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voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post
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voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post
spoilers he's the villain!!
A game lasts ten minutes, five minute rounds each. [ The screen darkens as their characters go into the tower by the back door. One might think that realistically it should lead into a kitchen or some sort, but fool, this is a dark scary tower in an RPG, and so it leads straight into a small lobby with two armoured 'statues' standing on each side of the door going further in. Tidus hurries over to one of the pots before Roland can get to it and breaks it with his bow. ...literally, that's the animation, him whacking a pot with a bow.
He gets a healing item for his efforts. ]
But I can hold it longer than that! Half an hour, a lil' more? I haven't swam in ages though, so I'm probably getting rusty. But blitzball is about taking a beating, so I'm no wimp at what I do.
[ Before they go into the next area, Tidus warns as an aside, 'We've got soldiers to deal with, ice magic's good for 'em', and it's what Tidus has been saving up most of his own magic arrows for. And indeed, when they move onto into the next area, similar statues stand as they did in the other room, motionless... until they come close, and then they draw their swords and flails! ]
SUCH LIES. tidus is on the cover of his game!!
[ Roland makes a sound of displeasure and dashes to get some potions. Too bad all of the remaining pots are empty. Grr. ]
...I know you're not a wimp, Tidus. [ Roland immediately starts up Freeze Ray, and as it turns out, he can combine spells at his level, turning the AOE wind attack into an ice AOE called Blizzard. He smirks and starts whacking statues that look like knights to get their attention, before jumping and flailing out of their way to cast his spells. It's not the most graceful movement, but the way he imagines it in his head, it's a full-on strategy.
He adds after a while - ] You've just got a lot of cheek on you, but I know you're more than capable when you apply yourself. I trust you. [ Roland's sass comes from a place of fondness. He already knows in a fight, Tidus has got his back. What more in a game, with a team, for a sport he loves? ]
[ The statues have a surprising amount of health. He's used up another ether trying to get them to stop their assault, and they hit hard even if they're dangerously slow. He tries to dovetail Tidus here, so they don't split up and awaken more statues than they can handle. HE LEARNED! ]
...Are you telling me you can literally hold your breath for a near full hour, right now? If I asked you to? [ IS HE GOING TO ASK YOU TO? ]
even protags can be villains :(
Don't overthink it! I know I'm good at what I do. I didn't get into the top leagues just by being okay. [ The continuing adventure of how you can't trust Roland!! But blitzball is one of those areas Tidus is happy to brag about, or sound like he's bragging--it wouldn't be fair on his teammates and how had any of them worked to do any less. Someone's gotta make sure the world...universe...whatever knows how great the Zanarkand Abes (were) are.
Like these dumb living tincans, for one. Once they reach a certain level of damage, pieces of their 'limbs' come off to reveal a dark shade that does nothing extra, but allows for more damage when hit. Which is good, since otherwise, Tidus is stuck using his magic arrows again than just going for the easier route, but the shades allow him--with some finicky aiming--to use his normal, unlimited arrows to strike them for better damage. ]
How 'bout asking me when you can see me do it? Chores, sparring, whatever you--want! [ And that comes out with a semi-grunt as Tidus dodges his character from the swing of a flail. Too close! ]
tidus is the villain of roland's life!!!!!!!!!
I'll do you one better. Do they typically record games of blitzball? Maybe it's something I can get at the shop. Then again, watching you hold your breath while you clean bathrooms sounds like a better time for everyone.
[ He flashes him a toothy grin, casting another Blizzard spell, hitting two at a time. One of them reveals a dark limb in their right arm, the other, the torso. It looks...kind of gross, which puts him on edge. ] You ever fought enemies like this where you're from? I've never been a fan of the wiggly and slimy monsters, myself. Makes me want to end the fight faster.
same back!!!!
I've fought bigger armoured guys. [ Does that count. He's glad these aren't the size of those, though their hitbox would be bigger (then again, so would be their weapons). As soon as Tidus hears the dunk of them losing a piece of armour, he turns his attentions on those ones, throwing out- ] You leave the ones with less health to me!
[ Teamwork, buddy! But as for the rest of fiends-- ]
There's all kinds back in Spira. Those things before, the jelly things--they looked like flan. I don't know though. There were a lot of different fiends. I don't like anything that won't go down!
