The Grand Crossover RP - Pathway to Origin [IC/PG-13/Moved to NCM for Finale]

[Mugendramon]

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These pests were a bit too interested in Predaking for his liking. The red-painted human had danced around his body for a while, but he was off now. The dragon rushed down so he could change his form into one more suitable for combat. Yet it seemed like the human was not ready to give up.

 

In but a millisecond, a chain was wrapped around his dragon form and was pulling him down in a different direction- but still to the ground. His senses thrown off-balance, Predaking opened his jaws wide and charged up his breath weapon. Aiming was difficult while crashing down, but the beam of fire seared around the warrior.

 

But this wasn't working. He'd hit the ground soon, and his dragon form would not be very resilient to the crash. Not as much as his normal form... and so he did.

 

His inner machinery twisted and turned, his chassis quickly rearranging itself and revealing the proud warrior hiding in the dragon's hide. He was still falling however, and so with something akin to a battle cry Predaking crashed onto the stone brick roads of Camelot. The only Predacon in this dimension stood up and his voice echoed throughout the city.

 

"Human! I am not here to fight! I merely search for something of great importance. And still, while my intent is not to waste any time engaging in meaningless battle... as a warrior, I will not ignore your challenge! If it is a battle you seek, then come for me!"

[Love of Ghibli]

The Upper Levels

Dorian and Butlerok looked on as things were about to get a tad heated but what was interesting was the whole rift in space time actually opening up and sucking this Madara character in. Dorian looked shocked as he went and made a defensive stance. Butler put his hand on his master's shoulder to keep him at ease. So that just happened now what do we do I'm trying to figure out where that little trick came from. I doubt that Madara character who was so obviously trying to avoid a fight would pull a move like that out of nowhere. Meaning someone else must be here pulling the strings. Well at the very least we know its a female, or that Madara thinks its a female. Dorian looked back at Butler for clarity at this revelation.

If you didn't forget your experiences here I am sure you would have figured it out sooner. Madara said he was a pawn brought back to life for her bidding. Naturally we assume that would be Isamy, she is in charge of the Divine and all. However there is a hole in that theory. Isamy only recruits people for her cause, she doesn't create them or bring them back to life. Dorian raised an eyebrow signalling for further explanation. All of the members of the Divine come from another universe and we're brought here buy Isamy. Not a single member has ever been created by her. Now you may have forgotten Vigilance, the walking armor with no head that may have been created by Isamy, he tends to know everything about us meaning that if Madara truly was created by Isamy then he wouldn't have said "You must be my comrades" he would have already known about us. Finally in the off chance that he was made by Isamy I'm sure she would have used some kind of magic and I sensed absolute no magic around him or within him. Clearly he is working for someone else.

Dorian nodded as he continued to look down the hall where Madara came from. Someone was down that hall. Radamanthys said breathing heavily through his nostrils trying to contain his anger. I heard a sharp noise right before that portal thing opened up. It seems I just found my first prey. I surely hope he is as interesting as he tried to conceal. Radamanthys mouth was opened wide as he thought of joys of ripping Madara's heart out. Ummmmm okay so I say we head back down to inform Isamy of this. Who cares about her concern? She may have the means to actually track and find Madara then you can go and enjoy your gore. WE MUST INFORM HER AT ONCE! Radamanthys turned around and pointed to the sky. Sh...she's back down stairs. Dorian said hesitantly. TO THE LOWER DEPTHS WE GO! Radamanthys jumped in the air and proceeded to take flight down the winding stairwell in an attempt to find Isamy. Butlerok could only raise an eyebrow as he himself grew a pair of wings and was about to grab Dorian. Till the young specter raised his hand with a smile.

I got this one. He said with a smile. Dorian's feet were covered with intense black flames and then he jetted right behind Radamanthys. Butler could only laugh as it almost seemed like everything was back to normal. That and it was hilarious that he was the only one out of the three who probably knew where the throne room was. Nevertheless he took flight behind the two.

[Dad]

Isamy's Castle

 

Before Madara could make another move, a high frequency ping alerted him to Ophelia's presence.  Everything was going accordingly, and he waited patiently, because seconds later he was excusing himself for the, "duties I must attend to," as he was whisked away by Ophelia's power.

 

 

???

 

It was marvelous this world.  Did she manifest it?  Was it already here and she brought it to life?  Regardless, it was essential to their success.  While here, he had nothing to hide, and properly introduced himself to Ophelia.  "My dear, it is a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance," he said as he took her hand.  She was part machine, but she was elegant.  Something about power drew Madara into her, but now was not the time.  

 

He began to stretch, as he relieved the locks on his own body.  This in effect, opened up the dam that he himself kept to restrain his strength in Isamy's castle.  And this world was the perfect place to manipulate.  "If I may," he said releasing her hand and placing his own hands together.  Two lightning fast hand signs were all that were needed.  "Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan," he said in his native tongue (which could be translated to, "Wood Release Secret Technique:  Natiivity of a World of Trees).  And suddenly, as if nature itself had only just been born, the world around them blossomed to life.  Where there was no life, life now existed.  Grassy plains, trees hundreds of stories tall, and sprouting roots all along the ground sprouted and gave the world a new form.  This grand forest perfectly concealed everything.  What remained was simply waiting for the Divine to tread down a forked road.

 

Camelot Road

 

Success.  The machine was dragged away from the castle and other lives were spared.  Unfortunately, Kratos' efforts were mistaken as malicious.  Of course.  Being persecuted was not something he wasn't used to.  

 

". . . . as a warrior, I will not ignore your challenge! If it is a battle you seek, then come for me!"

 

Kratos withdrew his blades and willed away the Spear of Destiny.  The dragon had changed.  It was now more human-like and presented a clear understanding of it's situation.  And apparently, it too was in search for answers.  But threatening Kratos was not the answer.  His faced was expressionless for a moment before he frowned, staring the humanoid in the face now.  "You could have killed innocents in your dive.  I have enough innocent blood on my hands.  I WILL NOT allow there to be more!" he retorted finally.  "If you really believe fighting me would quell the rage you don't seem to comprehend, then you'll have to find me.  I won't fight you here and risk more lives."

 

He started to turn away, his past haunting him again.  All of those men.  His own soldiers.  His wife and child.  Athena.  Gaia.  Poseidon.  Ares.  And why the hell was he here in this strange land?  He had to get home, but by Ed's words he was already doing the right thing.  But how could he be sure?  True rage boiled inside him, and the ashes he was covered in began to give off an almost radioactive gold light.  Enough was enough.  No more running.  No more wishing things would just return to normal.  He turned back to the humanoid now, as the skies began to blacken, but settled as he held his head.  "I'd suggest you gather your senses before something happens that you'll regret."  Without saying another word, he whipped a Blade into the walls of Camelot Castle behind the humanoid and pulled himself away back to the rooftops.  How could these people. . .these things be his allies?  He was sparking a fight simply being in their presence.  Maybe they were better off without him.  And that was all the thinking it took.

