Welcome to Gaia! ::

Seeing everyone was poised at the edge of action, he took the leap and set it all into motion. Taking his right fist away from his chest, he wound it back and smashed it through the wooden door, which was built to be shut for privacy, not holding off a bombshell. With his fist jutting into the other room all the way up to his elbow, wishing he could see the expression on their enemies' faces, he opened his palm and released an intense burst of energy. It did no physical harm other than to blind anyone on the other side of the door, just like on the airship, but it was probably more effective since they were indoors this time. Without waiting to hear if the plan had worked, he withdrew his right arm, hopped back a step, and pulled back his left fist which was shuddering with compressed force. "CHARGE!" he bellowed as he brought the metal appendage forward in a cacophonous noise as the released energy sparked forth and slammed into the wall, tearing through the wood and adobe plaster with ease and sending a shockwave into the other room that tossed tables and shattered glasses.

Ignoring the pain in his ankle, Suri dashed forward into the swirling dust and debris, in search of any movement that would identify a foe. Both arms were humming vibrantly with energy that would deliver a shock upon contact with an enemy, but Suri could already feel the drain of eradicating the wall. He'd have to conserve his energy, but he still had alot of excess to burn from his airship. He heard curses and shouts around him as the others found their mark...or vice versa. Suri picked out his mark tripping over a table leg and falling to the floor with a satisfying 'thud' and an 'oof!'. Apparently, his blinding blast had done some good and had allowed them to take the upper hand.

Suri's direct path took him to the table his foe had fallen behind, but an errant footstep caused him to kick a chair, creating a vibration and a clatter in the noise. Suri didn't expect his foe to be able to hear that in the noise the others were making in their battle, so he was caught off guard when the table in front of him practically exploded as his attacker leapt out in a rage.

Kasumi looked at Orin and huffed. She didn't like being told what to do. She noticed Orin creating a large ice block and thought for a while. 'How is he able to do that with little moisture in the air?' she thought. 'You can't make ice without water though right? but I shouldn't get in the way.' she sighed as she gathered up as much water as she could and created a shield to protect herself and some of the others that were not able to fight, from the debrie. 'I will show them that I can help by protecting the ones around me.' she thought with a smile.

Enter- Alane Shoudu

'Not good. Not good,' Alane kept thinking to herself. She tried not to look around the room to see the damage the people had done to the ones she knew and cared for, but it was hard not to glance at the bodies littered around. They must have been quick to make them all go silently, all the more reason to fear them.

Alane had indeed charged out with the others, but seeing four crystal bearers- not knowing that they were imitations- she held back with Katsumi in case they were to seek their lives. The young water guardian had made a shield to protect herself and others. Alane may be able to defend herself, but wasn't sure with the current enemy. She stood and assessed the movements of the people briefly, she could move in the battle with Harrier and the Darkness one.

“Kasumi, nice to meet you and all,” Alane whispered quietly, “Are you okay to be on your own or sho- eep!”

A sudden blow from a ill-aimed wind strike almost hit Alane. Granted it was small but it was enough to cause some debris from another wall to cave.

“Should I fight or help you?” Alane finished off in a quick breath to Kasumi after getting back to her side.

Exit- Alane Shoudu

The wall fell and Miya stood her ground, silently holding her breath until the dust settled. Without must hesitation, the crystal bearers were on the enemies, impressing the woman with their skill for their age. Stepping into the room slowly, but with confidence, the only thing that could be heard from her was the firm tapping of her heeled boots and the hiss from her whip. She was eager to enter the fray but she was wise enough to wait and see where she would be most useful.

Miya couldn't help wrinkle her nose in disgust of the ice that flew defiantly across the room. Ice, no matter if it was on her side, was unnerving. Goosebumps travelled up her arm and she felt a small shiver on her spine.

Looking around, she tried to spot Gio. Where was that boy-

A scream brought her back to the present. It was Suri's voice and it didn't sound happy. Quickly scanning the room she realized that some crazed thing was trying to... Take Suri's crystal?! Rushing forward and dodging nimbly to avoid the other fights that had broken out, Miya closed the distance between herself and the cyborg. With a powerful sweep of her hand, the fire whip lashed out, wrapping around the offending man's neck and heard a satisfying sizzle as the flames hungrily licked at the tender flesh. Holding the whip taunt, Miya threw her leg over it and drove her foot down hard, pinning the whip under the heel of her boot. This forced the man back several feet as the whip tightened and caused him to lose any foothold he might have had. The woman hoped that it gave Suri enough of a chance to get away.

Almost too soon, Suri forcefully punched through the frail wooden door...frail at least to part robotic individuals... Shortly after, Suri's bellowed the battle cry and the wall exploded, scattering into many pieces and creating a great mess of dust and hazy conditions, where Rigo couldn't make out much at all. Some of the others had directly charged in and were engaging in fight. There were a couple of random glows that felt extremely odd, but it all soon became clear.