[ Which actually isn't going to be these pesky suited enemies for much longer, but it's still taking too much time! But another hit of one of Roland's blizzard spells does the trick! ]
Ugh, finally!
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[ He affirms the instruction with a quiet 'Roger that' before he focuses on the bigger fish to fry, though he takes a quick detour first, trying to get more ethers. He keeps getting potions...! But he jumps back into the fray sooner rather than later, Blizzard and Freeze Ray on his move cycle, making sure his SP never falls below 50%. He reacts passionately to Tidus' own movements, cheering and grinning as they finally clear the floor. Now to get out of there before the next respawn...Up the ominous looking stairs, he assumes. ]
Ever fought a wind wyrm before? [ He drops two potions for Tidus, since his inventory was full. ] A dragon? [ He has to clarify - the Second World had strange creatures on their own. ] Those are tough. Way tougher than these walking tin cans.
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Uh, dragons? Talk to Inigo for dragons, I've never seen one. [ But still they know what they're doing, and they have the potions to spare, with more coming in. ] They fly, right? We have flying fiends. Big fiends, small fiends, elemental fiend--Spira's full of 'em. What about Evermore?
[ He's heard the place that Roland comes from--or the second place, the one he considers home now--a few times, wonders if he got the name right. But it was something like that, wasn't it? ]
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[ They continue to ascend the steps, and at some point, the stairs get weird. The perspective changes, and the VR game forces them to change into first-person, as if they were looking at the stairs themselves. The walls collapse and the stairs look like they're floating against nothing. One wrong move could have their avatars fall to their untimely dooms...Or so it should go. Roland is still jumping up steps, regardless of the perspective change. He mutters something about not being afraid of a challenge, but Tidus hey. If you fall because of his jumping, that's on you obviously. ]
Inigo's fought dragons? Inigo? [ The soft and gentle kid who's always smiling, who kept him company and CRIED for him? ] I'll...ask him about it. Sure. [ It's not that he thinks Inigo couldn't take a dragon, it's more of he feels protective of him already, having seen his vulnerability just a days before, post-mission. What kind of world did he live in that exposed him to that kind of danger; forced him to grow up the way that he did that he couldn't bear seeing his wounds? ] Yeah, the ones we fought can fly. It's fine if you've never fought one. I don't reckon that's a bad thing, with how strong they are. They've put us in bad positions more than once, I'm not looking to fight one again any time soon.
[ WOW HE ALMOST FALLS. BUT HE JUMPS TO THE LEFT AND MAKES A NICE LANDING. Got you punk!! ] Pretty much the same. We've got wyverns kidnapping people for revenge, brutally strong fae folk who can knock you out with one spell, and monsters that belong underwater, all tentacles, fins, and gills. You'll never run out of variety, I can tell you that much. [ The light at the top of the stairs glows brighter. They're close, but a horde of monsters are waiting for them. The knights in armor to be exact. He clicks his tongue against his teeth. THEY HAD TO FIGHT ON THE STAIRS??? ] There's a city in that world that I would have liked to take you to. It's called Hydropolis. You'd have fit in really well.
[ Because he likes underwater sports and they were basically...the most scenic beachy underwater-y city there ever was. He fights back the nostalgia. Not now! ]
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[ Enjoy the floating pair of fuzzy arm sleeves when he drops them out and he'll take those boots, thanks. Nothing actually changes about their characters, but the game is short enough where it doesn't really matter--and they spent plenty of time picking out their current outfits on the character select for it not to matter.
But a non-changing outfit isn't the thing that has Tidus getting huffy (IS IT THE WAY THAT ROLAND'S DECIDING TO GO ON AHEAD, YOU BET IT IS!!). ] I dunno if Inigo's fought a dragon--maybe? He has something about dragons. And he's got some special...connection with one? But that's for him to talk about. [ And not Tidus. Not after the last time he let it slip and Inigo got terrorised by another passenger on the train. Tidus doubts Roland would treat the subject the same, but still. Better safe than sorry. ] Enough about that! Don't you have a fire spell that glows? The last person I played with have one. It lit up the way!
[ Or made the invisible tiles shine under the light, which is the exact same thing. And now they had the fiends to deal with, but at least Roland was stopping to actually think here. ]
What, you picking places to take me to? What do you think you're gonna do? Whisk me for a week away from this place? [ Pfft. He selects his ice arrows, his character drawing them into his bow. ]
I'll freeze the big one solid and you blast him with magic, before he gets too close.