 

Much like his wife and child, he no longer held onto "saving his people".  He wasn't the right man for the job.  He ran off the opposite end of the roof and leaped high and far, disappearing into the mountains where he could be alone.

 

Camelot Mountains, ???

 

The mountains quaked when he landed.  The snow below him began to melt as he took several steps forward to what seemed like a frozen lake.  The ice on the lake also began to melt, deceiving him as he walked deeper into the cold water.  But the water wasn't cold for long.  It began to boil.  This was rage.  This was confusion.  This was anxiety.  And he was nothing but a burden.  He HATED this.  And soon, all of his hate caused the water in the lake to boil down completely, revealing it's purpose.  Below Kratos was a sealed chamber of magma, but in his rage he could not focus as his very presence began to heat the mountain and waken it.  Not until the mountain violently quaked was Kratos completely aware of his surroundings.  But it was too late.  The chamber burst open, causing him to jump back in shock, as he watched  it crack forward and open a gaping hole to what seemed like hell.  He climbed backwards and realized what he had done.  If this mountain erupted, those in Camelot castle would be at risk.  He had no time to hesitate, as enormous boulders erupted from the mountain and fell miles below towards the castle.

 

It was high time Kratos was less of a burden and more of use.  But only in isolation could he do so.  First, he had to calm down.  He stopped, as the magma began to seep out of the mountain, and sat in an Indian style position.  He stabbed his blades into opposite sides of the ground on either side of his legs, and gripped them tightly.  He had to breathe.  But it wasn't working.  He only grew angrier.  He had to use his greatest disadvantage to his advantage.  He picked up his blades and tucked them onto his back.  Using all of his might, he raised a glowing red foot. . . and crashed it into the side of the mountain.  Magma spewed forth, but caved instantly into the crevice.  This bought him enough time as the resulting collapse kicked an enormous boulder, possibly twenty tons heavy, into the air.  He whipped his blades out again and tossed them at the boulder pulling himself straight at it.  As he closed in on the rock, he manifested the Spear once more and stabbed it into the rock with crystals first.  He fired three rounds, and the resulting explosions propelled the boulder into the top of the mountain sealing it once more.

 

As he landed he realized he didn't need to change himself, but change the situation.  Instead of removing his rage, he had to mature it.  So until he was needed, he would fight this mountain every day.  He ran back to the top of the crevice he created and sealed it with rubble, then jumped back to the top of the boulder at the mountain's peak.  He took a crystal from his Spear and began carving into the rock.  "One."

[Phantom Roxas]

Eria was wandering the halls of Camelot. Since there were new people in the Counter Corps, she thought it best to be acquainted with them, not to mention it would be best to get to know the older members better. Though there were still some members left from when Emiya first began the Counter Corps, it felt as though the number of new recruits vastly outweighed the "veterans", as it were. And of course, how could she possibly forget that she was still far from saving Gagagigo. That is, assuming that Butler's theory really was wrong.

 

Eria's train of thought was interrupted as she head suddenly began to feel an intense pain. Slifer and Obelisk's voices spoke up, reacting to whatever was causing her such pain.

 

Obelisk's voice roared, This power-!

 

What is a Dark Signer doing here?" Slifer demanded.

 

"What is a Dark Signer?" Eria asked.

 

Emissaries of the King of the Netherworld! Obelisk responded. Either the Divine has found a way to send such a pitiful being to this place, or that Arthuria is a fool.

 

Dark Signers draw upon the power of the residents of your world, Slifer explained. It is no surprise that his very presence would cause someone such as you to suffer simply by being within the same place as him. Worry not, though. We did not anticipate that someone such as him would be here. Now that he has made himself known, We shall protect you from his power."

 

The pain subsided, but Eria could realize where it was coming from. "Thank You," Eria told them, "I'll check it out."

 

With that, Eria ran in the direction of mysterious being, her heels clicking against the floor, until she found people assembled around a hovercraft. One of them was a furry creature Eria recognized from LERNA's Barrier, but there was a man carrying a girl, who Eria also remembered from the Barrier.

 

That's him, said Obelisk. Eliminate the Dark Signer.

 

No, Slifer warned. Though We are loathe to admit it, he is to be Our ally. Eria, you are free to approach this matter as you would.

 

Eria nodded and stepped closer until she was next to Alexander. She struggled to find the right words, since the Gods had marked this man as dangerous, especially to someone like her. "Excuse me, am I interrupting something?"

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

Nero; Camelot

 

Nero was just outside of the castle and he was sitting at the base of the wall looking across to a tree. However, it wasn't the tree he was gazing upon, for leaning against it was his own keyblade, The Darkness Within. Should such a blade be used by a warrior fighting for truth, justice, hope, and most importantly light? This blade was his own darkness given form, could he truly fight with a force he had been struggling with for so long. Then there was Sora, who had recently changed form, and was now named Xansvita. Sora was light, Xansvita was darkness, Xansvita took over Sora's light; if Nero hadn't made his darkness into a weapon, would he be controlled by another? No! Xansvita was a completely different person inside of Sora, it was just Nero inside Nero...right? Nero thought but then sensed something, someone was looking for him, and since there were only two people he could sense were looking for him, he knew it had to be Arthur. And what of this one? He'll surely seek my help...can I train another one just to have to possibility of watching them die in front of me again? Nero racked his brain with thought after thought, LERNA's world had done much to his train of thought. Nero's head went down in thought again, knowing Arthur was getting closer. He didn't know if Arthur could sense his keyblade like Nero could his, but he assumed as much. If he asks, I'll help him, but I'm not going to offer..." Nero thought, his mind then moving to other things.

 

Matthew Supplex: Camelot

 

It was a marvelous castle, it truly was quite the site, but Matthew didn't see much of it because he staggered to get inside. He had only made it a few feet before collapsing. While inside Nero he had fought a demon, the vary demon he had stolen power from, he hadn't healed himself before charging headstrong into the battle with LERNA. If Matthew had died inside of Nero's mind, what would have become of Nero? He wondered as he struggled with his revolver to get a new round into the chamber, but he was too weak and dropped it, his hand falling on top of the weapon. Eria had passed by him, but he had gone unnoticed, he surely would have called to her if he possessed the strength. It was times like these that Matthew truly remembers, that he's only human. His eyes closed, and his breathing ceased, Matthew had died surrounded by his own allies, in the safest place he could have been within.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small aura of light coated Matthew's body and he suddenly shot up to a sitting position and was breathing heavily. He thought back in confusion, for even he had forgotten about the Auto-Life spell he cast on himself so long ago. Matthew looked around and determined that no one had even known he died, picked up his revolver, holstered it, and went on inside the castle..

[Gαr]

Camelot, Rooftop Battlements

 

The conversation was drawn to a close when Kratos attacked the ominous mechanical dragon that appeared in the sky and Clerano acting as the voice of reason between the two. Ed sighed and went back to his original position, half-heartedly watching the fight. Kratos's integrity and ingenuity was commendable, though. His weapons were interesting as well. An explosive spear and just as dangerous chained blades, and Ed assumed he had many more in his arsenal.

