adregem | 000 - voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post

[ It was easy to tell they were finally heading to the final boss, to the reveal that Roland was waiting to see. Was the adviser the wizard behind this all this time? Were one of them going to get the princess? Was the princess in this or another castle?! Too bad Tidus led Roland away from the cutscene with the king that revealed that...

(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?

[ TIDUS, DID ROLAND MISS A CUTSCENE? How will he complete the movie in his mind?!

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?

[ When Roland stands around jumping for that time, there was absolutely not reason Tidus decided to aim at arrow at him...

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! ]

[ He's completely engrossed in this cutscene, trying to find hints of the wizard's true identity. Was it the adviser? Was that the same robe he was wearing at the start of their quest? If the VR headpiece was off, Tidus would find Roland's eyes blown wide, mouth slightly agape. Since when did games start playing like movies? So interested is he in the cutscene that he lags in his response as soon as the dragon appears, breathing hellfire onto their poor party of two. He jumps out of its trajectory, and Tidus' bellowing instruction jerks him back into Action. ]

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!

Just throw everything you have it!

[ 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!! ]

[ Roland's fully resting his weight on one bent leg now, tapping at the controls and moving his body as if he was the mage himself. Tidus may feel shifting next to him, shoulders bumping against each other as Roland tries his best to jump out of that fire attack. It hits him inevitably, because his mage moves slower than snails when they're not hopping around. He matches Tidus' curse word with something tamer, but muttered with the same intensity - Dammit! - and as soon as the boss cools down, he's already at the charge stance, Blizzard ready to be unleashed. ]

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. ]

Gh-- [ Did Roland just knock him!! But Tidus doesn't have time to complain when he's trying to watch the pattern of the attack himself that's getting the guy so animated. Lucky for him!!

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! ]

Aggro? What are you talking about? [ Stop using your weird slang on him!! Thankfully, Roland understands context just fine, so he doesn't miss a beat on his controller, watching the dragon jump right back into the fray as Tidus pelts it with arrow after arrow. He uses up his final ether, because there's no way he was going to risk it when they're this close. He sees the pattern, the distinct tell when it's about to give them a window to shoot. His mage is just as badly damaged, with one or two hits more before he might see a game over screen, but he's laser focused. The cool-down animation starts up and he's already charged for a final Blizzard move. ]

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. ]

You are way too into this.

[ 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. ]

...

[ 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... ]

Yeah, the ending sucks, [ is Tidus's indifferent remark--or rather, going for that. He didn't really pay attention to it, seeing it all before and knowing how little sense it made (seriously, he's gone through the entire early level already to see where the clues were to no avail), the headset off him already (though the ending music is catchy, giving his ears a rub and his hair a shake too.

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! ]

It's certainly one way to put it.

[ 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?

Just press buttons until you get to the main menu, then press that button. [ He can lean over and point to the actual one this time round, not as blind, a button in the controller's centre. ]

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. ]

[ He hovers over the buttons, committing the motions to memory. Roland repeats this a couple more times before he darts up and looks at Tidus with a wry expression.

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? ]

Edited 2020-08-04 14:39 (UTC)

[ It takes Tidus a moment to realise that Roland thinks he's talking about healing him, but the explanation he could give--that it was more than him, people dragging their wounds to the train that they shouldn't be dragging--but he doesn't care to. It doesn't matter. Whateeever.

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. ]

[ He waves, watching Tidus leave. He throws his voice out - a simple thank you! - for dragging him out of counting the stores to play something fun, before his hands drop the controller, VR set forgotten in an instant. He did enjoy, he did!

But as he cleans up after themselves, controllers and wires and everything else settled in place as if no one was there playing for half an hour, Roland is still unsteady. The image of the dragon turned child is too close to what he woke up from, so he doesn't bother returning to it. Tidus won't need to know that if he ever needed to play again, it wasn't going to be this. Not unless he can skip the end. ]

Supposed to be young, huh?

[ He stands, dusts himself off, and follows Tidus out of the car after some time passes. And back he goes into the only thing he finds solace in, the only thing he knows - his nose in a book; documents shuffled in his hands; stores counted; chores done. ]

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roland: 👁️👄👁️

heh heh heh

this is a crime against roland's everywhere, apologize ree!!!!

bzzzzzzt no, kid also had hair like evan, deal with it

y-yeah well the old crusty adviser looked like ur face >:(

wow bro...dude...rude....

they see me roland, they hatin' 8) also don't mind this just closing it off~