[ They might be able to get rid of the armoured foe before it reached them, but they'd have to be careful about all the other pests. ]
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[ They engage in the fight as soon as the lantern trick lit up more of the tiles under its dim light. It followed Roland's movements, so he made sure to stick close to his archer again, in case they fell through the floor by accident. The two knights activated, and the battle begins again. For all the shortness of its gameplay, they really made sure to engage the players in high stakes every single time... He charges up Freeze Ray and aims it near point-blank at the big guys after Tidus' arrows pierce through its defenses. It does the trick, leaving it vulnerable for a moment. ATTACK PLS. He will keep that in mind the next time he speaks to Inigo. It's either he's good at talking to dragons - which is not unusual for Roland given he's helped a kid who had a dragon for a pet once - or he's slain more than one, and both feats are fairly impressive. ]
[ As soon as they get a rhythm, joysticks clicking against plastic again, Roland finally address Tidus with a less intense energy. This was a crazy game, kid. ]
Hey, if it's an all-expenses paid trip to another kingdom, why would you say no? [ Roland grins. ] What, you haven't thought about where I'd like to go if I ever went to Spira? You're terrible.
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(no he didn't, that was Roland's own fault!) ]
What do I know you like? [ Said defensively! But still, as their character ascend the swirling stairs with skulls adorning the wall and clattering their teeth at them as they past- ] We don't have kingdoms! Maybe you'll liiike... Bevelle! I dunno, I wasn't there long.
[ The stairs for once finally show themselves, just before where two fountains sit on either side. Up ahead, just within sight, two large doors bear down on them ominously. They cleared the storm outside earlier, but there's sounds like a thunderstorm brewing behind the thick slabs that go up high before reaching the ceiling. Like an open mouth waiting to swallow them whole... ]
Here-- [ Tidus jumps into one of the fountains. ] Up ahead's the last boss! You got everything you want equipped?
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He's feeling it now, in his fingertips and under his skin. He might be gripping the controller just a little tighter now, eager to see the truth of this story...! He'll actually pause on that stuff for now because as soon as Tidus prompts him, Roland just starts going through everything in an almost neurotic fashion. He mumbles something like 'wait don't start!' and presses his Options menu, shifting equipment and adding more buffs. He counts his potions, ethers, checks his equipment...And after a bit of that back and forth, he's done, menu screen is down, and the jumping continues out of excitement. ] This is it. I'm ready to save the princess! [ CONVINCED ISN'T HE. He really hopes this is going to be as cool as it sounds! ]
[ The loading screen leading up to the final arc of the game's story is a bit longer than the rest, perhaps because of the animation. He drums his fingers against the controller. ]
...Okay, then what's your favorite place in Spira? If you had to take someone there for a quick vacation, where'd you reckon you'd go?
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Especially when he turns it around and aims it up at the ceiling. Nope nope he wasn't thinking about how annoying all that jumping is!! Don't know what you're talking about, don't ask. ]
I-- later, okay?
[ Psst, whispering!! Because there's something the game is loading once they enter into the next stage, and that happens to be a small quick animation that shows the entirety of the room from the doors and upwards to the domed roof adorned in framing that meets at the centre, crowning a hanging chandelier. A robed figure cloaked in shadows then steps within the 'frame', and the scene turns to show them standing in the middle of the room.
Two hands wrapped in bandages come out, and from their fingertips dark power escapes out an transforms into a large beast made of shadow, solidifying, great wings sprouting from its back and teeth being bared as it lets out a roar.
It's....a draaaaagooon!!!!!! No time for talking, except! ]
Quick--don't get caught in its flames!
[ Because there's a quick few warning spurts that come out as soon as the battle starts, the music currently going hard. The wizard is nowhere to be seen, now only the night-dark dragon threatening to make them its prey.
Get moving and doing, Roland! ]
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Thanks, I'd never have thought to evade! [ His sarcasm is accompanied by a frustration that he was down to the last 2 ethers so he had to make every Freeze Ray count. What about wind? He tries each spell individually first - the charged Freeze Ray, a regular Freeze Ray, and an AOE that perhaps wasted damage but delivered stuns by chance. The last combo ate up too much of his SP, so he cycles through the first three moves instead, instinctively drawing away from his fire spells. Because why. ] Alright, captain. What's the game plan, here? Besides not getting burnt to a crisp, that is.
