarla didn't have to wait long. Sojiro's body lumbered forward and closed the gap with another stumbling step and the large hand grasped around her small neck with ease, overlapping with the hands of the dead which held her in place.

As soon as contact occurred, the black and gold tattoos swirled over Soijro's body and Zincarla's wide fearful magenta gaze landed on those burning vermilion orbs staring down at her. Her heart raced and she felt as if the whole world and her entire life had slowed down to a pause in this single second.


WC: 5526+1300= 6826

Death Touch Spell:

The lightning mage was glad to hear that Takumi was fine, though his mannerisms and tone of voice suggested otherwise. He was even testing out his shoulder which made Tad wonder if the man before him was really as fine as he'd said.  Tad turned as Takumi pointed towards the roof, asking who it was. Tad was sure Sojiro had been in that armor, but he wasn't sure if Sojiro was really in there. His voice and actions had seemed very off compared to the man Tad knew. That made answered Takumi's question all the more difficult and from this distance, Tad couldn't really tell what was going on over, but he had sensed Zincarla that way, so he assumed she could handle herself.

"I thought it was Sojiro..." Tad finally answered, his confidence in his response obviously faltering.

That was when the sand beneath Tad's feet began to move, causing the lanky mage's figure to falter, as he reclaimed the balance that he'd momentarily lost due to the ground beneath his feet moving without having a chance to prepare himself. He looked to Takumi, just making sure that this land shift was his doing before turning back to the pair atop the roof. Tad's eyes squinted as he tried to get a better look. His face flashed with recognition before he bolted off from Takumi's side.

Tad's explosive speed was on full display as his feet seemed to step on nothing but air as he moved through the air towards the pair on the roof. The truth of his movements were evident beneath his feet as little flashes of lightning could be seen if one looked close enough. In truth, Tad had only utilized this spell experimentally and hadn't fully tested it, but if his vision was accurate... it looked like Sojiro's hand was wrapped around Zincarla's neck and Tad's instincts kicked in.

While rescuing Zincarla was obviously very high on Tad's list of priorities at the current moment, his brain was more focused on keeping Sojiro from doing something that he'd come to regret later. If this was some sort of berserker magic that Sojiro was using, Tad was certain that Sojiro wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt Zincarla. The man had heroic motivations and hurting your friends was hardly something Sojiro would see as heroic. In his rush, Tad hadn't taken time to consider HOW Sojiro was able to put Zincarla in such a state.

The lightning mage sped towards the two and didn't plan to slow down. Tad's left hand came into contact with Sojiro's armored forearm, just above the wrist, and his right hand went to Zincarla's shoulder. As he sped into them, he tried to push them apart and fly between them; however, his own inexperience with his Flash Steps spell meant showed as he lost control. The result sent the lightning mage hurtling forward with no control or grace after breaking Sojiro's grasp on Zincarla's neck.

As he bounced and skidded across the rooftop, Zincarla's magic affixed itself to Tad's skin. He took no note of it as he slid into the roof's edge with a considerable thud. He wasn't sure how successful he'd been in stopping Sojiro, but his consciousness started to fade from the impact with the buildings' sturdy construction. Tad just hoped that his interruption would either be enough to bring Sojiro back to his right mind or give Zincarla the time she needed to fight back; that was the last thought the lanky mage had before he passed out.

WC: 594
TWC: 22551

WC: 1,122
TWC: 23,673

Takumi watched the scene carefully as he brought himself and Thaddeus closer to the roof that held both Zincarla and the strange knight, his mind hazy yet focused, disregarding the surrounding environment as he memorized the details he could see. A part of him was aware he should be reacting in rage, swearing to defend what should be his friend, doing all that he could to refuse to sit by once more but it was so distant. So muted. Instead he watched with no emotion as Zincarla was brought down by the hands of the dead, fear evident on her face as the knight reached nearer and nearer, likely to kill her as he had done to the pirate.

It was then Thaddeus had chosen to interfere, a wise move if it wasn't for what Zincarla chose to do in response of her impending death. Strange stripes seemed to emerge from her body, clinging onto her as if they were always part of her and he recalled most animals who donned such colourful patterns evolved to do so as a warning to others that they were poisonous. It was with lifeless eyes that Takumi watched Thaddeus collapse without so much a fight upon contact with the two, his body sliding across the roof and coming to a rough stop when it collided against the edge of the roof.

Takumi closed his eyes as he finally reached the opposite edge of the roof. It was a dull ache, a whispering voice that told him of his failure, yet the time for introspection wasn't now. He opened his eyes, tearing them from the fallen mage and onto the fallen knight, the final action of the lanky mage being enough to have brought Takumi the time to arrive and assist Zincarla against the strange knight. He watched as the knight seemed to be whispering and trying to talk to himself, an oddly familiar voice making his heart ache and vision threaten to water once more had caused him to tense and watch the knight closely, underneath them a single spike of stone was being prepared to thrust up and impale the knight.