 

After dragging the dragon out of the sky, it turned into a humanoid machine. Kratos and the machine exchanged some heated words, before Kratos left out of apparent frustration. "That man has inescapable demons from his past. He can't drown his demons because they know how to swim. He needs time alone."

[Shadow Zero]

Camelot: Fields by the Castle
     Clerano hovered just above the ground, having separated from Kratos and the strange mechnical creature. He did not want to get swept up in an unnecessary fight. He crossed his arms and simply watched, awaiting the outcome. He was surprised when the dragon-like mechanical feature took a humanoid shape. He had never encountered something like this before, and rather than being unsettled by it, he was intrigued by it, as he also was of the fact that taking a humanoid shape seemed to grant this...being a voice. "Interesting...a mechanical form of life, completely sentient and aware, and with sophisticated hardware, from the looks of him."

     Clerano closed his eyes as Kratos began berating the mechanical being for what he seemed to deem careless actions that had endangered the lives of others.  "I'd suggest you gather your senses before something happens that you'll regret." Clerano groaned audibly when Kratos said that. It was almost as if he was trying to start another fight. Not good. As Kratos hauled himself up onto the cieling, Clerano flew over to Predaking, landing on the ground nearby. "I hope you'll forgive his abrasive attitude. We're all strangers to one another here, and I sense that he is struggling with something personal to him." Clerano didn't know what it was that was eating at Kratos, but he recognized a man struggling with his personal demons when he saw one, and from what he could tell, Kratos had a lot of personal demons to deal with.

[Mugendramon]

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---

The human yelled at Predaking, and his accusatory word rang in his head. He wanted to chase after him, let him know that he had newfound respect for life. That he did not intend to actually crash. But to his dismay, the brutal warrior had fled the scene.

 

A new voice made the predacon turn. This one belonged to another man, of a more collected nature. "I can understand. I lived a life as the only member of my entire species for a long time. I apologize for my, rather destructive entrance. You may call me Predaking.

 

Perhaps you can enlighten me further on my current situation," the robot added; "and the nature of this place. Where exactly am I?"

[Reinforce]

Chandra Nalaar, Camelot, Rooftop Battlements

Coming from her room after hearing the explosions, Chandra made her way to the rooftop battlements just in time to see a dragon turn into a human and then the human who had been fighting him to leave. "His inner demons are his own problem, and how he deals with them are his own concern. In the same way, your inner demons are your own concern too." Leaning down on one of the battlements, Chandra could feel the building energy from the suddenly defrosted mountains in the distance, and watched as magma started to burst out of one, only for them to be sealed again by the same warrior who had been fighting the dragon.

[Maeriberii Haan]

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Isamy's Castle -Tenshi-

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"This place...is huge!"

 

Tenshi exclaimed in excitement as she appeared from a portal in one of the room in what seems to be the insides of a castle, and it seems to be quite different in structure from what she had been familiar with. The excitement immediately dampened as she realized that there's seems no one inside.

 

"And here I thought my boredom will instantly disappear after entering the contract...

 

I think the scythe lady that is definitely not a shinigami back then said something about doing a favor for her. Then again...who is she?

 

No, that's not the correct answer. What is she? I can sense that her clothing and scythe are made from the same material as Celestial veils, but there's no way she is a celestial. And her being a shinigami is definitely out of the question. I think I might able to find out more later, no use to asking myself questions that I cannot answer.

 

But for now, I guess I'll have to entertain myself if I don't want to die in boredom."

 

She whipped out her sword, and summoned a keystone.

 

"Maybe shake things a little...?

 

...Nah, that would be rude, the owner had saved me back then, so I guess I owe her a favor not to wreck this place up.

 

...I think I'll just explore this place for now, maybe there's something interesting somewhere inside this place."

 

The Celestial then walked away aimlessly inside the unfamiliar castle-like structure, wondering about the structure she's in and its mysterious owner.

[Gαr]

Camelot, Rooftop Battlements

 

Ed was startled and nearly fell out of niche when a voice responded to his comment about inner demons. What startled him even more was that it was a woman who responded, and Ed never had any luck with woman, so having a woman talk to him first surprised him. He turned to see a younger woman in rugged, but light armor and fiery, dark red hair. To say the least, she was almost opposite of Ed. "You startled me there. And how did you about my.....Was it really that obvious?" Ed rubbed the back of his neck and shied his eyes away. Being depressed was hard, and being embarrassed was bad, and both together was worse. "I was only making an observation, really. Nothing philosophical or hypocritical."

[Dad]

???, Camelot Mountains

 

Solitude.  Now would be the best time to see how restored his magics were.  Blades still in hand, the mountain became shrouded in a dark red cloud that almost resembled blood.  Leaping down from boulder to gain space, Kratos spread his feet and raised his right hand.  The air around him began to swirl to life as one by one, his dead Spartan Brothers' spirits came to his side, shield and spear in hand.  There was a large number of them, and the army continued to grow until it reached two-hundred and ninety-nine, not including Kratos.

 

"Brothers!" he cried out.  There was a uniform stomp that rang out.  They surrounded Kratos as a unit, like an immovable wall.  "Defend!"  The fallen soldiers raised their shields and spears and almost instantly enclosed around Kratos, then drew in their shields and spears to form a spiritual barrier that carried physical properties.  Lightning struck as Kratos voiced commands, deflecting off of his brothers' shields.  "Assault!" he commanded, and they shifted positions.  They went from blocking every angle possible to moving forward with shields at the ready and spears aimed front.  They paced in unison, marching with Kratos, left and right, forwards and backwards.  "Rain death upon them!"  Another harmonized stomp, and the soldiers resumed their defensive positions around Kratos once more.  This time however, they continued marching in place.  Their many footsteps played an agonizing song of death, and caused the frightening red cloud above them to grow and expand before surrounding the entire mountain.  When it reached it's capacity, thousands upon thousands of magical arrows fell from the sky, piercing the mountain before disappearing seconds later.

 

Kratos need not say another word as his army began to disperse and return to the spiritual plain.  His army was as strong now as it was before.  But there were many other magics that still needed to be toyed with.

[Reinforce]

Chandra, Camelot, Rooftop Battlements

 

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to surprise you. But yes, just the way you said it suggested that you have some experience with that." Chandra turned around, leaning on the stone she was against so she could face him rather than looking out onto the scenery. "This is all hypothetical of course, but if someone was to be having trouble with their inner demons, the main two options for dealing with them are to either lock them away, or confront them and make peace with your guilt. Personally, I believe the second option is the better of the two." Facing directly towards him now, she could get a better image of what he looked like. With pale skin and silver hair, not to mention those piercing red eyes, he looked similar to the vampires she'd encountered in the past. The scars as well would suggest he'd been in a lot of confrontations, and not always come out on top. "I'm Chandra by the way, what's your name?"