[ He performs another Freeze Ray, but the dragon starts flapping its wings, the magic going through it like nothing. It's momentarily invincible, which means...it was getting ready for a big attack. WELP. Roland moves his character in circles around Tidus' archer. ] You've got to be kidding me. We need reinforcements!
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[ You want the game plan, that's Tidus's game plan for everything in life: Just Attack. He doesn't remember any particular helpful strategy for this, and he wasn't the mage on the last round but the swordfighter--and oh boy, was that something and a half going up against this fiend. Luckily the swordfighter was a bulky class that could take some damage, while the archer was all about speed and dodging, and not getting up in a dragon's face.
ALSO for NOT being CIRCLED-- ]
Don't try ringing around me! [ BECAUSE HEY LOOK HE'S TRYING TO RUN HERE. ] Keep away from its face! It's gonna flame us! Jump that!
[ And the flames come in a spewing line, being dragged from left to right, right to left. Tidus has his avatar leap over the fire from where he is, near the walls where the flames aren't angled impossibly high and more likely to damage him if he gets caught.
He still does anyway, his avatar flinching back in the fire damage once, a quick low 'shit!' coming out of his filthy mouth. The assault goes for about ten seconds before the dragon gives up, breathing heavily as it tries to regain its energy. ]
Attack it now! [ Tidus directs, firing off his own barrage--a high level attack that allowed him to shoot three explosive ice arrows at once. Eat an iceful, dumb boss!! ]
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Take that!
[ He performs the combo, three buttons at once, and his mage casts two Freeze Rays with a charged up Blizzard to finish him off. The first attack does little damage, but the last spells cause the Dragon to stagger, his huge bulking body falling to the floor. He jumps immediately and starts casting more spells, though when he runs out of SP, he just puts his strength at melee. ]
Now, go, go! Use more arrows! Unleash your special move or something!
[ He stops whacking the dragon with his dumb weak staff and uses up an ether. Last one down. He may or may not be kneeling on both legs now. ]
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And Roland isn't the only one throwing what he's got at the final boss once that opening comes in. Tidus could throw in more, he's still got a couple of explosion bolts, but the dragon's getting up, and that'll mean-- ]
Move back, we've got one more cycle of this! Don't waste your magic, let's get it after it does its special move! Leave me to aggro it!
[ Which means pestering it with simpler arrows as it returns to stomping around the room after them; sometimes trying to snap at them with jaws, or to swing around its long, whipping tail to throw them down. Tidus launches off arrows for dinky damage, but he isn't sure if there's a damage or time limit to when it'll return to the centre of the room again to try and barbecue them into overcooked husks. ]
Alright, get ready! [ --but when it does, Tidus feels the excitement, the anticipation. His health is low and he doesn't have any health potions to heal with, so he's doing his best to avoid the fire, the long, wall reaching spurts that need to be jumped over, the quick fireballs spat out in every direction that linger a while before they disappear.
So close-! The end of the game is so close! And when the dragon finally goes into its cool-down animation, and Tidus hits the keys to get to the explosion bolts, firing them and causing the proper stagger this time.
All you, Roland! ]
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You're mine.
[ He lets the combo finish and it hits its mark. The dragon feels the full assault of a fully charged spell and the dragon begins to stagger for one final time, an animation transitioning smoothly into the foreground as flash after flash of light cover the screen. As soon as it roars, Roland uncharacteristically shouts out a "Yes! Alright!", finally sounding in line with the youthfulness of his visage. Like a kid who just finished his first video game. He even air pumps on final time, and the cartoon slowly fades in after a brief loading screen. He drops his controller unceremoniously against his lap as he sits back down. ]
My heart is beating way too fast. I feel like I just ran a marathon. We did it. We actually did it.
[ The VR headpiece is still on, but Roland still cranes his head to look at Tidus with a grin on his face regardless. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. ]
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[ But it's fondly teased, and Tidus doesn't need to take off his VR headset to guess half of how Roland must be looking right now. Who would've imagined the guy getting this into videogames? Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, and Tidus really did get him a new hobby. Who'd have thunk it.