When the knight had turned to him, Takumi froze. Beneath the helmet, laid the face of his fallen friend. Wave of emotions whirled around him, anger at the knight for using his friend like this, relief that his friend was moving and seemingly alive, fear that the knight was simply faking this as a cruel trick, hope that this was real and he could save Sojiro, confusion over what exactly this knight was. Yet none of it mattered as Sojiro made a single request.


Then he was gone. Sojiro's calming amethyst eye was consumed with the spirit's crimson colour and the creature controlling his friend turned it's back on him. He knew why before the knight even spoke, he was the weakest among the four person squad, his magic ability was laughable compared to the others who had a much better grasp of how things worked in this world but Soji knew something that the knight didn't. Takumi's initial power, his truth bubble that seemed to negate other's magic. Rather or not it would work was beyond him, he never tried to use it against this caliber of magic before but even allowing him the ability to free Zincarla would greatly increase the odds of completing his new found goal. So with a deep breath, Takumi felt the familiar latent power within and pulled it out, a ball of almost negative light expanding outward at a rapid pace while Takumi simply stood within, his eyes closed and all his attention focused on himself as he forced himself to remain calm and expand the ball outward as quick as he could, hoping it would be enough to negate the magic from everyone, including that spirit that claimed his friend.

WC: 655
TWC: 24,328

Zincarla's heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't recall the last time she had felt death so close. Yet, it wasn't the death which scared her so much as the way she was made helpless by her own stolen power or the way that she could feel her own magic squirming inside of her. It felt like her soul, her mind, was shifting, and it left small icy cold pockets of nothingness in their wakes. It felt like ages, but it was over in a second. The grip of the monster inside of her friend had loosened from her neck and her magic settled back into place, making her wonder for a moment if she had dreamed this. How had a mission to fight pirates gone so utterly wrong? Would she or any of her friends survive? She took in a deep breath.

A quick force suddenly hurtled between her and Sojiro's body, speed and strength so great and unexpected it was easy for her to fall backwards. She stumbled a couple times and then slipped upon the roof, sitting there with her striped gold and black skin in confusion. Her magenta eyes scanned the area as if in slow motion, her adrenaline serving to help her process the new situation. Tad had separated her from the demon in man clothing but she could see from where he lay unconscious that it was not without a cost. Her death spell had left the skin of Sojiro and Tad slashed with black and gold ribbons and at this point they should have both been feeling nausea or having trouble breathing. It was a bad sign and she couldn't undo the spell without freeing Sojiro's body as well. She clutched her head with one desperate hand trying to decide what to do.

Zincarla got herself up to her feet on shaking legs, watching Sojiro carefully. "If I have to end the spell now, I won't be caught off guard again," She whispered to herself. The witch knew she couldn't waste the opportunity she was given. She placed her hands together to start a new spell, readying it for the moment she ended the Death Spell, when her ears picked up on a strange and familiar sound. Sojiro's voice saying her name, and the other's. He was in there. As his hands tightened over his head, Zincarla grit her teeth. She was struggling to think quickly with all this new information, how to stop the demon, how to not hurt Sojiro, how to undo her curse upon Tad, and was there a way to do any of this without causing even more problems? It was lucky she didn't have to.

"I, I don't know-" Zincarla began as the demon took back Sojiro's body. She watched as it stepped towards her, falling to one knee and even then promising to bring her as close to death as he could. It was her biggest and deepest fear, this creature's abilities and she felt paralyzed in indecision. She felt the sudden flooding of knowledge pouring into her mind. Zincarla’s eyes glow bright blue and glowing tiny blue sigils mark her entire body as her face grows dull and void of expression. It was her Archphantom State, her most powerful and most secret spell, which she had never used in combat before. Her body was entering the state automatically with the mortal fear and confusion she was facing. The woman glowed brighter and the earth around not just the building, but the enter block and part of the beach would start to shake with a mild earthquake.

Takumi made his most perfectly timed entrance as her body began to lift a few feet above the rooftop. A ball of conflicting light, a negating energy pulsed around the rooftop and Zincarla instantly collapsed back upon the roof. Her glowing eyes and sigils were gone, as were the black and gold remnants of her spell upon her two friends. The earthquake started and ended abruptly and then for the witch, all was silent. Her dark hair coiled around her motionless form and an exhausted groan left her lips. Whatever Takumi had done had likely saved them all, and through the strands of hair over her face, Zincarla's tired magenta eyes looked to Sojiro to see if the demon too had been affected.

WC: 6826 + 724= 7550

Archphantom State Spell:

Tad didn't remember where he had been and his eyes were closed, he was sure of that. He was also fairly certain that he didn't want to open his eyes, though he didn't recall why. With his eyes closed, he could feel the sun's rays shining down on his body. There was grass beneath him, tickling his face ever so slightly with every movement. He could hear people in the distance, though not well enough to make out anything specific. The longer he remained there, the more curious he got about where he was and what was going on around him, so, finally, he opened his eyes. He found himself laying in the fetal position in a grassy field, a bright blue sky adorned with a few, sporadic white clouds.