[Shadow Zero]

"I am Clerano Arvent. As for where we are, I heard that we are in something called a Reality Marble, and that we're helping our worlds by being here. Beyond that, I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do. You are a very interesting being, though. Never before have I seen a mechanical life form with such a complex structure, high degree of sentience, and self awareness, let alone one with those attributes that was capable of transformation." Yes, Clerano is very interested by the Predacon that stands before him. He had seen Nasods before, but save for some very rare exceptions, they had all been given specific designs, tasks, protocols, everything. None of them were free-thinking, self-aware beings. Only those from ancient times on his world were so developed and sophisticated, and even then, they all had a single, given, humanoid form, as clearly noted in the records that were able to be salvaged or recovered from those times.

[Kingdom Xathers]

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Camelot Courtyard

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"Ahh!!" Alexander gasped out as his Signer Mark reacted to the Mark on the strange man's arm, shooting a sharp pain through the length of his arm. At the same time, the roars of Red Dragon Archfiend echoed in his head. "Ah... a Dark Signer...?" he uttered, slightly trembling from the reaction. "But why... here...?"

 

It was then that the individual introduced himself, in a heavy German accent: "In life, I was Schutzstaffel Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny of the Einhundertfünfzig Panzer-Brigade. In death, I serve Victoria Atlas, Sorceress Supreme and Mistress of Eudaemonia. She has sent me here to locate the one known as Itsu Fudo, and provide support, where needed. I believe I have successfully located and acquired part of Fraulein Fudo. I presume, Katzemann, that you know of the location of the other part, ja?"

 

"Wait, "Victoria Atlas"...? Why does that name sound familiar... ... maybe Itsu once mentioned it...." Alexander shook his head as he tried to regain his focus. "And pray tell, what do you plan to do if and when you meet this other half of Itsu Fudo?" he asked the man, feeling a slight anger well within him. Not an anger of his own, but that of the Red Dragon Archfiend that chose him as its Signer. "I do hope you or your Mistress do not wish any harm upon her, otherwise...."

 

Alexander cut himself off just as Eria appeared, asking if she was interrupting anything. "... no, Eria, it's fine," Alexander replied, trying to keep Red Dragon's anger in check as he spoke in a calm, friendly tone. "Mister, erm... Skorzeny here was just helping Miss Yuki to the Inch of Will. I was going to lead him there on my way back to check on Izumi." He began to walk down the path toward the Inch of Will, stopping to turn around and say over his shoulder toward Otto, "Coming, Kamerad?" before leading the way....

---

Meanwhile, over by Predaking

---

Ratchet looked on as Kratos abruptly left, feeling somewhat sorry for the Spartan. He then turned toward the one that had approached him earlier (Aesir) and said, "Well, by the looks of it, this Dragon is a cyborb of some sort, and a big one at that." He took a brief look up toward Predaking's head, shuddering a bit before returning to Aesir. "Doesn't look like he's here to cause trouble for us, so that's good news.... Name's Ratchet by the way," he said, offering a handshake, "and the little one strapped to my back is my pal, Clank. Just thought I'd introduce myself, since you're new here and all."

---

Inch of Will

---

 

"Hmmm... meh," Samuel Hainz replied to the automated voice. "Let's have ol' Umbie figure it out fer 'imself, eh?" he said with a sly grin.

 

 

[spoiler=Battle With the Fairer Sex! Umbris Searches For a Robe!]

 

And so, Umbris' tenacious and harrowing search for Women's Clothing began. He knew, somehow, that he would not escape this escapade unscathed, and yet it was a task he was honor-bound to uptake.

 

His first contact was with a pale, blond haired young woman in a lacey white blouse, dark pleated skirt and brown knee-high boots, accompanied by a white-furred German Shepherd. Although she appeared to be merely a(n older) teenager, she possessed quite a bit of, erm... "talent". It took him a moment, an uncomfortable look from the girl and some growling from the German Shepherd, for Umbris to realize he had been gawking a bit. Clearing his throat, Umbris tried to regain his composure and start anew. "Um, my apologies, Miss. I was just admiring your, err... attire, right! Very, err... renaissance-esque."

 

"Oh, uh, thank you, sir," replied the young woman in a meek tone.

 

"You, uh... wouldn't happen to have more like that, would you?

 

"I... beg your pardon...?"

 

"It's just that, uh... I... need to borrow your clothes for a moment.... I mean, not "me", specifically! I just mean...." As Umbris tried in vain to explain the situation, Fiona and her dog glanced at each other for a moment, as if wordlessly coming to the same conclusion: "This panther-man is a weirdo." Taking the initiative, Fiona drew back one of her legs and, with as much force as her dainty body could muster, swung her foot into Umbris'... "chrysalis". The Neo-Spacian reacted as one would expect a male to react upon being struck in one's jewels, groveling onto the floor in pain. To add further insult to injury, the German Shepherd, Hewie, attempted to tackle Umbris to the ground. Umbris, however, managed to slip away, in spite of the pain he was feeling, and rushed off in his feral form, leaving Fiona feeling somewhat violated and confused, and Hewie a bit irate and disappointed....

 

 

His frantic dash away from the German Shepherd led Umbris into the Rec Room, where he spotted Professor Kokonoe chatting with the gigantic Iron Tager, Anya Stroud, Washu, and a brown anthropomorphic wolf in tattered overalls.

 

"Seriously!" Kokonoe blurted out loud, pointing a finger at the wolf, Wuffle. "This guy is just abso-*EFF!*ing-lutely A-Maz-Ing!! Who knew that a country bumpkin like him could successfully repair a piece of Tau technology? Not just repair, but *EFF!*-ing IMPROVE IT!! And here I am, still having trouble understanding Mass Effect Relays...."

 

"She's been talking about it for a day straight now," Tager whispered in an aside to Anya as modest Wuffle scratched the back of his head, rather embarrassed.

 

Anya merely sighed. "Tell me about it... hm? Oh, hey, Umbris--wow, you look like $#!+," she said as she noticed Umbris approaching.

 

"Yeah... still feel like I'm gonna throw up...," The Neo-Spacian replied, his face looking slightly green.

 

"Critical hit to the 'nads?" Washu asked cheerfully bluntly. "Yeah, I can certainly tell, I have seen many a case where--"

 

"Yeah, yeah, later, Crab-Head," Umbris interrupted as he sat down. "I just got attacked by this girl and her dog, all because I had asked to borrow some of her clothes--"

 

"A somewhat understandable response," replied Kokonoe.

 

"No, you guys don't get it. I was trying to look for clothes to give to Izumi to wear. You know, Izumi? Half of Itsu, still stuck in the shell of Thermopylae?"

 

"Oh, yeah, her," Washu responded. "What for?"

 

"Well, when she's actually out of that shell, she's gonna be in her birthday suit," Umbris said bluntly, "so we're trying to find her clothing so that won't be an issue."

 

"Oh." The three females in the room glanced at each other, having a wordless conversation amongst themselves.

 

After a brief moment, Anya finally responded, "Um, sure, I guess we can lend her some clothing for the time being."

 

Umbris happily breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, that's great news. Thanks, Anya."