The cartoon that loads has the white light coming down into the form of a human--the 'dragon' now transforming back into the cloaked and hooded figure, who collapses onto the ground. It zooms into half of their face, showing a...youthful jaw, grimacing as they then lift their head, an arm obscuring the players' view as they go to pull back on their hood.
...to reveal a youthful, sickly-looking boy, ragged, coughing into a fist, the gaps of his outfit showing how far the bandages cover his entire body.
'Ten years, my father trapped me here... I wanted him to be the one to suffer. T-to know what this is like... before I finally...'
He turns his head, his black hair hanging, and points to a vial on a table showing a red liquid that the camera goes onto.
'...save my sister. She is the only one...who ever loved me...'
It then moves on back to the castle, the princess, a young woman, waking up from her deep slumber, and then a crowd cheering of the civilians as the castle they started off in shows in full view, confetti and hangings decorated like a proper celebration.
'You Won!' comes over the screen in gold letters, and they're left to listen to very cheerful music.
...how about that ending, Roland. ]
roland: 👁️👄👁️
[ His glee slowly deflates as the cutscene rolls in. He watches the scene in silence, and at the big reveal, Roland feels his grip on the controller tighten. With his mouth suddenly dry and the high he's chased finished for the day, all he can do is clear his throat and listen to the music blaring in the VR set. ]
That...came out of nowhere. [ He says this quietly, a little confused, but he doesn't take off the headset, not yet. ] Guess my hunch was wrong, huh? [ There's a very significant dip in his energy, but whether or not that's because the game is over and it's back to his usual reality is anyone's game. Roland sets the controller aside and removes the VR headpiece afterwards, no longer waiting for the credits to finish. He glances to his side and offers Tidus a small smile, but a genuine one. Never mind how that ended.
He smooths his hair meticulously with one hand. ]
Well. In real life, the adviser would have been the bad guy. Trust me. I've got good instincts about this kind of stuff. [ And that would be his attempt to remove the idea that he just beat a child, a sick one at that, with a sister who was waiting for him - ]
[ Guess he wasn't playing that game again... ]
heh heh heh
But he looks over to that last part that Roland says, catches the smile, the side of his mouth lifting in turn. ]
You just really want to be the bad guy that badly, huh? Sounds like I need to keep my eye on you. [ But, after a beat- ] You should play it again with the other classes, it's fun. Plus there's a scoreboard at the end for getting through it quick.
[ For that extra incentive! ]
this is a crime against roland's everywhere, apologize ree!!!!
[ He's going to be candid at this point! And he's still smoothing out his hair, because that headpiece did a number on his hair ok. ]
Heh. What can I say? I'm all kinds of dastardly. [ Roland smirks, but can't find it in himself to replay the game just for the scoreboard...He nods at Tidus' suggestion and handles the controller again, feeling it out as if for the first time again, gaze low. ] There should be other games on this thing though, right?
bzzzzzzt no, kid also had hair like evan, deal with it
But I'm out on more games. [ He lets out a breath, rolling his neck, his shoulders; he's been sitting in place for too long. ] I need some sleep. Did a number healing yesterday...
[ Or on one specific heal, but it all added up in the end. The plan of action doesn't stop him however from seeing the apple forgotten in his lap, picking it up and taking a bite. ]
y-yeah well the old crusty adviser looked like ur face >:(
I insisted on not getting healed...! Now look what happened! ]
Go to bed. Rest. You're not fully recovered yet, especially after what you did. [ How Roland manages to sound sharp yet caring is a question for the ages. He also mutters the last part to himself but he doesn't make too much of an effort to not be heard. He watches Tidus bite into his apple but his hands are still fiddling around with the VR set, as if he's trying to understand it for later when he won't have Tidus around to help him set it up. That, or he just doesn't want to do the same. Sleep. ] Back to work it is.
[ Maybe with enough points, he can ask for more games? Something from the arcade? ]
wow bro...dude...rude....
So he picks himself back up with nothing more than a ] Yeah, yeah, [ to dismiss the concern and chide, apple popped in his mouth until his hands are free. ]
Play some more. Don't be a bore--I forget you're supposed to be young.
[ And Tidus is off with that, the crunch from his apple the last sound that isn't his footsteps. ]
they see me roland, they hatin' 8) also don't mind this just closing it off~