Harrier's sudden use of the wind blew away the dust, and Rigo found himself being assaulted by a rather stern looking man who had fire swirling around him. That fire had managed to snaked its way around Rigo. The Nero Angeal frowned. He had been careless. The purple glow from his sword increased in volume as the darkness enveloped him and he dashed forward to directly slash at the man and then whip around to the side to throw the man off and slash again.

In the middle of the side slash, Rigo heard the cries of Suri screaming some really strange things, and he had audibly heard someone forcefully yelling that he wanted a Crystal. So, these people were after their Crystals? They already had Crystals...strange ones that didn't seem to resonate correctly. They felt... wrong.

The fire opponent nearly caught Rigo off guard as the Nero Angeal foolishly turned sideways to see if he could help Suri. Rigo's attention immediately snapped back to the fire man, who made Rigo lose his balance by swiping at his feet while the Nero Angeal had still been distracted by Suri.

((Darn Rigo for being an honorable type.))

((This one is going to be long, people. xd Also, Drei is already heavily involved into playing the actions of the Artificial Thunder Bearer. I don't want to mess up whatever he is setting up, because it sounds really interesting. That means that the name of this False Bearer is up to you, Drei.))

The woman bearing the false darkness gasped in pain as she was thrown against a wall. In an instant, she took in her immediate surroundings after the blast from the Wind Bearer. The Light bearer was just off to her side, and immediately began preparing a dangerous looking magic spell. Multiple glowing X's began to spin in mid air and fly towards her, just as the Wind Bearer was closing in on her. The spell would hit first, and then the blades of the Wind Bearer.

She smirked as she touched a hand to the wall behind her. Darkness spread from her fingertips, which she was quickly consumed by. In the next instant, the woman bearing False Darkness was gone, the spell striking the bare wall in a burst of light, and the Wind Bearer's blades striking there a moment later.

"Hah! Is that the best the Crystal Bearers can do?" the woman scoffed. "I'll admit your cyborg pet caught us by surprise with his little trick, but you won't be able to defeat us with slow attacks like that!"

She was behind them, dust swirling away from her and clearing the air as a powerful aura pulsated around her, emanating from the artificial crystal in her hand. She held the crystal in front of her, between the tips of her index finger and thumbs of both hands, then swiped both hands in an X in front of her. The crystal seemed to split in her hands and a moment later form into two long, wicked looking daggers. The blades waved back and forth like a snake in motion, looking all the more dangerous from their contorted shape. And in the rays of light that filtered through the dust, a slight green tint could be seen along the entire surface of the blades. A slow, but painful neural-toxin that could incapacitate any victim with enough time.

"I was hoping to fight the Darkness Bearer myself, but it seems like Jayden has that one taken for himself," she hissed to herself, her violet eyes glinting dangerously beneath her long black bangs. "Lady Jolyre Aegis.... Harrier A'Cal... My name is Nebelim. You'd do well to remember it when you're telling your tales to the Great Will!"

((The Great Will is Final Fantasy's version of God, the Creator of all things. The creator of all the universes, an even higher existence than even Shinryu, the God-Dragon. Remember this people. It will be very important much later on.))

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Jayden, the Bearer of False Fire, had tried to close in on the Darkness bearer, hoping to use his flames to entrap him and keep him from acting before he was completely trapped in flame. That didn't work out, however, as the Bearer's glowing blade sliced at him through the flames, having reacted instantly to the offensive tactic. As he dodged with a quick back-step, the False Bearer mentally admitted that the reaction time was impressive, but that was all it was. Battle wasn't the time to be admiring the talents of the enemy.

"Damn!" he cursed, having not seen the immediate shift to a side-slash coming, and barely managed to avoid the blow with only a light tear in his outfit. His green eyes lit up from beneath his sandy brown hair as he readied for battle, for real this time. There would be no taking it easy on this boy, no matter how young or inexperienced he may or may not be.

The Nero Angeal's thoughts were distracted, his eyes moved away for a split second, and Jayden saw his opportunity, and swung his fist low towards the ground, a jet of flame spurting at his legs. The Nero Angeal's evasion was sufficient to allow him a moment's reprieve, but the footwork had been awkward. Had it been a moment earlier, and his legs would have been cinders. "Very impressive, Rodrigo Dragoni," Jayden said, silent murder piercing out form his eyes.

The glow of the crystal in his hand shifted as it began to wrap around his hands, forming two black gloves with metal plates on the knuckles and fingertips. The gloves flared with flames and an intense spiral of flame began to spin around him. "My name is Jayden, and me and my acquaintances will be taking your Crystals, and your lives."

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Despite Gio's strong words in his analysis of the situation earlier, he was at a loss as to what to do the moment Suri broke down the wall. He pulled his cloak over the lower portion of his face, tying it tightly so he wouldn't have to hold it there, and watched as all of the others rushed into battle. His sword, however, remained sheathed at his side, and he hadn't taken a single step forward. His body was frozen where it stood.