 

"Uhh...," Kokonoe and Washu butted in, miffed by Umbris' response. "Why just Anya? What about us?"

 

"Yeah, uh, no offense, you two," Umbris replied, "but I doubt Izumi will be much comfortable in clothing that was tailored to fit a Middle-School child--"

 

Washu immediately gawked in outrage at the Neo-Spacian as Kokonoe guffawed at her expense.

 

"--or was designed to fit perfectly on a cutting board."

 

Now it was Kokonoe's turn to furiously glare at Umbris. At the same time, Umbris' attention was brought to the sound of a cafeteria table getting flipped on its side; the Neo-Spacian could see that Anya and Wuffle had taken refuge behind it. "Uhh... what's with you two--?"

 

"Umm, Umbris, you may need to pay attention over here," Tager's voice spoke in urgency. Umbris turned back around, just in time to see a now-gold-colored Tager wrap a hand around Umbris' body.

 

"ANY LAST WORDS, UMBRIS?!?!" Kokonoe roared out, she and Washu appearing more like violent Onis in their rage.

 

"If... I could... speak...!" Umbris gasped out, Tager's grip cutting off his circulation.

 

"I'm sorry, Umbris," Golden Tager spoke. "I'll try to make this as painless as possible--"

 

"BRING ON THE PAIN!!" shrieked Kokonoe and Washu as Kokonoe slammed a fist on the button of the remote controlling Tager. Unable to override the command, Golden Tager tossed Umbris up into the air (just as a hatch conveniently opened up in the roof of the Inch of Will), with Tager rocket-jumping up after him.

 

"Umbris, if you can escape this...," Golden Tager pleaded as he grabbed onto the Neo-Spacian, preparing to powerbomb him into the forest below, "... I suggest you do so, NOW!"

 

As both Tager and Umbris began to scream as they plummeted toward the earth, Umbris willed himself into shifting his form; turning himself into a liquid substance, the Neo-Spacian slipped through Golden Tager's fingers, then, once all of him was freed, morphed into a butterfly. Butterfly-Umbris then looked on as Golden Tager gave him a brief salute before falling the rest of the way down, landing with such force in the woods that the surrounding trees within a 50 yard radius were practically disintegrated into splinters....

 

 

 

Once he was back inside the Inch of Will, still trying to get away from the wrath of Kahn Kokonoe and Washu, Umbris slowed to a stop in one of the hallways, bracing himself against the wall with one hand as he caught his breath.

 

"Dammit... all this trouble... just to borrow... some clothing...," Umbris gasped out with each intake of air. "... wait... ... ... why does this wall feel... ... ... soft...?" A sudden dread overtaking him, Umbris gulped hard as he slowly turned his head toward the wall... to see his hand grasped around the ample bosom of a young, blond-haired woman with gauntlets attached to her arms standing in the doorway of her room, her violet eyes slowly glowing red as she growled at Umbris, while her three friends looked on from inside the room, with varied expressions of shock, confusion and disgust.

 

"... why me?" Umbris squeaked as his pupils shrunk to mere pin-pricks.

 

The blond immediately grabbed hold of the Umbra Panther, dragging him into the room and shutting the door behind her. The sounds of a vicious beating could be heard on the outside, along with shouts and profanity from the girls and pleas from Umbris. After a few seconds, Umbris tried to exit the room, managing to open the door and takes a step out before a black ribbon wrapped around him, pulling him back in as he screamed, "WAIT, LET ME EXPLAIN!" before the door closed once more behind him.

 

More sounds of a beating, then Umbris attempted another escape, blurting out, "Can't I just say I'm sor-RY?!" before getting thrown back into the room upon stepping foot on a white, snowflake-shaped glyph on the floor.

 

More beating. For the third time, Umbris makes a run for it, only for a red, mechanical scythe to hook him around the neck and pull him back in once more.

 

More beating. More swearing. More yelping from Umbris. Then, finally, Umbris was ejected from the room, having been slammed into the door with such force that it came off of its hinges (despite being a sliding automatic door). "And let that be a lesson to ya!" the blond shouted at Umbris as he attempted to pick himself up off the floor.

 

"Guh... gah... didn't even... give me time... to explain...," Umbris sputtered out as he got to his feet, holding a hand up to his head... and seeing strands of wavy blond hair grasped in it. "... Arceus, have mercy on me...," he whimpered as he glanced back at the blond, now glowing white with fury....

 

 

 

A few moments later, Samuel's attention was brought to the screaming of "SAM!! OPEN THE DOOR!!! SAMMY!!!!!" outside the room. With a quick, knowing smirk, Samuel pressed a button, opening the door just long enough for Umbris to slip right in and barricade the door with his body, shaking as the door was being pounded upon.

 

"So, I take it yer search when well, right?" Samuel asked calmly, trying to keep himself from laughing.

 

"SHUT UP, SAM!!" Umbris yelled back, growing frantic as he saw the sliding door starting to get pried open. "THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO--what is she wearing?" Umbris suddenly asked, his tone becoming dull but irritated upon seeing Izumi dressed in a simple dark nightgown.

 

"Oi, did I ferget ter tell ya'?" Samuel replied with a wide, sadistic grin on his face. "The ship's A.I. informed me that it could fashion up sum clothin' fer Miss Izumi here. I was gonna tell yer, meself, but you'd already bin long gone by then."

 

"... you mean to tell me...," Umbris grumbled, his cloak starting to grow tendrils as he began to grow quite irate, "that you sent me out there to ask for women's clothing, knowing full-well that I could get potentially lynched in the process, and all this time we could have just ASKED THE DAMN COMPUTER?!?!"

 

"... yea, pretty much, right," Samuel chimed, unfazed by Umbris' scare tactics.

 

"... hmph." Slamming his fist against the control panel for the door, Umbris allowed the door to fianlly open, revealing a mob of 30-or-so women wielding torches, pitchforks, firearms and so-on standing right outside. "It was his idea," Umbris said bluntly to the mob as he pointed toward the wolf-man.

 

"O___O!!!"

---

Meanwhile, away from Umbris' and Samuel's torture at the hands of the Amazon Brigade....

---

"No brewery, ma'am," said a voice behind Sarah; the male anthro-Audino, Raphael approached her alongside Lucario and Nurse Joy, with Eevee held closely in Joy's arms. "However, there is the man named Rodin who owns a Bar called the "Gates of Hell". The entrance to it is a crimson glyph in the Rec Room, next to the vending machine. Not that I'd ever go there myself," Raphael added, "but there have been others who have asked similar questions before, and either Nurse Joy or myself have had to direct them there... and a few times had to take them to the infirmary to get their stomachs pumped," he added with an annoyed tone.

 

Nurse Joy nodded in agreement. "So, please, if you are to go there, drink responsibly, and... ... wait, you do have I.D., right?"