He saw Zincarla, Takumi, and Sojiro nearly thirty feet from him, just talking and enjoying each other's company. Slowly, Tad got up to his feet, realizing that he was not wearing shoes as individual blades of grass slithered between his thin toes.He took a few steps towards them, trying to call out to them. His voice didn't seem to listen as no noise could be heard. The farther he went, the more difficult it became to go any farther. His body seemed to be weighted down by something, his breathing labored and his sense of balance haphazard at best. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that he had to continue, maybe they could help him, if only he could reach them.

Feeling woozy and nauseated, Tad stumbled and fell to his knees. In this position, he could see behind him for the first time since he awoke in this strange world. He instantly knew who it was, his father had a very distinct body type, being a large, barrel-chested man. Next to him stood his brothers', large men just like their father. He didn't understand why his family was in this field with his friends and had he been in better condition, he might have understood that this was some sort of dreamscape.

Rather than focus on where he was or what was going on with him, he began to ponder why no one was coming to help him. They were all in a field after all and surely they could see him crumbled over in the grass. He looked forward to his friends, they still seemed oblivious to his troubles. He then looked to his family and it seemed like all three of them had gotten closer. He reached out to them, hoping they'd come to his rescue and as his hand reached out, Takumi's bubble reached Tad's near-lifeless body. The curse which had been affecting him was lifted and, within the dream, Tad felt all of his ailments instantly dissipate. He was able to stand and erroneously assume that his family had done something to aid him. For while the curse had been lifted, Tad was still pretty banged up and unconscious.

"Maybe I'm not as done with my family as I thought." Tad said aloud within the dream. In reality, a mumble could be heard if anyone were close enough to him. He began to walk towards his family in order to see why they were there, but as he did so, the grassy field started to shake and Tad's consciousness was brought back to the living.

His eyes slowly opened, the aches and pains that his body felt were still terribly distracting, but Tad saw Takumi with his unique magic-free bubble. He didn't really understand what was going on or what had happened, but he was sure Takumi had done something impressive and Tad found himself in awe of Takumi for the second time on this mission. One could say that a newfound respect towards Takumi was developing within Tad.

WC: 635
TT: 25597

WC: 733
TWC: 26,330

The effects of his spell had worked wonders he hadn't even thought possible, the world had begun to shake and he watched as Zincarla took to the air, strange markings enveloping her body as she sought to transform in order to fight the knight. He watched as his bubble met her floating form and like a flip activated within her, she simply fell to the ground and the world ceased to shake in protest. Beyond her, he watched as his bubble reached the unconscious form of Thaddeus and the markings that had claimed him faded just as quickly, yet the smaller man refused to awaken from whatever effect the spell had imparted onto him. For just a moment, Takumi thought that perhaps the spell Zincarla had used left no lingering effects and instead simply killed the man but then he saw it.

Just the slightest movement, movement he wouldn't have spotted if he wasn't studying his fallen ally. Thaddeus' lips mouthed words that he couldn't possibly hope to hear from such a long distance. Whatever Zincarla had done must've drained something from him, perhaps life force or simply his energy and removing the markings had only stopped it's draining effect on Thaddeus. Takumi could only assume the fact Thaddeus was even capable of movement and trying to speak was enough of a sign that he would survive this ordeal. Satisfied with the state of his allies, Takumi finally allowed his eyes to move to the only other standing figure on the roof.

Despite the bubble removing all traces of magic from Zincarla, the knight remained. He watched without any emotion as the knight turned Sojiro's broken body toward him, indifference met hatred as the armor that once consumed his friend begun to fade away, kept only by what he imagined to be sheer willpower and the remains of what was an overwhelming power. "You are nothing. Like so many of this world, you had relied on magic to carry you through life." A dull and almost monotone voice would answer the demon's roars and demands for answers, Takumi's own body moving between the slow and desperate flailing of a broken man with almost incredible ease. "I have no such limitations." He'd finally make his move as he steps into the knight's guard, his left forearm moving the knight's right arm that had tried to strike at him upwards and away as Takumi planted a punch into the armored midsection, a move that would've brought him pain in more normal times but everything was dulled to the man, a single goal was in his mind and he could only faintly feel what felt like a knuckle breaking from the impact.

He ignored it. Instead he'd bring his left elbow into the demon's exposed face, distantly he knew he would probably have to apologize to Sojiro for the bruised or broken cheek as his elbow crashed into the demon's face and knocked him off balance. He didn't let up on his assault against the knight, he couldn't until he was certain the knight was down and his friends were safe. An open palm struck the demon's face, he could hear cartilage break and feel the blood shoot from the demon's now broken nose as Takumi's right leg planted itself firmly behind the demon's left leg and with the sudden force aimed at it's face, it fell back and over Takumi's leg, leaving Takumi to stand over the fallen demon that had thought to use his friend's body.

His right hand was covered in blood, both from his own broken knuckle(s?) and the blood of the demon yet everything remained dull to the man as he watched the rest of the armor fade from his friend's body. He knew that he hadn't seen the last of the demonic knight, one way or another, this prideful creature would seek him out once more to both enact revenge and prevent Takumi from shutting down it's powerful magic. He'd be prepared. He wouldn't let it hurt any of his friends again.

WC: 675
TWC: 27,005