Dammit! he screamed at himself in his head. Why am I like this?! Why can I talk and think a big game, but when it comes down to it, I can't do anything? The fact tormented him to no end, as he looked on, seeing the fights begin as little by little the haze of dust began to settle, clearing the air.

Everyone was settling into a fight, all against people who were wielding magic power, something that was only supposed to be possible for Crystal Bearers! Had research on developing Crystals artificially really advanced so far? Jolyre and Harrier were about to face a woman wielding Darkness. Suri and Miya were facing one who's eyes glowed of the same color as Suri's Lightning Crystal. And Rigo, Rigo was engaged in a literally heated battle with a man who contorted flames around him like it was a toy.

Alane, Orin, and Kasumi looked like they hadn't engaged anyone yet, but were already setting their sights. He, however, hadn't budged since it all began. What was wrong with him?!

Gio's eyes snapped wide as he saw fire swirl with incredible strength around the man Rigo was fighting. This wasn't the time for him to be cowering in the corner. Whether he was the Bearer or not, he held the Fate Crystal. Collecting all of the shards wouldn't mean anything if he let the other Bearers, especially his brother, die fighting while he did nothing.

Gio's sword hissed out of its sheath as he grasped the hilt with a trembling hand. Grasping it firmly in both hands, he took a deep breath to mentally calm himself, quite unsuccessfully, and charged at the man shrouded in flames. The man's back was to him, so he could have a chance at striking unnoticed. His stomach lurched at the thought of taking another human life, but he tried to squelch it for the sake of his brother.

Nobody was looking at him. Everybody was consumed with their own fights. He could do this, if only because he had the element of surprise.

He didn't get the chance.

The heavy smack of metal on metal rang in Gio's ears as he felt a tremendous force smash into his blade. A moment later, unbearable pain split his back open as he felt himself smash into a wall, crashing clear through it and into the sandstorm just outside. His whole body scraped against the rough barren flats, and a distinct ache throbbed from every inch of his body.

"Wh-What?!" Gio gasped out between spasms of pain, barely able to work his lungs to form words. "Who-?!" He tried to push himself up on his scuffed and now bloody arms, realizing that he had lost his sword in the sudden impact. He looked up and saw another foe standing in the opening in the wall he had been blown through. In the fading dust, the man looked like a demon from the very way he presented himself. His eyes were so dark brown and malevolent that one could hardly tell they weren't black. The man's blond hair was a stark contrast to the eyes, but did nothing to dampen the dark presence he seemed to emit, an intensity even greater than any of the other enemies his new friends were facing. And... something about his aura felt so incredibly... real, not hollow and weird, like those of the others.

The man stood before him, brandishing a large claymore in a single hand, spinning it between his fingers as though it were a child's toy. Claymores were a two-handed weapon. Such deft spinning of the immense blade was an unreal feat in and of itself. "Giovanni Finito Dragoni," the man said, his voice as cold and soul-consuming as his presence. "I'm here to claim what is rightfully mine. I'll be taking the Fate Crystal. Now just roll over and die like the pathetic child you are. You are not one suited for battle and killing" For a moment, one of his eyes almost seemed to flash red... or was his mind playing tricks on him? Was this really the rightful bearer of the Fate Crystal?

((Edit: Wow, looking at it all now that it is posted, it is much longer than I thought it was. No wonder it took me so long to write it. xd I almost thought I had to start over because of a technical bug too, but I managed to save it.))

This thing was stronger than she had first thought it would be and she struggled to keep the whip taunt. Suri looked like he had ducked out of immediate danger at least. Miya was trying to figure out how to launch an attack but she was barely keeping this thing coiled in the whip. She wanted to believe that her fire would stop it, but it wasn’t the first time that her fire had proved ineffective.

"Get off me! Fiery wench!" it yelled, pure malice in its voice.

Miya smirked and with a great spurt of effort, and gave another pull, which was unfortunately at the wrong moment. It used her pull and some unknown force to launch at her feet first. The distance was covered faster than the woman could react. Its feet landed square on her chest, causing her to drop the whip, which instantly vanished, and fly backwards. Luckily her armor provided protection, but it still knocked the wind from her and was sure to leave a nasty bruise. Using momentum, Miya rolled backwards, legs over head, and was on her feet instantly. She looked around almost frantically, trying to see where it had gone. She realized at the last instant – it was behind her.

Wrapping its arm around her neck, Miya felt the breath forced out of her. Miya practically snarled with rage at being put in such a position and slammed her foot down on top of her attacker. She was unpleasantly surprised that it didn’t react at all. Grabbing the offending arm, Miya flung herself forward, throwing her attacker over her head. She grabbed her neck with one hand, rubbing the sore muscles, while the other uncoiled her normal whip. She couldn’t risk hitting an ally with fire and waste her time focusing on controlling the flames.

From a knee, she stood swiftly, trying to see where that crazed thing was, and where Suri was.