 

---

Alister Azlimuth, Isamy's Castle

---

Alister heaved a sigh as he went deep into thought, the question asked of him carrying more weight to it when asked by his visitor outside the door than when asked before by Mr. Zurkon. Was he doing the right thing by being here? Had he been asked that question when he had first joined the Divine, he may have been more than confident to have replied "Yes". Now? There was so much doubt placed upon him, weighing heavily on his heart. Back in LERNA's Barrier, he had promised Kaden's spirit that he would do the right thing... whether it really was his spirit or just Alister's mind playing with him, he wasn't entirely sure. Oh, great, even more reason to doubt. But, why? Even if it was a trick of his subconscious, making such a promise should be a step in the right direction, right? It was taking those further steps that seemed so difficult right now.

 

Then, for some reason, Alister's mind wandered back to the time between the first two missions, when he had used his Time ability to slip into Isamy's Vault out of curiosity. There, he had spoken with the Umbra Witch, Bayonetta and the lion plushie inhabited by the soul of Gabriel Guerra, hearing about the circumstances which brought them to their current predicament. Orvus said, in his dream, that this use of his power was, loosely paraphrased, "a fair one". How so? Had he done something "right" in doing so? Maybe if, by asking the same question, "Am I doing the right thing by being here?" in a different context... ... ... ...

 

"... light bulb."

 

"Mr. Zurkon begs your pardon?" blurted the Zurkon-Wrench.

 

With a slight smile, Alister spoke, "Maybe not in the way most people would think, but maybe... ... maybe there is something I can do... only by being here...."

---

Sayer, Isamy's Castle

---

"... okay, first off, that was an expression; I didn't actually install my R.O.D.s into the walls of the Castle. Too time-consuming.

 

"Second: The Unlimited Blade Works wasn't the only location that I had employed my R.O.D.s; some of them had also entered the Inch of Will, which is now currently in the Successor's Reality Bubble. It's Camelot, if you would like to know," Sayer added with a slight wave of his hand. "I had even deployed a few R.O.D.s through the portal that His Majesty Arthuria had so kindly opened for the Counter C***s to enter. Undetected, of course. I pride myself in being as discrete as possible, after all.

 

"Which leads me to the nitty-gritty, the reason for our little conversation right now," said Sayer, a sinister grin crossing his face: "The R.O.D.s are all interconnected with each other. And not just so it makes it easier for me to switch between eyes... within each R.O.D. is a space which connects them all together. One can enter through one eye, and come out of another, even if that other eye resides in an entirely different dimension. Is it sinking in yet, Tin Can?" Sayer asked of Vigilance, "or do you still have your doubts about the father of the acclaimed Archetype Earth? Or, as I so loving refer to... Reatrey."

 

"... but, how?" asked an incredulous Vigilance. "Conventional methods of Interdimensional Travel--"

 

"--are currently on the fritz due to the instability of the Multiverse, yadda-yadda-yadda. I know the words to the song by now, Vigilance," Sayer replied, becoming somewhat bored and annoyed. "Don't try to think of it as "travelling". Think of it more as... a loophole."

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

??? : ???

 

"The desired actions requesting completion have been dealt with." Ophelia had jumped slightly, as she had yet to be used to her new allies abilities. He had willed himself to appear just behind Ophelia, so closely that they were almost locking backs. ""I do not have one hundred percent confidence in your plan, it's merely an eighty five at the moment. Although you have made great preparation, what makes you think you'll be able to complete your final goal?" The man with the flowing white overcoat had not been seen by Uchiha Madara, and yet he had seemed to have been working with Ophelia for at least long enough for Ophelia not to raise much guard when he suddenly appeared.  He didn't glance at Uchiha Madara, nor did he glance at Opheila. Truthfully, he had no interest in either of them at the core.

[Dad]

Camelot Mountains

 

The day was nearly half way through, but Kratos had much more to do.  In the remainder of the day he had to test the rest of his magics.  The Spartan Army spell was in superb standing.  Now he would attempt to use something a bit more manipulative and diverse.  In his hands, the Blades of Chaos began to glow.  But instead of their normal red or golden hue, they glowed purple.  Their ends extended and began to cave at the tips until they formed the Claws of Hades.  They were much different from the Blades of Chaos in that, they too manipulated souls, but not souls that Kratos could call his brothers.  Instead, these were souls of the damned, and they also willed Kratos the ability to--granted his target is wounded enough--remove the soul of another, and manipulate it later to do his bidding.  Their handles, unlike his other Blades, were more sleek and covered in a black Minotaur hide.  They were as lengthy as the Blades of Chaos, but were much more diverse.

 

He flailed them violently but with a devastating technique that showed off his battle prowess.  He allowed one claw to swing extremely high and the other to scrape the ground violently.  As it did, it left a sinister scratch mark in the mountain and it burned maliciously.  The higher end claw gripped the fading cloud that was made by his Spartan Army not long ago, and Kratos pulled himself upwards while swinging the lower hanging claw.  He then used the claws to swing around from the clouds that surrounded the peak of the mountain before jumping back down to it's peak.  It seemed they were still able to force the untouchable to be malleable, but he was more interested in the souls that still resided inside these blades.  He flung the blades forward and dug them into the mountain, dragging them backwards and creating black, soulless rifts into the mountain's peak.  When he did, the screams of the damned pierced the air and caused the entire mountain to rumble.  Out of the left rift, the soul of a Minotaur climbed out and rampaged about.  On the right, a cyclops emerged and began to wail on the ground before it, even causing the mountain to crack beneath it's power.

 

"Enough!" he said instantly.  They stopped abruptly and faced Kratos.  The Cyclops fell to one knee, holding it's head low bowing to Kratos.  The Minotaur followed suit.  It seemed they did not know they had been summoned and thought they were free.  Unfortunately, Kratos was their owner now.  "You learn quickly," he said flatly.  "I do not know why you were slain.  But know this:  Hades is dead.  I rule the underworld now.  And judging by your actions I shouldn't need to tell you again.  You will strike only those I command, and you will then disperse.  Do you understand?"

 

The Minotaur nodded and the Cyclops grunted in succession.  "Now.  Who else is among you?"  Their souls shook violently because they did not have an answer.  "Fine then."  Kratos whipped a single Claw into the ground and opened a third rift.  Out of roared a Chimera.  It instantly stood on it's hind legs as it emerged with it's lion face staring at Kratos with malice.  "Yes, I remember you," Kratos said taunting the beast, reminding it of their past bout.  The lion roared, but Kratos roared back.  Shocked and unexpected the Chimera took two steps backwards.  It was going to roar again, but Kratos' eyes pierced the Chimera's own.  "You will be one to struggle, and I won't hesitate to make you suffer if you try my patience."

 

The Chimera did not grunt, hiss, or buck.  It remained silent before finally returning to all four legs, and bowing to Kratos.  "Good.  You will work fluently.  That I can assure you.  Starting with you Minotaur," he said pointing to the half-bull, half-man.  "You are possibly the most agile of you three.  You will not rely on your strength, but rather on your swift strikes.  And you Cyclops," he said now turning to the one-eyed monster.  "Your strength may not match mine, but it is enough to off balance the opponent."  Kratos paced like a military commander.  "Your attacks must use the shock of the Minotaur's swiftness to render the enemy vulnerable.  But lastly, you, Chimera."  Kratos finally turned to the goat-lion-snake-tailed creature.  "You are the most treacherous.  I know you've maintained your magics in your death.  Surely you can still wield them."

 

Again, the Chimera did not hiss or grunt.  Instead, it stood on it's hind legs again, and spoke.  "Yes m'lord.  My magics are the same, but they only reside in the heart of the Lion and the mouth of the Snake," spoke the wise Goat.  (Why the hell is the goat British?)

 

"You speak.  Very well.  Your magics, combined with your sneaky tactics will allow us to kill most who oppose us.  I will do the rest," he said finally.  "Our work begins--"  "Forgive me m'lord," the wise Goat spoke up.  "But there is one other.  The Minotaur's cousin, the Centaur."

 

"Centaur?" Kratos questioned.

 

"His allegiance requires the use of two souls.  Meaning you cannot wield more than two of us at a time while he is on the playing field, including himself.  He is currently your strongest soul."

 

"Very well.  You are dismissed," Kratos said waving away the Cyclops and the Minotaur.  Kratos whipped the Claws both into one place and drew a gigantic rift into the mountain's surface.  The Centaur bellowed and jumped headlong, spear in hand, out of the rift.  It's soul retained armor, a helmet on it's head and a protective breastplate.  "You will do just fine among these souls," Kratos remarked.  The Centaur turned to face it's new master, and upon seeing his face, the Centaur bowed immediately, it's silver tipped spear still pointing into the air.  "Yes my master," it uttered.

[The Warden]

|_)Crastfallen Lydia(_|

 

Lydia could barely see her own face in the putrid waters of the fetid lake. Ever since her battle, she could still feel the tightness clawing at her chest. It was those words LERNA quite literally etched into her mind, about hope being a lie. They had their own cruel power, and they were constantly gnawing at her mind, at her sense of hope. She clutched her heart as her eyes closed, and tears started streaming down her face. A tear welled up on her cheek, and fell into the lake. "DAMN IT!" she cried out, her voice reaching all points of the marble.

 

Shaking with both fury and some very confusing feelings, her legs gave out, collapsing her to her knees. With a furious fist raised, she slammed it into the ground repeatedly, whilst screaming "DAMN IT!" each time.

 

Her first was red from the slamming, but she just didn't have the strength to lash out anymore. She was sobbing deeply into the ground, and continued to mumble damn it when she was able to gather her breath.

 

---

 

|_)Red, the Arisen(_|

 

Whoever was on the other side of the door was certainly taking his time answering the question, but it is little surprise. There are mahy who can't or don't know how to justify their answer because they never really thought about it before. There are always people who don't question or think about their actions, they simply do it guided by some fate. Well, that's perfectly okay for heroes but it doesn't work for everyone now does it? Destiny is a flippant and very capricious overlord whose mind cannot be contested, or even understood. "Light bulb..."

 

Okay, did he seriously just say light bulb? That's... an unusual response- oh wait, there we go, justification. Red heaved a hevay sigh as his tail released the dooorknob. "I suppose you can only allow fate to helpguide you until you know the real answer. Though you would do well to find it soon. The Divine can't operate when it's completely full of people only interested in their petty desires. We need a coherent directive beyond molding our own worlds, and I know I do not trust this Isamy whelp. She won't stay true to her word, I know this. But sadly, like all the others, I must believe in her words. There are no other options; for any of us" he mused.

 

Hefting his large frame, Red slowly wondered off, the explore the castle for no more reason than to simply think upon the idea. One little idea of hope for a dommed world. Though, when put into that sort of contest, the idea hardly seems little anymore.

[Shadow Zero]

The Skies above the Camelot Mountains

 

Down, down, down he fell, farther and farther, in what seemed like an endless repetition of some bad, cosmic joke. He had been falling for hours now, out of space and time, and even Hypertime, for that matter. Even so, he regretted nothing. No way was he going to give that prick a chance to drag him back into his realm. No dice, no chance, nothing. He had almost begun to feel tired when he noticed it. Something was different, something had finally changed. Instead of all encompassing blackness, he was now falling through what seemed to be red clouds, and he sensed that the ground was near. Twisting in mid-air, he shifts his position so that he'll impact the ground feet first, and as he does, the impact is so great that it leaves a sizable crater in the side of the mountain, emanating from the center, where he had landed on the mountainside.

♪♫♪♫

Blaze Firasta has arrived, and for the moment, is completely unaware that he is not the only one present on this particular mountain.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Outside the Inch of Will:

Otto didn't seem very concerned about the fact that he was holding a Signer, as well as confronting another Signer, and even had some sort of young girl playing host to two Egyptian Gods with internal strife on whether or not to destroy him due to being an undead abomination. From what his scouts, small shadowy spiders currently residing on the darker portions of these persons, could tell him, the true intentions of the Signer were that of curiosity, though his Dragon disagreed. Likewise, the blue-haired girl was wary, with one of her Gods demanding his head, while the other reluctantly accepted his presence. Otto looked to both of his hosts. "If I posed any sort of threat to you, meine Freunde, I would have acted upon it, would I have not? I know that you see me as an aberration that should not be amongst you, but I am used to it. After all, in life, I was a member of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. Once, I held that fact in pride, but it became a symbol of evil to the rest of the world, and I was made to feel shameful of the force I held dear. I am a monster, a title I now embrace. But fear not. I have a leash preventing me from doing anything...hastig...Now, as for Fraulein Fudo, the fact that she is in pieces complicates matters for me. I request that I observe this other part, and assess the situation as to what I should do next. That is a reasonable request, ja?"

 

Onboard the Inch of Will:

 

Izumi was still fast asleep, ignorant of the fact that she had been liberated from the porcelain that was, at present, disintegrating. The shell of despair no longer had any reason to exist in its present state, so it simply broke down into nothingness. However, the glowing mark on her right arm was starting to give her some discomfort, and she grimaced shuddering slightly from sensations she had not felt in quite a long time.

[Mugendramon]

---

---

"Reality marble?" Predaking snapped; "That is nonsense. This must be some sort of alien world. Surely of human origin, too; judging by the size of this place and its constructions. That said, it is a good thing that you recognize the values of cybertronian life. I am not quite sure how many of these I could find in your species, but I will try my best to overlook any of them I do not."

 

Predaking noticed another creature; a feline form standing erect like a cybertronian or a human. It called itself Ratchet. At the mention of the name, the huge robot leaned forward and stood on one of his knees, taking his face close to the life form's.

 

"You could not possibly be Ratchet! What would an autobot medic be doing in a place like this! And in a minute, anthropomorphous shape like that one as well!" Predaking lunged to grab the creature by its clothing. "Tell me who you really are." 

[Shadow Zero]

Camelot Fields, in front of the castle

Clerano sighs audibly at Predaking's actions. Doesn't he know that there can be more than one person with the same name? He just shakes his head and gives Predaking a look that basically says "You're Jumping the Gun again", but otherwise remains silent. Clerano himself is not unfamiliar with Anthropomorphic life-forms, since there is a sentient species of humanoid lizardmen in the universe he comes from. Still, he doesn't remember having seen any life-forms that looked like cats.

 

Shadronus's Domain, Location Unknown

Meanwhile, Shadronus has momentarily turned his gaze away from the events taking place in Isamy's castle to look elsewhere. Unfortunately, what he sees hasn't much changed, seeing as entire universes and dimensions are still being torn apart and vanishing. He may have to begin looking into what's causing it to happen fairly soon. After all, there is the chance that it could reach even his domain.

[Dad]

Camelot Mountains

 

There was a sudden crash near Kratos' location.  Sealing away the souls he commanded, he paid it no mind.  If anyone or thing had reason to disturb him it was surely of good reason.  There were still several magics to test, but he would save the most dangerous for last.  If he used it properly, he could wipe away the very mountain he stood on.  Unfortunately, that would put too many lives in danger.  He would have to be far more secluded than this.  In the mean time, his Boots that he stole from the late Hermes were raring to go.  He latched the Hades' Claws onto his back and got into a running stance.  The boots glowed brightly and left cinders at Kratos' heels.  It seems they were still perfectly intact.

 

In one swift motion, Kratos circled the mountain at incredible speeds.  Because he had not used these boots in some time, everything was a blur, but he could at least control his pace.  Dashing around the mountain once more, he slowed his pace just enough to get a look at an enormous crater that seemed to originate from another humanoid machine.  He continued to ignore it and blazed around the mountain once more, stopping at it's peak after his lap.

 

Standard magics were in working order, but he had not tested his remaining three combat magics.  Two of which he would need to leave this mountain to use.  Boots aside, Kratos needed targets for his next weapon magic.  He opened an empty palm to the air and a flaming orange bow sparked to life in his hand.  The Bow of Apollo was as fierce as it was elegant.  The only targets he could gather would have to be created.  So, at risk of causing the mountain to erupt once more, Kratos created at an Atlas Quake at his location, launching huge chunks of rock into the air (much like before).  The mountain did not awaken, and Kratos had the targets he wished for.

 

Fourteen boulders, three of which were very large and would surely divide.  Pulling back the empty string on the Bow, four magical arrows formed, and he simultaneously removed four of his target by causing them to disintegrate on impact.  Ten remained.  Kratos climbed a higher to the top of the shaft sealing stone to get a better shot.  Instead of four arrows, he merged them into one large arrow and pierced through all three of the largest targets.  They divided into ten stones each, creating thirty new targets before hitting the ground.  In combination with the Boots of Hermes, Kratos swiftly moved from the right side of the face of the mountain, fired four arrows, and doubled back to his previous location to fire four in the exact opposite angle.  Then rolling backwards about six feet, he let loose a flurry of eight arrows.  In the sudden barrage of flaming arrows, the many stones that remained were vaporized by the sheer amount of heat that enclosed around them.  That was all the testing Kratos needed.

 

Letting the Bow go, Kratos climbed back atop the stone that sealed the mountain to get a better view of his surroundings.  As far as his eyes could see, there was forest.  He would have to reach the forest's edge before he even attempted to open up the gates of Olympus.  He decided to wait, and slid down to mark the boulder again as the Claws of Hades morphed back to the Blades of Chaos.  "Two," he uttered softly.

[Shadow Zero]

Camelot Mountains

Blaze straightens up, looking around him. He stood on a mountain, and yet there was no snow, and in the distance stood a man. Clearly the man was engrossed in something, but it didn't matter to Blaze. He was finally free, and his landing point couldn't have been better placed. It was time for him to make a home for himself. He raises up a single foot, flames surrounding it, and stomps it into the ground, the force of the blow greater than the force of impact when he landed. He smiled as some of the crater cracked and sunk away, the Magma beneath it spewing forth. Blaze was pleased to see that the Magma was so close to the surface where he was, as that would make things a lot easier. He backed away to keep himself from falling into the expanding hole in the side of the mountain. Turning around, his fist raised and wreathed in flames, he brings it down to the ground, the blow causing a shockwave to travel towards the peak of the mountain. If it reaches the peak, it will hit the boulder and cause it to fracture just enough for the it to start falling in and allow the magma to spill out and over.

[Dad]

Camelot Mountains

 

The mountain began to quake.  This was unfortunate.  Very unfortunate indeed.  Kratos had no choice but to remove the mountain entirely if it meant keeping all of Camelot from being engulfed in flames.  Of course this mean that if he did, he would not be able to fight for two solid days to his full potential.  Very well.  This was an opportunity for him to make use of his rage.  And anyone standing in the way when he was finished would be punished of their own accord.

 

The seal he had made was no longer of use, and so he kicked the giant boulder away, the opposite direction of Camelot.  He stood now directly over the slowly expanding chasm that was releasing steam and magma, and stuck his right arm out as if to receive a gift.  Then, rotating his hand so that his palm faced his right side, everything around him, including the skies, began to turn black.  Nature was furious with these acts, as the winds around Camelot became a sudden gust and began to un-root trees and lift debris from the Camelot rubble.  The clouds above him circled violently, before opening a vortex in the sky.  Lightning cracked at his feet, and out of the opening skies came a sword.  It was made of an unearthly metal that could not be replicated.  It's gold and blue hue drew the attention of nature's eye to the skies, as it plummeted to the ground.  As it reached Kratos, he grabbed it as it continued to fall into the chasm of the erupting mountain, down into it's magma core.

 

Camelot Mountain, Magma Core

 

There was one solid remaining piece of stone that was below Kratos as he and the Blade of Olympus fell towards it.  On impact, everything around Kratos grew silent, and a shock wave erupted from the mountain's base, stopping the flow of magma almost completely.  But he knew it wouldn't be enough.  The sonic boom simply suppressed the magma for a moment.  He needed just a bit more strength.  Sword in hand, Kratos raised it to the skies as he himself began to change color.  His ashes brightened as the magma around him bubbled.  He cried out to the heavens in rage as his fury grew.  The Rage of Sparta was within him now, granting him immeasurable strength and durability.  He feared nothing now.  Drawing back the sword behind him, he let it's magic build.  And in one mighty, broad swing, there was silence once more.

 

But this was not an average shock wave. It contained magic that is untold to humans.  And the sheer force of the magic behind this sword cooled the magma instantaneously, but continued to crack the mountain.  He swung the blade once more, and finished the deed.  The mountain began to cave down upon him.  Just like everything else in his life.

 

The magic wave was deafening and because it was so strong it caused fluctuating energies in the air, creating and manipulating various magnetic fields.  And as the mountain fell, Kratos climbed up and over rocks wit astounding agility, still imbued with Spartan Rage.  At the peak of the collapsing mountain he let out all of his might, and with two fists, smashed the mountain beneath him causing it to cave in on itself instead of spreading rubble towards Camelot.  As the dust cleared, he stood in the midst of it, as his Rage began to die down.  He waited to search the rubble of the mountain to find the cause of it's eruption.